I know that most people
expect my next blog post to be about the actual surgery, but it’s not. That will be the content of my upcoming blog
post. So what could be more important than
all the details of the surgery? Well,
it’s the support and love I felt by so many people. Having a wonderful support group was
imperative for my health and continuing recovery. Do not underestimate the power or love and prayers, for those two entities can work wonders on your mind, body, and soul.
1)I don’t care what you religion you are, you need
religious support to help you through this.
It’s always comforting to feel enveloped in God’s love.
For example, I attend Coral Springs Community
Church and have a wonderful church family there. The Sunday previous to the surgery, after the
service, Pastor Bob called me to the alter and everyone came up to pray over
me. This was my first experience with
this and it made me feel loved, blessed, and at ease.
Laurie
contacted a church near the hospital I was at, and a woman(Erika) came by
Monday night to pray and to see if we needed anything.
Also,
the pastor and his wife came the day after my surgery with a beautiful bouquet
of flowers. I was grateful to see them,
even though I don’t think I said a whole lot.
In
addition, countless people from the church text me often to let me know they
are praying for me. They have offered to prepare meals for my parents and/or anything else that is needed. My parent’s church
is also praying, and I believe several other churches.
My mom's neighbors, Diane and Jim, gave me these flowers. I was also added to their prayer list. They also brought me flan and rice pudding-Yummy :)
2)The support of your family.
I’m incredibly lucky to come from a massive, loving family. I am the youngest of 7, have 6 nieces and
nephews, and 6 great nieces and nephews.
My parents have been together for 44 years and they come from large
families as well. My mom is the youngest
of 7 and my dad is the middle of 7. I
have 50 cousins (we actually counted last year).
My family
called, texted, messaged every single day. They
not only wanted to see how I was doing, but also wanted to encourage me.
Every day my
parents sat at the hospital and acted as an advocate for me. I didn’t have much of a voice, so they
helped. They relayed messages from the
doctors to me (sometimes I just couldn’t remember). They also read the messages from my
friends and family to me every single day.
I might not remember what was said, but I know it happened.
Now that I’m
home, they help me with bandages, driving, and food. I'm very thankful for them.
3) Hopefully your job will be supportive.
I teach at a local high school and needed to
make sure that everything was covered.
This year I teach 11th and 12th grade English,
which means two completely different curriculums.
My bosses
have been extremely supportive and sent me a get well soon card. My colleagues/friends have been even more
supportive. They text me quite
frequently to see how I am doing and they even sent me a beautiful bouquet of
flowers.
Beautiful flowers from the English department-thank you
Beautiful Bamboo Plant from Sunshine
Also, many
of my students have reached out to say they miss me and they hope the surgery
went well. I receive messages from them
daily.
4) Your friends need to be understanding and
supportive.
My friends have been
fantastic. My phone was off for close to
a week because it wasn’t a major priority for me after surgery. Many of my friends circumvented this by
reaching out to my mom. They also became
friends with her on Facebook.
Furthermore, Karlee made it easy for a majority of my friends to know
what was happening by creating a thread (thank you).
Thank you Kristen :) I can't wait to see you
When I
finally turned my phone on, I had well over 70 missed texts, many Facebook
messages, etc. It felt good to see how
many people were actually on my side.
Friends have
been coming to visit and I am thankful for that. I’m bandaged and am not all that fun, but I
try.
5)I also had the support of my rescue family: 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades
Florida. So if you are involved with any
groups or organizations, make sure they are aware of what is going on.
They
offered to help in any way possible.
There were several Facebook threads about my recovery, and my mom read
them to me while I was in the hospital.
Approximately
two weeks before I had surgery, my mom and I were at the vet to walk the dogs
when we noticed cage after cage of Yorkies being brought in to the exam
rooms. Fourteen Yorkies in all were
saved from a breeder turned hoarder. My
mom fell in love with the four-year-old female and wanted to adopt her. They held the dog for her, and the day after
I got home from the hospital (Saturday), they even had Tiffany delivered to her
house. Tiffany has been a great addition
to my parent’s furry family.
6) If you don’t know how to meditate, learn.
I
meditated prior to surgery. I blocked everything and everyone out and attempted to calm myself.
I
also meditate through the pain, which is much easier said than done. I just focus on something in the room and
block everything else out. This actually
helped me out the most. What am I thinking about at the actual time? It might be nothing, it could be prayers, or it could be some sort of positive mantra.
Remember
that meditation and prayer are closely intertwined. You just need to practice and find what’s
best for you.
7) Find support groups and people who are similar to you.
I am a member of TMJcure? and TMJHOPE on Facebook.
I I have met several women who went through this same surgery and they kept in
contact with me throughout my surgery process.
Be
careful with these websites. People can
sometimes be negative and not helpful at all, but for the most part the are a valuable source of information and support. It's comforting to meet people who are in a similar situation.
8) Obviously, I could not go through this
process without the support of many doctors, surgeons, nurses, etc. They were kind, helpful, and did a fabulous
job with my jaw.
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