Sunday, April 1, 2012

Update before Surgery Tuesday!

Dearest Friends and Family,
I wanted to write a quick little blog to update you on things going on in my life and to remind you to pray for me on Tuesday, which is my surgery date.
I go to Johns Hopkins on Tuesday at 5:30 a.m. and my surgery is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. I am pretty nervous because I am going to have a gastric pacemaker put into my stomach. I will be spending several days in the hospital after the surgery.
The doctors believe that the gastric pacemaker will help me with the nausea, vomiting and pain. They aren’t very hopeful that I’ll be able to eat normally again or at least for a while because I still have the problem with the pancreas.
To make a complicated situation understandable, I basically have 2 problems --- one with my stomach and one with my pancreas. The doctors at Hopkins are taking them one at a time, and they’re going to address the stomach first. They are doing this pacemaker surgery and then they’re going to assess the situation. They want to get me to the point that I’m eating but my situation is more complicated than just a one step process. They may have to fix multiple problems in the process.
So we’re trying the pacemaker first and we’re going to see what happens from there.
Right now I am being fed through my veins. My feeding tube had gotten infected so they had to go in and pull it out and give me a PICC line, and nurses come to my home once a week and help take care of me. I am doing fine and will have this line for up to a year so they can continue to feed me while they’re trying to get my issues taken care of.
I am nauseated all of the time and in constant pain, so I’m hopeful that this pacemaker will work for that. As for eating, I’m not sure when or if that’s going to be addressed right now. It’s one thing at a time, and we’re focusing on getting rid of the vomiting and constant nausea and pain with the pacemaker. So please pray for me.
I’m also really struggling with missing Kevin. He has been so kind to support me while I am needing the treatment at Hopkins. My parents have been so wonderful to let me stay with them and they take care of me so well. I love my parents so much. They are wonderful to me, but I am missing my husband so much. He is the light of my life and I’ve only gotten to see him one time since February. I am hoping Kevin can come back here in a few weeks, but the tickets are so expensive right now. Things are so up in the air right now. I’m not sure when I’ll get to go home or if I’ll need to return home and then come back here for more surgery or not. It all depends on how this surgery goes. I miss Kevin but I’m so thankful I have him in my life. I am so blessed with such love.
Thank you for reading this. I know it’s all complicated but I’ve tried to simplify it as much as possible. Thank you so much for the prayers. I know they make a difference. I also pray a lot myself, and I try to pray for my friends, too. If there is anything I can pray for you, please let me know through an email or facebook message, and I will pray for you. I really mean it. There is nothing I’d rather do than pray for my family and friends!
I love you and thank you for loving me and praying for me.
Say prayers Tuesday and I’ll be updating you!
Ami

2 comments:

  1. Praying for you Ami.
    You are on our Sunday School class prayer list too!
    Love you girl. Hope to come see you.

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  2. Ami,Thank You for sharing, and allowing God to use your life through your illness, and thanks for allowing him to you shine through you!! Praying for you as you face this surgery God has great things in store for you just keep holding his hand and trusting with child like faith!! Love You!!

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