Waiting and Putting it into Perspective

At the beginning of April, we had a final post-op check up and the doctor was so pleased with how I have healed. For having three surgeries in a span of seven months, I am blessed to tell you that I healed nicely and everything is working perfectly.
WELL, ALMOST anyway. There is still one very small area that the doctor is concerned about-- could be a fibroid, could be scar tissue. So she is going to have me do another test in May to take a closer look at it. Either way- fibroid or scar tissue- Dr. Wilson thinks it needs to be taken care of before we start trying again due to increased chances of miscarriage. This most likely means another day surgery for me and at least three more months of waiting to start trying to get pregnant.
At first, I was really frustrated and couldn't BELIEVE that I was going to have to have one more surgery! I kept thinking, "God, what are You doing?" But that was such a human reaction! When I think of all the things I have to be thankful for, I'm overwhelmed. My body has been through a lot in the past year, and the Lord has kept me healthy, whole, and happy. In reality, this isn't bad news (as I orignially perceived it). It's another reason to be thankful that I have access to great healthcare and a great doctor. Now is the best time to address these issues, and John and I feel good about following our doctor's advice.
We do continue to ask for your prayers as we continue this journey of trying to get pregnant.

Recovery, among other things

I (Elizabeth Renee) wanted to give you an update on how I'm doing... The surgery went well, and I spent two nights in the hospital. John brought me home on the Sunday before Christmas, and then my mom came and stayed with us a few days. We all traveled to Tulsa together on Chrsitmas Eve. Although I was slow moving during the holidays, we were able to enjoy the time with our families.
Now, I'm doing great! I feel like myself again, able to do anything and not be worn out by the end of the day. I am so thankful for your prayers and God's answers as I've been recovering. I will go to see the doctor again at the end of this month, so I'll give another update when that happens.
We are busy studying French! We're enjoying learning with Rosetta Stone and another great program called French in Action. It's so good to have these resources and the time to spend on them.
John's cell phone is no longer in use. Over the holidays we switched over to just having one cell phone. So the number you can always reach us with is 918-857-5202.
We hope you all are enjoying the new year so far... we can hardly believe it is already February. We'd love to hear from you!

Our Anniversary!

We're celebrating our 3 year anniversary on December 17th! We are so thankful that God put us together and has allowed us to share our lives and families with each other. We love being married, and we recommend it!!
How are we celebrating?? Well… not exactly the way we'd like to, but that's okay. We have to go to see our fertility specialist for my pre-op appointment on the 17th. My next surgery is Friday, December 19th. Please join us in prayer as we trust the Lord for a smooth and successful procedure, wisdom for the doctor, and a speedy recovery. Please pray that God will give us a baby as soon as possible!
This surgery is much like a c-section (minus the baby that usually comes with that!), and so the recovery process will take longer than the previous surgeries I've had. I will have to spend a couple days in the hospital. After that, my mom is coming to help John take care of me. I think I will be extra spoiled with two nurses! =)
Our plan is to drive home to Tulsa on Christmas Eve morning so as to miss as little of the festivities as possible. Although I know I'll be moving slow, we plan to enjoy our time in Tulsa with our families to the fullest. We'd also like to visit with as many of our friends as time and strength will allow, so we're including John's cell number below.
To everyone, we'd like to wish a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! We hope you will thoroughly enjoy the season with friends and family, remembering the great gift we have in Jesus Christ our Savior.
John's cell 918-406-6721

Surgery coming up

Thank you all for your many prayers! We have felt them all, and are so grateful to be guided by God's wisdom and peace.I have another update: I talked to my doctor last week after the tests, and she told me that getting rid of the fibroids will be a 2-3 step process.
Basically, I'm going to have to have at least 2 surgeries. One is scheduled for Nov 20th, and it is an outpatient surgery, so I'll come home that same day. With this surgery, they will have to wait until they are doing it to know if they can complete it that day or not. (That's why I might have to have it again later.)
The other surgery is called a myomectomy (spelling??). They will basically be making a c-section incision and going in that way. Of course, that will be 2 - 3 days in the hospital and several days recovery at home. We are hoping to schedule that at the end of the semester.
Will you all keep praying for us? Please pray that everything will go well with the surgeries of course. Could you also pray that I will just have to have the 2 and not 3? Please pray that I would be completely healed and be able to have a baby. Also, please lift both John and I up as we are studying. The course we are starting is very challenging and is 6 credit hours. Please pray that we can work doctors appointments around our class schedule and that it will all work out smoothly. We really want to have the surgery before the end of year.Thanks again for all your love and support!

Specialist Visit

I went to see the fertility specialist, Dr. Wilson, yesterday morning. She was great! She spent an hour with John and I, asked a lot of questions, reviewed all my medical history and records, and did a sonogram and examination. She ordered a few more basic fertility tests for me that I will be having done in the next few weeks. She does think that I'm going to have to have surgery though. These tests will allow her to have a better idea about what is going on with my body before that takes place.
The nurse also called back after my blood work and told me I'm a little anemic, so I'll be taking some over the counter stuff to try to improve that situation. They want me to come back in a few weeks for more blood work to see if it's better.
Please continue to pray for John and I as we work through this situation. We really want to have children, and we're ready to do whatever it takes- but we really want to be led by God's wisdom in all things. Keep praying that the doctor will have wisdom, that we will have wisdom, and for healing in my body.

2nd Opinion

I got my second opinion today. Dr. Casad was great- really personable and helpful. She recommended that I go see a fertility specialist before we make any more decisions. So I have an appointment with Dr. Wilson on September 24th.
I am really pleased that she recommended we do this, instead of just going ahead with the surgery. Please continue to pray for us as we see another doctor, getting another opinion. Pray that we will have good advice, wisdom, and HEALING!

Catching up on August...

SCHOOL
We've been back to school for over a month now! We've completed Session 1 where we studied Sociolinguistics. It was a great class with lots of group and team work involved. Our class for Session 2 extends through Session 3 as well. It's called Second Language and Culture Acquistion. In this class, we are learning very practical skills about how to learn a language and how to teach someone to teach you their language. We are also reading and discussing great articles on culture acquistion. We have the opportunity to practice these skills while we are studying MANDARIN! We were a little nervous at first, but it's going well. We really enjoy our language tutor. Wish us luck! And don't forget to pray for our skills in tonal languages to increase!

SURGERY

It's possible that Elizabeth (Renee) will have to have another surgery coming up soon. Please keep us in your prayers as we get a second opinion and make decisions in the upcoming weeks. If you want to know more about it, just get in touch with us.

FUN

We had a great time entertaining John's brother and his wife (Brian and Jennifer) and their daughter (Allison) for a week in August. Our friend Jake was also able to come at the same time for a few days. We all packed into the mobile home and had a blast! Laura, John's sister, and her son, Alex, came up from Houston. They stayed with John's mom, Karen. And of course Sara, John's other sister who lives near us in Dallas, was there too. We played games, cooked meals, and just enjoyed being together. Because Brian's in the Air Force, we don't always get to see those Roetteles as much as we'd like. We are so thankful God gave us all that time together!

Here's cute Allison!

The whole gang!

We also a had few days visit from our good friends the Zechiels. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.

The Zechiels and the Roetteles