Awareness 2014 - Getting to the bottom of things - Part 2

It's now Tuesday, February 3rd and I am feeling better. I can sit and I'm not in pain all the time. It surely has to be working right ? Something is happening in there! 

In talking to my mother about things, she mentions that I should get a hold of my previous employer and ask about getting my Kaiser coverage reinstated. I am sure that it can't happen that quickly, and honestly, I was pretty dismissive about it. I didn't want to bother anyone and it would happen anyhow. I could wait...or so I thought. So I did nothing with the nudge she gave me that day. I should know better than to ignore my mother. She is ridiculously in tune about spiritual matters. 

The day comes and goes without much fanfare and I go to bed for the night, saying prayers of extreme gratitude for the healing that is happening so far. More tears...and finally sleep.

3:15 AM - OUCH! My pain level has jumped to an 8 all of a sudden. I can barely get up out of bed to get pain medication. I decide to get a cold pack and see if I can get the pain down. Heck, I will stand on my head and spit nails if it will make a difference !!  It is about an hour before the pain subsides enough for me to go to sleep and then it is only on my side. It appears to me that the abscess is grown or the area of radiant heat/pain surrounding it has grown. I don't understand - I AM TAKING ANTIBIOTICS!  I'm tired, hurting, cranky and am going to need to deal with this at a higher level - the word SURGEON comes back into my mind and I am scared. I lay in bed praying for relief and more tears. 

Once I finally get up out of bed, which is a feat in and of itself, I am able to make my way to the only chair in the entire apartment that is comfortable for me to sit in, with a pillow on the seat. Who cares ? I am TIRED of being horizontal. As I sit at the dining room table with my mother, she again prods me about connecting with my former employer about Kaiser being reinstated.  "Fine."  Yeah, there were a lot of other words that were running through my mind at the moment, but gratefully I censored them. As I called the HR office and spoke to my colleague, he sent me the paperwork immediately and I was able to take care of payment immediately. I could not believe the immediacy of all of this. I am reminded that God is willing to bless us, He simply needs us to ACT.

I did my part and He did his. Now I am waiting for the email that says,

"Your coverage has now been reinstated."  And more patience was going to be required before that email would come. 

The day continued to be restless and I am sure I was as surly as they come. Living on either the couch or in my bed, drifting from sleep to hazy periods of awakedness... I want to move, I want to go to the gym, I want to do anything except deal with the fact that I am going to be making a call to have this thing lanced. The entire idea has me freaked out. And we aren't even entirely sure we know what it is. 

Thursday, February 6th is another in and out of pain day. I had forgotten to mention earlier this week that I had started a dialogue with a new company about a position they were looking to fill. Today was to be the 5th interview with them. The other 4 were by phone and this one was to meet the Exec himself. By nothing short of a miracle, I was able to drive to the appointment, sit for 45 minutes and have a very good meeting. I also met my former boss and handed over the final affairs that I had amassed at the end and needed to pass on. 

By 1 pm, I was DONE and needed a nap and upon waking from a nap, I notice an email has come in. My Kaiser coverage has been reinstated!! So fast ! In fact, Mother is pleasantly impressed by how quickly this all took place. I say a quick prayer of gratitude for the solution coming so speedily.  I feel like the past week has caused me to look to God in every step - and miracles come. I am being schooled in deepening my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I know he hears and answers my prayers and loves me, and that assurance can get me through a lot of life's trials. I sent an email to the doctor I saw on the 30th and let her know that a referral was going to be in order, given that there was little improvement. Out into the ether it goes - and let's hope that she reads it and gets back to me. 

Another night of pain medication and sleeping in 4-6 hour increments. I am missing my normal sleep pattern and I am longing for things to be better. Now!  (One of my good friends said that one of the lessons I am learning in all of this is patience. Apparently, I still have not learned that yet. UGH!)

It's Friday, February 7th and the phone rings early and it is Kaiser surgery center calling to schedule an appointment for me. My gut is clenching with anxiety. How long am I going to wait ? And SURGEON comes back in my mind. Maybe I need to see a surgeon because it is going to be lanced ?  I mean, do they consider it real surgery ? It is in the office, right ?

They set an appointment for 3 pm on Monday, February 10, in downtown LA.  That's going to be a good time. My fear of medical procedures is almost eclipsed by the fear my mother has about driving in downtown LA. Can you be on Valium and drive ? I'm kidding...sort of. I ask the appointment nurse if she can call me back and explain to me what will happen. The sooner I wrap my head around the reality of what is going to happen, the better it will be. 

Before that can happen though, they change my doctor to a colorectal doctor and change the time of the appointment to 10 AM on Monday. 

Huh? What do they think I have and why are they adding that to the mix ? Someone is not telling me something...

The nurse calls me back and explains the procedure:

1) Review the location of the abscess

2) Give local anesthesia to the area

3) Lance/drain 

4) Pack up wound

5) Send me home

Let me have time to digest this...and pray that it will all go exactly as it is supposed to... I am praying for comfort. And it comes...in the form of a friend. Now things are about to get VERY real.