Thankful Thursday -- Super Thankful Edition

It's been a week since my last post . . . a very long and eventful week . . . a week filled with reasons to be thankful.

Last Friday I had my gall bladder removed.  The surgery went smoothly and I was home, napping in bed by mid-afternoon.  When I got up from my nap, I was somewhat surprised at how good I felt.  My husband filled my pain prescription, but I felt so good, I didn't anticipate needing to use it.

Saturday morning M told me that the digestive upset that had been bothering her since Wednesday evening had gotten worse.  She wanted to go to the convenient care and get checked out by one of the doctors.  My husband needed to head downtown to help K move into a new apartment, so I would have to be the one to take M to the doctor.

Fortunately it wasn't very crowded when we arrived and M was able to see the doctor almost right away.  Long story short -- the doctor drew blood for testing and sent her home to collect stool samples.  The plan was to return first thing Sunday morning to drop off the samples.

Unfortunately, Sunday morning found us in the emergency room at CDH.  M had had a miserable night and she begged her father to take her straight to the ER.  I hadn't been able to take a shower the day before (1st day post-gall bladder surgery), so we decided that they would go ahead and I would meet them at the ER after I jumped in the shower.  Little did I know it would be more than 24 hours before I would return home.

At the ER, M had a basic assessment, an EKG and then a CT scan.  The scan showed that she had some degree of inflammation in her colon -- she would need a colonoscopy to determine the precise location and severity of the inflammation.

A colonoscopy.  I knew what that meant, but M had been working the overnight shift when I endured my colonoscopy preparation.  She had know idea how hard it had been for me to drink the liquid or how many trips to the bathroom it took before I was able to empty my system.  At that point I would gladly have relived the whole experience if I could have spared her the same agony.

Thankful Thursday

Tomorrow is the day.  At 7:00 a.m. I will be at the hospital, waiting to be wheeled in to the OR for gall bladder surgery.

Both my husband and M have asked if I'm nervous about the surgery.  I told them not really, because I haven't allowed myself to think about it too much.  Judging by my experience a few weeks ago with the colonoscopy, I imagine my anxiety level will be higher when I head back to the pre-op area.

But as is often the case, I heard something yesterday that spoke exactly to the situation that I am facing.  In addition to talking about the importance of corporate worship, Pastor James Ford, Jr. also addressed the issue of fear.  Or rather, he addressed FEAR -- False Evidence Appearing Real.

Isn't that really what fear is usually about . . . worry in regards to a possibility, not a certainty, most often a lie, that masquerades as truth?  Fear is rarely rational or factual.  It is the work of Satan, the father of lies.     

Fear is certainly not of God.  2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  Incredible!  God has given us (me!) a spirit -- His Spirit -- of power, love, and a sound mind.

Only God could give such amazing gifts!  Nothing is greater than the power of God.  No love is more perfect or all-encompassing than the love of God. The person who possesses a sound mind is able to discern truth from lies and is not easily swayed or troubled.  In His goodness and wisdom, God has given His children all that we need to withstand the fear-inducing lies of the devil.

As I prepared for surgery, God knew that I needed to be reminded that fear has no power over me.   

I am so thankful that the Lord used Pastor Ford's radio ministry to speak to me.  And I am also thankful that Pastor Ford faithfully proclaims the truth of God's Word.  I am sure that there were others like me who found both his words and the Word to be "aptly spoken . . . like apples of gold in settings of silver." Proverbs 25:11

Wednesday Wisdom

If I'm in the car at 9:30 at night, I like to listen to Pastor James Ford, Jr. on WMBI.  Pastor Ford's program is called Treasured Truth for Troubling Times and his sermons are truly a treasure trove of wisdom for living in today's world.

Tonight Pastor Ford stressed the importance of being physically present in church for worship.  Obviously there are circumstances that may prevent someone from attending church services, but Pastor Ford strongly emphasized the value of fellowship that occurs in corporate worship.

This truth really spoke to me because all too often I default to listening to my church's worship service online from my home.  I have all sorts of reasons excuses as to why it's okay for me stay home and passively participate in worship rather than actively worship in-person with the body of Christ.  But when it comes right down to it, I know that when I stay home, I'm avoiding contact and, consequently, I'm also forfeiting the rewards of fellowship.

Pastor Ford used Thomas to illustrate the importance of church attendance and Christian fellowship.  When Jesus appeared to the disciples, Thomas wasn't present; he missed out on seeing the risen Lord.  Scripture doesn't say why Thomas was absent -- maybe he had a really good reason -- but nevertheless, by his absence, he failed to experience fellowship with the disciples and, more importantly, he failed to experience precious fellowship with Jesus.

Perhaps most importantly, Thomas missed out on hearing and seeing the truth that Jesus' appearance proclaimed to the disciples.  Jesus, the risen Son of God, was teaching his disciples an extraordinary lesson -- that He truly has the power to triumph over death and the grave.  Sadly, until a week later when the Lord appeared again, Thomas had to settle for a secondhand account of the resurrection, an account that he struggled to believe.

Pastor Ford's message made me wonder what I have been missing by not physically attending worship services at my church.  Have I forfeited an opportunity to feel connected to a group of people with whom, apart from our common faith, I am very dissimilar?  Am I losing out on the chance to be blessed or to be used by God to be a blessing?  Or is my absence causing me to fail to hear the Lord speaking to me through the multidimensional experience of corporate worship?

Thank you Pastor Ford for challenging me to live out Acts 2:42.  I am convicted to make it a priority to embrace the fellowship of believers and join with them in the pews of our church in wholehearted worship to the Lord Jesus Christ.          

First day of summer

Today was the first day of summer. 

People often use the terms lion or lamb to describe the weather on the first day of spring.  I don't think I've ever heard those terms used in conjunction with summer.  But if they were . . . this first day of summer would definitely be a lion with a capital L and a great big ROAR!

After a pretty warm day (high 80s) we had a wicked storm blow through this evening.  The tornado sirens went off five separate times.  The first two times it was a little nerve-wracking.  But by the third, fourth, and fifth time, I was like, "oh yeah, there's the tornado siren, again."  Not a good attitude to have when disaster is poised to drop down from the sky.

Just a few miles to the south of us a wind gust of 75 mph was recorded in Wheaton.  It was pretty darn windy at our house -- strong steady winds and even stronger wind gusts.  M and I were watching Gnomeo and Juliet, but the storm bothered her so much she decided to go to bed and try to sleep through it.  : /    I watched the rest of the movie while the storm died down.

Now it's still, almost no air moving, and the temperature has dropped about twenty degrees.  It's too bad the humidity is still through the roof, but at least we have power.  According to the Chicago Tribune more than 271,000 Com Ed customers are without power across the metropolitan area.

Summer . . . ai yi yi . . . and it's only the first day.    

Mmmm, gelato

This was a gelato weekend.  Doesn't that sound like the best kind of weekend?

On Saturday my husband and I had gelato at our go-to gelateria, Paciugo in Forest Park.  I was determined to order at least one fruit flavored gelato this time around, but, as usual, I defaulted to my favorite flavors -- chocolate/caramel/coffee.  I swear for the next visit I will try Amarena Black Cherry Swirl.

This time around I ordered a small cup with three flavors -- Creme Brulee, Coffee Mocha Swirl, and Organic Maple Caramelized Bacon.

I will admit that I was a little disappointed with the Maple Bacon.  The maple flavor was very weak.  In fact it was hard to discern any maple flavor.  Equally disappointing, the caramelized bacon tasted like Ba~cos.  The bacon bits were very small and hard, and lacked any sweetness that would indicate they had been caramelized.  I was so excited to finally be able to try the flavor, but I won't order it again.  : (    

Today K and I went to Black Dog Gelato in Ukrainian Village.  I have wanted to go to Black Dog for about two years.  One time we stopped by, but it was a Monday and the store wasn't opening until later in the afternoon.  Other times when I've been in the neighborhood it wasn't convenient to go for gelato.  Finally, today was the day when all of the stars aligned!

I asked for a taste of the infamous Goat Cheese Caramel Cashew.  It was good, but I didn't think I wanted to eat an entire serving of that flavor.  I decided on a small cup of Lemon-Ginger and Strawberry Balsamic.  Both flavors were very good and they were especially good together.

Sadly, as is so often the case, I didn't feel like Black Dog lived up to the hype.  No doubt the two year wait to taste this highly-touted gelato contributed to the let-down.

While the gelato at Black Dog was very good, I honestly think that Paciugo is better.  It's hard to explain, but Black Dog almost had more of an ice cream mouth feel -- creamier and lighter -- as opposed to the dense richness of Paciugo.  I like the gelato at both places (and they cost roughly the same) but Paciugo offers more flavors and, in my opinion, tastes like true Italian gelato.        

Thankful Thursday

It's been a month since M came home from college.

I am thankful that, for the most part, M has adjusted to living at home again, and my husband and I have adjusted to sharing our home (and the Civic) with her as well.  I remember the challenges I faced when I came home each summer.  It certainly wasn't easy, especially because my father was very strict and didn't care that at school I stayed out all night if I wanted.  I can empathize with M's sadness at being separated from friends and her loss of unfettered freedom, but she is handling well.   

I am also incredibly thankful that M's summer job is working out.  She doesn't jump out of bed each day, eager to get to work and slave away for more than eight hours, but she also doesn't complain or whine about her job.  What seemed as if it might be a very temporary opportunity may turn out to last most of the summer.  Hopefully she will be able to save some of the money she's making to help pay for all of the "necessities" she "has to have" at school.     

A day for pomp and circumstance

Yesterday was a good day, but Saturday was a very good day -- a day filled with pomp and circumstance.

On Saturday, K graduated with a Master of Arts degree in the Humanities from the University of Chicago.  We were fortunate to be there to witness every bit of the speeches, pagentry, and raindrops.  It was a glorious day and, even though I felt like cr*p when I woke up at 4:00 a.m., I wouldn't have missed one minute of the celebration.

Actually the day was not filled with the music of Pomp and Circumstance.  UChicago graduates are led into the convocation by bagpipers piping traditional Gaelic tunes.  I guess if you don't like bagpipes, you wouldn't think this was especially cool, but I like bagpipe music so I thought it was awesomely unique.  : )

A good day

M and I had a good day today.

It has been a long time coming.

I wish I hadn't had to spend over $200 in order for it to be such a good day, but it was mostly for stuff that was on sale and sort of necessities.  Okay, I'm justifying, but some of it was on sale.

I found a pair of black sandals, and I have needed black sandals for a very long time -- several years.  So that qualifies as a necessity.

The Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale started today and M got three bras.  That also qualifies as a necessity.  I would definitely rather pay $25 for a bra instead of $52.  Now the yoga pants . . . not exactly a necessity, but they will be a wardrobe basic.

M found some really pretty plates and bowls for her apartment.  They are totally different than what she thought she wanted, but I like them lots better than what she had been considering.  I need to see if I can find one more dinner plate and three more cereal bowls, but even if I can't she will be good with what we bought today.

I bought a mattress pad.  Not very exciting, but we have needed a new one for some time.  Now I can wash the sheets we received as a Christmas present and give the bed a new look.  It probably seems silly, but I didn't want to use the new sheets until I got a new mattress pad.  Mission accomplished.

In addition to shopping, we ate dinner at Corner Bakery.  M had a reuben sandwich and Caesar salad and I had a mocha latte and a brownie (I had eaten a decent size lunch, but M had skipped lunch.  So she was starving and I just needed a snack).

All in all, it was a good day.  Now we both need to stay away from any kind of shopping temptation for several weeks!  : )

Thankful Thursday

There have definitely been some challenges this week, but really, what week doesn't have a few challenges?  Still it's not every week (thankfully!) that I have to go to the hospital for a medical procedure.

When I started on the journey toward having my gall bladder removed, I never thought the path would include a detour by way of an endoscopy and colonoscopy with a gastroenterologist.  I imagined I would see the surgeon, have the operation, and then move on with my life.  Silly me.

To date, I've seen four doctors, gone through two rounds of blood work, and had two totally unexpected procedures that required conscious sedation -- all to get rid of a basically useless organ!

I am thankful the procedures on Tuesday went well.  I will admit that I was more than a little bit anxious about the sedation, the physical preparation for one of the procedures, and the procedures themselves.

Monday evening my husband and I attended an event at our church.  One of the women who spoke detailed the hesitation and fears she experienced before she agreed to take part in a short-term mission trip.  She was asked three times if she would join the group, and three times she refused, voicing the reasons why she couldn't possible travel to France.  The group leader persisted and asked her a fourth time to commit to the trip.  This persistent leader assured her that God knew all of the challenges that she would face and then she asked the woman if she trusted that God was able to help her to not only meet, but to conquer each and every challenge.  The woman agreed that God indeed was more than able and that it would be to His glory to do so.  She agreed to trust the Lord, to step out in faith -- and He rewarded her faithfulness.  None of the fears or challenges that she had anticipated would keep her from serving were ever an issue!

I can't begin to describe how this woman's message spoke to me.  While she was talking to the audience about her fear of traveling to a foreign country, God was speaking through her to me about the fear I was experiencing in regards to what I would face the next day.  Just as God knew every challenge that this woman  would face over the two week mission trip, God also knew what lay ahead for me in the next twenty-four hours.  I realized what I knew all along -- I could give all my fears to Him and trust that He would work out everything to His glory.

I am so thankful for the reassurance and encouragement that the Lord provided at just the right moment when I needed it most.  I am also thankful to my sister in Christ for sharing her testimony of God's provision in her life.  Not only was she a blessing to the people she met on her mission trip to France, she was a blessing to me!    

WWTT?

Something new for Wednesday -- What Were They Thinking?

I think I'll try to alternate WWTT? with Wednesday Wisdom.

There are a lot of things that I read online or see on the news and inevitably I wonder "what were they thinking?"  So I've decided to blog about some of those puzzling comments and events.

First up -- Anthony Weiner.

I survived . . . sort of

I survived drinking the gallon of noxious prep that I needed to consume before my colonoscopy today.  Actually I didn't drink the entire gallon.  I gave it a good effort, but I was only able to choke down (literally) about 3/4 of the jug.  

I do not ever want to have to swallow that stuff again.  Thankfully it looks like I may get my wish.  The doctor said that my lower scope looked good.  There were a few issues, situations to be aware of, but nothing serious.  He recommended that I come back and have another colonoscopy in 10 years.

Right.  I'll go put that on my calendar ASAP . . . not.

Unfortunately the news was not so good for the esophagogastroduodenoscopy.  Try saying that three times, fast or slow.  Really, just try saying it once.  Basically it means that the doctor sticks a scope down your throat to check out your eosphagus, stomach, and doudenem (the first and shortest part of the small intestine, also where chemical digestion takes place).

The test showed that I have esophagitis and a hiatal hernia -- fancy words that mean I have heartburn and reflux.  Gee, tell me something that I don't know.

Dr. Z prescribed Omeprazole, which is a proton pump inhibitor.  Over the counter it is more commonly known as Prilosec.  I am less than thrilled about having to take this prescription, especially after reading some of the side effects: headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, trouble awakening and sleep deprivation (how can you have trouble awakening if you're sleep deprived?), increased risk of hip fractures, and inflammation of the kidneys.  Additionally I can't take aspirin, ibuprofen, or any other type of NSAID.   

I have to return to CDH in approximately 2-3 months to have a second esophagogastroduodenoscopy, presumably to see if the prescription is making a difference.  I guess if there is less acid produced, the ulcers at the base of my esophagus will begin to heal.

So today was filled with mostly good news.  I survived . . . to face another endoscopy.  : /      

I'd rather have a root canal

I really shouldn't make that statement because sooner or later (probably sooner) I undoubtedly will have to have one (another one).  Although I will go on record saying that, in my experience, root canals aren't all that bad.

What is bad, horrible, awful, terrible, disgusting is the stuff you have to drink before you have a colonoscopy.

OMG nasty.

The slimy viscosity, the saltiness, and the smell (I chose the pineapple flavor packet) are a trifecta of torture.  With the exception of the first 8 ounces, I have gagged every time I've taken a drink.  Before the night is over I will either A.) throw up, B.) spew the noxious junk out my nose, or C.) dump the whole mess down the drain and cancel my appointment.  I would like to think the correct answer is C, but smart money would bet on A or B.

What I haven't done so far is used the toilet in a meaningful way.

The instructions the doctor gave me said that most people (emphasis added) will experience "results" within an hour of drinking the first 8 ounces.

Two and one half hours later, I'm still waiting.

This is one time I would be thrilled to be considered average.

My appointment for the procedure isn't until late afternoon, so I have time.  But I would prefer to get it over with instead of waiting until the last minute.

Now I know why everyone I've talked to told me that the colonoscopy itself isn't bad at all . . . it's the preparation that will kill you.

A hearbreaking juxtaposition

Today was my youngest child's 20th birthday.

Today a friend of our son-in-law buried her nine month old daughter.

I can't even begin to imagine the grief and despair that Anjey and her husband Ryan are experiencing.

It's going to be a long summer

It was hot today . . . and humid . . . and not especially breezy.

In my non-air conditioned home, hot, humid, and no breeze are the main ingredients in a five-star recipe for disaster.  Looking ahead, the weather for this weekend and next week seems like it's going to be equally icky.

M was sick today -- I think in part because of the weather.  I had absolutely no energy to do anything.  The only person who didn't seem affected was my husband.  Sooner rather than later we will have to broach the subject of putting the window unit in the family room.  I don't mind using the window unit -- it's just paying the resulting electric bill that will push me over the edge.

I guess if I melt before then it won't be an issue.

Thankful Thursday

I have received a lot of mail lately, but it hasn't been mail that I've been eager to open.

Instead of letters from friends or family -- seriously, who sends letters anymore? -- the mail I've been receiving is the kind that comes in white business envelopes with glassine windows.  Reading the return addresses on these envelopes can turn the best day into the worst and the worst day into hell.        

Like it or not, my mail box has been inundated with envelopes that contain Explanations of Benefits and bills from doctors and laboratories.  Ugh.  The trip to the ER on April 21 and the resulting doctor visits and lab work have unleashed a torrent of bills.

I wish I had never asked my husband to take me to the ER.  And every time I open one of those d*mned envelopes, I wish it even more fervently.  But it's too late.  I started something that has taken on a life of its own and there's not much I can do to stop it.

Thankfully, I have health insurance. 

I don't know how we could possibly pay these bills if we didn't have insurance or if our coverage was less comprehensive.  Even with health insurance, we will ultimately have to pay a staggering amount before I completely satisfy my deductible.

How do people manage who can't afford health insurance or who, for whatever reason, aren't insurable due to preexisting conditions?  I can't imagine what it would be like to be in that situation.  Even with insurance and the ability (at least for now) to pay my bills, I struggle to not freak out.

I am incredibly thankful that my husband is able to provide health insurance for our family.  I wish I didn't need to become so familiar with the details of our coverage, but it definitely beats the uninsured alternative.