Surgery

I have to say that given all my health problems, I have been so blessed to have never needed surgery up until this point in my life.  Though I have had a number of close calls.

When I was fourteen, I had a large ovarian cyst that ruptured on its own and therefore did not need to be surgically removed. 

Roughly twenty years ago, we discovered a small benign tumor situated in the middle of my spinal cord at the base of the spinal cord.  And while these types of tumors almost always grow and always need to be removed to prevent paralysis, mine has not grown and is still there.

Both of my parents had their gallbladders out and even though my gallbladder is packed (and I mean packed, no room to breathe) with gallstones, I am currently asymptomatic—my gallbladder is still there. 

A year and a half ago, I broke my sacrum, which was the most painful broken bone I have ever experienced in my life, and it has apparently healed on its own, not needing any surgical intervention. 

This past fall, we discovered that my pancreas is filled with at least a dozen if not more cysts.  They too have not required surgical intervention at this point.

I have only ever been under general anesthesia once in my life when I was five years old and broke my arm.  They had to put me out to set my arm, though the bones themselves did not require surgery.

Tomorrow morning, I will be under general anesthesia for the second time in my life.  As I’m writing this, I want to be as open with you as possible because I do want your prayers.  But I am also conscious of the fact that putting something on the Internet means I have zero privacy. 

The surgery is to remove a rather large uterine/cervical polyp.  An initial (superficial) biopsy was NEGATIVE for cancer.  YAY!  However, the doctor is concerned given the size of the polyp and how fast it has grown that there’s a possibility that there are cancer cells hiding deeper in the mass that the initial biopsy may have missed.  The polyp has to come out.  Period.

The procedure to remove the polyp is relatively common, but is complicated by the size of the polyp. 

So here is what I need prayers for:

1)     No cancer

2)     No complications

3)     Quick and painless recovery

As I am sitting here writing this, I can hear my House Finch outside singing to her babies.  I can tell you that in the past month since finding out that I needed surgery, I have treated myself to a lot of chocolate and retail therapy, but that the thing that has brought me the most joy has been watching the House Finches build their nest and now take care of their three very hungry chicks.

Tomorrow the weather report calls for thunderstorms all day, but I can tell you this, no matter what storms we face in life, literal or figurative, God is with us.

No matter what happens tomorrow, I know that I will have a story to tell and that God will be in the center of it.

And I can’t wait to share that story with you. 

God bless.