Prep for major surgery can be a long, sometimes exasperating ordeal. But these days hospitals work hard to make it manageable. For example, in the family waiting area at Mayo Clinic there’s a wide screen TV monitor much like those used in airports to track flights. Each patient receives a “flight number” and can be followed through the maze of stops along their route.
The monitor’s color-coding makes it easy to see exactly what’s happening to your loved one. White means she’s still in admitting. Orange is posted when she gets called to the operating room. Yellow is for having entered the OR, green for “go-time” on the procedure, grey for a patient in recovery, and pink for the good news that it’s time to leave the surgical floor.
To sign up for an operation is to sign up for lots of waiting. Tense waiting. Waiting when it’s tempting to let your mind wander to places it shouldn’t.
For instance, today at the beginning of Mary’s surgery we all knew the doctor planned to do a brief laparoscopic look-around before beginning the complicated Whipple procedure. That would include a biopsy of the liver, located next to the pancreas. If other cancer was found, the Whipple would have been aborted, and Mary would have been rolled to recovery.
We’d been sitting in the crowded waiting room about 30 minutes when a nurse came in and said, “Peterson family?”
My heart stopped, thinking the worst had happened. But then she said, “We have her room ready, if you’d like to wait there instead of here.” Whew.
This morning as the 5 of us hurried on foot toward the nearby hospital, a whipping wind filled with biting snow didn’t make it easy. Temperatures were in the teens, and it felt good to pass through the revolving doors into the warm lobby of the Mayo Clinic’s St. Mary’s hospital. As always, Mary soldiered through without complaint, despite not being allowed to have a warm breakfast like the rest of us.
The long day was dotted with waiting periods. Since the surgical schedule experienced one delay after another, Mary’s procedure started 6 hours later than originally planned. More waiting. But when the surgeon finally appeared with a report on how everything went, he was smiling. “It went beautifully,” he said, “and she did great.”
Although pathology won’t be complete until Wednesday, Dr. Truty (right) talked of “clean margins” and said he had been able to keep the stomach intact, including the pyloric valve that attaches to the intestines. As with all Whipples, he took out the gall bladder, part of the intestine, the tumor, and the head of the pancreas. He said he was extremely pleased with the results.
When the waiting was over and Mary was finally wheeled into her room at 11:00 pm, we were probably far more excited to see her than she was to see us. Worn out but without pain, enjoying her “happy drugs” and cooperating nicely with the staff, her first words to us were, “Go home and go to bed.” On her nightstand were her Scripture cards, her Bible, and a photo of her with Bervin and their 9 grandchildren.
One of them, 6 year old Beck (front, 2nd from right), had talked to Mary on the phone this morning. Whenever he says goodbye he always says, “I love you to the moon and back!” But this morning he said, “Grandma, I love you all the way to Pluto and back!”
And that BIG love goes for all of us…..
“The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.” (Proverbs 13:19)
Our prayer requests for Mary:
- Praise for a safe surgery performed by a skilled surgical team, for negative margins, and a negative liver biopsy
- Pray for a good night’s rest
- Praise for excellent caregivers at Mayo Clinic
- Praise for the commitment and vision of the Franciscan Sisters and physicians who make this a place of healing
SO VERY THANKFUL!:):):) Love to all, Sue
She will now be recovering very nicely, and in a month will be celebrating the Resurrection, and then in May, she will be honored on Mother’s Day. All is well ~ Much love to Mary and Berv. Love to you, Margaret !
Thanks be to God ! -Ruth
So awesome to hear! Praise God!
Margaret, Wally and i are so thankful to the Lord that Marys surgery went well. I pray that she’ll have a restful night. Our love and continued prayers for Mary, Berv, you and the rest of the family.
Thank you Jesus! Marvelous news. Prayers will continue for a complete and uncomplicated recovery.
Praise for a successful surgery- prayers for a steady recovery . Appreciate your skillful documenting of the process, Margaret -my prayers are more focused. I also find my mind-heart filled with reassuring hymns! Blessings to Mary , Bervin and all.
Such good news! Continuing to pray in Georgia
I am amazed at the gift of skilled hands that God has given Doctors that can do surgery and give people a new hope on life.
With tears of joy we join you all in praising The Lord and thanking Him so much for answered prayer.
We will continue to pray for full recovery “in His time”!
With tears of joy we join you all in praising The Lord and thanking Him so much for answered prayer.
We will continue to pray for full recovery “in His time”!
Praising God for answered prayer, and of Mary still being Mary when you first saw her. Love to all, will continue to pray.
“O magnify The Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!” Ps. 34:3
Praising The Lord this morning for His continued goodness to Mary and family in such a wonderful answer to prayer.
Yeah! Praise God! We’ll keep praying for a beautifully smooth recovery and continued good news.
HalleluJah!!! I am so happy to hear that the surgery went well and the doctor is pleased! To God be the glory! Please relay my love to Mary and her beloved family. Will continue to pray for a smooth easy recovery. Thank you Margaret for your loving support of Mary through all this! God bless you all.
Praise the Lord for His countless blessings! I will continue to pray for Mary and all her family…including you, dear Margaret. Thanks so much for these informative reports!
So thankful for answered prayer.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
If you are still at St. Mary’s take time to find the little chapel. It is a beautiful, beautiful and quite place to pray and to reflect. I know each hospital has these places but t his one reminds me of a miniature cathedral in Europe. May God give each of you rest and Mary healing! To God be given all of the glory.
I’m thrilled at the good news. Keep us posted so we can know how to pray. Recovery takes time, so we know not to quit now!
Meanwhile, Praise The Lord ‘!!!!!!!!!
Great news!!
Mary,
My name is Amy Bandy. I ” met” you when you were a guest on Revive our Hearts. I want you to know the Lord used your story of losing your husband to bring hope and healing during a very difficult time in my life. Your honesty and vulnerability expressed on the radio about going through such a difficult time has encouraged me to not give up hope at a time when I was losing hope.
I have followed your blog posts since “meeting” you and feel like I know you. I have been so blessed by the way you take every day events and bring a spiritual truth to it. Thank you!
Also, I want you to know I am praying for your family as you go through surgery for Mary and recovery. Praise the Lord for a successful surgery!
On a side note, part of the reason I am writing to you is I actually live in the Rochester area!
I don’t know how long you will be here, but I would love to come meet you and give you a hug from Minnesota! Of course I would completely understand if this isn’t a good time.
I will continue to pray for you and your beautiful family and I just wanted you to know God has used you in ways words can’t express.
Blessings,
Amy Bandy
Margaret – I have been following re. Mary’s e-mails. I just opened the one today and am truly rejoicing with you. We are familiar with Mayo’s “waiting room” and are very happy that Mary is in a good place. Will be watching for your e-mail tomorrow. Love June
Thank God <3 Praise God <3 I was just thinking how appropriate it is that the name of the hospital is St. Mary's : )
Prayers answered. So very happy for all of you. Still praying in Palatine!!
Praising God with you! And continuing to pray for God’s healing through recovery. Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow!
I’m so happy to hear things are looking good! Love to you all!
Praise The Lord, Mary ,we knew you would do well. God promises us if we ask anything in His name He will do it. We asked in His name to guide you through the surgery and give the Drs. wisdom and He did. So happy for you .We will continue to pray for you. Love to Berv and your family and to you too. Love Wally & Barb Fuja