Joy, Joy, Joy Deep Down in My Heart!

Do you know the children's Bible song that starts:

I've got the joy, joy, joy deep down in my heart...

down in my heart, 

down in my heart...

I've got the joy, joy, joy deep down in my heart...down in my heart to stay! 

Well, I have had the joy deep down in my heart, but yesterday and today, have been reminded of having this joy!

Why?

Well, Dear Hubby, the boys, and I headed up to the Mayo Clinic last night...

First, to be surrounded by my family at a time when I needed them most was awesome.
But then, to just see the place...to see the Mayo Clinic campus, was overwhelming.

Cried a few tears...not sure if they were happy tears, nervous tears, or what...but just felt overwhelmed and anxious as it was finally happening...I was finally there.

If you have been following my blog, you know that I have had a difficult journey over the last few months, full of medical challenges that at times, were difficult to bear.

Well, today went great!

Had a very full day with loads of tests and met with one of my wonderful doctors.

Things are falling into place. My doctor today was so knowledgeable but better yet, he was such a kind, compassionate person. He also has a sense of humor, and you don't see that every day with physicians, believe me.
He asked me my status and for a second, it had to register what he was asking...
Initially, the status that flashed through my head was status: living! Yep, still alive and kicking!
But then, it dawned on me that he needed to know my marital status...so while my mind was still half giggling and reflecting on the original interpretation of the word status, while sporting a very big smile, I enthusiastically stated in a high voice "Happily married"!!! to which Dear, Kind Dr. R said, "Well, good for you then! I will add that to all of your reports"! and he did. He literally added it to the papers and to his dictation (Insert smiley face)!

Really, though, without the support of my Dear Hubby, Big Bro, and Little Bro, these last few months, well...they would have just sucked.
Having them there with me for the trip up just made it all so much better!
Little Bro started by identifying every Mayo Clinic sign he saw along the way...odd that for him, his environmental print recognition includes recognizing names and logos of so many medical facilities.
But with him being so happy to read virtually every single sign sporting the words "Mayo" and "Clinic", it was really precious.
At the hotel on campus, you would have thought that we were on a fantastic family vacation at an amazing resort!
Big Bro and Little Bro engaged in a game of "Don't Trip the Lasers!"
The hideous carpeting running down the hallways of the Marriott Courtyard are beyond gaudy.
But these hideous rugs made for great entertainment for the boys, as they have ugly overlapping red stripes that kind of shoot out like what you would envision laser lights to do.
The boys worked at leaping and outsmarting the lasers on the floor everywhere we walked!
Will have to get some shots of them playing laser tag over the next few weeks...
Plus, to boot, the pool and the hot tub were heated!
And they had microwave popcorn in the snack area!
Almost as fun as Disney, right?!?
Well, it made it awesome! The boys' happy attitude was very contagious.
So, all in all, a great start to a new chapter of getting better.
We are back home for the weekend but will head back up next week for more testing and for more appointments with specialists.
Then, once they can coordinate their schedules and once the blood products are prepped, I will have my surgery!  Yay!!!

Might make myself a Happy Surgery Day hat!

The thing that is really awesome is that they do not think that the cysts in my kidneys are cancerous. They also don't think that the lump by my liver is cancerous.
My kidney and liver function are within normal limits!!!
They are cysts (both complex and simple) that will need to be monitored, but they are now not going to prevent me from having a hysterectomy or from getting my blood  / heart issues fixed.

So it is going to be a very busy three to four weeks but it is looking so hopeful!

Praise be to God!

Here is a great little video of this song.

We sing the tune slightly different than this rendition, but hope that you will like seeing this version!

 

Thanks to Humpty Fell and to 123 Favourite Bible Songs by "Wee Worship"
for sharing this adorable video on You Tube!

Thanks for all of your well wishes, thoughts, and prayers!

Please keep them coming, as I still have at least three more weeks or more to get through everything. 


Happy Friday! 

Hope that you will enJOY your weekend with your family & friends!