The open door

1 Peter 5:7 Turn all your anxiety over to God because He cares for you.

Pain medications are a special blessing!

Despite the 5 star accommodations, Christopher's pain level was still sky high.  The cheerful orange design of the room wasn't nearly enough to control the pain that had been left by hours of surgical tinkering inside his abdomen.  This kind of pain required serious IV pain medications and copious amounts of antibiotics to ward off  the ever-present threat of infection.

I thought Christopher might be disappointed that he wasn't going to get to go home right away after the surgery, but as it turned out he didn't mind staying at all.  He didn't even want to get up to go to the bathroom much less endure a 45 minute ride home in the car.  He was more than happy to just recline in his hospital bed, push the button on his IV for more pain medication, and allow the professionals to do the heavy lifting. 



The healing power of SLEEP!

It was obvious that Christopher was operating in the fog of leftover anesthesia and heavy pain medications.  With his eyes half open and staring off into space,  he listened as Breanna and I reassured him that everything had gone just as planned with the surgery.  As the nurse buzzed about his bedside checking vitals and minding his machines, Christopher tried to fight the heaviness of his eyelids that were beckoning him to sleep.

Sleep really is the best medicine after surgery.  The body craves restful slumber after the scalpel assaults the inner sanctum of the body, so I encouraged Christopher to dream away the pain.  I reminded him that we would still be here while he slept, and that the most important thing was for him to focus on recovery.


While Christopher snoozed, Breanna and I had time to settle in for a long afternoon of watching Christopher sleep.  We were soon joined by Breanna's mom, Becky, who came by to help us turn afternoon into evening.  The three of us sat chatting while machines dripped comfort and hydration into a very exhausted Christopher. 

Tick tock

Since it was clear that sleep had taken a strong hold over him, we decided to move our conversation to the hospital cafeteria.  Over a late lunch we made small talk.  I was so grateful to have visitors.  Being in the hospital often means long hours of nothing but sitting, waiting, and waiting some more.  It can be very long and lonely, so the light conversation over coffee and snacks really helped to fill those empty hours. 




Even though I was distracted with food and good friends, it still felt like time was moving in slow motion, so I tried to remind myself that time was actually Christopher's friend.  Each hour that passed by meant that Christopher was one hour closer to the door of 17 years of chronic illness finally being shut forever.  I tried to remind myself of the incredible healing miracle that God had done in Christopher.  I tried to focus on the fact that this was the last step.  All the waiting and the pain would lead us to the door that God had opened for us into a new and unexpected future, and we could hardly wait to walk through it!


If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can pray like this:

More tomorrow...