Thanks

I'm writing this from my very own big girl bed. It feels so good to be in my space with my music and my things surrounding me.

You may have noticed a lack of posting for the last 5 days. I promise, I have a pretty good reason for this.

I've spent the last 5 days in the Honduran Medical Center because, on Friday night, I started experiencing extreme pain in my abdomen. I tried to wait it out, which resulted in a very sleepless Friday night and and an exceptionally uncomfortable Saturday. I'm so thankful I had never experienced pain like that in my life and would be ok if I never experienced it again. the last time I laid in this bed, I just remember crying out that I couldn't do this, that I wasn't strong enough to handle the pain. But I didn't take action to get help for the pain I couldn't fix.

I'm so thankful for my dear roommate who determined on Saturday that it was time to take me to the hospital. We got to the emergency room and thankfully no one was there, so they were able to get us in right away. After some tests and a very grim looking ultrasound technician, we were told we needed to talk to the surgeon.

When he arrived, he explained that there was about 400 mL of fluid that didn't belong around my intestines and my white blood cell count was over twice as high as it should normally be. Now, I'm very proud of my super blood, but it just wasn't enough.

Because they weren't sure of the reason for all the fluid, they needed to do a laparoscopy to see what was really going on. I don't really remember what happened next because I was blissfully anesthetized, but 5 hours later I woke up in my own private room with a largeish bandage on my stomach, a tube coming out of my nose, and a fancy-looking bag of intestine juice attached to my side. Hmm. Thank goodness for my friend and roommates who had been waiting and staying in contact with my family through the whole procedure. I clearly had the easiest job.

When the doctor arrived later that afternoon, he informed us that part of my intestine had created a ring around another part of my intestine. This caused the trapped intestine to lose blood flow and essentially die. They had to remove 10 cm and also my appendix, which I'm super happy about since I've been scared of that little organ ever since my cousin got hers out 12ish years ago. Good riddance, I say.

Anyway. The next few days were filled with bed rest, good visits with friends, an unexpected birthday visit from my favorite older sister, and lots of prayers and love from friends and family from all over the place.

And those prayers were heard, because my healing process went so much quicker than expected. So thank you to all of you who who offered me up. I really can't express my gratitude and how much it means to me.

This afternoon I bid farewell to the best nursing staff in the world (seriously, so great!) and headed home to my own space with my very caring sister.

It might be hard for me to be dependent, but I'm trying, as I'm so aware that I very well could not be here if it weren't for all the people who have been involved in caring for me these past few days. And also in the past 23 years, as, holla, I turned old in the hospital!

All this is mainly to say that I am so thankful for everything from my bed to my stuff, but much more than that, I am thankful for all the people in my life and for their amazing love and support. Most of all (note the move from positive to comparative to superlative) I am thankful for a God who can fit organs together and who gave them the ability to heal back together after something goes wrong. I'm thankful for a God who shares wisdom with humans so they can diagnose and fix these problems. I'm thankful for a God who puts the people you need in your life and for a God who answers prayer. Most of all, I'm thankful for a God who is always there, in the moments of extreme pain and of joyful overwhelmedness. I'm thankful I know he holds tomorrow, and I know he holds my hand.

And you can blame any sappiness on pain meds and any typos on my iPod touch.

Happy Thanksgiving.