More Than Can Be Numbered

We are thanking God for his blessing of presence and peace this week. I don't know how anyone can walk through the doors of a hospital and sign consent forms for brain surgery without knowing that God is with us. 

So many of you have assured us of you prayers. Thank you.

Backtracking a few days...

On Saturday Ed had a severe headache and nausea. This was his first bad headache since his surgery last May. We were able to get the pain under control by afternoon. This was confirmation that the scheduled surgery on Tuesday had been the right decision. 

Ed felt great Sunday and we were able to enjoy the last day of our church's revival services. These services had made our week extra busy, but the messages from God's Word made the effort of attending worthwhile. 

On Monday Ed again felt good and was able to drive to the hospital. The day was filled with tests and appointments. Ed said we must have talked to half the doctors in the hospital. We are so grateful for compassionate, knowledgeable staff members. In the evening we took Scrabble out to the lovely lobby area which was strangely quiet at that time of day. Ed proved he can still beat me in Scrabble even with a brain tumor - but only by one point.

Ed was assigned to a double room which meant there was no room for me to spend the night here with him. I dreaded finding a hotel for the night and had worried about it far too much. I felt like I was given a huge wrapped present when I found out that there was an opening for me at the family lodge. I had reserved a room at the lodge for later in the week, but had been told it was filled to capacity for the first part of the week. The lodge is a beautiful building - imagine dark paneling, inlaid wood flooring, and stuffed chairs pulled up to a gas fireplace. It is located right across the street, only a five-minute walk from Ed's room. What a gift.

But beautiful surroundings can't turn off a brain. I'm afraid I didn't get many hours of sleep despite the comfy bed.

Ed's surgery was scheduled for 8:00 this morning. Ed had requested to have an inter-operative MRI. After the surgeon removed the tumor they did an MRI right in the operating room to check for any remaining tumor spots. The surgeon felt that the surgery went well. 

The moment of first seeing Ed when he is waking up from anesthesia is scary. Will he remember me? Will he be able to move his left side? What if the surgery leaves him permanently disabled? What a relief to walk into his room, pick up his left hand, feel him squeeze my fingers, and know that he is okay. 

Recovery from brain surgery is a long road. Battling an aggressive brain cancer is an even harder journey. We can't see over the next hill or around the next bend. But we are so grateful for those of you who are walking with us by prayer. 

"Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." (Psalm 4:5)

"How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them. If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee." (Psalm 139:17-18)