This is my story of healing — of the miracle God worked in my life. My reason for writing it out here and sharing it rather than keeping it in a private journal is in hopes of someone who may be going through a similar situation to know they aren’t alone. I also believe I am a living testimony to God’s healing power, and I want to share my story of healing so He can get all the glory. This story proves that prayer is powerful. That He does indeed hear us when we call out, and He cares. Because this story is long, I’ve split it up into multiple blog posts. Be sure to start from the beginning to have full understanding of what all happened.
Another CT Scan
On Thursday, Jan. 30, they had finally given me medication for my constant diarrhea. It felt like they finally listened to me and realized how much it was affecting me. I kept saying, “you want me to get up and move but how am I supposed to when I keep pooping myself? How am I supposed to get any sleep like this?” Finally, they gave me medication for it, and it helped. What a relief!
I was supposed to have a CT scan that day to determine if the antibiotics and my body were fighting off the infection. The results of this scan would determine if I could go home or not. Both of my doctors were very optimistic and acted like I would be discharged that day or the next. It felt like such an important test, so I felt a lot of pressure. The test was to begin at 8 a.m. I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink, and I started to get grumpy as I waited. I kept asking when they were going to come get me, and they kept telling me they would check on it.
By 11 a.m., the nurse finally told me I would have to drink the contrast. I had never did this before. In all the scans I’d done, they had always just used IV contrast. I was worried about how bad it was going to taste. But I was glad they were making sure they would have the best view of my abdomen. They brought me the contrast and mixed it with water. It felt like there was so much to drink, but at least it didn’t taste as bad as I thought it would. It kind of had a minty flavor to it. By 1 p.m., I had finished the contrast. By the end of it I kept gagging. They told me I would have to wait 45 minutes, but I kept waiting long after that. I was starting to get really mad and worried that I had drank the contrast for nothing. All the nurses just kept saying they would check on it. But it felt like no one was really checking. It was also frustrating because I was hungry and worried about the results of the test. At 2:30, they finally came and got me for the test.
Unfortunately, the CT scan showed that I had developed another abscess — right on top of my bladder. The surgeon said they would need to put another drain in. It took everything I had to hold in my tears until he left the room. And then I just lost it. I sobbed as Travis held me. We went to the bathroom and I cried even more. All I could think about was how the last time I had a drain put in, my body went septic. What if it happened again? I couldn’t bare the though of going back on the ventilator. It was my worst fear.
On Jan. 31, I had my second drain put in. The chaplain, who I gotten to know some during my stay, came and met me in that hallway waiting area. She talked to me to keep my mind off the fear. I hadn’t remembered what having a drain put in was like at all. I had been sedated since then, so I had no recollection of it. I was thankful when the doctor came and explained exactly what he would be doing. But as I laid down and they all began preparing everything, I couldn’t help but cry. I wanted to tell them to just put me to sleep before they did anything else, so I could chill out. Once it was in, they drained 30 ml of fluid from my abscess.
Later that day, I graduated from physical therapy. It was actually kind of crazy because just days before they had been talking about having me do at-home physical therapy or possibly going to rehab. Instead, I was able to make enough progress walking the halls that they were confident I didn’t need those things.
Thankfully, after my drain was put in I didn’t have any complications.
Going Home
The next day, Feb. 1, it was so hard to watch the nurse switch the date on my white board. I had told myself I would be home before February showed up. Instead, I was still in that hospital bed. But that morning, my surgeon signed off on discharging me. I was surprised — happily so. I walked about 300 feet that day. My infectious disease doctor decided to switch me to oral antibiotics, which was a huge relief. We had been told I may have to go home with an IV, but we were having trouble finding a place that did at-home IV transfusions that took our insurance. Plus, who wants to be stuck to an IV with a toddler and baby to care for? After switching me to oral antibiotics, that doctor also signed off on me being discharged.
I was so surprised how fast it was all moving. By noon, my last doctor had signed off for me to be discharged. My nurse took out my IV right away, and Travis started carrying all our stuff out to the car. He couldn’t wait to get out of there! That day we got home, unpacked, and tried to settle into our home again. The next day we would finally reunite with our girls. It had been two weeks without seeing them. We missed them dearly. I was looking forward to getting into a new normal, but I was also nervous about what that new normal would be like.
Reunited as a Family
The day the girls came home, I felt pretty terrible. I had a lot of nausea and a bad headache. I spent about an hour with the girls before I had to go lay down and nap. Travis, despite having already taken so much time off to be with me in the hospital, was able to take a full week off to be home while I recovered. My mom was also able to be there for two weeks to help me while I recovered. After she went back to work, Travis’ aunt came and stayed with us for a week to help.
During that first month, our church family, along with some of Travis’ coworkers, brought us meals every single day. So many people sent cards, gifts, letters, gift cards, came to visit, and most of all prayed for us. We had so much support through this whole journey. We are truly blessed.
Stay tuned for an update on life after the hospital and where I am now.