Prayer Works

Have you ever wondered whether prayer actually works? I'm guessing we've all asked ourselves that question from time to time. Let me tell you a story of prayer in action. I had my tracheal re-section surgery on December 15th. I was intubated and in ICU. On Saturday, they took the tubes out and pretty much unhooked me from everything, then kept me overnight in ICU to observe me for one more night. On Sunday morning, they sent me straight home from ICU. All that is amazing, but (to me at least) not even the most amazing part of the story.

I was terrified about this surgery. The thought of having my neck opened and my airway worked on, well, it was scary (to say the least). The Sunday after Thanksgiving, our preacher read from Luke and the story where Jesus is born. The angels told the shepherds "Do not be afraid". When Gary read that passage, I felt chills down my spine, it was like God was telling me directly not to be afraid, it would all be fine. I continued praying about it and asked others to pray for me. Then one day, my devotional had this verse from Joshua 1:9 in it: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” I felt those chills again. I prayed and put it in God's hands and just asked him that if this surgery was the right thing to do, then all the doors would open and it would happen. I won't lie and say I didn't feel scared anymore. Because I did. And I went through moments of freaking out. But I reminded myself of those messages, prayed about it, and forged on. I tried to concentrate on getting things ready around the household for the surgery.

The day of the surgery came, my surgery was scheduled for 1:30 and they were running way behind. I was about ready to bolt and had a tearful breakdown with Tom. But God reminded me that I was there because that was where He wanted me to be. And I didn't run away. That night after surgery, I remember waking up in the ICU where they asked me if I was in pain and if I needed morphine. It hurt, but not that bad, so I turned it down. Thursday and Friday are pretty much a blur, I remember people coming in and out, I remember responding (by nodding or shaking my head) to questions, etc. Saturday morning, they took me off the sedative, and removed the tubes. I was able to eat and most importantly, drink water! Woohoo! By Saturday night, I had the catheter out and was getting myself up and down (with supervision) to the bathroom and as I said earlier, they sent me home Sunday morning.

Now to me, the most amazing part of this story: on Thursday the 23rd, I went to get my stitches out at the doctor's office. The doctor referred to me as a "model patient". He said he had never had a tracheal re-section patient who was constantly smiling every time he saw them and had such a positive attitude. Now, that was really prayers at work. If you know me at all, you know patience or a positive attitude are not some of my stronger virtues. I've always wanted to be one of those people who were happy no matter what the circumstances. It was only through everyone's prayers that I've been able to be so positive and patient through all of this. Thank you!

2 Years and Well...a whole lot of days

I know, it's been a whole lot of days, weeks, actually since I posted. I had my first laser surgery scheduled for the day before Thanksgiving. When they got in there, they found instead of scar tissue, my trachea was the shape of an hourglass. So my options were pretty much down to: live with it, try a stint, or the tracheal re-section. The stint was a temporary measure that might or might not actually open it up. They'd go in once to put it in, then back in a few months later to take it out. If it worked, great, if not, I was back to needing the re-section anyway. It also had some pretty scary sounding possible side effects. The doctor said he usually only does the stints for people afraid of the other surgery (especially the part about having to be intubated and in ICU for several days). I was totally thrown for a loop. I prayed (and asked others to pray) for wisdom and really felt like the best option was to go ahead with the tracheal re-section. So on December 2nd when I went back for my recheck from the November 24th surgery, that's what I decided to do. They did the tracheal re-section on December 15th. So far, I can tell some difference in the breathing but he said that there would still be a lot of swelling inside. I'm doing really well, but I'm still pretty wiped out from the surgery. I plan to post again later this week to tell about how the prayers of everyone helped me through the surgery and recovery.

2 Years and 309 Days: Even more Thankfulness

It was a hard day, but yet I am going to list some things I'm thankful for:

18. Another nice day where we got to get outside.
19. It's FRIDAY! And next week is a two day work week for me. Sure I have surgery on Wednesday, but then I get to spend Thanksgiving with my family!
20. The ability and courage (which could only come from God) to speak at Victim Impact Panel's about my brother.
21. A good meal at the restaurant tonight. Chicken fried chicken, YUM!

2 Years and 308 Days: More Thankfulness

Some more thankfulness:

#13. My back massager which has got me through the last few days with my backache
#14. A Bible believing church to attend
#15. Hugs (no matter who they're from!)
#16. Good books to read
$17. Sunny days when we can get outside and play!

2 Years and 307 Days: More Thankfulness

Here are more things I am thankful for:

6. A lovely home to live in
7. A job that I love (most days, LOL)
8. Warm blankets on cold nights
9. Sonic drinks
10. My best friend Brenda, she always listens when I need her. And her husband Patrick for all the fun times we all have together
11. My friend Christina for her constant encouragement.
12. A comfy bed (that I'm getting ready to go crawl in).

More later...

2 years and 306 Days: Thankfulness

Wow, Christmas is just around the corner. I haven't even put away my Halloween decorations! Yikes! But first is Thanksgiving. Let's not zip past that without stopping to consider it. What do you have to be thankful for? My friend read a blog where the writer was trying to write down 1000 things that she was thankful for. Those everyday things in life that we take for granted. So what am I thankful for? I will focus on that for the next few days.

1. Jesus Christ for giving His life for me
2. My wonderful husband Tom who shows me everyday how much he loves me.
3. My oldest daughter Serenity for being a responsible adult.
4. My son Josh for being such a caring person and being so good with kids.
5. My daughter Natasha who always helps me with the groceries or anything else that I ask.

2 Years and Days 293-305: Catching Up

Well, Tom pointed out to me that I am really neglecting the blog. He's right. I have lots of reasons (excuses, whatever you prefer). The main one being that I've been so discouraged that it's been hard to be positive and think of anything positive to write. Another is that Tom and I are not doing very well with the Dave Ramsey principles and I feel like a huge failure in that area. We are having to borrow against his 401k this week to pay to get our bathroom fixed and to help pay for my surgeries over the next few months. I had hoped to never have to borrow money again. Because we are, well I feel like a loser. We haven't had an emergency fund for months, we're blowing money in ways we shouldn't be, and well, as everyone already knows, I"m just feeling lousy. So I'm not sure where to go from here with the blog.

On a positive note, I am going to have the first of 3 laser surgeries on November 24th to clear out my trachea and hopefully help my breathing. It would be great if they could get it all in one and I am praying for that. But I am so glad that they can do it this way where i just have to take off a few days every few weeks rather than closing down for several weeks for major surgery. So pray that the laser surgery works, the other alternative is much more invasive and scary.

Thanks for all the support!