Unexpected

It all started a week ago.

The kids and I were swimming at my parent's house when I noticed that Rachel was swatting at something in the air. Only there wasn't anything there. I thought maybe I had just missed seeing a dragonfly. A few minutes went by and Rachel asked, "Mom, what was that surgery I had done? You know, the one where I was seeing black spots?" I calmly asked her if she was seeing black spots. She assured me she wasn't, but she still really wanted to know about that surgery. I reminded her that it was the retinal detachment surgery, complete with a gas bubble and weeks of sleeping on her stomach and looking at the ground. I asked her two more times if she was seeing spots, only to be told no.

About five minutes later I asked her to walk with me up to the house so we could do her eye drop. I really just wanted a minute by ourselves so I could get her tell me what I already knew. The spots were back.

When we got up to the house I asked her which eye she was seeing spots in. She said, "My rig ... um ... I'm not." And then she burst into tears and told me she was scared she was going to need another surgery. I prayed with her and later that afternoon we headed to the doctor.

Everything looked okay, but we didn't see her normal retinal specialist. In fact, he wasn't a retinal doctor at all, just the on call ophthalmology doctor. We had a follow up this morning and it turns out that everything isn't okay. Rachel has a small tear in her right retina. She is going to have surgery a week from today, but the doctor is hopeful that he will be able to fix it with a laser. That would be a first. And it would mean a much shorter recovery.

I am truly grateful that, again, God allowed us to catch this early. And I am exceedingly grateful that it is a tear and not a detachment. The detachment surgery was one of the worst we have gone through and I am thrilled to know that this will be easier.

All that being said, the doctor did say that the procedure will be painful. Please be praying for Rachel. She has already been struggling this summer and I am concerned about her now that something concrete with her eyes has come up.

We are trusting the Lord's timing (translation: I could not be more grateful that Olivia is already here safe and sound and that this did not happen while I was pregnant or immediately after having her) and resting in His promise that He is an ever present help in times of trouble.

Thanks for praying with us!