Thoracic Thursday

Tomorrow morning, I will be undergoing the surgery I spoke of recently. It is called thoracic outlet surgery.

"Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is a complex condition involving compression,
irritation or direct injury of major structures within the thoracic outlet such
as the subclavian vein, subclavian artery and the Brachial Plexus. TOS can be
very painful, debilitating and sometimes life and limb threatening."

I'll be in the hospital overnight and then be home recovering. Overall, recovery is a month. I won't be able to lift my arms up for a whole month. That's the crazy part. Wondering how I'm going to figure out to do simple things like wash my hair, dry my hair, etc. Hmm! The hardest part will be fighting the urge to lift of my hands in church during worship. Makes me
very thankful for my arms. I'm sure I'll be back on the blog, but It will be a bit difficult typing with one hand. Well, slower anyway. :) HEHE!



Thank you for your prayers!

New Look, New Job, for a New Year!

President Obama is not the only one who started a new job today. So did Donny D. Today is Donny's first day at his new job. I'm so proud of you Donny! We are so thankful for all the prayers, encouragement, support and gifts that we have received during this time. We are so blessed! Thank you all!

Check out our new blog design! All the thanks goes to my sweet friend Hollie for putting this together. You rock Hollie! :)

Dear Donny...

When I was a little girl, I played make believe. I pretended to cook and clean and to be a Mommy to my baby dolls. (I did not role play walking around Super Target with screaming kids, because there are some things that you must experience to truly appreciate). But in my naive mind, I imagined a man, a husband. He was brave, strong, tall and very handsome. And he loved me. It was a dream. And some might call this a silly fairy tale or the immature longings of a girl who loved romance. But I call it my life. Because you are the man of my dreams. You are the first to hold me when I am afraid. You are my encourager when I doubt myself. You are the one who made me a Mother of five. You are also the one who still leaves his clothes on the floor. Ok so this is getting a bit better...just moved from the floor to the chair. (Just keeping it real).

I am not a little girl anymore. I am a woman and you are a man. But I can't help but think of the things I didn't dream about....I didn't dream that I would hear my husband praying over me as I laid in a hospital bed in ICU fighting for my life. . I didn't dream that my man would be a Chicken Fried Steak fairy, delivering me my favorite food while I lay in bed rest pregnant with quadruplets. I didn't dream that my husband would be the kind of father that blow dries his girls’ hair at night. I didn't dream that my man would face sudden job loss and show me what true confidence in God to provide looks like.

Today you turn 30 years old. And more than anything, I want you to know that I love you more than I ever dreamed. You are a man among men. You stand out as you lead our family. You are my heart, my life, my best friend, and my soul mate. Happy Birthday, Donny! I am so proud of you. Thank you for making my dreams come true.

I love you, I’m in love with you, and I choose to LOVE you forever!

The Latest and Greatest...

I know it has been a while. First of all, thank you for praying us through this last unexpected surgery. (If you did not hear through the grapevine, I had another ovarian surgery) Thankfully, this time they were able to do it laparoscopically. It could not have been any smoother or easier. And with my experience that is very hard to come by. I'm doing very well in recovery, and should be cleared to drive again tomorrow at my post-op visit. Whohoo!

Before all this unexpected surgery came about I had been seeing a thoracic specialist. The last year I have been going through physical therapy and had multiple tests and injections to treat my thoracic problems. Now the time has come and It looks like I will be having thoracic surgery next week. I'll be seeing the two different surgeons this week who will both be involved in my surgery. All the blood work will be done the next day. And the following day, Thursday the 22nd I will have the surgery. Please be in prayer for a safe and successful surgery. If the surgery is successful it will change my life. (Chronic issues, pains and numbness I deal with daily would go away). The surgery involves dividing a muscle in the neck and removing a portion of the first rib. It is a 5 hr surgery. Pray for D, at this point, he will be at work at his new job that day. :) (Yes that's right D got a new job! Well, actually he has been offered two positions, he accepted one...and if the background check comes back good he is in and starts next week. But we will see cause he has also had several interviews since for other companies and is one of the top candidates for another position with another company and will be meeting with them again Monday. So if he gets a job offer from them, that may change the direction he will go. Only God knows, and we will find out. But D hit the ground running looking for a job and has kept busy at it, and it is paying off. Yeah for Donny!!) As of today my blood levels were right where they need to be and I started on Lovinox shots. This is the last big medical issue I have been dealing with as a result from complications after the quads. So hopefully...after this I will be sitting pretty!

We appreciate your prayers!