And all it took was a little communication

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	7	13-17	^
Platelets	8	140-375	^
ANC	1910	1800-8300	^

Communication. It is, undoubtedly, a pillar of human thriving, and somehow we all seem to be pretty bad at it at times. God made us to live in community with Him and our neighbors. The word "hermit" was never in His vocabulary, or at least the word does not appear in the English Standard Version of the Holy Bible. The two greatest commandments are love God and love your neighbor as yourself. And how do we do those things? 

Hymns are not very popular in contemporary evangelical churches these days, but there are a few that are dear to me. One of them is called Trust and Obey. It starts like this: 

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

For me that is a nice summary of how we love God. Trust Him. Obey Him. Jesus Himself said, "“If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15) Now if we are to keep His commandments, it follows we need to know what they are, and fortunately, God has made His will clear in Scripture (psst... communication), but He also is interested in our needs and desires. The author of the Book of Hebrews wrote: 

For we do not have a high priest [Christ] who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-6) (psst...more communication) 

So, the next step, after we love God is to love our neighbor less than ourselves...no, more than ourselves...no, no "love your neighbor as yourself." Look, we are all in this life thing together, so let's give each other a bit of grace. The other guy is just trying to get by as best he can, as you and I are. Are there evil people in the world? Of course there are, but I'm talking about the people we are likely to encounter in our circles of influence. And how do we love them? People want to know that they matter, and one of the best ways I know to let them know that is by asking them how they are doing. Are they in need of something that I can provide? (psst...more communication) Jesus taught us

Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me...Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:34-36, emphasis added)

Those seem like some pretty loving acts, don't they. Wouldn't you like to be treated thusly? And notice they are the keys to the kingdom!!

Communication. It is a pillar of human thriving. When it goes awry, though, it can be a source of consternation, confusion, frustration, and a few other -tions I'm sure. Let me share an example. Jill and I are transitioning from one health care system with which we are very familiar (Kaiser) to another of which we are mostly ignorant. 

Yesterday, I got a notice from the new system (OHSU) that I had an appointment on next Monday afternoon for three hours in the infusion center.  I already had an appointment for that day with Dr. Meyers, the transplant oncologist at 9 am. The new appointment was set for 2 pm. No further explanation. Now, I am a pretty compliant patient, but this had me baffled. I called OHSU and left a message to see if I could learn more. Sometime later, a woman called and said the appointment was set for three hours for blood transfusion. Huh? First I heard of it. I had been told a couple of weeks ago that all of my labs and blood work would be handled by Kaiser until I am admitted for the transplant. 

There was also an appointment for the following Monday at 7:30 am labeled "Infusion," with no further explanation. I also have an appointment with Dr. Meyers that day at 11:20 am. I thought, perhaps, the first appointment was for some lab work prior to my meeting with Dr. Meyers. 

Today, I received a message that was completely unintelligible to me, because it was not only written in medical terms, most of them were acronyms or abbreviations. What I could understand was the admonishment to be sure and bring all pages of the message to the lab. Lab? What lab? When? I knew nothing of an appointment to go to the lab, wherever that is. 

Aha! Time for some communication...that's a two way situation, you know. I wrote to Sean, the case manager for Dr. Meyers' patients, and explained that I was completely in the dark about all of these things. A short time later, Sean called. He apologized and explained that the two infusion appointments were simply reserved in case I need a transfusion. But why two appointments with Dr. Meyers? I was told I would be meeting with her either on April 26th, Friday, or April 29th, Monday, to discuss the PARQs (Plan, Alternatives, Risks, Questions) and sign the consent forms. 

It turns out that Dr. Meyers had no times available on either the 26th or the 29th for that type of appointment, so the PARQ appointment was set for the 22nd. But OHSU protocols require the admitting physician to physically see the patient within a week of admission. So, the appointment on the 29th was set up as a brief encounter to say, "Hi, are there any new questions? Are we a go for May 2nd?" and to meet protocol. And the unintelligible form that I must take to the lab? That was a computer glitch. AI, you know. 

So, with the help of some COMMUNICATION, we arrived at the following plan. Sunday the 21st, I will have labs done at Kaiser. If I need a transfusion, Kaiser will arrange it. The 2:00 pm appointment on Monday at OHSU is cancelled. The 9:00 am PARQ appointment with Dr. Meyers will stand. 

On the 29th, I will have labs done at OHSU at 7:30am, and if I need a transfusion it will be done immediately after. Dr. Meyers may be able to drop by the infusion room during that time to satisfy protocol, or if I don't need a transfusion, Dr. Meyers will do her best to meet with us earlier than the 11:20 am appointment time so that protocol will be met, and we can get home a little earlier. 

There, now, see! Wasn't that easy? And all it took was a little communication.