Somebody Prayed

On February 17th, we just arrived back from Florida. I had been dealing with ‘migraines’ and dizziness the entire week we were on vacation.  

Our vacation didn’t feel like a very enjoyable time for me, but with the help of migraine medication and way to many ibuprofens, I was putting one foot in front of the other for the sake of my family. 

I found a great chiropractor in Florida on the Thursday before we headed back north to Indiana, his name was Dr Kozma. He seemed to have helped my migraines and my symptoms drastically went away for the duration of our vacation. 

However, he urged me to go be seen by my primary when we got back from vacation.  

In my selfishness, I kept saying to myself that he is making this sound like I am on my death bed. However, I couldn’t shake the fact that he told me what I was experiencing sounded along the lines of a stroke. 

He said at the age of 33, it is not worth the risk. 

He was right, and I knew it. 

Speed up, we came home from vacation and was home on Sunday the 16th at around 4pm. 

The next day I went into work, Monday the 17th, to grab some work.

The children had E Learning thanks to Mother Nature, we had frigid weather upon returning and so I decided to leave work at noon to help get their work done. 

When I stood up from my desk, I had a really dizzy spell and it was so bad thought I was going to fall over. 

The dizzy spells would also accompany a migraine right behind my right eye. 

Usually it would be a pulsating-throbbing headache and I would just close my eyes and wait for them to pass, which they would in like 20-30 seconds. 

They.were.so.painful.

At that point, I was at my breaking point and said enough. I called the Country Health and they worked me in the schedule immediately. 

I went to NP Vicki Wolfe at CHC at 3:30pm on the same day, and I have all but GREAT things to say about her and her nurse Mallory. She took wonderful care of me and scheduled a CT scan directly after my appointment on Monday @ 5 o’clock PM at Memorial Hospital in Jasper.

The CT was very quick and brief. 

Reggie and I were on our drive home and I already had the results of having suspected chiari malformation thanks to MyChart.

The next morning Vicki called me and said we urgently needed to schedule a MRI to get a more closer look at this condition. 

Me being the one who I am, asked if we could wait until the following week because I didn’t care to drive to Jasper with the snowy conditions we were having that week. 

Speed up to Wednesday the 26th @11am, I headed to Jasper St Thomas for a MRI. 

MRI went smoothly and was back on the road again by 11:40am. 

I wanted to stop at Home Depot and get some new potting soil for my dying house plants 🥹 when NP Vicki called me again and said they found something on the MRI that did not show on the CT scan, and that I urgently needed to see a neurosurgeon. She said a large mass was found.

I just left all my garden supplies in a heeping pile in Home Depot and walked back out to my car. 

She asked where I would like to go, and I told her she can schedule with whoever could see my the quickest. 

Speed up at 3pm on the 26th, she called me back and said she advised I go to the ER so a neurosurgeon could get to my results quicker. 

We prayed numerous times at the house. We prayed for healing, strength, wisdom, guidance but most importantly we prayed that the will of our Father be done and that we would be acceptant of whatever that may be! 

Because He makes no mistakes and if we just look His Glory can be seen in any situation.

So we headed out for Jasper not knowing what the night had in store.

We arrived at Jasper Memorial ER around 4:30pm, they were able to start lab work and put an IV line in right away. 

As soon as we got there, they started reaching out to multiple neurosurgeons in the area. 

Dr Uluc immediately took my case and said that if we get to Evansville yet that evening, the 26th, he would possibly be able to see me that evening before shift change. 

Having heard lots of recommendations and having to choose between one, lead us to our knees again and us pleading with God for guidance and the most simplest of answers was so clearly spoken "just go I will go with you. No matter the surgeon I'm in control"  

Arrive at Evansville and go through all the steps of admission. It was 11:00 before we could be moved into a room on the ICU floor.

The nuerosurgeon already left for the evening but they assured us he would be in to see us first thing on the 27th. 

That evening, they started me on a seizure medicine and a high dose of steroids. 

The doctor told us they couldn’t believe I was not “sick” because of where my tumor was — most patients are having continuous seizures and can’t talk or walk. What a blessing. 

The brain tumor was inside of my skull, I did not feel any lumps in that specific area. My only known symptoms were the deliberating headaches I was experiencing. 

Thursday morning, the 27th at 7:15am (Evansville Time)

Dr. Uluc came into my room and stated everything we already knew about the tumor. 

However, that morning he assured us that he felt like the tumor was a slow growing tumor and he felt very confident that it was benign. He was very confident in going in to remove it. 

He told the nurses to send me away for one last MRI before surgery. He told us that he had a morning patient but he would take me immediately afterwards. 

The nurses wheeled me off for a 2nd MRI while being at Deaconess. The MRI would take around 40 minutes and by the time it was over, I sat up on the bed and could see Dr Uluc waiting for me to come out of the MRI room. 

He stated that his morning patient just canceled and if I was comfortable, he would take me for surgery RIGHT NOW. 

I said “let’s do it.”

I asked if I could go back to the room to say bye to Reggie and he said, “of course! take your time and let the nurse know when you’re ready.”

We prayed, and kissed each other goodbye. 

By 9:30am, the nurse was wheeling me back to the OR. 

I was completely alive and alert being wheeled into the operating room, it was freezing cold. They came and covered me with warm toasty blankets. 

The nurse admired my hair and said she would tell the surgeon to be as considerate as possible when having to shave my hair in prep of the surgery. 

I kindly told her, thank you—but please do whatever you need to do. 

The last thing I remember was the mask coming down on my face.

The surgery took 4 hours and 15 minutes.

Recovery story to be continued….