Update on Prayer Request

[artsymominsc]

My hysterectomy surgery date is quickly approaching in just a little over a week, (March 4th), and I thought I'd give a few updates as to how things have been going in my little corner of the world. 

Tonight I am going to attend an educational class at the hospital for women who are having hysterectomies.  I'm hoping that it might help to ease some of my uncertainties about what to expect while I am in the hospital and once I'm home again. As much as I have tried to prepare myself for this, I feel anxious about it and have been having some trouble sleeping.  Friday morning I have my pre-op appointment with my doctor as well as the anesthesiologist. 

I've finalized arrangements with another family from my older son's school to provide transportation for him home from school for at least the first two weeks after I come home.  They live less than a mile away from us, and I feel confident that ds12 will be in good care.

For the past several weeks, I have been trying to establish an after school routine with ds10 that he can hopefully maintain while I am recovering.  We're having our share of ups and downs, and I can't really seem to pin-point where the glitches are other than to say that his track record of having more than one good day in a row has never been very good.  Sometimes it really just boils down to accepting the fact that he's going to be shaky no matter what I do...so I have to focus on taking care of myself.  DH has a back-up plan with an after school care center if we need it.  My gut feeling is that sending ds to another place after school would only further increase his stress level, which would not be good for any of us....but it may provide a short-term buffer to give ds something specific to do after school if we find that he cannot cope with being home and allowing me the time I will need to rest.

I've made a "to-do" list of things I'm trying to get done before the surgery, and I'm doing pretty well at getting things checked off.  I had the best of intentions to be getting plenty of exercise during this time leading up to the surgery, but I have not done very well for the past two weeks keeping up with that.  There have been so many other things to get done or appointments and errands to tend to.  Just last week I spent two mornings in appointments for ds10 for a speech evaluation as well as an OT evaluation. 

The good news is that ds has been added to the waiting lists for both services and we feel hopeful that the combined therapies might help him function a little better and feel a little more relaxed in his environment...in time.  I appreciated that both therapists who worked with him recognized that he can be quite functional and give the impression of being well adapted, but beneath the surface, he's working really hard to get through a day and he's wearing himself out.  The OT talked about "sensory defensiveness" which causes a child to perceive everything in his environment as a danger.  Until now, we've only talked about sensory integration dysfunction...which is also an issue for ds...but it never seemed to fully account for his persistent negativity.  We can try to adjust his environment and reduce the stimuli, but he persists with ideas that life is going to be bad.  Meds have been ineffective, and we've tried all sorts of behavioral strategies...maybe some sensory-related therapy will help?

Most likely, the therapies will be scheduled during the school day, which means that I'll have more appointments to get him to on a weekly basis.  I'm trying to stay focused on the potential benefit rather than the reality that more appointments implies more stress for both of us.  He's got another psychiatry appointment this Wednesday morning, and he's already gearing up with his worries.  At least I was able to get an 8:45 appointment, so there's a good chance that I can have him back in school by 9:30. 

That's about it as far as updates.  I've got another busy week ahead of me this week but a chance of some time off on Saturday because my husband and the boys will be taking part in a camping trip.  Ds12 is a Boy Scout, and we're talking quite seriously now about getting ds10 back into Scouts with this particular troop.  We'd pulled him out of Cub Scouts in the Fall because we felt it was too much for him to handle after making the move and starting him back into school.  However, without ds10 in Scouts, he has to stay home with me if dh and ds12 go on camping trips or other activities.  Ds10 has not handled those weekends well, so I am all in favor of getting him involved in the program with the understanding that he may not fully excel, but at least he's exposed to opportunities.

Please continue to keep me in your prayers for a successful surgery and a good recovery.  Thanks a bunch!
Liz

[blessingsindisguise]

thanks for the update.

Prayers, absolutely.

blessings

[karleen]

Hi Liz,  It's so good to hear from you.  Glad things are progressing as you prepare for surgery.  Sounds like you are getting all the little ducks in a row, so to speak.  Hope ds10 handles all of this well, so you can get the rest you need during recovery.

Take care, and prayers are going up for you here.

[artsymominsc]

I told ds10 about the actual surgery date yesterday...not at the best moment though.  I kind of blurted it out because I was so frustrated with him for the way he's been treating me with such negativity and oppositional attitude.  I suppose I was trying to make a point that I only have a couple of days left to get things done in preparation, and I did not want to be in a position of having to avoid him just because he has been so unpleasant.  At first I was sure that it wasn't going to make things any better because I had just given him so many more reasons to be fearful and angry with me....but at least I feel better that I'm not having to keep the secret from him.  It's out in the open...and he's going to have to deal with it one way or another. 

To make matters more complicated, we've had snow in SC and schools are closed today.  Ds10 has been dreading "Dr. Seuss Day at school today, and you might think that he'd be relieved to be able to avoid that, but I doubt that he will be comfortable staying home either.  Ds12 is thrilled to have a day off, especially since he just got back from a weekend Scout camping trip and kept really busy all weekend.  Dh got a call last night that his department at the hospital will be closed at least until noon...maybe all day...so he doesn't have to go into work...but I have no doubt that he'll try to get in to get some work done...assuming the roads are passable.  He could work from home...he's allowed to do that, but I guess I can't really blame him for not jumping at that option because we both know that this could be a rough day for ds10.

[rapunzel44]

Wishing you all the best from this side of the world too.

I always found myself wondering too whether to tell dd of things or not. Either way was tricky. As you said, now that he knows you're having surgery, he will have to deal with it one way or the other. That's what real life is like anyway, so he needs to learn. Hopefully without giving you a hard time over it!

I'll send you a chocolate cake once you're home

[artsymominsc]

Just a brief update this morning to let you all know that the surgery went quite well and I'm feeling remarkably well.  It was a rather complicated procedure because of the severity of endometriosis and scar tissue, but I feel so very blessed that so far I have not had any complications.  All systems seem to be operating well, and I'm not in a lot of pain.  In fact, the pain I experienced prior to the surgery was worse than the discomfort I feel now.  DH and the boys have gone for the day to work and school, and I'm getting myself ready to settle in for a movie and a hot cup of tea...then a nap!  I'm sleeping OK but usually just for a few hours at a time so I tire easily. 

Ds10 has been doing OK with things.  We've had the usual ups and downs...especially while I was in the hospital.  They'd visit after school and he was always so anxious that I wasn't sure what to say or do.  I kept hoping that it would help for him to see for himself that I was making good progress with my recovery because I am sure it really would have freaked him out to see me in really bad circumstances.  Ironically, he seemed more uncomfortable as days passed and I was getting better.  Makes me wonder what he was thinking about.....or how he felt the day that I had the surgery.  I know I was nervous!  I can recall those last moments before they wheeled me into the operating room.  Part of me wanted to change my mind...but all things considered, when the doctor told me afterward how severely the endometriosis had become and how it was affecting my other organs...well, I knew I had done the right thing to go ahead with this. 

Thank you all for the continued prayers and good wishes. 

Liz

[traci]

So glad you are doing well, praying that you will be pain free SOON!

Take Care of yourself!

[karleen]

Glad you are feeling so good.  Hope everything continues on improving.