Here were are in the hospital still and it has been a whirlwind to say the least. With surgery being cancelled Monday due to the stoma placement markings not having been done, we had to wait until Tuesday morning to actually have the surgery performed. What a night! Andy was miserable and exhausted and he had not even had the surgery yet!
TUESDAY MORNING CAME AND ALL PREPARATIONS WERE MADE
DOUBLE CHECKED THIS TIME! SURGERY WAS A GO!
Praise the Lord, Andy was finally going to go into surgery. The sun was just coming up over the horizon in Cincinnati when they came to take my hubby away for surgery. Prayer was said around his bedside and off he went again. Off we went again - the waiting room!
Andy was taken back to the OR at 7:15am and other than the occasional update of "surgeon is still working and he is doing fine" we did not know any further details on how the surgery was going. Long about 1:00pm my little waiting room pager beeped and it was time to see the surgeon. The 6 hour surgery was over! Praise the Lord. Brie and I braced ourselves to hear what the surgeon would say.
"HE DID GREAT!" were the first words we heard! What a true answer to prayers. Andy lost a lot of blood during the surgery (1.5 liters) but the surgeon had expected that. She said he should make a full recovery and that she was very pleased with how the surgery had gone. Once again, the surgeon apologized for the delay and then told us we would be able to see him in a couple of hours.
Finally, at 5:00pm, we were told to go up to Andy's room and he would be brought up there. A few minutes after we arrived in the room, Andy was wheeled in. Definitely groggy and tubes running in and out of him, but he was okay. God is so faithful. The prayers of God's people moved the hands of the surgeon. Relief flooded in as well as exhaustion! Sometimes the worry can keep you awake, but relief seems to wash all of that away and you are just left feeling drained. Andy's father had been with me all day and he finally went home. Andy's brother and his wife visited for a few minutes that evening and after they left Brie and I decided to go home for some sleep as well. Seven hours of sleep in 2.5 days is just not enough and we were feeling it. The nurse said Andy would sleep most of the night still under the effect of the anesthesia so Brie and I felt it was okay to leave him.
Exhaustion can make you do some crazy things and feel some crazy emotions. These couple of days have been a roller coaster of emotions - disappointment, fear, worry, relief, thankfulness and many more. My guy has been through the surgery and is doing well and so the emotion I clung to as I left the hospital to head home and see my children was GRATEFULNESS!
I AM GRATEFUL!
The surgery was a success! My children are happy and healthy. Our church family has been amazing, caring and so supportive. Our extended family has sent messages of love and prayers and support. Friends from all over the world sent messages of encouragement, concerns and prayers. We are so blessed. God has been so good. There is always a reason for everything. God knew when we started this journey that there would be a delay. He planned it perfectly and we know that His way is best. We absolutely know that this second time around is God's plan and we rest in that comfort. Now the long road of healing can begin.
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