Always Perfect
Jul 14, 2024 | by The Fellowship
Last fall in early October, I went into the hospital for a simple procedure which would include staying two nights before going home. That two-night stay turned into two months in the hospital!
Following removal of a polyp, my colon became unattached from the abdominal wall. This led to sepsis and pneumonia that required me to be put into a medically- induced coma for three days for doctors to reattach my colon and redirect things to an ostomy bag.
Upon awakening, I discovered just how drastically my life had changed! Completely unable to walk, I had the ostomy bag as well as drain bags from my stomach and ports in my arm. After a week in ICU, I was transferred to a floor.
During the days and weeks that followed, I had blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, malnutrition, and bleeding ulcers. Test after test was run as the team of doctors was concerned with how my body was responding. I lay in the hospital bed day after day in silence, not knowing what my life would truly look like afterwards. It occurred to me that I just might be a permanent resident.
I prayed and prayed for God to give me the strength to make it through each day. Please keep in mind that I was extremely weak and taking more medicines than I could count. To say nothing of being totally dependent on the nurses & doctors. Because of my condition, I only allowed my fiancé to come and see me.
On November 30, I was sent to a rehab to learn to walk again! That was a challenging process for sure! By December 6, I finally went home with a walker, knowing I was going to be OK. However, I still had no clue what my future held.
Home health and physical therapy would come and care for me a few times a week. I trusted that God had a plan and held on to all that He had already shown me, most especially that I was not alone. In early October, He had sent an angel to run my business. That was a miracle since I have been self-employed for more than 16 years. He also gave me discretion about which people should be in my life and what I needed to do to recover mentally and physically. That included ending a long-term relationship and placing a house on the market.
When February came, I had one more surgery to reverse the ostomy bag. Happily, that was a success! Two weeks later, I moved into an apartment while waiting for the house to sell -- which took three months.
All the trauma and stress over the months took its toll in physically evident ways. I lost a large portion of my hair and about 40 pounds!
June 1st was a banner day -- I moved back into a house to continue on this new journey in life. God has continued to guide me one day at a time and sometimes … one hour at a time. Life today is good, even though it definitely is not what I had planned or ever thought it would be!
Blessed with a second chance, I know I am a walking miracle -- only by the grace of God. I remain trusting Him and believing His plan is always perfect!
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.
Psalm 91:1-2