In October of 2011 I went in for a routine laparoscopic hysterectomy. One of the first cuts the doctor made hit a main artery. A 9 inch incision, 2 units of blood, 1 unit of plasma and 1 unit of platelets later I woke in ICU. I had nearly died during the surgery. And during the surgery the doctor also missed a huge cyst on my left ovary. Four months later I went in to have that removed.
During that surgery, the same doctor put a clip on my ureter and put a hole in it. Three days later I had emergency surgery for a kidney that hadn’t drained in days. They installed a stent, hoping that would help the ureter heal.
Over the next 7 months, I had 8 surgeries to replace the stent. Each one would get corroded and calcified and cause a kidney infection, which would knock me on my butt. Finally the doctors at the Cleveland Clinic determined I needed a ureter reconstruction.
In October of 2012 I had a 14 hour surgery to repair my damaged ureter. While they were operating, they also found I had a partial bowel obstruction and that was fixed as well.
The surgery was a success! But sadly, my kidney had too much damage done to it. It was no longer functioning at all and was causing more harm than good. In February of 2013 I had my kidney removed. It was a routine surgery but unfortunately, I had a small stroke during it, awaking to a completely numb face on the left side.
Thankfully over time, my body healed itself and the stroke is barely noticeable. Although I do still have days where the drooping on the left side of my face is very noticeable.
I have issues with abdominal scar tissue, but that is an issue I’ll always have. My body just seems to love that stuff and grows it like crazy. I’ve had another surgery for lysis of adhesions to fix another partial bowel obstruction and free up what it was wrapped around.
I survived all of this solely because of God’s amazing grace and love. He has a beautiful, perfect plan for my life that didn’t end during those scary surgeries. Now it’s up to me to make sure I’m fulfilling it.
I am so blessed to have the most amazing husband, parents, children, church family and friends. I love you ALL and could never thank you enough for all you’ve done for us over the years!
