Participants:
Series Code: UP
Program Code: UP190121B
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00:01 Welcome back to the Ultimate Prescription.
00:02 We've got a special program today. 00:04 And if you just joined us, 00:05 we're talking with Bobby Davis 00:06 and he's sharing his story 00:08 and the blessings he experienced through 00:10 what some might consider a traumatic health incident. 00:13 So, Bobby, you are the producer of the Today show here at 3ABN 00:18 and the magazine editor as well. 00:19 That's correct. 00:21 Well, thank you again for sharing this. 00:22 And I think it's remarkable that, you know, 00:24 some people can see this as a real downer 00:26 when you have such an issue like a cardiac event. 00:29 But it's amazing to hear your perspective 00:31 on how this has just been a blessing in your life. 00:32 It has. 00:34 Yeah, and we talked about how a person has a symptom, 00:37 they don't ignore the symptom, they get help, 00:39 the place for modern medicine. 00:40 And even though 00:42 we might be doing everything right, 00:43 we still have some genetics and stressors 00:45 and there's a place for modern medicine. 00:47 So with that said, 00:49 we've gone through now the heart cath. 00:52 Now, it's not typical 00:53 that people have a bypass surgery 00:55 so many miles away. 00:56 Usually they would have had it done closer 00:58 but due to special circumstances. 01:00 And what a blessing to have family 01:02 that was willing to take care of you. 01:03 Okay. 01:05 And God led you to the right surgeon. 01:06 That's right. 01:08 And you felt from all along 01:09 every step of the way, I think that's exciting. 01:12 So, you're now coming in the day of the bypass, 01:15 what are some of the things you experienced? 01:17 Just share, share some of the experiences 01:19 what you felt 'cause not... 01:20 You know, some people 01:22 might be facing this in the future, 01:23 some people might have gone through it. 01:25 What did you go through on the day of admission 01:27 when you're getting ready for your surgery? 01:29 Well, I remember that morning. 01:31 I woke up very early. 01:32 They woke me up early. 01:34 And I was wondering if I could even get any sleep 01:36 the night before. 01:37 But again, I said my prayers, 01:39 I put myself in God's hands 01:41 and I slept like a log for the whole night 01:44 until they woke me up. 01:45 And, you know, I was prepared for surgery. 01:47 And I kept wondering if I was gonna be nervous, 01:50 really nervous about this. 01:53 But I had said my prayers, 01:55 I made my peace with God 01:57 and I cannot tell you 01:58 how important that is for all of us, 02:01 you know, facing life threatening situations 02:03 or at least a situation 02:05 where we don't know the outcome. 02:08 My doctor was very confident. 02:09 He said, "Bobby, 02:11 your percentages of anything going wrong 02:14 are very, very low, 1 to 2%." 02:17 And that shocked me because I thought 02:19 with all of this wrong with my heart, 02:21 I can't imagine that 02:22 it would be those kinds of odds. 02:25 And, you know, 02:26 he explained everything 02:27 and they had somebody else come in 02:29 and explain every single thing that could possibly go wrong. 02:32 But again, I was not nervous about it 02:34 because I was at peace. 02:36 Either God was going to get me through this alive, 02:39 or the next face I would see 02:41 would be the face of Jesus and that was a... 02:45 I didn't know if it would last all the way through, 02:49 being wheeled downstairs through the elevator 02:51 into the basement which is their staging area, 02:55 and then finally wheeled into the operating room. 03:00 And transferred over onto their operating table. 03:04 Now, I've had various people tell 03:06 what did that room look like, from your eyes, 03:09 from the patient's eyes? 03:11 I know everyone at that time is gowned and sterile. 03:13 Yeah. Okay. 03:14 You've met the anesthesiologist. 03:16 Yes. 03:17 They've given you some medicines 03:19 to some sort of take the edge off, 03:20 hopefully. 03:21 I don't remember that, but probably yes. 03:23 Okay. 03:24 And so what's that room look like to you? 03:26 Well, the one thing 03:27 I remembered is it was very cold. 03:30 It was very cold. 03:31 And it was bright, 03:34 very well lit, 03:36 a lot smaller than I thought it would be. 03:38 It was not a huge operating room. 03:42 Lots of different machinery and things around the periphery 03:45 but what really impressed me was how they worked as a team. 03:50 I had probably three or four people 03:52 talking to me all at the same time, 03:53 and I was just trying to keep up. 03:55 The anesthesiologist was very light 03:59 almost telling a joke or two, kept things light. 04:03 The nurses were wonderful. 04:04 They'd explained what was going on. 04:06 They started IVs and did this and the other. 04:09 And then of course, 04:10 the anesthesiologist explained that I would, you know, 04:13 feel something or other and I felt that little tingle 04:17 actually in my fingertips. 04:18 Were you having any physical pain along the way? 04:20 No. 04:21 Okay. No. None. 04:23 I was probably almost shivering. 04:25 It was so cold in there. 04:26 But other than that, 04:28 it really wasn't nerve wracking to me, 04:30 for some reason. 04:31 I've had surgeries before, but it was interesting. 04:36 And what was the last thing that you remembered 04:39 before you went to sleep? 04:41 When they told me you know, in just a few seconds, 04:44 I'd go to sleep. 04:45 I said, well, thank you 04:47 ahead of time for all you're doing for me. 04:49 And I informed them that, you know, 04:53 I believe that God was in that room with them, 04:55 to guide them and thank them for what they were doing 04:59 and then I said a quick prayer. 05:01 I started actually reciting the 23rd Psalm. 05:05 And I don't know how many verses 05:06 I got through probably one and then I was out. 05:09 I felt a little bit of tingling in my fingers 05:11 and that was it. 05:13 Okay. 05:14 Well, I'm a cardiologist. 05:15 So I work on the diagnostic end of things, 05:18 you know, the angiograms and that, 05:20 but the surgeons at that point, 05:22 okay, 05:23 you had someone that opened up the sternum, okay, 05:26 and they put retractors on it. 05:29 And they put you on a heart machine 05:32 where all the blood is circulated 05:33 through a machine. 05:35 They took the conduits 05:36 or vessels that brought in saph, 05:38 they usually take up an artery to an artery 05:42 and all the veins and they tie them off, 05:45 they don't take away the blockages, 05:46 they bypass around the blockages. 05:49 Then after that they take you off a bypass 05:52 and they get the heart going again. 05:55 And then, of course 05:56 they usually put wires or they sew up the sternum 05:59 where they went in, and then they're done. 06:02 And the next thing, you know, 06:03 usually do is sometimes the patients wakes up 06:06 and they're on a machine. 06:08 Yes. 06:09 And, you know, we have a picture of a machine. 06:12 Do you remember waking up with the tube in your mouth? 06:14 I do. 06:15 Tell me what it felt when you, like, when you woke up? 06:18 Well, actually, I woke up gradually, 06:20 they do not force you awake. 06:22 They don't try to get you to wake up. 06:24 They let you... 06:25 They explain that they would do that 06:27 and just let my body wake me up naturally. 06:29 And for me anyway, the tube was not uncomfortable. 06:35 I was on a ventilator. 06:36 It was breathing for me 06:38 and then of course I was breathing with it. 06:40 And I remember the face of the nurse 06:45 that took care of me that night. 06:47 She stayed by my bedside the entire night, did not move. 06:50 She was there all the time. 06:52 And she started talking to me and, of course, 06:55 I couldn't speak, 06:56 she would just ask yes or no questions 06:59 and it wasn't that uncomfortable, 07:01 I was aware that there were tubes 07:03 in my throat. 07:04 And I think one in my nose as well, 07:06 but it was a little uncomfortable 07:09 when they tried to get me weaned off the ventilator. 07:13 And I had to take in a breath and exhale 07:17 and that was difficult. 07:19 That was probably the hardest part 07:21 because I felt like 07:22 I couldn't really breathe very deeply. 07:24 And yet it was enough and soon as it was, 07:28 they pulled the tube out, and it didn't bother me at all. 07:31 I may be an exception with that. 07:33 Lots of people 07:34 I've talked to say that it was uncomfortable 07:36 or that they were aware before they were fully awake, etc, 07:40 but it was not the case with me. 07:42 Occasionally we have patients 07:43 that sort of have a panicky feeling, 07:46 you know, they feel like they're breathing 07:47 through a straw. 07:49 That's why you can't feel like you're getting a big dip 07:50 but they're okay. 07:52 They're getting plenty of oxygen, 07:53 but it's a hard experience but sounds like 07:55 you were blessed in not having that. 07:57 I did have that when I tried to inhale and exhale 08:02 during that procedure, 08:03 the rest of the time I didn't feel that way. 08:06 Could you feel like your heart was pounding in you? 08:08 Or did you feel it beating or anything special with that? 08:11 I wasn't even thinking about that. 08:12 Okay. 08:14 I was just thinking about, you know, taking a deep breath. 08:16 And when I did, 08:17 it didn't feel like there really 08:19 was any breath to take. 08:20 And that was difficult. 08:23 And were you having much pain from the... 08:24 were they? 08:25 None. It's wow. 08:27 Okay, so we got the tube out now. 08:29 So walk us through the next couple days now? 08:32 Well, that night 08:33 instead of getting a good night sleep, 08:35 unfortunately, the man in the next... 08:39 right next to me, 08:41 had something go wrong and so the whole team 08:44 was there and X-ray machines and all kinds of things. 08:48 And I was aware right then, you know, 08:50 that I was helpless to do anything 08:52 for this man except to pray for. 08:54 So I spent a good portion of that night 08:56 praying for that man. 08:58 And finally fell asleep the next morning. 09:04 I don't know, they tried to feed me 09:05 and all of that, but it was in and out of sleep, 09:11 I suppose. 09:12 And then by the end of the day, 09:13 they'd move me to another part of ICU 09:16 and whole another team, 09:18 and then finally the next day, 09:21 they took me to a step down unit. 09:23 And I spent another night there. 09:25 And that's when I got the fun procedures 09:28 of removing the chest tubes and lead wires 09:31 and all those fun things, but it was okay. 09:34 So typically after a bypass surgery, 09:37 we have electrical systems in the heart, 09:39 we have a pacemaker in case we have a rhythm problem. 09:42 So we have pacemaker wires that have to be pulled out. 09:44 Yeah. 09:46 Because of all the inflammation around the heart, 09:48 you know, there's inflammation in the lungs that occasionally 09:52 it drains that's why the tubes 09:53 were for and when the drainage goes down, 09:55 those are pulled out. 09:57 If you typically have a catheter 09:59 that helps that as well. 10:00 So we're gonna, you know, this is just fascinating, 10:03 but we're gonna hold it here 10:05 and we're gonna go and talk about a few other things 10:08 but we're gonna bring you back for our next program 10:11 to finish talking about your experiences, 10:13 but more importantly, 10:14 talk about all the spiritual blessings 10:17 that you've received. 10:18 Yeah, now one of Dr. Marcum's 10:20 perspectives on health is that God's Word 10:24 can have real implications for our physical health. 10:26 And so, Dr. Marcum, would you share 10:27 a biblical prescription with us now? 10:29 Yeah. 10:30 Our biblical prescription for this program 10:32 is gonna come from Micah 6:8. 10:35 "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, 10:38 and what doth the Lord require of thee, 10:41 but to do justly, and to love mercy, 10:44 and to walk humbly with thy God?" 10:48 So in this biblical prescription, 10:50 you know, walking with God 10:53 just means having a relationship. 10:55 There's nothing that we do that saves us. 10:58 There's nothing that we believe that saves us. 11:01 But when we walk with God, He saves us. 11:04 But He tells us how to do that humbly. 11:07 You know, there's nothing that we do for our health. 11:11 You know, God uses modern medicine to help us. 11:13 But ultimately, God does the healing, 11:16 to walk humbly with our God so that is a wonderful, 11:19 biblical prescription that all of our listeners 11:22 can gain strength from. 11:24 Yeah. 11:25 Well, I just like to take a minute 11:26 to thank you, Bobby, for sharing your story. 11:28 You know, I'm sure this could have been 11:29 a very scary thing, 11:31 but maybe our viewers will be blessed 11:32 by hearing your experience 11:34 if they have been experiencing something similar. 11:36 I think your perspective on this will be quite useful 11:37 and helpful. 11:38 Thank you. Thank you. 11:40 Well, you know, 11:41 our listeners might have questions 11:43 about bypass surgery or about diagnostics 11:45 and coronary disease or heart disease. 11:47 If that's the case, 11:49 they can go to our website 11:50 where we have free information, 11:52 and that's at HeartWiseMinistries.org. 11:56 We have lots of ways to help 11:58 know the place for modern medicine. 12:00 The place for lifestyle changes 12:02 and also ways that they can walk with Jesus 12:06 and part of that's our app, Nick. 12:08 That's right. 12:09 Our Biblical Prescriptions for Life app is a free download 12:12 for your Android or iOS device. 12:15 And it's just a simple daily place that you can go 12:18 and read scriptures 12:20 and really strengthen your relationship with God 12:22 through His Word, 12:23 and we make it easy to do that and it's free. 12:26 Go to HeartWiseMinistries.org 12:28 and click on the banner 12:30 there for the Biblical Prescriptions app. 12:33 And, Dr. Marcum, 12:34 I think this has been a very beneficial program. 12:37 We're gonna follow up with the next program 12:39 and finish the story 12:41 and talk about the spiritual blessings 12:43 and how God uses our illnesses and trials 12:45 no matter what they might be for blessings 12:48 and sometimes He chooses not to heal, 12:49 but we're gonna close in prayer. 12:51 Yeah. 12:52 Viewers, thank you very much for joining us. 12:54 Dr. Marcum's gonna close the program with prayer 12:56 in just a moment, 12:57 but stay tuned 12:59 and always be looking out for the Ultimate Prescription 13:00 to see the rest of Bobby's story. 13:08 There's something powerful about a testimony. 13:12 God has used testimonies in the Bible 13:14 to help bring us closer to Him. 13:16 And I think we've heard one of the testimonies today. 13:20 I want to have a special prayer with everyone today 13:22 so let's bow our heads. 13:25 Father God, 13:27 we want to thank You for leading us 13:28 and help us to walk humbly with You every day, Father, 13:31 because You're the path to healing. 13:34 We just want to thank You for being our Lord. 13:36 We know we have bad genes, we need You to be our Savior. 13:39 We need You to be our healer. 13:41 We thank You and teach us how to walk humbly everyday 13:44 with You. 13:45 May this be our prescription every day of our lives 13:47 is our prayer. 13:49 Amen. 13:51 Well, I hope you've learned something 13:52 about coronary disease, bypass surgery. 13:56 And the next program 13:57 we're gonna be talking about 13:59 how Bobby has used this as a way to grow his faith 14:03 and to share his faith with others. 14:06 So I hope you can join us 14:07 with on the next episode of Ultimate Prescription. 14:10 And if you might have a health need or problem, 14:12 go to our website HeartWiseMinistries.org 14:15 where we can pray for you 14:17 and be a minister to you as well. |
Revised 2020-02-21