Surgery Day is ALMOST here!!!! I am just so ready for a change of life-style. I do try to tell myself not to dream or plan too big especially for the next couple months, but sometimes I just can't help it. I have no doubt the doctors will do their very best in directing me to a more normal life as quickly and smoothly as they know how, but really any benefit or addition to the quality of my life-style is completely up to my Heavenly Father!!!!

Plans are as follows:
Dad, mom and I plan to drive to Philly Sunday evening and stay at a bed and breakfast for the night. We will only have a few blocks to the hospital, which will be very nice.
I am to be at the hospital at the early hour of 6:30. From what I understood, they will be taking me to the operating room around 9:30. I really don't know a lot about what's going to be happening between 6:30-9:30, but with my movements I will most likely be put out or heavily sedated most of the time for a quicker and easier prep time. I do know that sometime right before they take me into the OR they will do an MRI of my head and brain, which they will then use to determine the exact spot for the implantation of the electrodes. That part of the procedure is the most tedious due to the fact that the electrode must be at the EXACT center of the peanut-sized target spot. I was told they will have me under anesthesia for this part, however they will monitor it very closely as they will probably wake me up after each side is complete to check for tingliness and maybe a few other things. It sounds crazy, but they said I will be out just enough that I won't know what's happening but not too much so when they want to wake me it won't take long!!! After the electrodes are implanted they will give me a full dose of anesthesia after which they will insert the battery packs (one on each side of my chest just below the collarbone) and also the connecting wires. Monday night I will be in ICU. Tuesday sometime I plan to be moved to the recovery room. I'm hoping to come home again on Thursday or for sure Friday. I will then need to return the following Wednesday (May 25) to turn the batteries packs on and to take the staples and stitches out. Two weeks later (June 16) I need to go back to adjust the simulator for the first time and also close the surgery case. From there on out I will need to return as often as 'programmer' says to turn the stimulator up.

It's rather unpredictable as to how long the surgery takes, just depends how fast they can find the target spot for the electrode. I think nine hours at the most and maybe like six at the least?!

A few questions you might have....Will they shave any hair...will you be able to see the wires or anything...how soon will I see/feel changes...what does recovery consist of...????
They may need to shave a bit of hair behind and above my ear where they make the incision for the wire...the two nickle sized incisions made just a little behind my front hairline for the electrode implantation's will be made by parting my hair (they don't cut deep and they will just lay the skin back and use a little (drill) to tunnel the electrodes down. They will put small caps over the holes, then staple the skin back in place. I will be able to feel two small bumps from the caps but you will not be able to see anything, the battery packs are a little the same way, she did tell us that we may be able to see the wire some. Changes.... maybe some right after surgery (rather unlikely). There's a bigger chance of seeing slight changes after they turn the batteries on. I really have no way of telling how things will go from there. Recovery time... since none of my incisions are very deep that part should not be too bad. I will need to be very careful the first month following surgery. My head should never go below my heart because any extra pressure of any kind in my head could be dangerous. Of course any sports or such thing are strictly forbidden!!! :)

As far as visitors... the nurse said I may enjoy some at the hospital, but most likely more after I'm home. I hope they will allow me to have my cell phone in the recovery room so if someone would like to come see me, it might be good to call me before coming.

I want to thank everyone for your prayers so far! God is giving me grace to face this trial and while looking on it's easy to wonder how I can cope so well, but please remember... God gives each of His children grace to go through whatever HE brings their way... I am just as normal a human being as everyone else...I don't understand why me, but I know I've grown in so many areas and still have things I need to work on! :) My prayer is that God would receive ALL the praise because I could never be who I am without Him!!! I have so many people praying for me... satan has to work hard to get to me thanks to my big band of 'prayer warriors' who are 'fighting' for me especially the many times when I felt no strength to fight for myself!!! You know... God calls some people to have the struggle to deal with and He calls some people to be the prayer warriors... BOTH have the same value!!! I will be forever grateful that Jesus was willing to take upon himself the sins of man-kind, being rejected by His Father when He needed Him most, making it possible to for us to share such a personal relationship with God!

I have two special prayer requests...
#1... they do have a re-chargeable battery that some people have been able to get with this surgery...I would really like to take that route because it would eliminate the 3-4 year battery change that would be required with the other batteries. Please pray that (LW)my hospital would receive permission for this as they have a bit of a problem getting it.
#2 We as a family went to visit dawdy (Beiler Grandpa) last evening!!! It was heart-wrenching. I hadn't seen him since Christmas and as much as I tried to prepare myself...the whole reality is just painful to think about. He is losing out fast, in some ways it feels like a bad dream and I really want to wake up and find everything is OK. We are so grateful that he doesn't have much pain...he just wants to sleep!You know it's bad if he can't even remember everybody's name...Colleen had to tell him her name and he got a little mixed up with Kendrick too!!! Please pray especially for mommie, it was such a tear-jerker watching her so lovingly doing her BEST to care for him and make him comfortable!!!

May God bless you all with a wonderful weekend!!! I will do my best to keep updates coming in the next few days, weeks, and months. My aunt Sharon plans to keep you all updated on Monday as they get reports on the different phases and all...