Don't Forget Your Chopsticks–Preparing for Surgery

Last week Russ' PET-CT scan went well. He fell asleep during the procedure so it went quickly for him. I was able to get a letter written analyzing results of an achievement test so I felt accomplished. To top it off, as we left the hospital we passed a bank of red geraniums. Red geraniums always make me happy. They're like love notes from God to me showing me who He is. That's why this pot sits outside our dining room window as an earth-bound glimpse of God's beauty.

Today we heard great news from the doctor. Russ' cancer has not spread and appears localized in the top layer of his skin. We scheduled surgery for November 15 followed by a two-week hospital stay. The physician plans to take skin from Russ' upper chest by his collar bone to do a skin graft on his ear after he removes an area of skin about the size of a quarter. The doctor called it an easy operation. The biggest concern involves Russ' medication. The doctor doesn't want to take him off blood thinner because he is at a high risk for another stroke. However, if he doesn't go off of it, he could have excessive bleeding which would prevent the skin graft from taking and require another surgery. The doctor concluded that since the risk of another surgery is less life-threatening than another stroke, he will have Russ keep taking his usual medication.

After a chest x-ray and electrocardiogram we were sent to an office to explain what we need to do to prepare for surgery. The receptionist kindly went through all the instructions in Japanese as I wrote them down in English for Russ.

"No thank you. We do not need the $800/a day room complete with telephone, TV, refrigerator, toilet, and bathtub. The no-charge room with six people works fine for us." (This was not a hard question. On the way to the hospital Russ prayed aloud that most of all God would use this experience to led people to Himself and secondly to take care of his health. We believe we've been sent to this hospital because God has people He wants us to meet.)

Now for the list of things to take to the hospital. We need to be careful not to forget pajamas. Russ was concerned that he would have to fit his big American body into a little yukata (cotton summer kimono) like the medical staff attempted to put him into when he first had his stroke. It did not work. Among other things the list includes toiletries, chopsticks, a cup, tissues, medicine, a writing utensil, and earphones. I talked them out of the earphones to watch TV. If Russ suddenly has a hankering to watch TV while he's in the hospital I'll know that something happened to his brain during surgery to cause such a dramatic shift. He's a die-hard book fan.

While I've made light of a rather serious situation, be assured that we are very grateful to God for the fact that Russ' cancer was caught early. We know that the surgery won't necessarily be an easy recovery since he'll have general anesthesia and there is the danger of excessive bleeding. We choose to face each day with joy and prayer because we are in His care.

Thank you so much for your prayers!