Twenty-three years ago, while bustling about trying to get my toddler boys ready for the baby sitter, get myself ready for work, feed the family - You know the drill! - I began to have severe pains in my chest. I hated to worry my husband and get him upset for no reason, so I decided to see if it went away by the time we dropped the boys off.
It didn't. It got worse, and I was convinced that I was having a massive heart attack! I even debated holding my sons a few extra minutes in case I didn't get to see them again. When we got in the car (I didn't want to scare the boys by saying something in front of them) I started sobbing uncontrollably and told my husband we needed to go to the hospital because I thought I was having a heart attack. We did and, after they triaged me, they decided I was indeed showing the classic symptoms of major cardiac trouble...extremely high blood pressure, severe chest pain, shortness of breath. They did several tests, including a chest x-ray.
Long story short, I wasn't having a heart attack...my spine was poking into my heart muscle!! I had severe scoliosis! My curves were 78 degrees and 84 degrees - almost an "S". Changes in the curves were progressing way too fast, so after six weeks to store up enough of my own blood for a transfusion, I was scheduled for extensive surgery. I had to get a second opinion first though, to satisfy my insurance. By the time of the appointment - a week before the surgery - we had gone from needing seven inches of rod to needing seventeen inches!
The word was I would have a seventeen inch Herrington rod placed in my spine and bone bored from my hip to use for the fusion. I would be in an upper body cast for up to a year with NO flexibility. I'd be in surgery for several hours, in intensive care for at least a week. I would be in the hospital for up to a month, and unable to return to work for several months thereafter.
But, you know what? My God knew a better way! Not two days before my surgery the FDA approved the use of the CD Rods. I was called into the office for an emergency appointment to discuss the changes. Instead of one long bar, I would have eight shorter ones (four on each side) with screws and hinges...I'd have a little flexibility bending forward, after all, and NO body cast! The rest of their prognosis would remain the same.
Again, my God had different plans!! I wasn't in Intensive Care for a week. - I was in a regular room in less than twenty-four hours! Was I in the hospital for a month? NOPE!! I was released in a week! I returned to work in only three months - and that was only because it takes twelve weeks for the fusion to set!
God didn't stop doing miracles at Pentecost...I'm a walking miracle!! Every change and every turn of events, He made happen in HIS perfect time - so He could show His greatness!!
I love You, Jesus!!
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