As of tomorrow, I will have been home from the hospital for 2 weeks. Not a lot happens when one is sitting around home recovering from surgery, lots of thinking and planning - in my head - but in reality mostly a lot of naps.
I feel pretty good! I put on 22 pounds in the hospital, that's right 22 pounds in 4 days, thanks to all of the fluids pumped into me. I came home looking like I was in my third trimester, over the last week I've lost the 22 pounds plus an additional 5, so that's good. The kidney is working!!
While this surgery was much less radical and invasive than the rib resection, upon reflection I think it has been harder. Losing ribs and having a breast reconstruction has nothing to do with my "system". Kidneys are part of how the body works, and are obviously vascular, so it affected more how I feel, the pain was much less, but how I felt took longer and was more difficult.
Sunday afternoon, I started to have ankle pain, and by Monday morning it had elevated to an 8 out of 10 on the pain scale, the highest level of I had with my ribs was a 6, so this was bad, very bad. Dr B had me go to the ER to check for a blood clot, no clot, turns out is was gout!! Gout sucks! Turns out the foods that I was eating to help with my anemia can cause a flare up of gout.
On Wednesday I went to the cardiologist as a follow up for my CPR. Funny side note, and the tech was taking my vitals and and reading my chart, he said "holy s**t" you're lucky to be here. My ticker is good and I was cleared by the cardiologist.
Two big events over the next few weeks, 10 days in Newport with the family, we CANNOT wait. It is one of our favorite places in the world, and we are all so looking forward to sticking our toes in the sand, spending time with family and friends and pretty much doing nothing for 10 days.
I leave for Daphne, Alabama on July 12th and will arrive on the 15th. I am so excited to get there and begin working with the kids of Daphne High School. Go Trojans!
In response to the cardio tech, and his " you're lucky to be here" comment. I am not lucky to be here at all. I am here for a purpose. God has chosen to refine me through this process. The refining is not complete, it is a process, but I am confident in the fact that God will use me to further His kingdom.
In the same way that I had to get out of God's way through this healing process, I need to get out of God's way while he uses me. My trust is complete, I will be used, I just don't know how yet. However I do know this. It will not be boring. I am looking forward to it.
Eucaristia
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