Why this surgery was a gift...to me!

Good morning! This is Tricia. It's nearly 6 a.m. and I've been awake since 4 a.m. with all sorts of thoughts rambling through my head, so I thought I would spill some of them out onto the blog.

First of all, a quick medical update. I talked to Delmer yesterday and he is doing well, although he continues to deal with constant fluid drainage. He says it's something that should clear up once his lymphatic system adjusts to all the dramatic changes his body has encountered over the past two weeks. Delmer will have to provide more details when he updates the blog, which he says he will do soon.

I am also doing well. The issues I'm dealing with at this point are minor compared to Delmer's. I'm tired, sore, and have ongoing stomach issues, which I know will get better once my intestines get over the shock of being jostled about during surgery. I'm spending way too much time curled up on my couch with either a book or the remote control - but I have to say...it feels good!

That brings me to the thoughts that are running through my head this morning. I was thinking about what a blessing this transplant experience has been for me - especially in light of what my life has been like for the past four years. As many of you know, my husband, Dave, suffered a traumatic brain injury in July 2005. The issues and challenges we have encountered since then have been staggering. Those issues, on top of a stressful job, have pretty much left me in a continual state of anxiety for the past four years. That's why, when I told friends and family members that I was donating a kidney, some of them looked at me like I was crazy - and asked why I would do that on top of everything else I was dealing with.

Well...I know this was part of God's plan for me. Donating a kidney was not only an amazing gift for Delmer - it's also been a gift for me. Yesterday, for the first time in over four years, it dawned on me that I was feeling totally relaxed - that I had no big projects or deadlines, or issues, hanging over my head. I'm sleeping a lot each day and can feel the anxiety draining out of my body. I know this time is short-lived and that soon enough I'll be back in the thick of things, but for now, I'm savoring this respite from the real world - and am very thankful for it.

Thanks for letting me get all of this off my chest this morning. Now it's time to go back to my couch! :-)

Much love,

Tricia