out of the OR, finally

Karen's parents and I spent the afternoon in the waiting room getting updates from the surgical nurses every hour or two. We were visited by some of Vic & Mary's friends as well as Rev. Fink and our faithful Stephens Ministers (the Greens). We visited, waited and had some prayer time between updates.

Around 4pm Dr. Atwood emerged and we met in the consultation room. His news was good and the surgery had gone as he planned. PRAISE GOD! He said Karen's muscle structure was good and her blood flow was excellent which will help in the healing of the reconstruction. We breathed a sigh of relief and shook his hand. He told us they were dressing Karen's incisions, attaching the pain pump for her back and then they would put her in the support bra. After this she would go into recovery and then go to her room (2513). He said this would take over an hour.

Mary and Victor went to our house and I went to pickup the kids from Kori's and delivered them home. They all had a fun sleepover at Coco, Kori & Waynes but Little Vic and Ophelia immediately fell asleep in the car. I dropped the kids with Nana & Pop and then went back to the hospital with Karen's clothes & bag.

I got to the room before she did and waited. I was kind of relieved to sit down in a place besides the waiting room. She arrived on the gurney with 4 nurses in tow. I was so glad to see her but my eyes welled up with tears because the toll of the all-day surgery was evident in her face. Her poor eyes were still almost swollen shut and she was still very groggy from the medication. The nurses moved her from the gurney to the bed and I became ill as I watched helplessly while they dutifully moved her and the amount of pain she was experiencing while being moved became very apparent. I think the nurses did a fine job it is just the fact that she has such injury from the surgery. I really became weak during this time. It is excruciating to watch her in such pain and not be able to do anything about it; she had also maxed out her self regulated morphine. They administered additional oral meds and after lying there for about 20 minutes she became at rest again. We were able to talk and she became more lucid each minute. PRAISE GOD SHE IS OK and the recovery is beginning I thought to myself. She was able to eat some ice and drink some water and is now sleeping and resting.

Dr. Atwood said she would need to get up and stand tonight which is a scary proposition for me to think about right now but she is very strong and I can see her getting stronger by the minute. I think tonight will be the hardest and tomorrow she will really begin the healing process in earnest. Tomorrow she is supposed to get up and walk 3 times. Please continue to pray fervently for her recovery and thank God for answered prayer. Her surgeries went very well and this first day is almost over.

Again, thanks for all the email/text messages of encouragement. I am going to read them all to Karen tomorrow. The kids go to church-school/mother's day out in the morning and they are VERY EXCITED to see their mother tomorrow afternoon. Continue to pray for Kim and Mark.

Thankfully,

Daniel Blasingame