Two Goodbyes and One Hello

I had the cryoablation of my liver today, so I am praying that the first goodbye was to cancer being removed from my body! The tumor was on the backside of my liver next to a rib. Dr. Fricke (radiologist) wanted to go through my back to get to it. I was lying on my tummy with my arms restrained above my head as he did ultrasounds and a CT to try and find an opening, but my lung was in the way. Plan B

I'm telling you that Plan B was not kind. I was lying on my back with my arms in restraints above my head. Dr. Fricke had to pierce through the intercostal muscle between two ribs on the front side of my body and push all the way to the back where the tumor was. That wasn't the hard part. The hard part was that this was a conscious sedation procedure, and they could not give me as much sedation as they wanted because my blood pressure and respiration kept crashing. So, yes, I was awake during the procedure and feeling it. A few times I just had to cry out (not quite a scream) because the pain was so bad. But Dr. Fricke said it was a good treatment, and he is pretty sure he got it all! Praise God!

My second goodbye was having to say goodbye to Adriana. She was able to come with me to the procedure today, and they let her back to see me when I got in recovery before she had to leave to go back to Brazil. This goodbye was painful in a good way because I really miss my friend, but I am so glad she was able to come. She helped me so much with an infection that developed in my surgical site, including going with me to see Dr. Baltz and getting on an oral antibiotic for the infection. Several times she expressed it for me, cleaned it, and administered a prescription topical antibiotic. Yes, having my own inhouse physician was nice, but having my friend here was so much better.

The hello was Thank God for morphine!!! I was in so much pain in recovery that I was in tears. They administered morphine twice, and I got some relief and was able to sleep a bit. Jadyn brought me home with a prescription for Percocet. He is staying here for a couple of days to help me and to keep an eye on me. He definitely is not a medical/bodily issues kind of guy, so his help truly is sacrificial.

Father God, Thank You for delivering me through this experience today. Even though it was one of the most painful experiences I've been through, I know it was for my good. Believing that "this too shall pass" and knowing that You were in complete control helped me endure. Suffering...Endurance...Character...Hope. This is Your promise to those who are at peace with You. Thank You for always keeping Your promises. Father, I thank You for my son. Thank You for the man he is. And Father, I thank You for my friend, Adriana, and for her willingness to come all the way here just to help me during this time. Thank You for getting her to Manaus even though her original flight was delayed causing her to miss her flight from Miami to Manaus. Thank You for Billy Cannon and his help in purchasing her a ticket from Atlanta to Manaus. All the glory goes to You for placing people in my life who You work through and who are willing to be Your ministers. All praise and glory go to You.