It's a Gallbladder!!

You guys blessed us to pieces yesterday with your kind words and the MANY prayers we know were being offered on our behalf. Thank you. I feel good enough to write, so I thought I'd let you see some pics {don't worry - nothing gross} from our day yesterday. Ryan, as if he did not rock ENOUGH by writing yesterday's post, also did an AMAZING job of documenting the day in photos. Man, I love that guy.

Before surgery, he surprised me with a sweet card and a couple of coffee mugs full of Reese's candy. I sobbed, of course, reading the card.

We had to be at the surgery center at 7:30, and we got all checked in right away. I was pretty weepy by the time we got to the hospital. The enormity of having surgery had settled in on me, and I wanted out. But Ryan and the nurses were sweet to me.

We were so surprised when Ryan's grandpa walked in! Grandpa Cox has been a dear friend of my Dad's for years, so he became my grandpa in my heart as easily as he became my grandpa in title. The fact that he would come over and sit with Ryan was such a gift. And we knew my parents were coming, so after everyone was there, they all gathered around my bed and Dad prayed over me.

I met the anesthesiologist and the doctor came in to meet me again as well. The nurses were busy tracking down the missing blood work from last week. ANYONE surprised by that?

They actually took me back about 15 minutes early, and I was NOT ready yet. I immediately started crying, and the nurses were so sweet to me. When they got me in the OR, it was so cold, and I was so scared, and I just needed one more prayer. I was half a breath short of asking the nurses if any of them were praying people, when the sweet nurse right by my head just leaned her whole body over mine, put her face by my ear, and prayed the most beautiful, heartfelt prayer. I am convinced God planted her in my OR for a very specific reason.

She put an oxygen mask on my face and I remember saying "I'm falling asleep, aren't I?" followed by a fleeting thought that I hoped they weren't going to kill me with that mask...and then I was coughing and sputtering in recovery.

Ryan told me that the surgery only took an hour...they'd prepped us for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, and that the gallbladder wasn't quite in as bad of shape as they thought. Still bad. But not AS bad.

I tried so hard to eat a graham cracker and drink some Coke, but I had no appetite at all. NONE.

The nurse told me I looked green. That didn't help. And it was with that news that I sent everyone but Ryan out of the room. No need for everyone to see a show if it happened. {Which it didn't.}

After about an hour, I gingerly climbed back into my clothes and prepared to go home:

Wheeled out and ready to go!

Again - thank you SO much for your prayers. We love you all!!!