Back Surgery

First, I need to say that God is good, oh so good!

Ok, so when we returned from our wonderful Hawaiian vacation, I continued having back and sciatic nerve problems. I went for a chiropractic appointment the following Monday and was told that it was probably time to go for an MRI. That Thursday, I got a lower lumbar MRI and was told the next Monday that I had a major bulging disc. This was not at all what I wanted to hear, but I knew that God had a plan, and I was so thankful that it was something that was fixable! I always try to look at the good side of things. I have always been that way. Things could always be worse, and God has blessed me with so very many things.

A few weeks later, I had a consultation with a neurosurgeon, and was told that my condition of having too much disk between my lower lumbar was pushing up against my nerve sac and causing all of my discomfort. He estimated that it should be a relatively simple procedure, lasting only 30-45 minutes, and he should only have to make an incision of about 1/2 an inch- 1 inch tops. I decided to go ahead with the procedure. I was very nervous, having never had anesthesia before and with my ongoing fear of needles, but I was told my my little sister to think of happy things like ice cream and teddy bears, and everything would be ok:)!

So on August 11th, I went to Washington Regional and checked in about 8:30AM for my procedure. Brandon, mom, dad, grams, gramps, and other visitors from Heritage (Don and Jackie Brooks and Jerrell and Ruth Ann Suttles) were all there with love and prayers. I have to honestly say that my two biggest fears were the IV and getting sick from the anesthesia. After sitting in the "holding room" for over 3 hours and getting my IV, which was really amazingly painless by the way, they finally told Mom, Dad, and Brandon that they would need to go back out to the waiting room, and they were taking me back to the next "holding" area or the "recovery" area. Dad had been cracking jokes, and having them all there meant so much to me keeping normal. I was trying not to worry. I know that I am God's baby, my mommy and daddy's baby, and Brandon's baby, but sometimes it is easier said than done.

I answered more questions and started to cry with anxiety a bit. At first, I was embarrassed, but I am now thankful that God gives us emotions and allows us to feel comfortable releasing those emotions. Everyone at the hospital was so nice and comforting to me. My doctor came in and talked to me and even gave me a hug. I cannot say enough great things about Dr. Larry Armstrong and his nurse Paula. They have been AMAZING, and I would refer anyone to them and go back to have other procedures done time and time again. Before I knew it, the nurse gave me something in my IV that was supposed to make me feel like I just didn't care about anything. Boy was she right! I was in and out as they wheeled me away to the Operating Room, and the weird thing is I remember seeing my doctor in the OR and the anesthesiologist saying enjoy your little nap. The next thing that I can remember is waking up in a fog with an oxygen mask over my nose and mouth asking the nurse what time it was and if I could have my glasses because I couldn't see. I also really wanted to take my mask off. I felt like I couldn't breath! The one major thing that I noticed was that almost all of my nerve pain in my right leg was GONE! Praise God! He is the ultimate HEALER. Somehow, I fell back asleep and by that time, she let me take off the oxygen and said that my levels were high enough. I also soon got my glasses and got to see my loving husband. I was laying on my back in bed and could feel a little pain, but I was really just still in a daze. I found out that my surgery had lasted right at 2 hours, due to the doctor having to be super careful with the area that he was working with. Additionally, my incision, which was supposed to be really small turned out being about 5 inches long. He had told mom, dad, and Brandon that he did all he could to clean up the extra vertebrae, but I just had a crummy back, and that I hadn't asked for a bad back anymore than he had asked for a bald head:)! I just love my doctor. He told them that he wanted to see how I healed and if this took care of my problems but he would likely be seeing me again sometime in the future and possibly have to do some fusion of my vertebrae.

I got to leave the hospital about 6:30:)! I felt wonderful at the time, other than being tired. Brandon took me to our house, while Mom and Dad went to get my pain meds. I made the decision to come back to my parents' house to stay for a while, since Brandon and my bed is super high and due to needing to stay away from the dogs for a while. I felt horrible leaving my sweet husband, but he understood that I was going to need a lower bed and that sometimes a girl just needs her mom.

The first few nights and days were not pleasant. During the procedure, the doctor had to do more than he originally had thought, and I was sore! It was difficult to get comfrotable in bed, needless to say, it took forever to stand up. It hurt to stand up, and then the muscles in my legs that were compensating for my back became horribly sore. I remember asking my dad "Will this ever get better?" I can't say enough about the care that I got from my parents during all of this time. The support that I got from them and Brandon, the notes of encouragement, visits from people at Heritage, phone calls, beautiful flowers, and above all prayers meant so very much more than any material possession.

You know, many people have asked me if I would do this all again if I had to, and I have responded everytime "ABSOLUTELY!" God has provided time and time again and has blessed me with so many things. He never said that the road would be smooth and without bumps along the way. I know that this time brought me closer to Him. It's funny how He uses situations to allow us the free will to draw nearer to Him, but it is our choice whether or not we choose to let him work in our lives. I am so grateful for this time, and I am thankful for all of the one on one time that I got to spend with my mom. Had this situation not presented itself, I may have not had the chance to have that special bonding time.

Thanks Mom, Dad, Brandon, and everyone else for your love, support and prayers. Prayer truly changes things, and I recently read in My Utmost For His Highest that Prayer isn't trying to change what is on the outside but allowing God to work miracles in us. God definitely worked a miracle in me, and I am blessed beyond words. I have taken this time to look at life in a more positive light. God has given me the ability to look at life in a new light. He blesses me with each day. What I choose to do with that day is my decision. I have so much to be thankful for and hope to not take one single thing for granted again. Thank you Lord for your healing power. Thank you God for your love and mercy, your grace and giving me determination, the patience of my parents, especially mom, who got up in the middle of the night many times whenever I needed to get up, the love that only a husband can give, for being with the hands of the doctors and others in the room and the miracles that You allowed them to work in me.

I am definitely not back to 100%, now 3 days short of 3 weeks after surgery, but I am blessed and getting stronger everyday by the grace that only God gives.

Day 9-Bye Bye Hawaii

Well, the final day of our wonderful vacation finally arrived. You always start out your vacations thinking wow, this is going to be a great vacation that will never end. Unfortunately, it always does, but that's ok because then you can start planning the next wonderful adventure!!

So the day started with a beautiful sunrise and a great breakfast at a table by the sea in our hotel. After that, we headed back to our room to finish packing up the remainder of our things and change into our swimsuits for a relaxing day by the pool and on the grounds of the wonderful hotel before our late evening flight back to the mainland.

We laid by the pool for about 3-4 hours before we realized that we were both LOBSTERS!! Yikess! Time for a little lunch in the shade and then a walk down to the golf pro shop to check out the grounds of the hotel a little more and to pick up a few final things to pack in our already bulging bags.

The really cool thing about our hotel is that they will store your luggage while you hang out all day and swim or whatever and then will give you a room for 30-45 mins to take a shower and get dressed before heading to the airport! I got a little freaked out with the 30 minute time frame and poor Brandon had to deal with a little Carrie getting nervous and craziness, but I soon remembered that I could finish getting ready in the wonderful public bathroom in the lobby. After 15 extra minutes, I was fine and felt bad for freaking out. Thirty minutes is just not enough time for 2 people to take showers and me to do my hair and makeup:)! I am so thankful for my patient husband!

Before long, we hopped in our Mustang convertible one last time and headed for Honolulu International Airport. Brandon dropped me off before going to turn the car in. We looked for something to grab for dinner, but let me just tell you that the options for food at the Honolulu Airport are limited to a cheap version of Chili's, Burger King, and Starbucks. Thus, we had a muffin and decided to call it good for then.

We flew from Honolulu to Maui, which was a short but nice flight. In Maui, I found a hot dog and a bag of chips for a wonderful last meal in Hawaii!!! Ahhhh:)! It actually tasted pretty great! Before long, we were on our flight back to Denver. We slept quite a bit during the night, or at least I did. Even though I woke up alot, at least it was rest. I got some interesting looks from other passengers onboard while roaming the aisle and trying to stretch out my back, but I didn't care. I was trying to stay as loose as possible!

Finally, about 1:15pm, the next day, on Friday, we arrived back in good old Northwest Arkansas! We had a wonderful time, but were very glad to be home and very very tired.

One amazing vacation with my amazing husband for our first anniversary and quality time to enjoy just ourselves and all of God's beautiful earth, priceless. What wonderful blessings God had given us during our time: our safety, our health, my back doing pretty well, and way too many other things to mention. Thank you Lord for all of your love and protection. We are already looking forward to our next excursion, whereever and whenever that may be!

Day 8-Our Last Full Day in Hawaii

We got up this morning and ventured out, once again to Haleiwa to look around. We had already decided that we were just going to relax, do a little shopping, and didn't really have alot of plans for the day.

I had wanted to go to the Dole Plantation and check things out, not to mention getting some Dole Whip, which is a pineapple icecream soft serve stuff. We also had already decided that we wanted to send some fresh pineapples back to the states to our families.
After walking around the plantation, which is right in the midst of where the majority of pineapple harvesting happens and ordering our pineapples, we left and decided to take a little unexpected detour. As crazy as it sounds, we were headed back toward Honolulu for a little shopping and one more goodbye to Waikiki.

We went back to Ala Moana shopping center and ate at our little burger place "Islands," which we had discovered on July 4th for lunch, shopped at Hilo Hattie, an authentic Hawaiian shop, and picked up a few other things for ourselves and family that we hadn't had time to grab until now. We also stopped at a little place on the way back to the North Shore, where Brandon got his big souvenir for the trip, an ukulele. We were both so excited! That night, we were so tired that we decided to have dinner at the hotel and then go for a late night swim! So relaxing! I love quiet time with my sweet husband.

Day 7-Sharks and Haleiwa

We got up early on this day. Brandon had planned for an excursion where we could go swimming with the sharks! Now before you all freak out, the cage has metal bars and extends a few feet above the water and then goes down about 10 feet into the water. It has a few very strong unbreakable glass windows for viewing. We were both really looking forward to it. However, since my back was not being helpful, I was recommended by my chiropractor not to do it, due to having to climb the ladder out of the water and the strain that it could put on my back. But hey, I could still take a fun boat ride out to the middle of the ocean, right?!?

The excursion was really alot of fun, and even though I didn't actually get into the water, both Brandon and I enjoyed it thoroughly, well except for the little bit of sea sickness that I got from the choppy water. We had both taken motion sickness pills, but for some reason, I started getting a little queezy. It soon passed, and I just sat back and soaked up the beauty of the ocean and beautiful landscapes that he North Shore of Oahu had to offer.

After finishing up with the shark tour, we were ready for some breakfast and headed in to old town Haleiwa for some yummy breakfast at a little local place called Cafe Haleiwa. Wow, some of the best french toast that we have ever had. All of the little shops in the town were unique and different from anything we had seen thus far. The cool thing about this little town was there was alot less commericialization and just more authenticity.

The rest of the day, we just hung out at the hotel napped, went swimming, and got shave ice at Matsumoto. Brandon had seen this place on the Travel Channel, the original people that came up with shave ice. When we pulled up to the shop, there was a line about 50 people long. I was thinking "Really? This place better be yummy:)!" Can I just say sooooo good, but so bad for you! It started out with a scoop of vanilla icecream in the bottom with the most finely shaved ice on top with whatever flavors that you picked. I think I tried banana, pineapple, and strawberry. And as if that's not enough, we got sweetened condensed milk on top! Talk about a sugar high.

We also stopped at an outlet mall, in the afternoon, after enjoying our wonderful shave ice. We were originally looking for a Crazy Shirts store, which is a shirt store unique to Hawaii, which I can remember visiting and buying fun shirts from ever since I was a child and visitied Hawaii with my family. Well, needless to say, we ended up shopping at a few more stores on our little stop, and I got a little carried away! Oh well. We were on vacay right:)! Fun times!

Another wonderful day down, only two more until we had to go home. Reality started to set in.

Day 6- Adios Honolulu, Hello North Shore!

Today, Monday, we got up and checked out of our hotel. We spent a little more time walking around the area and then went on to Pearl Harbor. We had tried to visit Pearl Harbor earlier in our vacation, but being that we were visiting around the July 4th holiday, it had been packed. We were lucky to find after arriving that there was no wait!

After a short documentary about December 7th, 1941, we calmly and quietly proceeded to a small boat, operated by the US Navy to ride out and visit the USS Arizona Memorial.
Pearl Harbor holds a very near and dear place in my heart and always will. You see on this day, when Japan dropped its surpise attack, my grandfather, Burdell Cobb, was stationed in Hawaii, on Ford Island. He retells and remembers the attack from time to time. Such humility, such innocence in these young men, such an unexpected attack. On this day, many ships in the US Navy's fleet were attacked, but the USS Arizona went down quickly, with over 1200 men losing their lives for our freedom.
I have visited the USS Arizona Memorial before, and each time, I think that it takes on new meaning. Maybe it is my age and getting more emotional about what our military men and women do for us, maybe it is the fact that my gramps was there on that day, maybe it's for some other reason, but it was moving to say the least. This is the tomb for all of those that lost their lives on this day, sons, brothers, fathers, etc., and to that I am greatful.

After leaving Pearl Harbor, we ventured out on our way to the North Shore and Turtle Bay Resort! We had planned 5 nights in Honolulu and 3 nights on the more secluded North Shore! We were ready for more fun and a little more rest and relaxation!After about an hour's drive through beautiful scenery, we arrived at Turtle Bay Resort! It was so beautiful! After a quick look around, we left on our way to the Polynesian Cultural Center, which was only a few miles away. The Poly is almost like Hawaii's version of a themepark, without the rides but with all of the culture of the islands that came together to form Hawaii. The weather was perfect, and my back was holding up! We were having an amazing day exploring. What could be better?!That evening, we dined or were invited to dine on traditional Hawaiian dishes at a luau, which was part of our package at the Poly. There was poi, fish, rice, tarrot rolls, and some other interesting choices. I think I feasted on pineapple and roasted chicken. Brandon found a few more things that he enjoyed. It was definitely an experience, and we loved it. After the luau, we enjoyed a wonderful show including: fire dancers, hula girls, and much much more! The Polynesian Cultural Center was definitely a blast:)!