Several Mayo staff people told us that 70% of organ transplants have a "bump in the road".Maybe we could be part of the 30%. If not, surely we could handle a "bump".
This wasn't a bump. It was more like a sinkhole...or a bridge that had gone out...or a concrete barricade with barbed wire on the top.
It isn't something that we can't get around or overcome eventually, but it really does seem unnecessary.
Missy was finally scheduled to have her liver transplant on July 15. Everything was set. Our pastor flew in the night before to be with Missy and Tim (and me and Kathy, too). Missy and Tim went through the pre-op procedures. Kathy and I waited. We saw Missy and Tim in their fancy, new hospital gowns. Spirits were high. They wheeled Tim off to the operating room. They wheeled Missy off to another room to wait until Tim's liver sliver (that's not the technical term for it) was ready. They took some more pictures of Tim to make sure everything was in place. He didn't mention anything about randomly moving organs around overnight. They started Tim's surgery. They inserted all types of tubes into Tim's body. They started the incision to access his liver. They moved everything else out of the way. Missy was ready to be wheeled into another operating room. They clamped the veins to Tim's liver.
Then came the bump in the road.
They noticed blood in Tim's catheter. There was not supposed to be blood in Tim's catheter. They stopped the surgery to see what was the matter. The catheter had irritated Tim's prostrate which was enlarged. They had done every imaginable type of test on Tim prior to the surgery. Well, every type except for checking his prostrate. A bleeding prostrate is not a good thing. It is especially not a good thing for someone about to lose part of his liver since the liver determines how blood will clot. They closed up the incision and asked for some specialists to check out the prostrate problem. Nothing unusual was found other than an enlarged and irritated prostrate.
That was the good news. It is also good that they found this problem for Tim. Without the surgery, we don't know when the enlarged prostrate would have been discovered. We are thankful for that and for the fact that Tim is recovering nicely.
The bad news is that the transplant has been delayed. It could be delayed a few weeks or a few months. We don't know until Tim is checked out by a urologist. At that time, Tim, his family, and the doctors will determine the next course of action. Please be praying for Tim and his family during this time.
Missy and I have been very discouraged to say the least. We didn't really expect everything to go perfectly. Okay, maybe we did, but we thought that any problems could be easily handled and overcome. We are in a waiting stage again. We have people praying from all over the country (and even foreign places like Africa and Oklahoma) for this transplant. Many have asked us, "When will the transplant take place?" We have no idea.
We were soooooo close. Friday was a very emotional day. It is difficult getting ready for an operation like this. It wears on your emotions. We don't like to wait. We like to be in control. We thought we were prepared to handle what would come with the transplant. In no way were we prepared to handle what would come with the bump in the road.
Honestly, I don't like that phrase at all. I stated in the beginning that this was going to be an honest blog. Proceed at your own risk. Our emotions are still in a state of flux at this point. I don't like that. We were ready to deal with the way things were working out. We deviated from the original course a long time ago. We saw God's hand in what was happening up until we hit the bump.
Missy reminded me of many of the hurdles that she has faced in her life. Her testimony is a whole other story that we really should publish some time. She has overcome abuse, her own adoption issues, moving from a small Tennessee town to a huge Texas city, marrying me, difficulties in bearing our own children, going through court hearings to be able to adopt Joy, the sickness of her mother causing her father to leave full-time ministry, the early death of her mother and father, and so many other situations, each one being its own full story. Everything seems to be a hurdle in her life. These have been the high hurdles, too.Pastor Simmons sent us a copy of a devotional this morning. It spoke about Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac out of obedience to God. One of the main points was that out of supreme sacrifice comes supreme blessing. The last statement reads: "There is nothing, indeed, which God will not do for a man who dares to step out upon what seems to be the mist; though as he puts down his foot he finds a rock beneath."
My devotion this morning was titled "The Concept of Divine Control." It talked about trusting in God to completely control every part of our lives, even when we don't understand.
I have no doubt that God has a sense of humor.
Our reactions to this setback are natural and human. We don't like what has happened. We don't like it at all. We don't understand it. Guess what...we don't have to like it...we don't have to understand it. God is working through us on this. It is taking some time. That is okay. Our faith and trust in God are still strong. Really, what else are we going to do?
Congratulations if you made it all the way through this very long post. Stay tuned to see where we are headed next. If you find out before we do, please let us know.
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