Bad News (or will it turn out to be for Good?)

I went into the Professor's consultation room expecting myself to leave with a date...the date for my left knee cartilage transplant.

What I was told was totally unexpected!

Oh, I meant to call you today...I didn't know you had an appointment to come in today...I wanted to tell you that...

Mmm...I wonder if he's going to tell me he's too busy to operate on me in April or May....Don't tell me he wants me to wait till June? Oh no...


Your cells...those we harvested in March...for some reasons, they're dying.

DYING?

Yeah...dying...and so they are not suitable for use anymore. I'm thinking it might be better to do it another way...that is, instead of using cartilage cells...maybe, this time, now...we use your bone marrow stem cells...

You mean I'd have to undergo another round of harvesting of cells?

Yeah...

Under general anaesthesia, again?

Yeah...

Will it be a minimally invasive procedure?

Well, yeah...I'll just insert a needle here (he reaches out to pat me on the hip) and harvest the bone marrow cells...at most I'll do a tiny little incision...it'll be smaller than the ones I did on your knees.

Sigh! I'll have to face GA again! How I abhor the after-effects of GA - the PUKING, the GIDDINESS...argh! I DON'T WISH TO GO UNDER GA YET ANOTHER TIME!

Sigh! I had thought that after the recent harvesting of cells from my left knee, I'd only have to undergo GA just once more - when I have the transplant done to my left knee - never did I expect that I'd have to go through it at least twice more!

Oh! Why? Why do I have to have harvesting done again?

The kindly Professor seemed to have read my mind...

Well, we don't have a choice, my dear...and as for having to go under GA again, I don't suppose you'd want me to do it with Local Anaesthesia, right? Heh.

Yeah, yeah. Just do it.

And now...about something quite urgent...your blood test - the one taken before your surgery - strangely, the result of that blood test seems to indicate that your HepBsAg is negative, but the antibody is also negative...this is rather "unusual".... we might want to have this investigated... And furthermore, your recent bout of Shingles...that indicates that your body's immune system is low. All this makes me feel rather uneasy...if we were to go ahead with the stem cell harvesting, will you be ready for the op?

Indeed, will I be fit and ready to face the op?

I managed to wrangle an appointment with Dr Tan at SGH this coming Monday and reschedule the blood test and the ultrasound scan of my liver by bringing it forward to this Saturday morning. Sigh...let's see how things go.

Mm...I'll have to fast from Saturday morning...no breakfast and lunch this Saturday...at least, not until after the ultrasound scan is done. I hope if there's anything, the ultrasound scan will pick it up.

God, I know you are in control of things and I am fully confident that you will work all things out for good. I have this peace in my heart. Thank you for giving me this sense of peace.

Thank you for your promise that you will be with me, that you'll never abandon or leave me. Thank you that you will be there, out in front, that you will be there to see me through it all.

See me through, see my hsuband and my children through.

Help us...increase our faith, strengthen our faith in you....let our faith in you never be shaken.

It's kind of exciting to watch and see how you will see us through and work things out in our lives - lovingly, wisely and in all sovereignty and in great might. You are an awesome God!

I know you are dependable. In the past, you've always seen me through. I know I can depend on you now and always. I look to you, Lord. I look to you for strength, peace, faith and joy. Yes, joy! Enable me to delight in you IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES! I want to rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances!

Grant me the serenity and the joy!

Let others see the beauty of Jesus Christ in me!
To God be the glory!