When I woke up this morning I had, for the second morning, an overwhelming sense of dread. I picked up the phone and texted a couple people who have been there for me through all of this and asked them for prayer. I told them of how I needed some peace over this situation as I didn't feel any at this point.
I felt lost in a different world called Minnesota. Don't get me wrong, this is a great city and everyone is really nice but there was not a peace and I need peace. After asking for prayer I sat down on the side of the tub and prayed myself. I told God that I had to KNOW this was the right thing and it all had to come together for me to feel right about any of this. I prayed and then just expected Him to come through for me and then went about my morning. We traveled to the other side of the river to the adult side of the hospital and started the whole Mixed Meal blood tests / C Peptide tests. The whole situation was a mess. They were busy and we were dealing with lots and lots of different lab people and nobody seem to know what was going on. A three hour test turned to a four hour test and we were almost ready to miss our appointment with Isaac's surgeon. I began thinking again of how I needed this to come together when from around the corner came our transplant coordinator Louise. Sweet Louise! As she moved around, she made everything fall into line. Just her presence made me feel better. She told us of how much we were going to like Isaac's doc and Tasia's too! She said that Tasia's doctor is SUCH a hard worker that he made the news a while back for staying at the hospital for 4 days straight, refusing to leave his patient that was in need of a new liver. He didn't leave until the boy had his liver! Thank you Lord - that's the kind of man I want working on my daughter!!!
And then the BIG MOMENT came. Isaac's surgeon appointment. We sat in the exam room and anxiety washed over me as I began to panic about all the little things there are to panic about. I plead with God to make this all work out. That all questions would be answered. That we would just "know" if this was right. I sent out a message to ask for prayer that this appointment would accomplish what it was meant to accomplish. I got a message from my friend Whitney - and well lets just say that it blessed me so much and gave me more strenght to face this giant head on. And then walked in Dr. Beilman - he had a huge smile across his face. He was HAPPY. He was CONFIDENT. A peace that passes all understanding washed across that exam room and my heart was calm. He and Louise gave us GREAT NEWS - Isaac doesn't show any signs of diabetes... not even pre-diabetic!! They said his islet cells looked great! What amazing news!!! He told us that there was about a 50% chance Isaac would need insulin and if he did it would probably only be 1x a day. That's amazing seeing they usually say that two thirds of people are in fact diabetic after this surgery! He said the fact that he is healthy and strong would absolutely be in his favor. He said that he most definitely could foresee him being able to continue in law enforcement and that he expected a full recovery. He was HONEST too. He didn't sugar coat anything. He told us what would lay ahead if he didn't have the surgery. He said the things that are hard to hear. He told us the intense complications. But we still felt confident with him and full of peace. He was HAPPY! I love HAPPY!
So thank you... thank you to my prayer warriors! Thank you to my best friends. Thank you to our families. Thank you for the calls, texts, messages etc. We feel so loved and strong with you all behind us. I may not be able to return calls and messages as quickly as I would like but please know that they make a huge difference in this whole process. We are blessed beyond measure.
Next Step?
- A CT Scan on Thursday to double check the portal vein where they well transplant the islet cells. Gotta make sure it's healthy and not clogged.
- A letter getting sent to our insurance to see how much they will cover of the islet part of the surgery. This can easily cost $650,000. The social worker said to be prepared.... um okay. God you got that covered, alright?
- It looks as though the mid-end of May will be the surgery. Exact date will probably be set early next week.
And on top of all of that... Isaac and I found the place where I will stay while he's in the hospital and where he will recover. It's literally steps away from the hospital and safe and clean. It's all coming together!
Tomorrow - Tasia's turn!
