Work - The Sequel

As of today, it's been exactly six weeks since my surgery. For the average person, six weeks might sound like a long time. For me, it's gone lightening fast. Seems like yesterday I was in ICU and they couldn't get a vein to change my IV. Thirteen times. That's how many times they stuck me to try and get a new vein. The veins kept rolling and breaking. I had bruises everywhere. At least the nurses were apologetic and kind about it. They were very lucky that I was on morphine or there may have been much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

So, today I again went back to work. My goal was to make it all day. That's a lot harder than it sounds. Before my surgery, I routinely worked 10 hour days without blinking an eye. Not now. I got to work at 8:00 a.m. and by 10:30 a.m., I was wishing that the day would hurry and be over. I had several humps like that but forged ahead and actually made it until 5:00 p.m.! My brain is completely fried and I'm exhausted but for the first time, in a long long time, I had a clear head. All day. Not once did I get confused. Not once did I get lost and wonder what I was doing. That alone kept me going. I cannot begin to tell you what a difference this surgery has made. I will try for another full day this next week.

You would have thought that completing an entire day of work would be enough for one day. Nope. I went to hear the Oklahoma City Philharmonic after work today. (They put on an annual Christmas program in Yukon every year.) I really didn't know if I would be able to stay awake but I was greatly blessed. To listen to the talented musicians and to hear the beautiful singers singing about Christ's birth was just what I needed. We get so caught up in all the hurrying, decorating, buying presents, going to parties, etc. that we forget what we're celebrating. It's not a day to exchange gifts. It's a day for us to remember the birth of our savior. Let us not get so caught up in ourselves that we forget the reason that we celebrate this day.

Getting my hair trimmed up tomorrow. It's growing really fast and is almost covering my scar. One more month and I don't know that you'll even be able to tell that I had surgery. I'll get my husband to take a picture and try to get it up tomorrow.

Though today ended up being a good day, I'm asking that you still continue to pray for me and for those like me that live every day with Chiari. The surgery isn't a cure-all and there's no guarantee that my symptoms won't come back. I still live with headaches and occasional strange sensations in my arms and legs but I am very grateful to God for the relief of my major symptoms. Others are not so fortunate. I am blessed with wonderful family and friends and have a lot of support. Once again, I do NOT take them for granted. God is good!