Road to Recovery...

You wanna know the secret to a successful recovery? Surround yourself with people who are willing to pray for you daily, cook you delicious meals, send you gift cards and check up on you frequently. I've not had one day that there haven't been multiple people checking in on me. I feel very blessed. 

I had my post-op appointment and it went very well. The goal of the surgery has been accomplished and now I just need to continue to heal. I won't lie, it was a bit traumatic waking up this time. I ended up needing a breathing treatment in recovery right after waking up coughing and gasping. I'm not really sure why. I heard the nurse tell me I had a very difficult intubation. I guess that had something to do with it. I hope I can find out somehow.

I haven't been in a lot of pain. That is thanks to me already being fairly numb from previous surgeries. The biggest effect has been soreness from non-stop coughing and just being plain tired. The coughing is starting to get better thanks to lots of Benadryl and a steroid pack I was given a couple days after surgery when I ended up at Urgent Care. But, as I said it's getting better thankfully.

I have binge-watched all kinds of youtube videos on touring London...something Scott and I hope to do this spring. I've watched all the Hunger Games movies again, You've Got Mail, half the Harry Potter movies, Sky Fall, and a bunch of random British crime shows. I am tired of TV.

We've decided to drive to Greenville this weekend and spend some time with Taylor & Peyton. I'm looking forward to getting off the couch and out of the house finally! I go back to work on February 6th. Thankfully, I have a desk job, mostly, so it will be easy to follow Drs. orders and not do any heavy lifting. I go back for my next post-op appointment in 4 weeks.

Tomorrow morning I have my bi-annual checkup with my oncologist. I have these every 6 months. They draw blood and do a full workup and then I see him and he asks me questions, etc. He's a very kind man and will sit and answer any questions I have and never seems to be in a rush to leave. It is very reassuring and, having seen many, many doctors, very rare these days. I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for him. His medical training saved my life. There's no way to thank someone for that. 

From the beginning of this journey, I have been surrounded by extremely kind, caring, patient, and knowledgeable individuals who have made it their life's passion to help save people's lives. I am eternally grateful to them.

Throughout this entire journey, God has placed people in my path to help me in every way possible. Nurses, Doctors, Receptionists, other patients, friends, family, strangers...He is there, using them to love me. To heal me. To encourage me. To lift me. 

I hope that He has used me as well through this blog to point others to Him. I originally started writing it to keep me from losing my mind with all that I was facing. Some days I still feel a bit like I am flailing in the dark, not sure of what am I doing or even why. I still have to fight hard against depression and I still occasionally have panic attacks that come unexpectedly. I suppose, considering what I've survived, I will always fight those things. But the thing I know without any shadow of a doubt is that no matter the fire I walk through, I will never walk through it alone. My God is with me, always, and that is what gets me through each day. I found this today and I really liked it, so thought I would share it with you. I intend to use this daily.

1. I will trust Him
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee (Isaiah 26:3).

2. He will me strength
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

3. He will not fail me
Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the only one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

4. He is my salvation
Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the LORD God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation (Isaiah 12:2).

5. He is on my side
The LORD is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6).