Men typically don’t get bladder infections, but they can.
A few years ago, my ignorance caused me to shrug off the symptoms, which my wife told me never to do again. Symptoms can grow into a septic condition that can be fatal.
I learned the truth after sitting in the Arizona sun. Soon, I began to shake as if I had been undressed in a snowstorm. I had never experienced anything like it. I thought the chills would go away if I sat in the sun for a while longer.
I suppose I would have just sat there until I died if my wife hadn’t known what was happening and called an ambulance. The ambulance took me to a hospital, where I remained for almost a week.
Sometime later, I had another attack. Again, I ignored the symptoms initially, but once they struck, I knew I should tell my wife. It was a good thing I did. I soon passed into crippling pain in my back and lower pelvis.
My wife made large amounts of Cranberry juice and called our doctor. The pain lessened, but I still went to the doctor. I didn’t want another hospital stay. My wife rescued me with her immediate responses.
Men need their wives because we are prone to ignore pain, plus we are quite dumb about many things.
I learned not to ignore pain when it strikes. I also learned to come to Jesus when overwhelmed with pain. He gave me relief as I rested in His arms. And I realized again how much I need others, especially my wife.
Instead of trying to ignore pain, admit how much it hurts, put it in the outstretched loving hands of Jesus, and leave it there.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and HansMartinPaul.)
The Rev. Dr. Bob Segress served as a licensed psychological clinician for twenty-five years. Upon retiring, he served for fifteen years as a prison minister. Retiring again, he began writing full-time after a period of boredom. He has written: The Biblical Approach To Psychology while serving as a college educator, The Shelton Series, and, in 2012, Ten Years Inside Shelton Prison. Currently, he writes for several publications such as Halo Magazine.