The Day Had Arrived

Tuesday morning had arrived. My mom, dad (step-dad), my sister Alexa, and Nana all met us at our house around 5am that morning. John's mom had also come over because she was watching Mikey that day. We drove two cars to the hospital that morning since we all couldn't fit in one.

We arrived at the hospital around 5:45am on that warm Tuesday morning and I checked in at the PEET center at St. Luke on the Plaza with my mom, sister, and Nana while John and my dad parked the cars. There were some pretty comfy chairs in the waiting room. Recliners and rockers amongst normal chairs. We were the only people there for a while and found a nice big corner to wait in. I was shortly called back to the pre-op area. I had to go back by myself until I got situated then my family could come back.

I got back there and first I had to urinate in a cup which is kind of difficult since I hadn't drank anything since before midnight the night before, I'm not sure what they were checking for but I'm guessing its standard procedure. Then I had to get dressed in the standard hospital gown and climb into the surgical bed. The nurse inserted my IV, and the anesthesiologist came to talk to me, and tell me what they were going to do during surgery. I had to sign some papers to confirm that they went over everything and all the risks.

The nurse said I was acting so calm and that she wouldn't be so calm. I was thinking what is there not to be calm about. Ya, I was about to have brain surgery, but God was going to take care of me. Even if God had other plans for me, I knew where I was going! Being anything but calm wouldn't do me any good, I couldn't change the fact that I was about to have surgery.

Anyways, it was about that time that my husband and Pastor's Christian Newsome and Ryan Holt came in to see me. They read me passages from the Bible and prayed for me. After Pastor's Christian and Ryan left, the rest of my family came back. While I was back there getting ready my Grandma and my Aunt Annette had came. So I had many people trying to squeeze into the small little curtained off room. My husband, mom, dad, sister, Nana, my grandma, and Aunt Annette.

One of my doctors came back, Dr. Cullen, and said they were almost ready. He then explained to everyone that they would get updates about how I was doing every hour. I gave everyone hugs and everyone said that they were praying for me and that they loved me. My husband stayed back there with me as everyone else went back to the waiting room.

The anesthesiologist came back into the room and put some drugs into my IV. I gave John a hug and kiss and told him I loved him and told him that I would see him in a few hours. They started wheeling me out of the pre-op room and the next thing I knew I was waking up in the ICU.

Some of the things that I later found out was that I was in surgery for more than 12 hours. During that time, the large section of the waiting room was full with family and friends coming and going. My husband would estimate that 20-30 different people came during that time, with the most at once being around 15. The moms group that I had been going to with Mikey at our church met on Tuesday's, and they had moved their meeting that day to the hospital waiting room.

I still would have many struggles and obstacles yet to come, but God was helping me though them every step of the way!