Surgery

Tuesday, July 26th was the big surgery date. I am a wreck before surgery. I try to get everything I can done and I get so uptight. I was nervous for this surgery but had had so many blessings telling me that the Lord had led me to these doctors and this was the answer to me healing. The priesthood blessing the night before I went in was very comforting but there were two things that struck me off a little. One, the Lord will help strengthen your body and two, this will be a great trial for you, but you will get through with the help of the Lord.

Great trial? Body strengthened? Not sure what those meant but was comforted in the rest of the blessing.

Tuesday morning, bright and early, Thomas and I show up at the hospital and Julie and Joyce were waiting for us. I checked in and was prepped for surgery. I sure was apprehensive.

I was to have robotics surgery and they were going to completely re-structure my abdomen and lower pelvic area. I had a neuroma that had to be removed, bladder surgery, intestinal surgery, etc. etc. It was extensive. The surgery took four hours but they said I woke up begging for a priesthood blessing from my husband, so they let him come back to recovery after an hour, give me a blessing and then he had to leave.

Next thing I remember is being in my room and hurting. Wednesday afternoon the doctors released me to go home. On my way homes, something didn't feel right. I couldn't figure it out... yes I was hurting but it was more than that. I kept praying. I kept feeling like I should go home. As we pulled into the driveway, I knew I was in trouble. I needed a blessing immediately, Thomas got home, right as Brother Epps pulled up. They administered a blessing and at the end of the blessing, Brother Epps told Thomas that they needed to get me to the closest trauma hospital, I was in serious trouble.

We tried to go back to St. Joe's but I couldn't make it. The pain was too bad and I was struggling to breathe. As I walked in to Banner Desert Hospital, I walked to the counter, tried telling them the problem and the next thing I know, there are about 7 doctors/nurses around me yelling orders and rushing me to a room. One did an ekg while another pulled blood, another put in an iv and they were all rushing around. I was rushed to get a CT scan. I have had quite a few and none hurt before. They had to strap me to the board because of the intensity of the pain as I just cried. The pain was so bad.

As I got back in the room, Brother Epps and Bishop were waiting with Julie and Thomas. They tried to talk to me while we waited for results. The doctors came in and said an ambulance was on its way to come get me and take me to St. Joe's. I was bleeding internally and they were going to rush me back to do emergency surgery there. I was NOT excited. Thomas was going to drive and meet me there so we had a car on the way home. The doctor told him to ride with me, he wasn't sure if I would make it into surgery before he got there and I was not in stable condition.

At St. Joe's they did all the tests but could not figure out where exactly I was bleeding from other than internally. My oxygen was dropping, I was losing a ton of blood. They talked to Thomas and opted for blood transfusions first to stabilize me. I was re-admitted into the hospital and given 4 blood transfusions. The CT scans could not pinpoint where the bleeding was coming from. Quite scary but my blood levels came up and I was feeling better, so 4 days later, I was able to leave.

I saw so many blessings during my time in the hospital. It was a blessing that so many people came to see me. It was a blessing that I had such great doctors at Banner that they knew I couldn't wait in an er long and was immediately treated. Most of all, I felt my Savior close. I knew he walked every minute of that time with me. I felt his loving embrace. I felt his arms around me. I knew that he wasn't going to leave me. He is my Father. And, although, not on this earth, he loves me, like my earthly father does and wants to be there for me when I need him. I so needed Him at that time. I am so grateful for his tender mercy in saving my life and allowing me to stay here and continue to raise my son and be a wife to Thomas and a friend to so many others. My gratitude is so full!