A Temporary Distress....

"..your difficulty can be seen as a slight, temporary distress that is producing for you a transcendent Glory never to cease!" (Sarah Young)

We arrived at Dr. Holland's office at 9:30, appointment was at 10:00. We were not sure how long it would take so we came well prepared to keep Cade entertained. He had a backpack full of books and toys and I brought my laptop. Thank goodness...we were there for 4 hours. Cade did great! He was such a trooper. We met with Dr. Holland and he layed out a plan for Cade.
Our next appointment was with the plastics specialist at 2:00, so we hurried out and arrived just in time. We met up with my sister, her son, and her new baby. She is so cute and little. Holland and Cade played with each other the whole time. We then met with Dr. Nerad and he also layed out a plan along with Dr. Holland. At this point, we were somewhat overwhelmed with what had to be done to remove the scarring from the cornea. I will try to describe it the best I can:

Dr. Holland will be using donor cornea to replace the scar tissue on the eye that has developed on the cornea. This scar tissue is also attached to the inside of Cade's eyelid. Dr. Nerad will resect the eyelid away from the tissue using mucous membrane to keep the lid from re-attaching to the donor cornea. The mucous membrane will come from the inside of Cade's mouth-either the inside of his bottom lip or the inside of his jaw. Dr. Nerad will then put a ring/doughnut shape device in Cade's eye that will keep the eyelid and cornea from re-attaching while they both heal. There is also a possibility that they will stitch the eyelids shut for a week so that nothing interferes with the device or Cade rubs it or whatever. They also might put a stint in his tear duct to help the watering of his eye. We will have to return a week after surgery and then 3 weeks out and then 6 weeks out.

So you can see that we were overwhelmed, but we were very confident at the same time. Both of these doctors are the best at what they do and they both spoke very highly of Cade's doctor here in Nashville. In fact, they all know each other's work and have the ultimate respect for what they do.

We haven't set a date yet and will wait to hear from them in the next two weeks. Looks like we will be making a few trips back to Ohio and that I will be seeing alot of my sister in the months to come which I am grateful for!

So here is what Jesus said to me the morning of our doctor appointments via "Jesus Calling:"
"When you are plagued by a persistent problem-one that goes on and on-view it as a rich opportunity. An ongoing problem is like a tutor who is always by your side. The learning possibilities are limited only by your willingness to be teachable. In faith, thank Me for your problem. Ask Me to open your eyes and your heart to all that I am accomplishing through this difficulty. Once you have become grateful for a problem, it loses its power to drag you down. On the contrary, your thankful attitude will lift you up into heavenly places with Me. From this perspective, your difficulty can be seen as a "slight, temporary distress that is producing for you a transcendent Glory never to cease!"

Love that Jesus was speaking to me before I even had a clue about the day at hand and how even in overwhelming moments He is there to reassure us and remind us that this is just a temporary distress. We should open our eyes and hearts to what He is accomplishing through this difficulty.

To God alone be the glory!

carlee