Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Praise the Lord--I am in the hospital! I was admitted tonight and am going through the motions of getting ready for surgery tomorrow afternoon at 4:30.

Here's what is on the menu for tomorrow . . .

My ankle and sub-talar joints will become permanently (hopefully) fused using seven screws as stabilizers. Because my talus collapsed, "cadaver bone" will be used to replace the destroyed bone. Dr. Carbonell will also insert a small battery-operated bone growth stimulator inside my ankle to encourage the bones to grow together.

I will most likely be in the hospital for a day or two following the surgery to help manage the pain. This means that I will be watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Dog Show while on some serious pain meds. Lisa thinks that I will be on this happy high--thinking that I am soaring through the air like the Sponge Bob float in the parade. However, judging by the way those meds made me feel the last time I had a big surgery, it is more likely that Sponge Bob will be coming out of the T.V. to devour my ankle. I'll let you know how it goes.

Once again, I feel absolutely showered with blessings. From the Thai food meal my parents and I ate before coming to the hospital, to the doctors who were expecting my arrival and had everything ready to go when we got here--life could not be better.

Here is the most amazing thing . . . On the way to the hospital, my Mom told me that she had run into a woman (named Loretta) this morning at church who has been faithfully praying for me every day since my fall. Even though I hardly know her, Loretta has had a burden on her heart to pray for me. OK--so that's amazing. But what was even more amazing, was that when we arrived in my hospital room, guess who was my nurse for the evening--LORETTA! My Mom just about burst into tears. Loretta set me up with a private room and even brought me my favorite hospital midnight snack--jello and crackers.

So--Can you see why I never question God's plans? Unbelievable.

OK--so I am tired and ready to go to sleep in my nice bed. I am happy. Missing Doug and the girls, but happy.

By the way, Doug has been having a blessed time in Michigan while mourning the loss of his father together with his family. They have been able to talk to so many people who have expressed such deep love and respect for Dad Heetderks. He was quite a man.

Love to you all--

Anne