Dearest friends and family,
I have a ton of answers to prayers to report. The strange thing is I have had the hardest
time sitting down at my computer to write an update. Every time I would start I would get a lump
in my throat. This past Sunday (3/10)
marked 2 months since my surgery. It
still feels raw to reflect back on where I have been. I think I get choked up and my eyes get
watery remembering the long stretches of intense pain and thinking I would
never survive. I also feel emotional
thinking about all of the people who have supported my family and me on this
turbulent journey.
<Big swallow, brushing tears aside, taking a deep
breath>
I proclaim today with great joy and thanksgiving I have gone
10 days without pain or breakthrough pain medicine. A miracle indeed!
I can hardly believe it myself.
The absence of pain was initially overshadowed by insomnia
and diarrhea. After over 3 weeks of
wrestling with insomnia and having to take Imodium like it was candy, I am
delighted to share that since Friday (3/8), I have had only one sleepless night
and have not had to take any more Imodium.
I believe in God’s divine wisdom and love, He allowed the
really hard stuff to happen while my mom was with me.
I ended my last update with 3 prayer requests. All 3 have
been answered far beyond how I could have imagined. Praise be to God!
I will briefly mention some of the answers to prayers. If you are interested in further details you
can read about them further down.
1) While I was too sleep deprived to know how to take care
of my body this past month, my mom and doctors had stellar ideas and advice.
Jack found an app that helps me keep track of my
carbohydrate intake so I stay within my limits.
It is easy, fast, and specific; it knows that a small Fuji apple from Trader Joe’s is 22 grams of
carbs.
With time and technology and lots of prayers, I am slowly
learning how to take care of this refurbished body.
2) Both of Jack’s retreats went well with stronger
relationships formed and there were no major disasters. God also gave Jack the words and energy to
deliver two sermons, two Sundays in a row. The best part was having my dad, my sister,
and my brother-in-law join me and my mom for my first Sunday back to church AND
getting to hear Jack preach.
3) My parents are reunited in PA after my mom spent 2 months
showing me sacrificial love. It was
bittersweet to say goodbye to my mom, but it helped that I got a star report
from my surgeon the day my mom flew home.
Those are the answers to the three prayer requests from my
last post. However there are more…
After many phone calls to my insurance company and the help
of my doctors, my prescriptions are all approved for the quantity I need each
month. This is a major victory and
relief.
My mom helped me and Jack complete our Federal, State and
local taxes. With moving and having limited energy, gathering all of the
information and entering it was a huge undertaking and accomplishment.
I finished the Bible study I had worked on with my mom
entitled, “Discerning the Voice of God” by Priscilla Shirer. Jack mentioned a new study to try called “The
Grand Sweep”. Not only that, but we are
doing it together! This is like a triple
answer to prayer – 1) I was looking for a new study 2) I wanted to do something
with Jack that didn’t involve doctor appointments 3) I was praying for
something to spiritually nourish Jack as he works long hours leading and
guiding others.
Two rather silly sounding answers to prayer, but huge
answers to me – Jack found new sneakers in the first store we went in and the salesperson couldn’t have been more
helpful and I found Irish Soda bread after looking at 3 stores. Irish soda bread is my favorite part of St. Patrick’s
Day. I look forward to this bread all
year. Yes, I am a carb lover.
Naturally after my mom left, there was a void. Jack is at work and I am slowly recovering
from my weeks of insomnia. We both
needed something to look forward to and focus on. God knew just the thing. Friends from Lancaster are visiting
Beaufort this month. It came as an
unexpected surprise that has given us something to anticipate with joy.
With Spring and Easter around the corner, there is a sense
of new life and new beginnings. I am SO
ready for a new beginning! I asked the
surgeon this past Friday (3/8) if my recovery time would be shorter, since I am
doing so well. He said, “No, you still
have 4 more months of recovery.” While I
would like to hit fast forward and be done with this whole ordeal, I am
thankful to have 2 hard months behind me.
I am getting anxious thinking about where I may work and how
I might serve others. As I read over my
last blog update and could see how faithful God has been to my prayer requests,
I feel at peace boldly asking for prayers for those things that are weighing on
my heart.
1) Prayers
for discernment and direction for future employment. May I be patient and not anxious about
researching and prematurely applying for jobs.
2) To
let my body continue to rest and heal even on days when I feel really good.
3) Prayers
for offering this really raw and hard time to God with thanksgiving and asking
for God’s will to be done with using it to bless others.
I am still slow at responding to emails, or even opening
emails for that matter. However, I would
be delighted to pray with you or for you regarding anything weighing on your
heart. May joy and hope abound in your
Spring.
Blessings and gratitude,
Becky
P. S.
I have to share an illustration of motherly love. My mom invited me to come into her bedroom
and wake her up when I couldn’t sleep.
(This was pretty much every night for several weeks!) I was taking a strong sleeping medicine,
causing me to be in a disoriented state and lacking normal coping skills. I would cry and bounce my head on her bed in
distress. My mom would pray over me,
read devotionals, and get me tea to drink.
I needed her soothing, calm voice to combat the frantic voice in my
head. I would start to fall asleep in
her bed and then my body would begin twitching and I would be awake again. Not only were the nights unpleasant, but
during the day my mom would encourage me to walk with her and not take naps in
hopes I would sleep that night. My mom
and doctor both felt I needed to stop taking the sleeping medicine, because it
was actually making things worse.
Stopping the sleeping medicine made me feel less crazy in the middle of
the night, but I still was not able to sleep two consecutive nights in a
row. My mom never got angry with me for
disturbing her sleep and while I was grumpy and irritable during the day from
sleep deprivation, my mom continued to cheerfully take care of me with her
limited energy. This was our pattern for
about 3 weeks. I think my mom is super
woman!
Not having adequate sleep made it very difficult for me to
keep things in perspective and my head would literally hurt when I tried to
think. My mom was able to keep my
carbohydrate intake under control. (All
I want to do is eat carbs!) My mom and I continued to work on our Bible study
each day, which gave me tremendous encouragement. My mom would remind me of each step of
progress made so far in this recovery.
It was so easy for me to get discouraged.
God, who loves me even more than my mom, which many times is
hard for me to wrap my mind around, has divine timing.
While it was bittersweet to say good bye to my mom, God
lavished my mom and I with hope. This
past Friday, my husband, my mom and I drove to Charleston for my 2 month follow-up
appointment with the surgeon. I was told
I was a star patient and he was pleased with my progress. I have been able to put on a few pounds and
maintain them, which is not typical for the first three months of
recovery. I have my mom to thank for
encouraging me to eat and the wonderful meals that were brought to our home by
our church family. I also believe all of
the prayers and notes of encouragement have kept my spirits up and have helped
propel me forward. God gave the surgeon
wisdom to suggest medicine to help relax me before bed. After several weeks of wrestling with insomnia,
I dreaded evenings. I would get so
nervous and anxious. Also, the surgeon
increased my enzyme dosage which has helped with properly absorbing my food. Thus, when we dropped my mom off at the
airport on Friday afternoon, she had extra reassurance that I was going to be
okay.
