As I write this, it's 3:05 am, on a Sunday.
I cannot sleep, and I am not sure why. While I lie in bed, I kept thinking, "God gave me this gift of writing."
How can I say so? Because God blessed me with clients through my blog. And I was able to serve Him back as a writer at The Feast PICC, my spiritual community.
And as this thought repeats in my head, I decided to get up, have a cup of iced latte with my Oreo cookies, and create a new blog (not just a new blog post)!
Anyways, about the topic, have you ever heard what many people say, "having a near death experience changes your life?"
Fortunately, what I experienced recently was not really "near death" but it did change my life and how I look and see things. It has given me a whole new perspective of life!
Ten days ago, I underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In layman's term, I had my gallbladder removed because of gallstones. A week prior to that, I have been experiencing pain in the upper mid abdomen. My husband, who is a surgeon, told me to undergo a whole abdomen ultrasound. And then there they were -- 2 gallstones with 0.9 cm and 0.5 cm in size. My husband told me to let him know as soon as I find someone who can accompany me to the hospital. It was October 12, Tuesday, at 5pm when our house helper said yes. After texting this to my husband, he immediately scheduled my operation the following day, October 13, at 4pm, at a private hospital in San Fernando, Pampanga.
This being my fourth operation to date, I was nervous. Who wouldn't be? Prior to this, I had two caesarian section with our two kids, and a ruptured appendix. Hubby even said, "dahil may peklat ka, baka nagdikit dikit na bituka mo." Who wouldn't be nervous hearing those words?
At the hospital, I have been exchanging messages with my daughter. She even texted, "Bakit parang hindi ka kinakabahan?" (Why does it seem like you are not nervous at all?) Being a mom, I had to be as calm as possible -- or appear to be calm, the very least.
At 9pm, I was back to my room.
The following day, we were already on our way back to Tarlac, as I was already feeling okay. Or so I thought.
The next day, Friday, I was in so much pain. I woke up past 3am, wanting to move because my back was really painful, but I cannot. I wanted to pee but I cannot get up from the bed. The pain was excruciating that I was crying as my mother and Ate Elvie help me get up. I do not want to go into details of how sick I felt, but it was by far, the most pain I have ever experienced in my life.
I Learned and Realized that I have So Much to be Grateful For
I am grateful for my husband and our kids, who have always been my happy and safe place. My husband was my main Surgeon. He told me not to worry about anything.
I am grateful for the doctors, nurses, attendants and staff of VL Makabali Hospital. They really took care of me.
I am grateful for our house helper who was with me at the hospital.
I am grateful for my mother who took care of me, especially that Friday. She has been preparing our healthy meals, too, every single day.
I am grateful for the ability to sleep comfortably on my side again, to move without pain, and simply being able to do the things I used to do.
I am grateful for the first client I had, five days after the operation, while I work from home.
I am grateful for Insular Life, that even though I am not an employee, I have hospitalization benefits.
I am grateful for my admin friend who processed my claim. It was approved in one day!
And I am grateful for God, that He was with me the entire time and for the valuable lesson that this experience taught me.
Final Note
I remember what I read from one of Bo Sanchez' book, Is Your Love Tank Empty? It says, "Life has become so complicated for so many people, the win is no longer obvious. Life has become so discombobulated. It is almost impossible to define the win." He adds, "Your win is in your relationship."
My experience going through physical pain, and recovering from it, taught me that among all other things, relationships are indeed the most important.
Take care of your relationships. Value the people you have in your life. Appreciate them even for the small things. And let them know how much they mean to you every single day.
Be very blessed!
