Peg Tube Adventure

ALS is a crazy disease! From the moment of diagnosis your life is sent on an uncontrolled roller coaster ride. With that said, no simple surgery is ever simple. 

Wednesday night, in preparation for the Peg Tube, we as a family sat down and endured a heart wrenching discussion.We made end of life decisions, offered prayers of thankfulness, spoke of blessing others with organ donations, and found peace in the true meaning of family. We prepared ourselves for "what-if" scenarios and pleaded for grace. Wednesday night offered restless sleep for all. 

Thursday morning was quiet and calm. Mom was enveloped in peace. It was apparent that God heard our pleas. When we arrived for check-in we were greeted with a smile and a sterile waiting room. Mom was prepped quickly.

The anesthesiologist came in to greet us and with him he brought such a calm inviting spirit. He was gentle and eased every fear my mom was holding on to. He promised her that he would be by her side the entire time and most importantly that she would wake up! He administered her IV and within seconds my mom looked directly at him- eyes wide open and said "I like this" in the clearest voice I have heard in months! We all laughed... and looking back I wish I had been video-taping the scene. It felt so good to hear her voice! We said our goodbyes in the midst of tears and waited. 

Within 45 minutes we were greeted once again by both the surgeon and anesthesiologist. They gave a glowing report and said mom rocked the surgery! Interestingly, we were told that mom's stomach is in an odd location and was hard for the surgeon to find at first. Her stomach is located right underneath her belly button. This caused the tube to be placed a lot lower than expected and unfortunately offered more discomfort. 

We waited 2 hours and 45 minutes to see mom after the surgery. It felt like forever but she was worth the wait! 

Doesn't she look beautiful? This picture was taken as soon as we saw her. She is glowing!

Mom experienced a significant amount of pain after surgery. Because of this, she was kept for observation and not discharged until late Saturday afternoon. Thankfully, the doctors were able to manage the pain and she was able to get the rest she needed while in the hospital. 

We can't express enough our thankfulness for all of the prayers, flowers and cards. Knowing that there is a huge community of believers, friends and family coming together in love to support my mom and my family is incredible. We feel your love and some days that's exactly what gets us through this nightmare!

Now, we are on a new journey, a new start, a new normal. We have all accepted it and embraced it. We are moving forward and believing for great things!