Watching Time Pass

This week has been a lesson in how time passes. In some situations, it can go quickly, but I also watch the clock to see if it can move any faster.

On Monday afternoon, I received a call from the hospital to go over everything for surgery. It was the usual routine of going over my meds and medical history. However, the nurse on the phone became quickly confused. She asked if I would need help to pivot to transfer out of my chair and to bring the remote for my pacemaker. I helped clarify that I can't control anything below my shoulders and would need a lift or multiple people to help lift. My explanation made sense and that was all.

As requested, I arrived at the hospital at noon Thursday for a 2:00 surgery time. That was also the time snow and ice were predicted to arrive in Des Moines, so dad kindly went with my caregiver Sara and I. With him, I no longer needed a lift, but I did explain my DPS multiple times to various nurses and a few doctors.

I saw my regular ENT briefly as he said I would be his second procedure of the day, but the first had already been delayed due to OR availability. After watching 2:00 come and go, I finally saw him again a little after 4:00. I was thankful Sara and I could play games on our phones and watch dad's computer, but time still passed slowly.

Since it was a minor procedure, I was only lightly sedated for most of the process. As my ENT cleared out excess tissue from my trach area, he wondered how I had been breathing. Placing the trach button and further work went beyond local numbing and with a nod, my eyes closed in the OR and reopened in a recovery room. Thankfully, everything went well and was relatively simple. I'm very thankful to have a clear airway again suctioning is now easier. Snow and wind on the way home wasn't too bad, but we were thankful for dad's help and a little slower commute that usual. 

My neck feels pretty good, but it was sore if I did too much Friday. Therefore, I spaced out my regular web updates and watched familiar voices play games online. The place I watch them is called Twitch and it came up with a recap of my year. One screen showed how many hours I have spent watching people play. My top person was over 120 hours, with the next over 100. I would not have guessed these figures, but it demonstrated the difference in perception of time passage.

Whether you're living the quad life or not, be sure to always take time to spend in God's Word and come to Him. At some point, our time in this life will end and then go to eternity in either heaven or hell. The gift of eternal life with Christ is what we celebrate this Christmas, take ample time to reflect and spend with Him.