I recently reviewed one of my patients who is under the cardiology clinic with an abnormal heart rhythm she had had for years. She had been on increasing doses of medication to bring it under control with no improvement despite being on the full dose for the past 4 months. The cardiologist had recommended an ablation procedure with 80% success rate which was not without risk, or adding further medication which could suppress but not cure the problem. If left untreated she was told it would progress to heart failure.

When she came to see me in April she was frustrated with the situation, worried about the proposed procedure and keen to avoid being on long term medication. She mentioned in the conversation her hope that she might find a miracle cure and that she was praying. This opened up a conversation about her beliefs and an opportunity to offer prayer during the consultation which she was very keen to accept.

The next time I saw her was 3 months later about a different problem; I felt hesitant to enquire about her heart and we dealt with the other problem first. She then asked if I would check her blood pressure and to my surprise her pulse rhythm was regular. She then shared with me that she had been checking her pulse daily for months and it had been abnormal everyday until the past 2 weeks when it had been regular every day! I then carried out further checks of her pulse and arranged an ECG which confirmed her heart rhythm was completely normal.

We celebrated her restored health and thanked God for answering our prayers for a miracle cure. And I wrote a letter to the cardiologist about her planned procedure which is now unnecessary!