After literally months of anticipation, Jen spent yesterday NOT having her knee replaced. Did she chicken out? Heck no. Gloors don’t fear painful surgery. Bring it on! Did the replacement knee providers run out of spare knees? Nope. That wasn’t the issue. Knees to spare. Did the doctor decide he was just okay like in the commercials? No, he seemed willing and ready to go.

The problem was that Jen caught a virus on the plane ride from Denver to Phoenix on Christmas Day. I know. I know. Christmas was a long time ago — over two weeks in fact — but this was a virus she just couldn’t shake. She visited urgent care and was diagnosed with a sinus infection. She took Mucinex and Alka Selzer Cold and Flu and her antibiotic and drank tons of water and green tea to no avail.

She saw the doctor on Wednesday, and he told her to keep doing what she was doing. She was to give him a call on Sunday and tell him HONESTLY whether or not she felt better. They will not do surgery on someone with an infection because apparently infection attracts infection, and that’s a bad thing when you are having surgery. If she couldn’t have surgery, she would have to wait for at least two more weeks. Blah.

Sunday morning, Jen felt just as bad as she had felt for the past two weeks, except crabbier (it’s not easy having nonstop coughing and sinus pain for days on end) and more dejected. So she dialed the phone number the doctor had given her to report that she was no better. Except he didn’t answer his phone, and there was no way to leave a message.

Whaaaat?

She tried several more times throughout the day, but it was no use. She couldn’t reach him. He was going to show up at the hospital the next day, washed up with scalpel in hand, and she would be a no-show.

But in that way that God has of taking care of us, Jen’s daughter Maggie remembered that a friend of hers was acquainted with the doctor’s wife. Maggie didn’t hesitate for a moment to call in the Big Guns. The friend called the wife, and a short while later, the doctor sheepishly returned Jen’s call. He may operate the scalpel, but his wife runs the family, just as in most cases.

But here is the real surprise: After all of this, the doctor casually mentioned to Jen that she shouldn’t worry about waiting two weeks because he could also do the knee replacement AS OUTPATIENT SURGERY whenever she is feeling better.

Two reactions. 1) You didn’t think to tell me that in an earlier conversation? and 2) YOU CAN DO KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY AS AN OUTPATIENT?

Wow. Just wow.

So, our hope is that Jen gets better day-by-day, and surgery — either outpatient or in the hospital — will transpire very soon. If not, she has the doctor’s home number!

As for Jen’s grands, they look at the bright side. Grammie will be here longer than she thought! “Are you going to live here forever?” Lilly asked her.

No, it only seems like it.