Sunday, July 24, 2016

Surgery minus 1 day.. Countdowns, calculations, separations & preparations..

...The last few days have been gettin' pretty real.. Every single thing, about even routine things, has been prepared with the next several weeks that I'm expected to be laid up in mind.. Everything is being separated by means of one question- 'what can wait & what can't wait?'.. Grocery shopping with the thought in mind that I won't be cooking, typical laundry days changed to make sure everything needed is done (thank goodness Antonio does his own laundry anyway, & Matt helps with his), washing the shower curtain (don't ask me why in my mind that couldn't wait,.. but it couldn't), cleaning the bathroom (thank goodness Antonio does the majority of the other house cleaning for his weekly chores!), extra garden weeding/pest control/harvesting, straightening the house & our bedroom, organizing (don't ask me why in my mind that couldn't wait either,.. but it couldn't), paying bills in advance, advance car taxes, advance car renewal registrations, coordinating & arranging for my Bible students' studies to be taken care of, & the list goes on.. I feel like I'm 'nesting' like a pregnant woman does shortly before a baby is born.. Maybe it's not 'nesting' at all.. Maybe it's 'advance planning' that any woman does when she just knows that there are simply things that she might not be able to do for the next few weeks..

...Thursday I received a phone call to confirm my surgery time for Monday.. 12:00pm.. Check in at 10:00 am.. It had been moved.. The original time was for 7:30am, with a check in for 5:30am.. Although I did prefer the earlier time, it also meant we had to be on the road no later than 3:30am.. At least now with the later time, we can try to get a little more sleep.. Although coming through rush hour is a concern.. We're aiming to be on the road by 7:00am.. Estimated surgery length of time should be 4 hours.. We texted family the update.. And I texted Brother P.. He will be there in advance of the surgery start time.. What a comfort that will be..

...Thursday night at the congregation meeting, sisters started scheduling themselves to bring us dinner on different days when we return home.. So so kind.. One sister even arranged for her day to bring dinner to be today, the night BEFORE the surgery, figuring we would be busy preparing-- how thoughtful!.. Truly our brothers & sisters in every sense of the word

...Friday I received a phone call from the hospital for a pre-op phone registration.. Friday also started my first prep instruction-- the last day I can do any shaving.. I suppose from the possible nicks, bacteria, etc? I don't really know.. But when you can check something, no matter how small, off a surgery prep list, things are gettin' pretty real.. It's also been confirmed that Matt can stay overnight with me in my recovery room-- what a relief for us both.. Prayers answered..

...Saturday felt oddly like a somewhat normal day despite being 2 days before being gutted on the surgery table.. (Forgive my fond description).. In the morning we all went out for the volunteer ministry work for our assigned literature cart shift, & studied for the Sunday congregation meeting.. The rest of the day was full of laidback household duties.. The difference was, again, that they were done in the mindset of 'what needs to be done before the surgery'.. Matt has been having his own similar preparations-- installing a handrail on the front steps for me, vehicle maintenance, fixing some things in the bedroom so that it is a more 'restful' place for me, etc..

...Antonio will be staying with friends for 2 days.. With the hospital 2 hours away, & only 1 person being permitted to stay overnight with me, it just wasn't feasible for Matt to drive him 2 hours home after the surgery & then drive 2 hours back, & so on.. Not to mention, then Antonio would be home alone overnight with his worries likely eating him up.. Matt will text him updates as he gets them, & we'll be able to talk on the phone or Skype hopefully later on in the evening.. Although I know he'll have a good time with his friends & I hope it will help the time pass quicker for him, I feel terrible knowing that he'd rather be at the hospital with us.. We have such a close mother-son bond.. We have been through SO very much just him & I over the years.. I know this is killing him,.. & that kills me..

...Today was what I know is my last congregation meeting for a while.. My brain was overwhelmed.. Since we are leaving early in the morning, that also meant that Antonio was just going straight home with the family he will be staying with.. I tried to be light-hearted in hugging him before we left, telling him, "The next time you see me, I'll be all fixed up!", but when he squeezed me so especially tight, my heartstrings tugged so hard.. He always puts on a brave face, but I know his tender heart.. I pray so much that he is given peace of mind.. I know he'll worry, & that is normal, & we had talked about some of that stuff in advance over these last few weeks, but I pray it isn't overwhelming for him & that he is able to have fun & that the time moves quickly for him..

...Matt was so kind to humor me & my intense need to take care of more things this afternoon.. He tried to tell me only once that he didn't want me to do anything, he wanted me to rest.. But he let it go after that.. I think he could see that in my mind it wasn't an option, that these were things I HAD to do,.. whether they were true necessities or not, in my mind they were-- the big bag of green beans Antonio harvested for me a few days ago HAVE to be washed, cut, & frozen.. The bathroom sink, toilet, & mirror HAVE to be cleaned.. The dining room table HAS to be straightened & the placemats washed.. The bedsheets HAVE to be changed (well, that truly is a requirement per my prep instruction list, since I have to do a Hibiclens bodywash tonight).. There is laundry that has accumulated some more that HAS to be done.. There are a few things I forgot when I went grocery shopping earlier in the week that we HAVE to have.. There are more garden items that HAVE to be harvested.. So he didn't fight me on it, he simply jumped right in & asked what he could do.. How I love him.. He went to the store, handled the green beans, some laundry, & helped me with the garden harvesting.. We listened to Kingdom songs as we worked.. There really was no stress as we worked, even knowing it was all being done as 'pre-surgery-work'.. It was all quite pleasant & full of contentment.. And as we listened to the messages of each of those Bible-based songs, & sometimes hummed & sang along as we worked, I quietly thanked Jehovah in prayer over & over..

...My surgery prep work for today involves one Hibiclens shower tonight before bed.. And then I have to do it once more in the morning.. The purpose is to strip the skin of all bacteria, oils, everything, to reduce the risk of secondary infection after surgery.. I cannot use lotion or deodorant after.. Nothing but clear liquids after midnight, with no more than 20 oz total, & no more than 8 oz after 8 tomorrow morning..

...So... This is it... Here we go...

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