The Abundant Wife

On September 6, our family went to my ultrasound appointment excited to find out the gender of our third child.  Unfortunately,  the ultrasound also found a large cyst in my abdomen (right behind my belly button) about the size of a tennis ball.  The doctor suggested I wait until after Evelyn was born to investigate the cyst further, although she did order a second ultrasound on October 9 to make sure it wasn’t increasing in size.  I had a third ultrasound on March 19, which confirmed that the cyst had not increased in size over the last 6 months.

On March 27 I went in for a CT scan, and it showed that all was normal aside from the cyst. The radiologist confirmed that the cyst was not affecting my bladder.  I met with the surgeon on April 18, and we reviewed the results of the CT scan and my options for treatment.  Because the cyst was so large, it had caused a hernia behind my belly button.  The surgeon planned to repair both the cyst and the hernia with the same surgery, and place some mesh in my abdomen to prevent any further damage.  The surgeon told me that I would have a “question-mark” scar around my belly button after the surgery was over (although I think my new 2-inch long scar looks more like a “greater than” sign).

I had 5 Pre-Op appointments between April 29 and May 8.  On May 9 I underwent surgery to remove the cyst and the hernia.  It was an out-patient surgery, so I was in and out the same day.  Thank God for skilled doctors and nurses, a successful surgery, two babysitters for our kids, a week of delicious meals from our Bible Study, and the prayers of our friends and family!  One week later my Post-Op consultation went well, and the surgeon seemed very pleased with the success of my surgery.  He said that they were able to remove the entire sheath of the cyst, and the pathology report confirmed that it was benign.  He removed the outer bandage, and instructed me to keep the area clean and dry until the rest of the bandages fell off.  I also cannot lift anything over 15lbs for 6 weeks (June 20).

As for how I’m feeling, I used pain-killers for the first few days following the surgery, then Tylenol after that, and I haven’t needed anything at all since.  I occasionally have some pain right around the surgical site, but I feel better with each day.  I’m just trying to remember to take it nice and easy for the next 10 days.

When I was pulling into the parking lot for my CT scan on March 27, I heard this passage on the radio: “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.  For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  2 Corinthians 4:16-18