Another Postponement - Then Success

ANOTHER postponement - Heller Myotomy Surgery

My surgery was scheduled for March 8th at 10:30. I was READY. I was so, so ready!
I was confident about this surgery, I wanted it over with!

When I arrived at the hospital surgical floor, my surgeon greeted me. He wanted me to know that he and his surgical team had been up all night in emergency cardiac surgery, working until 4:30 am. He wanted me to know that and felt we should consider “together” whether to go into the surgery that morning. I felt it showed a lot of integrity that he told me that, and didn’t just cancel without telling me why, or worse, going on into the surgery. Well, of course, I was disappointed to postpone it AGAIN, but my good sense told me that I should have a well rested team. So, I told him we should wait. He and the hospital worked with me and were able to change the schedule around so that I could get in the very next morning at 9 am. So, I only had to wait one more day. One more day! That one more day, however, made me feel less confident by the time the next morning came. It provided room for doubt to creep in. I thought “What’s with this being postponed twice…maybe I’m not supposed to have it???!!” But then, gee, I didn’t want to face not being able to eat normally for the rest of my life. If not now…when? Yes, I just needed to get it done.

I prayed a lot about it, and many were praying for me, why couldn’t I just let it go? I knew that’s what I needed to do…but it was hard. It was hard to relax. It was hard not to think about going into a surgery. By the time 6 am the next morning came, I had decided I had to quit “thinking”. I had to just let go, and go forward. I had to, as they say, “Let go, and Let God”. That’s what I did. I finally quit "thinking" about it, I took each moment as it came and that morning I listened to each person that talked to me about what they were going to be doing, and I thought positively about everything. I already had confidence in my surgeon and his team, and after the anesthesiologist talked with me, I had confidence in him also. I understand that your anesthesiologist team is as important as your surgical team. No one at the hospital gave me advice about whether I should postpone or not, but boy that morning, I heard from many of them that “you made the right decision not to go into surgery yesterday.”

So…off I went, right on time…9 am, March 9th. They put me to sleep, did all that they were to do, and the next thing I knew I was in the recovery room, I asked what time it was and I was surprised to find out that it was 3:30! I didn’t get back to my room until 5 pm. It wasn’t until then that I saw those that had been waiting for me, my husband, who sat in the waiting room the whole time for me, bless his heart! Also, my Grandson Skylar, who had driven up that morning from Hudson, WI to be there. His Mother wasn’t able to be there, but having Skylar there was just wonderful. It was so good to see them! One son had left just minutes before they came out and told them I was in surgery, but he returned later in the evening to see me. Rob felt bad, it was a day he was scheduled to work 9 am – 8 pm, and couldn’t get off. I understood. He and Skylar came down Saturday morning.

Well, you know what they say about hospitals these days; they don’t let you be there very long. They told me that if all went well with my vitals, and the night, that I would be going home in the morning! The medical consensus is that people recuperate better at home than in the hospital. I guess I was fortunate that they didn’t ship me home right after the surgery, as I have heard so many times they do. All did go well. I was back home in my lazy boy arm chair with a pillow and my warm, plush blanket that my Covenant Disciple group gave me and prayed over me with, by 11:30 am Saturday, March 10th! I thank everyone for their prayers. I thanked The Lord for seeing me through, and now I was off to recuperating!