I have been in a lot of nerve pain, particularly at night, since treatment for my diabetes was started.  Both my general practitioner and neurologist seemed clueless about this but I read on a national institute of health website concerning diabetes neuropathy that this sometimes happens.  That when a patient starts treatment their symptoms initially get worse.  But eventually, when their blood sugar is brought under control and stabilizes, the symptoms abate.

     The nerve pain had become intense, to the point where I felt I was being doused with gasoline and set on fire.  And sometimes this would go all night.  There were nights when I only got half hours sleep because of the pain.  Gabapentin was prescribed but even at near maximum dosages it was at times ineffective or at least not sufficiently effective.

     I wanted to go back to exercising, I believed losing weight and putting on muscle mass would be the real answer to getting my blood sugar under control, pills were just a bandaid.  But the doctor wanted me to take a treadmill test to make sure my heart was up to it.  There were many factors to lead one to believe it wouldn’t be.  I had a total cholesterol to HDL ratio of 7.8:1, they consider anything above 3.5:1 a risk for heart disease.  I had triglycerides over 400.  I had diabetes with fasting glucose of 352mg/dL, about 3.5x what it would be, and I had seven years of sedentary lifestyle.

     I asked people for prayer on my behalf and a number of people did pray for me.

     On the 28th, I went in for my treadmill test.  I had no heart problems, EKG was clean from resting to full max heart rate.  No symptoms, no bad sounds, everything was good.

     I’ve gone in and done two workouts now.  I was expecting that over time as I got my weight down and muscle mass up, the diabetes and nerve pain would improve.  I was not expecting immediate relief but that is what I got!  The first night after my first workout was pain free, and again last night after my second workout, only very mild pain and most of that was muscle soreness not the nerve pain I had.

     For me this is a personal miracle because my suffering has been taken from me, and I am thankful to God, and to all of you who prayed.

     I am a great believer in intercessory prayer.  I’ve seen it work so many times in other peoples lives, and now in my own.  When Jesus was asked, of all the commandments, which are the greatest, he answered,  To love God with all your heart, mind, and spirit, and to love your neighbors as yourself.  When we pray for someone else and do so out of love for them, I think God is particularly inclined to honor those prayers because we are doing his will.

     So again I thank all of you for your prayers.  And if you know someone who is hurting pray for them out of love.  I am least worthy to receive God’s grace and yet I have so surely he will bless others even more.