The surgeon burst into the waiting room where Norah and I were hanging out while Dave was in surgery this morning. He gave me and Norah a big, sweaty hug and said, “I’m so excited for you guys– the surgery went great! Now you’ve got to come look at this.” The surgeon whisked us back through the hallway into a cafeteria where he showed me photographs he took of the procedure and explained everything that happened. (Don’t worry, I don’t have the pictures and wouldn’t dream of putting them on the interwebs. Ew…”
Basically, there were two places where Dave’s nerves were compressed, two painful neuromas, nerves with restricted bloodflow and some other related issues that the surgeon fixed. My favorite quote from the doctor today was, “I can’t believe Dave had all of this going on and all this pain for so long– he’s like Superman.” My other favorite quote (can I have two favorites?) was, “He has a ‘mind over matter’ power that helps his mind endure nerve pain like this.” I told him that we call that the grace of God and he chuckled and said, “I know.” 
What a morning! Lunch was on the house so we hung out at the surgery center for awhile. Norah did a marvelous job entertaining Dave and giving him hugs and cuddles.
So what does recovery look like? Lots of Bill Murray movies and Monk Season 8 on the couch for the rest of the weekend. He started doing range-of-motion exercises as soon as they woke him from the anesthesia, and he will start pool therapy in two weeks when he gets the sutures taken out in Dubai. We told the doctor that we’re having a baby in January and he got really excited, “Oh wonderful! By then he might be able to hold about ten pounds!” [I really hope Baby Furman isn't 10 pounds.]
Tomorrow afternoon we’re going back up to Baltimore for a follow-up appointment with the surgeon and a neurosurgery professor from Johns Hopkins so they can remove the dressing from Dave’s arm.
We’re deeply grateful for your prayers and encouragement– for hoping and believing and enduring with us thus far in this journey. I was reading through 2 Corinthians over the three hours that Dave was in the operating room and this verse seemed larger than life this morning. It’s the scriptural explanation to the doctor’s observation of Dave’s “mind-over-matter power.”
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7
The treasure is the gospel and the jars of clay are our fragile, earthly lives. Praise the Lord for giving us such a treasure. To Him be all the glory.
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!!!!! I love those quotes. He is superman!!
YEAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! I am sooo excited that the surgery went so well!
We are praying that Dave heals so fast and can start holding things. Gloria, thank you for the update and have so much fun being a couch potato with your superman. ~jesse
p.s. you used the word interwebs. you are the best.
SO awesome! Thanks for keeping us updated with ways to pray for ya’ll! I’m so thankful for your blog posts…they always point to Christ, no matter what is going on and spur me on in my faith. The deGarmeauxs love and miss the Furmans MUCH!
That is great news!
Yea!!!!!!! I’ve been checking the blog every hour! I’m so excited and what a witness to the doctors!!! Yea!
Lets just hope you don’t have a 14 pound boy……hahhaha Its been a long week and this has made my week heck lets put the weekend in that also…..
Thanks for posting this! (Took some for my FB status bc I liked it so much!)…. Glad everything went well!
Ok, praise God! this is wonderful news…and second…congrats on baby furman #3. not sure if I missed that in one of your newsletters (?)…anyhow…it’s great news:) It will be wonderful if Dave can hold the newest member of your family!
Wow, guys! That’s really great news! Looking forward to have you guys back
Praise the Lord… HE is GOOD!!!
Linda and Don
Oh! OH! OH!!! How amazing! Praise Jesus!
Thanks for letting us know and we’ll keep praying!
The whole family at Firewheel has been praying for y’all this week. So glad to hear things went so well. I love that verse from 2 Corinthians. God’s gentle grace is stronger than our strength!
Miss y’all!
YES! Been waiting for the good news! So pleased and blessed by your witness! Look forward to having you back!
Dats great news!
Praise God for HIS everlasting grace!
I’m so proud to know superman!!!
I am so stoked!!!!!!!!
I’m lifting many, many praises to God this morning as I read this. I’ve been waiting for news, so hoping that this would be the time they figure it all out. Hooray! Hugs to you all.
Wondeful! I was praying for you guys. Ps highly recommend Arrested development for passing those recovery hours. Streams on netflix
Hooray! Praising God with you for this wonderful news
Wow! Words cannot express the amazing joy and humility I feel – joy for you guys and humble remembrance of the extent of God’s power and love toward us! I smile behind tears at the thought of Dave being able to hold your precious baby coming this winter.
beautiful news!
We’re praising the Lord with you this morning! He is so good! We’re also praying for a speedy recovery for Dave. For Gloria, we’re praying for strength and endurance, and a safe and healthy pregnancy.
aha! I thought I saw a red cape somewhere around the Furman villa
Praise God for His faithfulness. This is great news and all of us here are smiling at the screen now….looks pretty funny. Can’t wait to have you all back. What a wonderful testimony you are to the people around. Keep up the good work!
Great news! Praise the Lord!
He’s SO GOOD!! I was praying those same verses over your family this morning! AMAZING! Will continue to pray for Dave’s recovery. Love you guys!
What a blessing, and hopefully an answer to years of prayers. Also, on the dl, I heard that Dave taught Chuck Norris everything he know’s about martial arts and beards. I’m not saying, I’m just saying…
Amazing! They announced in church that we get to support you guys..yay! I’ve been praying for Dave all week. So glad he’s doing so great!! Wish I could be there for the Bill Murray marathon. :0)
Love you guys lots…
So, glad you’re having another baby because the mini Furmans sure are good fodder for the blog!
Whew! Awesome. Thanks for keeping us so well-informed. Will continue to pray, pray, pray. You know we love you guys AND are sooooooooo excited about Baby 3!!! Woo Hoo for a successful surgery and another Furman on the way! To God Be The Glory, Great Things He Has Done!!!!
Tad, Kimberly and crew!
YAY! I’m so happy to hear such positive news regarding the surgery.
I’m with Kate on the Bill Murray marathon…. but Monk Season 8???
Way to connect the dots between “mind over matter” and “surpassing power,” Gloria! :::doin’ the happy dance in Dallas::: Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
P.T.L. for that successful surgery…..deserved!!!! Congrats also on the good news
for you and Gloria, Dave. Norah and Aliza must be so excited. Wonderful news from
your doctor. Superman indeed!!!!! God is great!
Great news!! I’m so excited about all that God is doing for and through you. Thanks for the updates. You are an inspiration to us all.
I think this calls for a Brady Black “superman dave” illustration.
Glory be to God! I’m continuing to pray for a speedy recovery.
David and Gloria… How wonderful that you came through the surgery with flying colors!! Of course, by now it is old news, but I still wanted to let you know that I’m as excited and thrilled and praising God as can be!! Both of you are to be admired — Gloria, for the perseverance and faith through all the things I cannot even imagine you were called upon to undertake for the last several years… and David, for your never-ending optimism and faith in your loving heavenly Father in the face of knuckle-whitening pain. Of course, I was praying along with all your other friends, and I’m so glad it looks like your Job-like trial is finally coming to an end… I am praying for that!! Congratulations, also, on the news of another little one. May he/she be strong, healthy and well, and may you have an easy and safe delivery. God’s best and richest blessings to you and your family!!
Hey Gloria-
I am so very chuffed for you guys!! Praise God for all that has happened and for the amazing grace He has given you all through it AND for the way you used that grace to glorify Him more!!! We will continue to pray for Dave’s recovery and rehab, that it continues to go as well as the surjery (sp?? ) went and that Dave literally goes from “strength to strength”!
Love
the Pennies