What Matters

A dear friend from church Donna is undergoing heart valve replacement surgery this morning. We dubbed ourselves the “surgery buddies” as our surgery requirements dovetailed so we were in this together. Donna knew of her need for surgery before mine came up so she joked that she hoped I would go first. That’s the way it turned out. Our surgeries ended up a month apart, hers on October 9 as mine had been on September 9.

We have shared stories of prepping with sticky sterile wet wipes, pain medication while in the hospital, and blowing into breathing devices after surgery. We also share the support of our husbands, who are right by our side always, even if it means, as it did for Hal, my not allowing him to leave the first night after my surgery and his sleeping on a reclining but narrow chair in my hospital room.

Donna said that God would hold my hand through the surgery. Today He is holding hers.

Recovery from major surgery is an intense experience because it requires a single focus on getting better. I concentrated very hard each of my seven days in the hospital on doing what it would take that day to succeed at the task at hand, from getting out of bed, to motivating myself to walk down the hallway several times a day, to going an extra hour without an IV injection of pain medication. It was one of the few times that we’re able to shut out the distractions of the current news of the day or Internet searches and alerts. Even watching a college football game really didn’t keep my interest, although I did watch a history special on television one night that helped me to get to sleep.

Donna and I share strong and smart mothers who don’t put up with nonsense but are there when you need them, with hearts of gold. When Hal brought my Mom to visit me in the hospital, she was proud that I was trying my hardest to get around. She later told Max that I was determined to get better, high praise from Granny. Several years ago she made my Dad walk around the house daily when he was starting to have back trouble. He never liked it but we’re convinced that it added years to his life and made him stronger when he needed to be at the end. Moms know best.

Next: Family and Friends Plan