On Bears and Barfights

(actually in light of this morning's events, it should be "bears & Barf-ights" but let's not elaborate too much on that part, other than to remined everyone that general anesthesia frequently has unfortunate side effects the next day...*clears throat sheepishly*)

Where to begin?
--ran into a significant traffic jam yesterday...at 6:30 a.m.! Give me Hardy St. in Hattiesburg @ 5:15 p.m. any day...
--the CRNA plugged in the IV around 7:30. --surgery lasted about 1 hour, 45 min. (Lisa was hearing from the Dr. ar0und 10:30)
--Dr. said surgery did pretty much what he set out to do with no probs (& no need to enlarge any of the openings thanks for your prayers to that end!) And now for the wait for hugely significant lab results next week on what these spots are.
--My first actual recollection is the recovery room around 10:30 a.m. about 30 minutes after I got there (hold that time...we'll revisit it shortly...)
--I became quite familiar with the personalities & duties of the various folks in recovery. This is because I was released to the floor at...*drum roll*...11:00 p.m.!! I saw many folks come into recovery & then roll out during my day there. My nurse actually arrived after I, and she ended her 12-hour shift by escorting me to our actual room. The reasons were legit, tho a comical series of amazing coincidences, all centering on the fact that I required a room beyond just a normal room.
--After getting tucked in & plugged in to a vast array of medical technology around 12:30 this morning, I slept like a log all the way until...being awakened at 2:30 this morning, which point new drugs were administered. Shortly, I discovered that there is tremendous pain involved in this phrase: "it'll be like you were in a bar fight & got stabbed in the side 3 times." Once this was realized, I discovered that 5 hits off of the once-every-10-minutes magic pain pump allowed me to be back to sleep, whereupon I slept all the way until...5:30 this morning, at which time yet more medical stuff had to happen & then I watched 6 different 10-minute increments roll by. Sometimes there just aren't enough pumps and the clock moves too slowly.
--The eats here are actually pretty good; we order whatever we want off of a menu, & they bring it to our room. (Of course, breakfast was only briefly rented in my case...*sigh*--see opening comments above)
--The really bad pain abated somewhat by late morning, and pain pump usage did as well. I'm still not feeling great by any means, but it's much better than earlier today. (I now do a couple of pills instead) I've actually been disconnected from a few pieces of the medical technology. Believe me when I say that my condition is still quite, um, monitored...
--The tentative plan is for us to be checked out of the horse-pital tomorrow morning (Sunday). w0000000t! Then, we'll head back over to our friends' place in Friendswoood, grab a better night of sleep, & then head back to H'burg Monday. Sadly for Lisa, surgeon officially said that I can't drive for 2 weeks. Thus, she'll be driving all the way home. Plus, depending on the timing of my pain meds, she'll have a rather iffy navigator...Once we get back, James & Anne will help with "Driving Mr. Mike...and his bear"
--I'll be functional, but slow-moving for the next few weeks. (Actually, I wonder if any one will notice a difference, but I digress...*grin*)

And that, ladies & gents, is the latest install of "Mike's Medical (mis)Adventure." Thank you so very much for lifting us up in prayer!! Thanks doesn't come close, but it's the best I have at the moment. We invite your continued prayers with us thru the rest of this bend in the road.

As noted earlier in this space, our God is not scared, nor was He surprised, nor is He wondering how it's all going to turn out. Thank you for your vital part in bringing about His plans for our lives! Know that we are greatly honored and most humbled to be the recipients of the prayers of so many during these days. I'm firmly convinced that only in eternity will we be able to know how God answered your prayers through this situation. Until then, consider yourself loved and hugged by the four of us. (Though for those I see in person any time soon, please only consider yourself hugged; regrettably, I'll have to pass on actual hugging for a while...see
"barfight"...*smile*)

Humbled by His grace through you,
Mike - Ephesians 1:15-23

p.s. - I was given this short, wide-bodied teddy bear yesterday as part of my official medical equipment--no, really! I'm to use him to support my chest area any time I cough or do breathing drills. Still trying to come up with the perfect name...*smile*