I’m on the Other Side

My hospital gown was intact, IV placed, and my fancy leg boots strapped; surgery would begin shortly. My hubby was finally allowed to my cramped room. Relief spread across my face and I determined to be brave.

I was fine until Eric leaned over my bed, took my hand, and played “I Could Never Promise You” softly, just loud enough for the two of us to hear. As I looked deep into his eyes, the tears came freely, gently. Those were hard but precious moments that brought deeper understanding to our marital vows.

Shortly before surgery, Dr. Sinervo came by and prayed for me. I’ve never had a healthcare professional pray for me; this spoke of his character. He not only prayed for a successful surgery but for overall healing in my body. He acknowledged that the Lord knew every detail, the pain I had experienced and my longing for relief.

The surgeon squeezed my hand as the anesthesiologist put me to sleep. Then everything faded. Awakening wasn’t dramatic, just painful. I was delighted to be taken to my room. I was very ready to see a familiar face.

A friend, Lois, came to spend the day with us; her presence was a gift. She made me one of those nifty rice bags that was very therapeutic in the days to come. (If you ever wonder what to give someone who is having abdominal surgery, opt for a rice bag! They are wonderful!)

It was comforting to know that my brother, Eldon was somewhere, not too far away, in the big city of Atlanta. He came to see me that evening. Though I wasn’t overly alert due to the anesthesia, it was just good to have a family member close by.

After a long night, discharge came late morning. I about laughed when they said I could go home. (I didn’t though because I remembered how much it would hurt.) It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go home; I just wasn’t sure how I was going to get myself out of bed, into a wheelchair and into the car where I would be jostled the whole way “home.” (Think post-op recovery pain.) The twenty minute ride to our rental apartment was rough.

The first couple days of recovery were brutal. I declared several times that I wasn’t going to have another abdominal surgery. I’ll spare you further details, but rest assured the recovery is unpleasant and takes time.

My mom and sister were our welcoming committee when we made it back to VA . Being in your own home to recuperate is ideal. Eating your mom’s chicken soup when your diet has been restricted for days is wonderful.  Receiving care from your family in times of need is a huge blessing.

There were  other ladies who blessed my socks off during my recovery! When your friend gets down on her hands and knees and scrubs your kitchen floor you know she is true-hearted! When your friend discovers a way to make nondairy almond ice cream for nourishment, you know you are cared for. 🙂 When a friend carves out chunks of her day to be with you, you know she’s genuine. When meals are brought from friends from church, you understand the blessing of sisterhood. When your friend stocks your fridge, it’s called undeserved generosity. Thank you Sista’s!

The road we’re each called to walk varies; however, there is one similarity: We all have times in the journey that are harder than we ever imagined it would be. The challenge is to not give up when life feels too hard and to hold onto Jesus when you feel like you’re completely alone. In this desert, if you can grasp onto hope, onto Jesus’ words, “I’ll never leave you nor forsake you,” in faith and believe His word, you’ll pull through. “Through it all you’ll learn to trust in Jesus, you’ll learn to trust in God. Through it all you’ll learn to depend upon God’s word. Then you’ll be able to thank Him for the mountains, the valleys and the storms He’s brought you through for if you’d never had a problem how would you know that He could solve them, how would you know what faith in God could do?”