Perfect Timing
This morning, after a long walk, I went down to the river in my crocs so that I could step inside and wade for a while. I knew that doing so would be immensely "grounding" and healing, and it was the best that I could do for now, until I am cleared for kayaking again.
As I made it down to the boat ramp with a cup of coffee in tow, I met a really elderly woman coming out of the river herself. She immediately lit up a cigarette, and we struck up a conversation.
I could tell from her speech and her gait, that she had perhaps suffered a stroke at some point, and yet here she was, hauling her ocean kayak out of the water. I apologized for not being able to help her, but almost immediately, a wonderful man came to this woman's aid. He was accompanied by two rambunctious Jack Russell dogs - who proceeded to happily dash into the water and splash about.
This woman, truly weathered by life and who knows what else, still had a gleam in her eye. We talked about the river, kayaking, and she told me how in the past, when the river was very low, people actually walked out to the islands!
She had come to river early in the morning to escape the heat. There was a gentle breeze, but she noted that when she arrived the river was still, and like a plate of glass. Her timing had been perfect for her.
I have been reflecting on the perfect timing of my surgery, ever since I had a session with my gifted craniosacral therapist, Suzanne Scurlock-Durana, on Monday. Everything had conspired and come together in the appropriate manner for my surgery and my subsequent healing.
I recently read several articles, one of them in an AARP newsletter, how July is the worst possible time to schedule a surgery. There is a turn over in staff, and more mistakes occur. But, for me, it really was the perfect time. It was even a full moon! I was the first surgery on my doctor's schedule, and she had recently returned from a vacation. She is very laid back and always takes the time to listen to what I have to say, and answers all my questions, and so on.
I know that going to a hospital is no vacation, but I have to say - of the four times I have ever been in a hospital - three involving surgical procedures, and one to deliver my son - this was the only one I felt was truly positive in every way.
The anesthesiologist took the time to listen to my concerns. Every single time I've had a procedure, I have gotten sick and nauseous. He explained that he would take that to heart and make sure I did not have that experience again. And, I never once experienced nausea or got sick!
All of the nurses were wonderful - caring, attentive, and on top of things. And so, I took the time afterward, to write everybody a "Thank You" card.
I "knew" at least a year before this surgery, I might be going down this route. But, I never rushed it. Not even when it was suggested to me that I hurry the process along. I knew I wanted to schedule it in the summer, so that I could take the time off, and last summer, the timing did not feel right to me. It was a long journey to this moment in time, but I felt that everything unfolded as it should have. I had also spent 8 years trying all sorts of alternative therapies in addition to seeking out the opinions of medical specialists. I weighed all my options, and discussed fully with my doctor what kind of a hysterectomy I would have, and I was fully involved in every step of the process.
I've known Suzanne over a dozen years, and reconnected with her again in the last couple, as we slowly and systematically worked at getting to the bottom of what was going on in my body. Even though I do have spinal stenosis, a degeneration of the spine, she felt quite strongly that this huge calcified fibroid sitting on my sacrum was a bigger culprit in the amount of pain I experienced. And over the years, my own OB-GYN always noted the presence of this fibroid as well. We even tried less invasive procedures over the years, before deciding on removing the uterus and fibroid.
I share this, because Suzanne has always felt, that other women may benefit from hearing my story.
The important thing here is, to trust your intuition. There is a perfect timing for every decision one makes!
I've included the most recent blog entry by Suzanne on our experience this week, and my own entry in June, as we dialogued with my body, and the decision become clear about how extensive the surgery should be:
Perfect Timing (Suzanne's entry)
The Body Speaks (my entry in June)
As I made it down to the boat ramp with a cup of coffee in tow, I met a really elderly woman coming out of the river herself. She immediately lit up a cigarette, and we struck up a conversation.
I could tell from her speech and her gait, that she had perhaps suffered a stroke at some point, and yet here she was, hauling her ocean kayak out of the water. I apologized for not being able to help her, but almost immediately, a wonderful man came to this woman's aid. He was accompanied by two rambunctious Jack Russell dogs - who proceeded to happily dash into the water and splash about.
This woman, truly weathered by life and who knows what else, still had a gleam in her eye. We talked about the river, kayaking, and she told me how in the past, when the river was very low, people actually walked out to the islands!
She had come to river early in the morning to escape the heat. There was a gentle breeze, but she noted that when she arrived the river was still, and like a plate of glass. Her timing had been perfect for her.
I have been reflecting on the perfect timing of my surgery, ever since I had a session with my gifted craniosacral therapist, Suzanne Scurlock-Durana, on Monday. Everything had conspired and come together in the appropriate manner for my surgery and my subsequent healing.
I recently read several articles, one of them in an AARP newsletter, how July is the worst possible time to schedule a surgery. There is a turn over in staff, and more mistakes occur. But, for me, it really was the perfect time. It was even a full moon! I was the first surgery on my doctor's schedule, and she had recently returned from a vacation. She is very laid back and always takes the time to listen to what I have to say, and answers all my questions, and so on.
I know that going to a hospital is no vacation, but I have to say - of the four times I have ever been in a hospital - three involving surgical procedures, and one to deliver my son - this was the only one I felt was truly positive in every way.
The anesthesiologist took the time to listen to my concerns. Every single time I've had a procedure, I have gotten sick and nauseous. He explained that he would take that to heart and make sure I did not have that experience again. And, I never once experienced nausea or got sick!
All of the nurses were wonderful - caring, attentive, and on top of things. And so, I took the time afterward, to write everybody a "Thank You" card.
I "knew" at least a year before this surgery, I might be going down this route. But, I never rushed it. Not even when it was suggested to me that I hurry the process along. I knew I wanted to schedule it in the summer, so that I could take the time off, and last summer, the timing did not feel right to me. It was a long journey to this moment in time, but I felt that everything unfolded as it should have. I had also spent 8 years trying all sorts of alternative therapies in addition to seeking out the opinions of medical specialists. I weighed all my options, and discussed fully with my doctor what kind of a hysterectomy I would have, and I was fully involved in every step of the process.
I've known Suzanne over a dozen years, and reconnected with her again in the last couple, as we slowly and systematically worked at getting to the bottom of what was going on in my body. Even though I do have spinal stenosis, a degeneration of the spine, she felt quite strongly that this huge calcified fibroid sitting on my sacrum was a bigger culprit in the amount of pain I experienced. And over the years, my own OB-GYN always noted the presence of this fibroid as well. We even tried less invasive procedures over the years, before deciding on removing the uterus and fibroid.
I share this, because Suzanne has always felt, that other women may benefit from hearing my story.
The important thing here is, to trust your intuition. There is a perfect timing for every decision one makes!
I've included the most recent blog entry by Suzanne on our experience this week, and my own entry in June, as we dialogued with my body, and the decision become clear about how extensive the surgery should be:
Perfect Timing (Suzanne's entry)
The Body Speaks (my entry in June)
Comments
Thanks for sharing your story, always helpful as usual
Love
Frans