Vein Surgery

Seems I only post when really major things are going on. I'll never catch up with everyone's blogs, so if anything major has happened in your life you're going to have to tell me. I have talked to Tammie, so I at least know what's going on in her neck of the woods. Please continue to pray for her as her throat sounds very raspy, and I know she has got to be tired.

I'm having vein surgery on Friday, September 19, and I would greatly appreciate everyone's prayers for that. It will be 2 hours long and will be followed by 2 other surgeries each 1-1/2 to 2 hours long. They claim I will drive myself home and resume my normal lifestyle after each one. We'll see about that. This surgery is to remove several vericose veins that have bothered me for 12 years. I received them at the beginning of my pregnancy with Elizabeth, and they have steadily worsened with each pregnancy. Because I will be having surgery this week and next I will not be running my 5k here in my hometown. At least I hadn't already paid for it. Bummed? Yes. Very. But excited about getting rid of varicose veins? Very! I could have chosen to wait until after the race, but honestly I cannot run 3 miles without having a lot of pain. I have been able to run 2 without any problems and have steadily been adding to that. So, even though I have to give up the race, it is the race that God has used to get me to this point. And hopefully after all of this is over I will be able to run much, much further without suffering afterwards. And the biggest reason of all is that I just want to get this over with!

I realized I had a problem when I went on a 6 mile walk with my dad. I walk 4 miles every weekend, and I also was running 4 miles every weekend. The weekend before I had run 5. So this really shouldn't have been a big deal. But it was kind of slow and took 2-1/2 hours. The next day I ran my regular 3 miles. My leg hurt all day. It really freaked me out. I went to the doctor that Friday and on the following Monday I met with the vein surgeon he recommended. He is out in Westlake with fancy marble and granite to boot. I've never even been to a wedding as fancy as his office. He showed me pictures and answered my 105 questions. And then I came home to denial, "I don't really need surgery. My veins are fine. So I have to prop them up every day, sleep on pillows at night, and I can't do housework half the time. I'm fine. Really." My dad prayed for me and sometime that night I began researching and digging. Afterwards I had such peace and scheduled the appt the next day.

They will send a catheter up my vein using radio waves and then slowly pull the catheter down and out to close the vein. For my upper thigh they will actually have to put some foam stuff in one of the veins to close it off from another branch. Prayer is that I stay active that day to keep the foam where it needs to be and to be flushed from the places we don't want it. That is Friday's surgery. At some point they will actually remove the vein from the calf. Fun.

This has been a huge praise as my insurance is fully covering the surgery, something most insurance companies do not do. Many consider it to be cosmetic only, even if the patient is experiencing an extreme amount of pain and discomfort. I will be so thankful and prayerful to return to a normal way of life, whatever that is. Honestly, I don't know what normal is for my age because I have had this for so long.

So, please pray that God would guide the surgeon's hands, that all would go well, that I would heal, that I would be calm and occupied during the surgery, and that these veins would not come back (they shouldn't unless we have another baby). I also need prayer for childcare during these surgeries. They are during the school day, so it is hard to find friends that can give that kind of time. He has trained under Dr. DeBakey in Houston and is a very experienced surgeon of over 20 years. And just the fact that my doctor who I trust very much recommended him means a lot to me.