Surgery Is Scheduled

April 17, 2013

 

Ron and I left home at 5:00 this morning for our trip to Houston and arrived back home at 8:30 this evening.  He did all the driving and it included a few challenges.  There was a detour that took us through Goliad (hadn't been through there in a long time), mist, high winds coming home, and more highway patrol and police cars out than I ever remember seeing (and almost all had someone stopped).  Our travels were fine and we managed to hit Bill Miller Bar-B-Q for a breakfast taco and for supper for a poor boy brisket sandwich.  Works for us!  We do miss Cotton's Bar-B-Q!
 

My appointment with the surgeon was at 1:45 and we were called in a few minutes early!  A nurse checked my vitals and made notes before she took us to a room to see the doctor.  He came in shortly, had a few questions, discussed which ear we would do the surgery on, checked the ears, showed me where his incision would be, talked about how long until I could wash my hair after surgery (2 days), and asked if I was ready.  I told him the sooner the better.  He answered a few questions from us and then we moved to another room with another nurse.

 

The second nurse had all the surgery forms to go over with us.  There were pages and pages to sign listing all the risks and all the things to do before surgery - not many - don't eat after midnight, etc.  Then she checked her computer to set a date.  Dr. Chang only does surgery on Mondays and he will be out 2 Mondays in May (I guess he either is speaking at conferences or taking a vacation) and Memorial Day is on a Monday and they don't schedule surgery then, so June 10 was the first opening on his schedule.  I was very disappointed because I am eager to get this done and to start hearing again.  She had said there was a slight chance of May 6 but she would have to check on it and call us later.  She called about 5:30 as we were heading home to say that June 10 was going to be the date.

 

They have promised to call if a surgery slot opens up sooner, but because of timing of things to be done, it may not work to fill a slot like that.  I have to pre-register at the hospital and meet with the anesthesiologist not more than 30 days before the surgery.  So for a June 10 date, I would have to do those things after May 11 and he will not be doing surgery any other Monday in May except on the 6th, so unless we had about a week's notice of a cancellation, I would not have time to go back to Houston and get those things done prior to surgery.  Looks like we are stuck with June 10.

 

Before we went to the appointment I prayed and told God that I was trusting His timing on the surgery date.  I am not thrilled with it, but I am trusting that He has a reason for that date.  One reason I was discouraged with that timing is that tomorrow it will be 3 months since I lost the hearing.  With the June surgery date it means I won't hear for almost another 3 months.  (It is almost 2 months till the surgery and one month after surgery before they activate the external parts of the system so that I can hear - thus 3 months more.)  I told Ron that means I am only half way through the deafness and I am tired of it!  Also we have a former foreign exchange student who lived with us in the mid-1980s who is bringing his family to visit for a few days around July 11.  I wanted to be hearing by then and have time to adjust to the equipment before they arrived, but it doesn't look like that will happen.  We will manage and they can write notes like everyone else.

 

When I arrived home, I was a little down and after the car was unloaded, I headed to the computer.  I had 2 private Facebook messages.  One was of a friend who hopes to come to Brownsville in July on a mission trip and wanted prayer about her participation in that group trip and one was from a friend who grew up with me in the church, but who I haven't seen in over 45 year.  We have re-connected on Facebook.  Her message was just what I needed tonight.  She had been reading my blog and shared some very kind words that God knew I really needed tonight. 

 

There is no doubt that God has been with me every step of the way down this path He has set me on and I will continue to trust His plan and His timing.  That doesn't mean I will always be delighted with it, but in Jeremiah 29:11 God says, "For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. "  So I am trusting God's plan for my life, because His plans are far better than mine.  He sees the whole picture.