I have recently [and still currently] had the unfortunate experience of contracting Tick Bite Fever [Think Lyme's disease for my american friends.].....I have never known such pain. . . NEVER... and constant...there was no relief.... but let me tell you what was worse than all of this....was struggling with the symptoms and not knowing what was causing it.
So often in life we exhibit symptoms and are not seeing what the root of the problem is and so we treat the symptoms but never get better....this applies to both the physical and emotional and spiritual side of our lives. This is exactly what i did. . . rewind 2 weeks ago.
I am standing talking to a friend, my neck itches, i reach back and scratch it and when i pull away my hand there is a tick in it. I kill the tick and my friend says, "Man, hope you dont get tick bite fever." i say, "not likely." and life carries on....now tick bite fever takes about a week before symptoms appear...by that time i have forgotten all about the bite...life is super busy and work is super hectic.
I was completely swamped at work, had worked late every night for 2 weeks and taken work home, and there was a lot of stress at work. i work for a doctor and there were lots of emergencies going on. I was exhausted, my head was achey, my neck was in a spasm with weird lumps on the one side. Correction when i say my head was achey, it was like a hidden migrain, every movement caused unbearable pain and a wave of nausea...but if i sat dead still it was like a constant pressure band squeezing on my brain. i was having dizzy spells and night sweats and my blood pressure kept spiking.
i was literally arriving home, so exhausted and feeling so horrible that i was in tears. i would climb straight into bed, completely shattered. it was so bad that i almost wondered if i was having the start of a break down... and then on the weekend my period arrived. [sorry for the male readers reading this]... and i thought...maybe stress and this period are the cause... and it was bad...every muscle ached in my body and the nausea was killing me... i seemed overheated, i costantly wanted an icepack on my forehead just to cool me down and help with the pain.
i wasnt coping at work. the headache was continously getting worse, my brain felt cloudy and i was incapable of concentrating and found myself starting sentences and stopping because i had lost my train of thought. i was just not coping and it was getting worse not better. as it got worse i thought, "this is not just a breakdown...this headache is strange."
Eventually after many tears and much prayer, i woke up and thought, "crap i was bitten by a tick a week before the symptoms started...i am such an idiot, this is not a break down or being over worked or my period....this is tick bite fever." for a few days leading up to this, i had started a conversation with my boss and stopped because i didnt want to abuse the privilege of working for a doctor and also cause i was proud....but i honestly couldnt take the pain anymore...so i sat and chatted to her and yup, she agreed....tick bite fever.
the relief at finally knowing what was wrong...and getting the right treatment to deal with the pain....wow. it made the world of difference. now let me tell you the pain didnt go straight away. She even gave me super strong painkillers, and the headache was so bad that it didnt relieve the pain. i was exhausted and emotional, and then on the 3 day of treatment i woke up in the middle of the night and realised, "my pain is not as bad as it was." and i took my pain meds and the pain vanished....well until the meds wore off....but that was a drastic improvement on taking the meds and still being in unbearable pain. . . and with that i felt like a new person...the end was in sight.
You see, i started to fall apart and break down from being in constant pain. . . this time it was a physical wearing down. i had to actually allow myself the ability to be sick, instead of fighting it and pushing through . . . but years ago i had so much emotional pain stored up inside of me that it physically effected me and i had a complete breakdown.
The truth is this, and simply this, we are not created to live in constant pain for a prolonged period of time. whether it be emotional and physical. We are not able to cope with it, we are not designed to cope with it because it is not God's best for us.
But many of us cant get better because we are treating symptoms and not exposing the root. and especially in emotional pain, none of us want to expose those wounds, we want to protect ourselves from further hurt.... but if you dont get to the root cause of it, then you cant get free and healed and you will constantly be in pain and it will destroy you. God is God our Healer but you need to create space in your life for His healing.
That means making space not just for Him and His presence but also for people He has gifted to help you in healing...whether it be a doctor [physical and emotional healing], a pastor, counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist etc...He has gifted people with knowledge and wisdom....don't put God in a box.
He can meet you face to face and with a simple whisper or touch bring forth a miracle, but many times he also works through others, that he has gifted and annointed. . . its still miraculous even if it doesnt fit your box of how you wanted your miracle to happen.
so stop self-medicating and subduing the symptoms, find the root, expose the wound and get true healing.
