God's Amazing Body and Science - Part 2

The nerve of our body!

Once again I want to say thank you to the readers who have reached out and are sharing this blog with their friends.  My dream is to have one person read this and make a change to their life - I am sure that is what God wants as well.  However, through it all, I am the one that is still learning and getting some good help from this blog.

They often say - those that serve get the reward.  I definitely feel rewarded in continuing my journey and having so many people I know are reading and supporting me.  A big thanks to all of you!

BS- 93 - WOW back on track - well for one day.  It proves I am still a diabetic, still need to watch every step I take, and also how fast my body can get out of whack but how fast it can come back.

BP - 134/80 (home machine) and HR - 58.  I was a little concerned but my machine was 134/84 when the VA was 110/70.  When my machine was reading 110/70 then I was 95/55 at VA - so I think my BP is starting to level off and be normal on its own.  It has only been a month since they took me off my Blood Pressure medicine.  My mom once told me patience is a virtue - I did not listen then and I am sure I am not listening now!

As always, this being Sunday my post is dedicated to God and his miraculous works in all of this and how he plays a big part in my life.  I also want to continue with this series that God and science do work together and it can be amazing when that happens.

My accident

Today I want to point out how great our nervous system can be and how it can let us down with an infliction like neuropathy and why that scares me so. I fear neuropathy for many reasons but I have damaged a nerve by accident and I am reminded of it everyday.  It might just be the event in my life that I now understand was a blessing.

When I was much younger, I was seal coating my driveway and it was late at night.  I asked my family to go to the ice cream store and get me a treat - yep before I knew I had diabetes.  While they were gone, I attempted to cut off my little finger - was an accident.  Skipping by all the details, I ended up in ER and had sliced my finger to the point where a nerve was exposed.

4 surgeries later the medical team and plastic surgeons where able to get the nerve in my little finger put back under the skin and protect it.  While these surgeries where taking place, the slightest bump or touch on my finger would make my eyes cross with pain.  Then once the surgery was completed, I was left with a little finger that is numb at the end of it and when it gets really gold I cannot feel it.

So when the doctor said I had neuropathy - it stuck in my head - I could experience the same thing I do in my little finger and I just could not imagine that happening.  I pray for anyone who experiences such afflictions.

Our amazing nerve system

I realize you will have a difficult time seeing this picture but you can find many pictures of the complexity and marvel of our nervous systems at http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=nerve+system+pictures&qpvt=nerve+system+pictures&FORM=IGRE#a 

Once again, I just find it hard to imagine that through evolution we would have such a wonderful system where a brain along with our nervous system could be so efficient in keeping it informed of all kinds of important information - and it processes it at a speed that is hard to comprehend.

Again, I will let WIKI explain the nervous system and it is worth a read at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerve .  But the short version says this about our nervous system:

"A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of axons (the long, slender projections of neurons) in the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons to peripheral organs.

In the central nervous system, the analogous structures are known as tracts.^[1][2] Neurons are sometimes called nerve cells, though this term is potentially misleading since many neurons do not form nerves, and nerves also include non-neuronal Schwann cells that coat the axons in myelin.
Each nerve is a cordlike structure that contains many axons, also called nerve fibres. Within a nerve, each axon is surrounded by a layer of connective tissue called the endoneurium. The axons are bundled together into groups called fascicles, and each fascicle is wrapped in a layer of connective tissue called the perineurium. Finally, the entire nerve is wrapped in a layer of connective tissue called the epineurium."

To know that this complexity of cable like system runs through our body and every part of our skin has tiny fibers to let the brain know what is going on.  Again, I am in computers and we have yet to invent anything of a computer that can come close to the magnificent work of art created by God.

Science to the rescue!

Now there are times, like my little finger, or neuropathy when our nerves get damaged, from injuries or from many different diseases.  But then science comes along and creates all kinds of tests to help identify the broken nerve.  They create medicines to help deaden the pain or even supplements or creams to help deaden the pain.  I have not really found any science that repairs the nerve but I am sure it exists.  I will focus on the tests today.

Tests

Again, WIKI is a source I use when just wanting to understand different terms and what they mean.  I also think the more you know and the more you can share with your doctor or specialists - the better off you will be in helping them help you. 

Wiki:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurological_examination has a better and more medical definition of the tests and a detail review why the tests are important.

There are are mental status forms of testing to check the long and short term memory sensors.  This will be important and soon I will have completed my research but there are many starting to say that Alzheimer may be classified as Type III diabetes - great!!!

There are tests to check the  Cranial nerves (I-XII): sense of smell (I), visual fields and acuity (II), eye movements (III, IV, VI) and pupils (III, sympathetic and parasympathetic), sensory function of face (V), strength of facial (VII) and shoulder girdle muscles (XI), hearing (VII, VIII), taste (VII, IX, X), pharyngeal movement and reflex (IX), tongue movements (XII). These are tested by their individual purposes (e.g. the visual acuity can be tested by a Snellen chart).   I just find this fascinating.

Another test can be conducted to check our deep motor system meaning our muscles and how they are working with our nervous system.  By the way, one of the ways to help neuropathy is to strengthen the muscles through exercise.

Another test is for tendon reflexes and we have all experienced the hammer test - this test our nerves in the tendons.

As diabetics we often, or you should, get a sensation test to see how our smaller nerves in our extremities, like our feet, are holding up.  If you are not getting one of these, please do so.  Even if you feel nothing now, it allows your medical team to set a base line.

You can also see these tests as videos at http://www.neurologyexam.com/

Here is my point, your body and God's creation of a nervous system is simply amazing.  This could not have happened by some evolution of any form.  I am not sure who or what you believe in, but I believe in GOD but more importantly, I believe a higher power had to have something to do with this beautiful body of ours.  I also believe that God, as a higher power, knew we would need help to help ourselves - thus we have science.  A belief in both allows me to use the medical team to help my body and God for hope and trust that the medical team is also his creation.

They do not need to fight, they can and should co-exist together in my little pee-brain.

May God continue to grant us the ability to learn about our bodies.  May he also give people the natural abilities to be inquisitive and to want to research ways to help ourselves.  May he also grant us scientists, doctors, and other medical people to help us manage a healthy life.

Bob,