On Wednesday, I had to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. - my momma was with me. Things were pretty uneventful at first except for the fact that I couldn't get myself to pee for a urine sample because I'd been fasting for 10 hours! After that was finally completed, we went through questions and such and then started on pre-op procedures. This is where the fun began! I blacked out while the nurse was putting my IV in, I couldn't properly sign consent forms because of how nauseous/shaky I was, and my surgeon ended up being late. They finally brought me back to the the pre-op holding area right before the OR where they gave me medicine to settle me the heck down! I remember laughing a lot but I don't remember how long I was there for or when my mom left me. The next thing I remember is being wheeled into an OR that looked EXACTLY like my high school shop classroom. Um...yeah...let's pray I was just delusional at that point. ;)
There were a few minor complications when I got back, so I didn't end up getting discharged until the early evening. I spent a lot of the day sobbing and watching House Hunters while my mom stroked my arm and played with my hair. I was loopy as all get out but I remember my nurses being SO kind to me - praise God! They were encouraging and helpful and my mom said they even had me laughing sometimes. :) One of the nurses, Stacie, was exceptionally comforting and very good at distracting me from the pain I was experiencing. She knew about my surgery Friday, so she requested to get me as a patient then, too! She didn't end up getting assigned to my case but she came to check in on me multiple times while I was there and she came to give me a hug goodbye before I left...bless her for choosing to deal with me even when she didn't have to!
One of my church mentors came over Wednesday night. I remember having a long conversation about cute boots - I don't recall much else of our visit. ;) I had a post op appointment bright and early Thursday morning. Getting out of bed was a NIGHTMARE and I seriously didn't know how I was going to make it through the day. I have never, ever felt God's strength more present and active than I did that day! My physical therapist took the dressing off of my incision site and got me started on some stretching/strengthening exercises right away. She was amazed at how clean my incisions were and even let me shower that day!
My mom gave me my pain meds religiously and I ended up having a spinal procedure done that afternoon to help with my neck pain and migraines. When I got home from those appointments, three of my best friends came over to keep me company for the evening! Again, I don't remember much from their visit but I know I laughed and it felt so good to be surrounded by them. :) Plus, there's this cute picture to show for it - I love these girls!
On Friday, I had to be at the hospital at 7:15 a.m. They skipped the urine sample and just drew blood that time around which saved time and decreased my stress by half! My ankle surgeon came by to mark up my foot and explain things, I had another amazing nurse who put my IV in super smoothly, and I was whisked off to the pre-op holding area pretty quickly. We waited there for about an hour, I remember being wheeled into the OR, and then I was out for a nice little nap again. When I woke up, my entire leg was numb and apparently the first thing I said to the recovery nurse was, "You are so nice to me!" I then spent the next 15 minutes repeating it as she administered my pain meds and observed me. ;)
I dealt with the same complications following Friday's surgery as I did Wednesday's, but overcame them much more quickly and was discharged around 3. We were told that the tissue in my ankle is NOT cancerous and the surgeon was able to remove it all, so it should no longer be an issue! As the numbness wore off, the pain got progressively worse...but I slept much more than I had been because the anticipation of surgery was/is no longer. My leg is colors I did not know a leg could be and the swelling makes it very heavy, but icing and elevating seems to help! I got dressed Saturday and attended family Christmas for a few hours before landing my exhausted booty back on the couch!
My besties came over for a movie night on Saturday - I had a bowl of ice cream, then napped the whole time. ;) I slept 10 hours Saturday night and was only woken up by pain twice...huge progress...then spent the rest of my Sunday napping! Other than the throbbing, stiffness, and soreness, I've experienced a lot of nausea and a severe sore throat from the breathing tube they ended up putting in during both procedures. I sleep half the night in the recliner and half the night in my bed. The pain gets a little out of hand around midnight (making it difficult to rest), but during the day it is pretty well controlled and bearable! Still learning how to manage the crutches - no weight bearing for 6 weeks! That crap requires upper body strength like nobody's business!
I am excited to rest these next couple of days with no appointments or anything to leave the house for. :) Now that I am able to lay down and sleep without overbearing anxiety/stress about upcoming surgeries, I can already feel my body healing more quickly. I do, however, apologize for the rambling post - I just wanted to get an update down in one place for those wondering because my messaging back capabilities are at an all time low. I tried to reply to all texts, FB messages, e-mails, etc. yesterday and fell asleep in the process...sigh!
It is such a relief + joy to doze off to my worship playlist each night...feeling so thankful for my family, friends, and faith. God's provision always shines brightest for me during times of uncertainty! I am especially grateful for all the support from this community. THANK YOU for the care and concern you have extended to me throughout this journey! Prayer is powerful and comforting and absolutely beautiful in every way. Seasons change, but God's goodness does not and my prayer is that you would all enjoy the holiday season with the ones you love most. :) We must always remember how exceptionally blessed we are to be given the honor of celebrating the birth of the Son and Savior who took away every trial, inequity, and illness we could ever experience here on earth! Merry Christmas!
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love." -Romans 8:38
"My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever." -Psalms 73:26
4 comments:
Love your attitude, despite the pain and complications! I keep praying for a speedy recovery! Hope everything continues to get better and better! Love you pretty lady!
I agree with Amanda- I also love your attitude! I hope that these nasty little procedures end up truly helping you to feel much better. I know how hard it is to be a good student AND be in crazy, aching pain. We do it for the plan that God has for us. In any case, I pray that you heal quickly.
I have to ask... Can you post your worship playlist? While I love my church and my CCM station, I hear less worship than one would think. I think maybe in some cases they don't always play the best worship songs off of some albums. For instance, Building 429 has an awesome one called "Made for You" that I have never heard on the radio. If you have some free time and you feel like sharing, I would appreciate it!
You inspire me so much more than I could ever write, Kenz! I pray that you have a restful, enjoyable, relaxing Christmas. And I am SO happy to read that there was no cancer found. :)
Ouch, I hope you're doing better. So glad I found your blog. Thanks for the info on the blog designer, love yours!