Every day I’ve written this post, or at least a portion of it in my head. They always came with a witty title. But getting those thoughts from my head to my fingers to type was much harder. Let’s see how it goes today.

Thank you for all your prayers, notes of encouragement, gift cards and meals. Once again, Jerry and I are reminded of the rich way God has blessed us with friends.

I am now two weeks and a day post-surgery. The prep and procedure went very well.

My favorite part of surgery has always been getting the warm blankets. They are so cozy since the hospital temps hold at a half degree below freezing. I mentioned this anticipated joy to my prep nurse. She replied, “Oh, we’ve got something better now!”

Once my IV was in, the nurse pulled a long vacuum cleaner type hose out from the wall and attached it to the side of my stylish paper gown—at least it was purple! Then she handed me the control knob. I had the option to choose the temperature of air that blew through my gown onto my body. Delightful!

Even with a warm gown, I was glad I could come home that night. Dennis and Nora, our friends who came from British Columbia, Canada, to care for both Jerry and me, did an amazing job of being our caregivers for two weeks, even when I was less than pleasant dealing with the pains and new normal.

As I write, I am sitting in a new recliner Dennis and Nora, along with Jerry, researched and picked up on my first morning home. It’s a lift recliner because it was so hard for me to get up and down with incisions in my abdominal muscles.

Besides caring for us they did loads of repairs at our home, some we didn’t even know we needed.

My first week home went better than any of us expected. I thought, if I feel this good week one, how am I going to manage 6-8 weeks of restricted activity?

Then week two came along.

Pains came from odd places. I found it difficult to maintain my body temperature. Some poorly regulated bodily functions caught me off guard. By the end of the week, a trip to urgent care became the fun date day for Jerry and me (not!). Nothing says romance like watching your wife drink contrast in prep for a CT scan!

For today’s follow up with the surgeon, we had a few questions from the scan to discuss. We expected simple answers. For the most part, they were. Then the Doctor said he wanted to go over things from the start of surgery to the end.

His wrap up was the cancer was contained and the lymph nodes were clear (Thank you, God!). Yet my cancer was more invasive than expected. These factors, along with my new age of 65 put me in a high-risk group for this cancer to show up in other organs.

After evaluating all the options, he recommended I do 4-6 weeks of radiation after I heal. Jerry and I felt this was a wise option. We’ll likely endure more short-term pain, for the hope of gaining a healthier long-term life. All the while acknowledging that our times are securely held in our Lord’s hands.

I can’t think of a better place to rest for these next several weeks and months (and beyond). Please pray that when I am tempted to seek comfort in other sources, I always fall back on the One who created and sustains this body.

Image by Judas from Pixabay