I was told to take 800mg of Ibuprofen an hour before the procedure. I have never taken more than 400, and I am a small person, so I didn’t feel comfortable taking the full 800mg. I took 400mg.

My husband drove me and came into the room with me. As the doctor went about the procedure, I felt like I could handle it. It started out slightly uncomfortable, but doable. Then, she got to the “uncomfortable” part. The pain was excruciating. I was trying not to scream, but I definitely groaned loudly a few times.

At some point, I pulled my husband’s arm over and put my teeth on his arm to keep from screaming. He is so wonderful. He not only allowed me to do that, but he didn’t even mention it until much later as I recounted the experience to a friend.

The procedure seemed to last much longer than expected and I remember removing my teeth from my husband’s arm and asking, “Can we be done now?” I was so relieved to hear the doctor say, “Yes, we are done.”

The pain last for about 45 minutes. I felt weak, dizzy, hot, and sweaty all at once. My hands started to tingle and go numb. I had to focus on my breathing and not the pain. It was a long and grueling process to be able to even sit up. The medical team would come in and check on me frequently. They encouraged me as I was progressing and then gave me the space I needed to recover.

My husband was amazing. He grabbed me water to sip, and played music to help me relax. He rubbed my arms and shoulders and stayed away from the areas that caused more pain when he rubbed them. I know he felt helpless as I was in pain, but he was there every second with me.

The most helpful thing that he did was ask me to tell him about a book or talk that I had listened to recently. Instead, I shared a story of a tender mercy with him. As I spoke of this mercy, tears came to my eyes, and I felt God’s love and awareness for me.

The doctor came back in, and my eyes were still teary. She became concerned that the pain was not getting better, and I smiled and told her that the tears were about something else. She was glad to hear that. She spoke with me about the continuing discomfort that I was experiencing and recognized that one of my muscles had tightened and would not relax. She massaged the muscle and was able to give me some relief.

Now understanding that massaging the muscle would bring relief, I continued to make the progress to sit up and eventually stand. When the nurse came in to check on my progress, she was surprised to find me standing and trying to walk around the room. She offered the wheelchair to get me to the car and I accepted.

She came back after a few minutes and was sad to tell me that the wheelchairs were all gone. I told her it was fine; I could walk to the car. As she was guiding us back through the office and to the exit, she apologized again. I told her, “It’s okay, I can do hard things.” She laughed and said, “Yes, I know! You just did!”

After I got home and was able to rest, I pondered on this experience. I was thinking about Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. I thought about the excruciating pain that I endured for just 45 minutes. Then I thought about all of the physical pain that people have experienced since the beginning of time, and the pain that will continue to be felt. Then I thought about Jesus experiencing all of that. No wonder He bled from every pore, a condition that occurs when someone experiences extreme stress.

He truly had to be the Son of God to endure all of that and then be able to stand when He had finished. Not only did He stand, but He was immediately taken into custody. He had just accomplished one of the most important things in His life on this earth and there was no time to recover. He went right into what He knew would be more pain.

He did all of this willingly. Yes, He asked the Father, “all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” (Mark 14:36, KJV)

I would like to think that when He asked this question, He saw all of our faces. And when He did, He gladly continued to suffer for us. He suffered for us in Gethsemane so that when we suffer in our life, He would be there with us. He would truly be the only one to understand our pain.

I lasted maybe 5-10 seconds of excruciating pain before asking to be done. I cannot even imagine how Jesus Christ lasted the night in the excruciating pain, sadness, and loneliness that He felt.

I know that angels were there. Just like my nurses, doctor, and husband tended to me while I was experiencing the pain I felt, Jesus had angels that tended to Him during this experience in the Garden.

I sometimes wonder if the reason Peter, James, and John couldn’t stay awake was the incredible peace that was coming from the angels that were in attendance. I believe some angels were witnesses, but I also think some angels tried to give the Savior peace as He struggled through this time in the Garden.

Just as my husband and the medical staff at the office tried to assist me as I went through an “uncomfortable procedure”, they could not take the pain from me, I had to go through that myself. However, they were by my side and giving relief in any way they possibly could.

God loves us. Each of us. He watches over us. He watched His son endure impossible pain and suffering so that He could help us return home to our Parents in Heaven. I cannot even imagine how that must have felt to our Heavenly Father and Mother to watch their son suffer so greatly.

I do know this, every time we overcome a struggle in our life, God and all of Heaven rejoices. I imagine Jesus Christ has a more reverent rejoicing that he experiences as this most difficult thing He did for us was so sacred. He alone knows how we felt as we experienced the pain and suffering He felt with us. This affliction was consecrated for our good.

I love my Savior so much. I am so grateful for His love.