Expect the unexpected!

I don't know how your life has gone, but when getting ready for any event, whether it's a trip to the grocery store or major surgery, I start with what I call Plan A.  Generally,  by the time the event actually takes place, there have been so many changes to Plan A that I am down to Plan F or Plan G.  There have been a few times I've gotten all the way to Plan Z!

Let's face it:  stuff happens.  I had admitting this, but it has taken me several decades to figure out that when "stuff" happens, I have to take a deep breath, change MY plan, and go with the new one.

Surgery is no exception to that rule.  Assistants set schedules, hospital administrators schedule operating room times, and surgeons are experts at sabotaging the best laid schedules.  So, when you are told:

 "be at the hospital by 6:30 am, post op will take about 45 minutes, surgery is scheduled for 8:00 am, and should take 2 hours.  One hour in recovery, and you should be in your room by 1:30 at the latest."  Just know that your chances of actually seeing this schedule happen as planned is about as likely as my chances of winning the lottery.  Slim to none - especially since I don't actually buy lottery tickets!

Prepare your spouse for this eventuality so his anxiety level remains as low as possible.  Most hospitals we have been in have allowed me to sit with Tommy until he is wheeled into surgery, so I had to work to be positive and calm when the inevitable delays happened. 

This was especially difficult in December 2011 when he was all prepped and then told that because his kidney "number" was not what it should be, the surgery was being scrubbed  To my relief, our surgeon stepped in and arranged for him to be admitted so tests could be run and surgery rescheduled for two days later.  As you can see, this is exactly what I'm talking about.

Honestly, I wasn't at all prepared for that kind of a delay, and I got more than a little bit weepy and anxious.  Fortunately, our son was with me, he was calm, and we were able to get through the delay.  When we prepared for the next surgery six months later, I was much calmer.  Really, I was!

The best preparation for Plans A through Z is prayer.  God knows what is going to happen and if I couldn't have depended on His strength, I don't know how I would have handled all of the unexpected problems which came up.

Best preparation of all?  Prayer!  "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."  Remember:  "all things".