Dancing Through the Pain

By Beth Jarrott

In my mid-30’s, I was sick, in constant pain, and weighed a mere 89 pounds.

I sought help from numerous doctors. Only they had no answers.

                                                                      Photo courtesy Sigrid Gombert/Gallery Stock

Pain radiated from the lower left side of my back to under an anomalously, protruding left ribcage. The pain was so intense at times that I could only breathe in quick, shallow breaths. Worse still, was the unrelenting nausea. At one point I was so dehydrated, I had to be hospitalized.

I knew something was wrong.

Horribly wrong.

Over the next four years my symptoms continued. Although the pain lessened some, the nausea remained and I grew thinner and weaker by the day.

I felt helpless.

Comfort came in the form of Psalms. As a child, I’d memorized Psalm 23. Only now did I understand the true depth and breadth of David’s words.

                                                                             Photo Courtesy Kevin Kelly

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

While in this valley of unexplained sickness, I decided to embrace the pain. Lean on God. And dance like David.

I was a member of a Davidic (Hebrew) dance troupe and drew succor from worshipping like King David. One evening while rehearsing an especially difficult maneuver, I twisted too quickly. I dropped to the floor as pain shot through my left side. It felt like I’d cracked a rib. The following morning I called an orthopedic specialist.

 

Dr. Jenkins was young, affable, and seemed genuinely concerned. He ordered a bone scan to assess for trauma or fractures that are otherwise difficult to locate during a normal x-ray.

Following the scan Dr. Jenkins entered the room with a worried expression and asked, “Were you born without a left kidney?”

Both shocked and alarmed, I answered, “No. I should have two kidneys! Why?”

 “Your bones are fine, but only your right kidney appears on the scan.”

                                                                           Photo courtesy Clare Kendall

Immediately, I was whisked to the hospital where a battery of tests determined I did have a left kidney, only it no longer functioned. Consequently, a Nephrologist was summoned where he performed a left nephrectomy (kidney removal).

As the Nephrologist removed the dead kidney it crumbled in his hands. He said it was a miracle it had not turned gangrene. Apparently my kidney died because the ureter, the tube that carries urine from the kidney, ruptured. As a result, it leaked toxins into my body and caused me to become very ill.
 

Were it not for the dance incident, my health would have continued to decline. I thank God for the mysterious way He worked on my behalf.

As for me, I’ll continue dancing through the valleys.

                                                                     Photo courtesy favim.com

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The Lord works on our behalf every day. Can you identify ways He has miraculously intervened on your behalf?

-Beth

Beth Jarrott is a native of Wilmington, North Carolina, where she lives an Encore Life  with her husband, Tom, and their two granddaughters, Grace and Bella. For over a decade she traveled throughout North Carolina providing self-esteem programs in youth prisons, detention centers and training schools. She is also a writer, speaker, lover of Jesus, and in the summer months she can often be found dipping her toes into the great Atlantic Ocean. Visit her blog: My Encore Life of Raising myGrandchildren. (click on link)