Best Laid Plans ...

Friday, I finally had the doctors appointment about my upcoming surgery. And the doctor was very accommodating in picking a date. I had asked if we could do it next summer and if I could pick the dates. And he was agreeable on all counts. It was great. Time to save up for the necessary time off, I would be out of commission for the 2 weeks my parents expect me to be off (for my holidays), several families don't need me as much in the summer (2 of them will be off on a maternity leave) ... it couldn't have been better. I felt like I had taken a situation that was out of my control and contained it in a manageable way.

Then, life happened.

The symptoms came on fast and furious and by the time I left for the hospital Monday, I was quite certain that I would be having this surgery (planned for the summer) right away. No time to worry about anything but getting better. All the little worries that I had niggling away at my consciousness were far back on a back burner. I just wanted to feel better.

We live in a wonderful country. Thanks to our wonderful health care system, once I was (finally) in a bed in the emergency room my worries were all taken out of my hands. I went through the process and stages it takes to get from the emergency room to the operating table within 7 hours.

I woke up at 3 am, lying in my hospital bed with my stomach all settled down and in no pain. All I felt was complete and total gratitude.

Gratitude for my Middle Son and all that he does to sweep in and just take care of everything when the chips are down. His words were calm and constant, "Don't worry about a thing. I'll take care of everything. Don't worry about a thing." And I didn't. I have complete and utter faith in his abilities to step up to the plate when needed. I didn't worry about a thing.

Gratitude for the trial run that we had back in April, when they ran all sorts of tests and sent me home still guessing at what was wrong (but they managed to alleviate the symptoms regardless).

Gratitude for my doctor who doesn't let things slide. Through a follow up appointment, she was feeling that all was okay but "let's just send you for one more ultrasound ... just to be sure." It was that one last test that diagnosed my hernia and that knowledge made the emergency trip on Monday go so much smoother. They knew what they were dealing with and the wheels went swiftly into motion.

Gratitude for such a minor ailment that within 29 hours of my first discomfort, I was being wheeled into surgery. The problem was rectified. How many people with health ailments can say the same? I just quietly reflected on those who are still guessing at their diagnosis ... or the diagnosis is just the beginning - the treatment is a long and arduous process ... or when there is little that can be done to manage one's symptoms. So, so many scenarios that aren't black and white.

Gratitude for the quickness of the onset of symptoms which didn't allow me time to think. Even though I knew the surgery was minor, I had my reservations and concerns. To put it simply, I was scared. But when things happened so fast, the fear went out the door. "Please just fix me" was the only mantra going through my mind.

Gratitude for the wonderful doctors and nurses that took care of me every step of the way. The emergency room was breaking all sorts of records that day - they were so busy. But even so, once I was in their care, no short cuts were taken. I didn't feel like I was being rushed through, an extra inconvenience on a busy day. They were so kind, even amongst their busyness. From the very approachable (but busy) triage nurse that whisked me into a bed very soon after I came up to her to check to see that I hadn't missed my name being called ... to the ER nurses that were so busy, but still had the time to tend to some of my extra needs ... to the ER nurse that was fresh on his shift and was simply nice to me, humorous and genuinely appeared to like his job (as did all of the medical staff that I encountered) ... to the doctor that sat down and talked to me and spoke softly and kindly to me ... to the surgeons who explained what would be done and what the different scenarios were ... to the nurses in the observation ward who were compassionate, helpful, cheerful and again ... oh, so busy. The medical staff were amazing.

Then, I was quickly up on my feet and feeling so much better the next day they managed to send me home a day early. My stay was only overnight instead of the 2 day stay that they had mentioned at the onset of the day. This worked out so well, because even though My Son had stepped into my world and taken on my responsibilities ... he had pretty much put his own life on 'hold'. I was healthy enough to be home (and there is truly no place like home), and our lives were quickly reinstated to 'normal'.

As we drove home, My Son asked me how much all of this would cost. And my answer was 'nothing'. It is all covered by our health care system. Amazing. The efficiency of the medical staff that (could have) saved my life, had me in and out of their doors and on the road to recovery in just over 24 hours. And it cost me nothing. We are so fortunate to have the health care coverage that we do!

Then, once I got home the gratitude continued. The parents that I babysit for were all quick to rally up and assure me they were all okay and had found alternate childcare - just to take care of myself. Flowers, well wishes, cards ... Then there are my friends. I have an angel at my side that I call my friend. She found out that I was at home recovering from this surgery and passed the word along to another friend because she knew that I wouldn't call to tell anyone. I wouldn't have ... and I was just fine with that. I received two rapid phone calls and a visit from a friend shortly there after. I would have been fine on me own ... but having a friend at my side is always a blessing.

They say life is what happens when you are making other plans. I had all the contingencies of this all cased out in my perfect little scenario. But we fast-tracked through that and now I'm healed and on the road to recovery 10 months ahead of schedule.

I think that things worked out the way they were meant to be ....