Post Surgeries

These last few weeks have been a blur.

Mia did end up having her knee drained on March 16th. Everything went very well with her procedure, besides the fact that Mommy could not be there, as planned. But, as I have learned during my six year of being a parent, not everything goes as planned. :)

For months, I have been dealing with issues with my gallbladder. Since January, I have been to the emergency room twice, and had ultrasounds, an x-ray, and CT scan done...and all the results came back negative. Still, I had classic symptoms of an inflamed, grouchy gallbladder. Thank God I have a doctor who kept pushing for further testing...who kept fighting with me to get to the bottom of this; to end this chronic pain coupled with its intolerable side effects. 

At my doctor's final request, I went in for a nuclear scan of my gallbladder (HIDA scan) the day before my daughter went in to have her knee drained for a second time (first time was when she was three-years-old). After an hour into the scan, I had a gallbladder attack and they sent me to triage and, four hours later, to the ER. As I lay there on a bed (in the hall way) of the crazy emergency room, and listened to the doctor tell me there was a problem with my gallbladder and that it would (FINALLY) need to come out, all I could think of was my daughter. My pain did not matter. Or, the fact that I was severely annoyed with the hospital and the staff for having to wait so long. Nothing mattered but the fact that I would not be with my daughter on Friday during HER procedure. That was all that mattered. It was hard. Hard for both of us as, you see, she is very connected to me as I am to her.

But...

Thank God for my wonderful husband. Thank God for her amazing father.

Jay took care of all of us that day. As soon as the doctor gave the word of what the plan was, Jay made sure I was settled in my room at the hospital and then went into "go mode." He went home that night, got three kids up the next day, dropped one off at school, one off at his sister's house, and headed into Boston with our daughter to have her knee drained to alleviate her pain. 

He was amazing - a rock during a challenging time in our family. God was with our family that day. He did not leave us or forsake us.

I went into surgery first, early Friday morning. I called my husband and let him know I was heading in. I look back on it and think, "Man, I must have been in a lot of pain to go into surgery without anyone to be there with me at the hospital; such a crazy thing for me to do on my own." But, I knew it was more important for Jay to be with Mia that day than to be with me. That's what moms do. We suck it up. We handle it. We are selfless. Always.

Mia's procedure went very well. Dr. M drained the fluid off of her left knee and, while it is still puffy even now, it is a lot smaller than what it was. 

After she woke up and was settled, Jay drove her over from her hospital in Boston to mine to visit me.  

It was so good to see them. So very good. Laughter is definitely the BEST medicine! :)

Mia and her brother, JJ, go in this Thursday for rheumatology appointments to decide what the next step is for both of them regarding the current medicines they are on. Mia has been on Indocin for almost two years now and JJ has been on Mobic for close to a year now (he was diagnosed with JA a year ago this month). JJ is also meeting with a gastro doc and did a four-hour lactose test this past weekend to determine if he has a milk allergy or not. His younger brother, James, is allergic to milk. For now, we have omitted dairy from JJ's diet. Will be interesting to see what his doctor's discover. 

Not much time for a mom to recover when there are babies to tend to. :)

Many people have commented, "Wow, you guys really got hit all at once" or "When it rains it pours!" Yes, we did get rained on. But, it really made me realize during the "stormy weather" all that is in store for us - something big for our family. God knows. He is taking care of the details so we don't have to. He is good to us. For that, I am so very grateful an have much to be thankful for.

"Thank you" to all of our friends, family, parent-friends of our kids who have made meals, prayed for us, emailed, texted, drove me all over town (Becky) or inquired as to how we are doing. We are doing well. Very well. Everyone is healing. God is so good to our family.

"But [even] the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be struck with fear or seized with alarm; you are of greater worth than many [flocks] of sparrows." - Luke 12:7 AMP