Last year I had surgery to have a tumor removed from my right kidney. I have been blessed that it was found early, and I had a top-notch surgeon. I was doubly blessed that many friends and members of Christ’s body were praying for me. I believe in the power of prayer.  Recently I have had lots of tests and radiology scans as one-year follow-up to my treatment.  Good news:  The cancer is all gone and there is no metastasizing.  There was a new diagnosis related to my thyroid, but that is being cared for, and it has actually led to better treatment for my diabetes.

Most of my thoughts and discoveries are the same as when I was preparing for surgery in May 2014:

I am thankful that I have a wonderful wife who supports me and looks out for me;  she and I both need to work on the treats that we like to share–the sweets and rich foods are not good rewards;

I don’t fear death, but I do fear the idea of having no control while I’m laying in the hospital;  I still fear the lack of control, but found that there was less of that than I expected;

I learned over the past year that I am really ready for death and do not have fear;

I hate anesthesia and worry about it, and I think it was helpful that I had that discussion with the anesthesiologist;

I did not hear voices while I was out, and I do not in any other circumstances; in dreams I have some lively conversations, but I rarely remember dreams after I am out of bed:

I am happy to report I was a good patient–I followed directions and did everything well to recover;

I did not do well after my recovery to lose weight and build back my old strength.  I thought I would be highly motivated to lose weight and get stronger, but as time passes, I let it go too easily;

It was easy to return to work in 3 weeks, but I found that I was really tired at the end of each day, and I still am tired at the end of most work days;

I identified many more steps to include in my last instructions, and I need to fully document these items;

I am most fully convinced that God is good!