Count down begins

It's March. Time does seem to go fast. The countdown begins to March 17th. Surgery day. St. Patrick's Day! I'm having mixed emotions. On one hand I'm so excited it's coming and the other hand is full of anxiety. I'm walking by a lot of faith lately. And trusting in the fact that God hasn't let me down yet. I know it will all work out but boy do the emotions over come me at times. 

Here is a run down of what lays ahead: 

March 8th - Pre-op - I've been in contact with the surgeon's office and it's looking like everything is a go.

After this date I'll have to be super careful to stay well. I will have a covid test 5 days before surgery.

March 12-13 - Kids are involved in our church's Fine Arts competition. We will be taking extra precautions during this time to keep me well.

March 17th - 5 AM arrival, surgery starts at 7 AM. The surgery lasts 10-12 hours. Then 2 hours of recovery. Normally, J arrives as soon as possible to be with me when I awake. I understand this isn't the case right now. We will have to see.  These unknowns are a little difficult for me. J is my person, my security blanket, and not having him right by me is hard, for both of us.

For 24 hours after surgery I'll be in level 2 care and will be watched closely around the clock, every hour they will be checking to make sure the surgery is a success. I don't know if J will be able to be with me the whole time here either. 

Then I'll continue to be in the hospital for another 2 or so days where there are strict visiting hours and limits to the visitor numbers. My family is struggling with this is as well. Keep them in your thoughts, a text to them would be much appreciated. I'm hoping for a coming home date of Saturday or Sunday. 

Recovery will be hard the first 2-3 weeks.  I'll have lots of help at home as my mom and M will be here to take care of me along with J. Being able to work from home definitely has it's perks when your wife is recovering from major surgery. The boys will still be in school but M is going to help tutor Q. And we will keep plugging along with homeschooling. 

I've been advised to ask for help from people. This is so hard for me. I want to do it myself or make my family do it as I don't mind asking for their help but I know this is hard on them too.  I know that this surgery doesn't just effect me, each one of my family carry hurt, anxiety, fear and worry. It's hard to watch your mom, wife, daughter, sister hurt and recover. It's hard to not be able to take the burden away. I'm encouraging my kids to lean on their people when they need to so I must take that advice. 

Many of you asked about meals, this time around I'm asking that if you'd like to bring us a meal that you reach out to me with a date or two that work for you. You can email me, text me or Facebook messenger me. I'll look at our schedule and confirm a date for you to do that. Please do not feel pressure to bring us a meal but I know that for some of you this is your love language and you are a blessing because of it! And I know for some of you this is a burden (me) please don't feel a need. A thought or prayer for us is more than enough. 

I appreciate each one of you, for walking with us through this journey. For loving us. For praying for us. For checking in and asking how we are doing when you think of us. You will never know the impact you have had on our lives. My prayer is that I can remember the blessings you have been to us and one day get to return the favor to others. 

I'll keep you updated on recovery as much as I can. And any new thoughts as they come up.

Have a great week!