Psalm 62:5-8
“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.
My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
Oh my people, trust Him at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge.”
Today is January 7, 2019 and it's been over 2 months since my last blog. I've put off this blog for several reasons: strength, energy, ability, finding the right words and wondering if there are enough words to fully summarize my thoughts.
If you read my blog, but don't know me personally..let me catch you up on my past 2 1/2 months. On October 21st I fell in the bathroom and hit my head on the concrete floor. I knew it was bad but not bad enough to go to the hospital. I saw my doctor on the following Thurs about my shoulder and knees. The xray showed nothing broken. I took tramadol for pain. I did activities over the weekend with help of pain medicine. Tuesday morning I went to the hospital by ambulance. My INR [blood thickness] was 13..way too thin.. supposed to be between 2 and 3 because I am on coumadin. The cat scan showed a brain bleed in and on my brain. I was transferred immediately to UAMS, a trauma hospital. The doctors there wanted to do surgery and remove part of my skull or I could wait for them to try and reverse my blood's INR. They pushed surgery because said they I would likely get sleepy and never wake again. I chose against surgery. My INR reversed quickly with the help of different meds they gave me.
I then spent a week in ICU. I don't remember much of that week. I came home, then after 2nd day at home I had 7 seizures then 2 days later 2 more. During 2 of my worst seizures I quit breathing. With the help of prayers and seizure meds, I didn't have any more seizures.
Within a few weeks, I got off of the seizure med, morphine and a fentanol patch. I'm still on Percocet for pain, it’s a combo of Oxycodone and Acetaminophen, but it has no side effects like the others did.
This trial has been the worst thing I've ever experienced in my life and I still haven't completed my recovery...but God has given me great milestones this year to show His strength in me.
I want to share a few thoughts on a few topics from my experience...
CONTROL
There is no doubt who was in control of my well being and situation--God!! We saw His miracles in 3 ways...
No broken bones in the fall, except my eye socket,
No internal bleeding from INR and fall,
Breathing restarted during seizures.
There were so many times we had to just wait to see what God's will would be for my life.. called Home to heaven or continue His will thru me here on earth. I am blessed to be here because it was God's will...not my strength or the doctors...it was His will to answer our prayers.
SALVATION
One thing that comforted me during this trial is knowing what I believe in--Jesus Christ! When deciding for or against surgery, I didn't hesitate against it because I knew either way that I was taken care of. Jesus took the sting of death away from me...not fearless but less fear for sure.
While on the first set of pain medicines, the side effects were not nice. Anxiety, cranky, less tolerant of sound and light, and frankness with what I said. I knew I wasn't myself but it's how I felt. I was comforted by knowing that I couldn't lose my salvation because of my behavior or circumstance. I knew that if I was called Home that it probably wouldn't be on the 'nicest' day of my life.
PRAYERS
I definitely had a worldwide army of prayer warriors at work on my behalf. God answers prayers that coincide with His will. I am forever grateful to those of you who turned to God and spoke to Him so that I would get better through His grace and faithfulness. Also thank you for the prayers for my parents and caregivers. They needed prayer as much as I did.
This blog wraps up my 6th 'And That's That' book. I was unsure whether I would start blogging towards a 7th book or not. My first trip back to church had a message that spoke to me on that very decision. The sermon was on Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." So, since in the Bible 7 means 'complete', I will do my best to keep blogging with the strength God has and will provide.
