Thursday, February 25, 2010

Surgery


I like what someone told me one time about surgery. They said, "Surgery is not major unless it's happening to you!" How true that is!!! I've had over 2 months to worry about this surgery, and it seemed the closer the date got the more worried I became. I had to continuously take captive the thoughts which were not true, noble, lovely, pure, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy, and turn them over to the Lord. I tell you, it was a BATTLE!!!!

But, then, the BATTLE became BEAUTIFUL!!! I knew people were praying for me, and I heard such words of encouragement from many people this past Sunday night, BUT I still was very nervous. I prayed about God giving me a peace about the surgery, but I just couldn't stop worrying about it...until Monday night. I can't explain it, but it had to have been people praying for me. I FELT God's peace wash over me, and I actually slept well until 3:30AM when my alarm clock went off!!! I got up, got ready, and still I was peaceful. Was I still worried? Yes, a little, but God's peace was stronger, and I RESTED in it!!! It was amazing. In my Bible reading from the previous day, God gave me such words of encouragement to cling to. It came from Isaiah 43, verses 1-2.

Now, this is what the Lord says - the One who created you, Jacob, and the One who formed you, Israel - "Do not fear for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are MINE. I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire and the flame will not burn you."

And then in Isaiah 43:4, He said, "Because you are precious in My sight and honored, and I love you, I will give human beings in your place, and peoples in place of your life. DO NOT FEAR, FOR I AM WITH YOU!!!!!!"

I literally clung to that last line, and I constantly repeated it throughout the day, on the way to the hospital, and even as I lay there in bed, waiting for them to poke needles and such in me.

The surgery was supposed to only take about a couple of hours, even though they allot 3 for it. My surgery took 3 1/2 hours. My doctor told me I got all of his 17 years of experience in that one operation. My thyroid was large, much larger than what anyone realized. We knew it was underneath both sides of my collarbone, but nobody knew that it had grown around my voice box to where it almost touched on the backside of it. The doctor came in the next morning to shake my hand and congratulate me, telling me that I was in his top 10 most worst surgeries he's ever done!!!

Let me just say that I know God's hand was in it. We can't live in "what if's", but who knows what would have happened to my voice if we had waited any longer about having my thyroid removed. I imagine I might have been without a voice, which is NOT a terrible thing, but it would have been an adjustment. I'm so thankful that God in His infinite wisdom orchestrated all of this, and the surgeon got the thyroid out without any complications other than it being physically tiring for him!!!

2 comments:

Kelly said...

Glad to see you back on the blog! We've been praying for a successful surgery and a quick recovery. Thanks for contributing a haiku--it was great!
Love to all!

TexasNeals said...

so glad it went well!!!! taking every thought captive...the daily challenge of a lifetime!!!! seems to me that God really used this to bless you for your reliance on Him. the next time something like this comes up you will be able to refer back to this experience and feel even more confident that HE IS WITH YOU....all the time and in all things!