What Could Separate Us Now?

Let's start with my post-op appointment the other day. I am greeted by my most amazing nurse I get every time I go to this office. I was then greeted by a resident, and he checked the healing on my sutures and said I heal so wonderfully!

Then the show starts...My facial reconstructive surgeon graced me with his presence and the presence of his Fellow, two residents, a Med school student shadowing, and his scribe (who I see every time as well). The room filled up so quickly! Everyone scrubbed up, put on gloves, and I had purple fingers pushing on my face and tracing my incision. They all repeated I am healing nicely and to make sure I add more Vaseline to the incision behind my ear.

Then my doctor wanted to see the incision on my thigh. He said they can all step out so I can get into a gown, and as he was saying that I already stood up and pulled my pants down. The Fellow was looking at my incision and running a finger across it. I don't mind at all; I told him I had kids and from that point on nothing was ever a mystery to doctors. But he at least offered! My incision looks great AND I can enjoy a nice relaxing bath now!

He then looked at me and sincerely asked what he could have done better as a doctor. I honestly have never had a doctor ask me this. I thought on it and I said absolutely nothing more. From the start he has been informative and completely honest with me and making sure my husband and I understand. He has even told me what to expect after surgery; that by day three I will be so swollen and in so much pain. In my book he has done his good doctor work! My mother-in-law told him that he was very informative on surgery day and made sure we were good and understood everything he was going to do. She said he had excellent bedside manners; to which the resident with him chimed in, "yes, he is irritatingly nice!"

We all chuckled, and I told him that my eye surgeon said he is always so nice and never ornery like my eye surgeon is. He chuckled. Mainly because he knows my eye surgeon personally as they have worked together for many years!

He then asked me if I would consider doing the same on the other side of my face or if I want to put the brakes on. I said no brakes, let's go with this!

Next steps, I see him in one month and get Botox on my bossy muscle. He said by then more of my swelling should have gone done. But I'll be slightly swollen for several months. He then said by the 4–6-month range, but hopefully more month 4, I should start feeling sensation and a pull at the corner of my mouth. Once I get movement, he will put me back in Facial Physical Therapy and then we can discuss the other side of my face. BUT if there's no movement then we will have to do surgery again. I'm praying for movement but I'm also praying for God's will to be done! I will not demand anything from God! His way is always good.

Overall, my appointment was so positive. Exactly what I needed! I feel like I'm walking the road of Ephesians 3:20. I know God has already made my dreams come true; I just need to live it and I will get there! I trust in that completely. My dreams have come true.

Hope has a spine.

Now onto today...I went to the Brain Center over two hours away. We checked in and was called back into a room where we waited for the doctor.

She came in and looked at me in ...I don't know the right word, but definitely puzzling.

She said before seeing me, she flipped through so many pages. I know she didn't get everything because the first week of being in a coma is over 600 pages long! But she was able to get what she needed. She said that she was expecting someone else for how severe my injury was. She didn't expect to see me. In fact, she's amazed that I'm even before her. She went on to say that people who have had injuries as severe as mine, don't make it this far.

She tested my strength and asked me to walk. She opened the door, and I was on a roll walking! She laughed as she caught up and said she wasn't expecting me to walk so fast! I told her that after UVA, I was discharged to Sheltering Arms where I learned how to walk again, eat again, speak again, and even fully breathe again. When I said all of that her face beamed. She was happy for me.

Now the question of how she can help me. I told her my issues and we are focusing on the chronic migraines right now. She switched me to Nurtec and she said to keep doing the dry needling and add in lidocaine patches. We will try that, and she will get everything to the insurance company so they will cover Nurtec as it is extremely expensive! As far as smelling and tasting goes, I may never smell & taste again. I may be able to taste something from a recipe that is overpowering to normal senses. But that is a maybe. The research isn’t there yet.

Until my next appointment, she is going to get my most recent MRI done and go over it with another Physician who created the Brain Center! They will compare it with the one from 2022 and see how I can be helped with new damages. She was upfront and told me that depending on what they see, my neurosurgeon may need to be contacted to see what he can do surgically. I'm just hoping I don't need to be bald again! She also said that for my vision issues, it is all structure issues, and I need to see my neuro ophthalmologist to see how they can correct it.

Day of more questions, but as my husband told me today, we will roll with our new normal. You're here. You're alive. That's the most important thing.

Write scripture on your heart for when you need it.

I know by your still waters I'm safe.