My surgeon explained the procedure to me like this: "Okay, what we're going to do is cut a small incision in your belly button and insert a camera to poke around and take pictures to see if we can spot the problem." (At this juncture, we were all determined that is was my gallbladder acting the fool.)
"Sounds good, Doc," I said. "Do you think I'll be able to go to work that afternoon?" I LOVE going to work. I LOVE being a teacher. It gives me so much purpose, plus nothing beats some good hugs from some sweet students when I'm having a bad day. I never want to miss an opportunity to teach.
"Umm..sure. I think so. It really will just depend on how you feel. Just don't let the kids hug you too hard," he replied.
So two days later, I was in the most attractive, oversized hospital gown, wearing nothing but my birthday suit on one of the coldest days of the season. Lovely mental image huh? At least I had shaved my legs.
After a couple of attempts to insert an IV into my very coldly contracted veins, I was ready to go. The last thing I remember before I was officially out of this world, was laying on a cold table because no one knows how to crank up the heat like I do apparently, and looking at the light above me. I was at peace. No biggie. God's got everything under control.
I woke up, or at least attempted to, several times back in my hospital room. Wow..my shoulder was killing me. See, Doc left out a lil detail about the procedure; it seems they fill you up with some sort of gas so they can see better and what not, but the gas has to escape the body somehow. And why the gas has to choose the shoulder as an escape route when there are so many other portholes so readily available still remains a mystery to me.
In pain, but anxious to leave so I could go hope, I change out of my lovely attire into my civilian clothes. During this process, I noticed a large rectangular bandage covering my entire stomach. Huh. Must have been quite the lofty procedure. My pain is justified.
As soon as I arrived home, I suffered from some minor suffocation as that cursed gas traveled to my chest and made inhalation unbearable. The darn stuff kept me from my kids for two days! That and the fact that I had this monstrous bandage on my belly. And whatever it was covering, was extremely sore.
A couple of days later, I am so excited to remove that huge bandage so that I could witness the carnage beneath it. See, my inner kids was aching for an impressive battle scar. I quickly peel it off to reveal to small holes, one in my belly button as promised and one a little higher up, both only 2 stitches long. That's it..I'm officially a weenie. I was ashamed to complain about any pain anymore. Those pathetic holes would be forgotten a week after removal. Dang.
Haha! My family and I have laughed about that since the unveiling. God has a sense of humor, and He wants you to smile as part of your healing process. As usual, the surgery showed no glimmer of a problem and so I'm left once again without any answers. However, God has the diagnosis to my undiagnosed illness, and I know that if He choses to reveal it to the physicians it will be in perfect timing, not too late. Trust God no matter what you're going through. Even when all odds are against you, keep the faith. And never forget to exercise that sense of humor. Laugh as often as you can, it will get you through the day.
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