Surgery Update

Ta-da! Not dead! Also, not cancerous!! Praise God! The surgery on Tuesday went well. Evidently, I'm a pretty big anesthesia wimp, though - they'd have me sit up - and they'd lay me back down again. Sit up - back down... repeat several times. Jonathan said something about my color being off. I'm already the whitest person I know, so I must've gone clear.

Anyway, the doc said I had a bunch of endometriosis and it was connecting parts of my insides together that weren't supposed to be connected. He said that the surgery would've been worth doing for just that part of it. He said the parts went back where they belonged, but must have been causing a lot of pain being the way they were. He removed as much of the endometriosis as he could, along with at least a few cysts on my ovaries. Right now, I'm getting everything third-hand from Jonathan, and he's not great for remembering the names of all the parts. I'll get the full news next Monday the 13th at my post-op appointment.

As far as pain goes - I'm sore, but the difference from morning to night, and then from night to morning is absolutely astounding! The pain meds help a lot, to be sure, but just to notice the difference is amazing! I didn't work this week at all - they even told me to stay away when I contemplated coming back on Friday - but I'll be back up and working on Tuesday. Truth be told, I can't stand to just sit and do nothing much longer - I've got a house to pack!

True to my health care experience in Wisconsin, this one was no different - it was as perfect as health care OUGHT to be. I had at least 10 different nurses who took care of me at various times, a "good guy" doctor (the anesthesiologist with the happy drugs), the "bad guy" doctor (my OB/GYN/Surgeon with the scalpel and laser), and multiple other helpers. Jonathan said this was true teamwork - my GHC doctor referred me to the UW doctor/specialist, who then did the surgery at Meriter hospital with their staff. It ran so smoothly. Also worth mentioning is that my doctor called me the night before the surgery to check up on me and see if I had any questions - from his personal phone! The caller ID said, "Last Name, First Name" when I picked up - not "GHC", not "UW Hospital", not even "Clinic" - his NAME! I felt like I had gotten a housecall! Of course, I had no questions prepared (like I've ever had a doctor call me from home before just to check up on me!) Instead, when he was wrapping up, and asked if I had anything to add, I said, "Yeah, get a good night's sleep, eat well tomorrow, and... don't slip!"

Day of the surgery, I was nervous - and a bit cranky, since I hadn't eaten since Sunday morning. I learned I tend to diffuse my nervousness with humor, though, so the nurses and personnel that had to deal with me said I wasn't really all that bad. The doc came to check in with me just before the surgery, so I had to ask: "Get a good night's sleep?" He smiled, "Yup." "Eat well?" "Yes." "Show me your hand." He grinned and held it up - rock steady. "You can operate," I declared. Everyone laughed, and he said they were almost ready to start.

Two and a half hours later, I became aware of people shouting my name and wanting to know, on a scale of 1-10, what kind of pain I was in. Yeah, like I could answer. They wheeled me to a private room about an hour later, and Jonathan was able to come in. I had missed him so badly! He's been absolutely fantastic from the get-go. I know he's probably had times where he's been really freaked, but I've never seen it. He's my rock. He's been willing to do, and has done, just about anything I've needed. Practically waited on me hand and foot. (Have I mentioned that we'll have been married 10 years this July? This isn't newlywed mushy, "Anything I can do for you, honey?" This is real, honest-to-goodness true love! Aren't I the most blessed woman EVER?!) Of course, he made sure to get me a burger and some frozen custard - essential to the healing process, you know? And chocolate. Mmmm...

Speaking of which, I want to thank Nicole and her family for the Ambrosius chocolate to help speed my recovery (pretty sure it's working already), and to Jenn and Bob for the lovely flowers to brighten up the room, and to David and Laura, who, with two little boys and a brand-new baby so graciously made me a meal, so I wouldn't have to worry about it once I stopped eating chicken soup. Thank you everyone else, also, for the emails, the phone calls, and all the cards. I have been feeling love from all over the country, and I know that in the last few weeks, I have been completely surrounded in prayer. Thank you, thank you so much...

Now, I ask for prayer for this beloved husband of mine, who, with Eater coming up in just two weeks, has at least three extra rehearsals in addition to his regular ones, four extra church services, a post-op appointment with me, a special Bill Cosby show in town (Yay! Fun!), an away-from-here conference for two days, a house to close and move into, now has a cold. He's a tough cookie, but please surround him for this time especially. I know you will.

Our gratitude always,
Lindsay and Jonathan