October 3, 2012 ... Post-0p ...

God is good. God is great. All the time. No matter what. God is God.

Update ...
We made it to Houston on Tuesday of last week. Went to Al & Christine's. I cannot say enough how much we love them! Yes, they are family, but they have stood strong and beside us thru all of this - so they are much more than family, they are FRIENDS FOREVER!!! They are the perfect and gracious hosts. Opening their home and changing even their schedules to accomodate us, and our children thru all of this last week/weekend. A HUG and THANK YOU to Al & Christine! Y'all ABSOLUTELY ROCK!!! LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

Wednesday was a pelvic MRI. OMW!!! Had it not been for the song "Trust in Jesus" I don't think I could have made it thru that!!! It was horrible. I know it was necessary for me, and I had volunteered for the research part of it for me and for all the women to come after me. But still! OMW!!! Thank you Jesus for being in there with me and helping me to breathe in and breathe out. Thank you Jesus for praying for me. I kept thinking of the tears on His face as He stood there with me. I know without a doubt that He was there.

Thursday was a shorter day - meet with the doctors, pre-op blood work, EKG, pre-admit ...

Thursday night our daughter and her fiance came to Al & Christine's. It was good to see her! :-)

Friday morning - waiting for 10 a.m. was the hardest part. Check in wasn't until 10:30 a.m. So, the wait was the hard. Finally made it to the hospital, found surgery check in. Waited just a little while for them to call me. Didn't take long for them to get me in the pre-op waiting room. Took longer for them to try and get the epidural to work (which btw - they didn't! said my back was too compressed in the spine to get it to work. decided after an hour and half to not try it anymore. sigh).
Then came the moment when they said OR was ready and waiting. Time to get that kiss from Rick ... and see him walk away. It took all that I had - more than I thought I could do - to lay there. The tears flowed. The doctor wiped them away. The nurses comforted me.
A deep breath ... and I don't remember anything else.

Then, I see thru a fog dimly - my husband and my daughter! God did not allow me to die! He made me to LIVE!!! :-) Evidenced by the sight and sounds of my husband and daughter ... and the pain raging in my body. But that's ok - cause He has answered prayers.
The cancer was GOTTEN!!! Non-invasive, non-aggressive. If the final pathology reports show the same as the pathology during surgery, there will be no chemo or radiation needed. Praise God!!!

Recovery 1 until around midnight Friday ... then Recovery 2 until around 7 p.m. on Saturday.
In Recovery 2 ... Catheter was removed early Saturday morning. Oxygen removed later that afternoon.
Breathing treatments to prevent lung infections.
I had help in sitting up on the side of the bed Saturday morning.
We walked 5 or 6 times around the nurses station on Saturday.
Argue with the doctor :-) ...

Moved to a room on the GYN floor late Saturday evening ... 
... walk more ...
Better bathrooom trips.
Took a shower on Sunday morning - got to put on panties and my own gown!!! How good that felt!!!
Liquid diet changed to a soft diet.
IV taken out upon the promise that I would drink a lot and pee a lot.
...walk ...
Visitors on Sunday - Chris & Mandy, Al & Christine, Mike & Nina :-) .
By Monday morning we were told that I was about 3 steps ahead of the "plan" - and because of that, doctor didn't see holding me there any longer if I felt comfortable enough to go home.

Finally got discharged ... meds filled ... car loaded ... me in ... and 7 hours later, we are HOME!!! :-)

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