Not so fun day - ouchy

Days should just not start at 5:45 a.m.--for any reason if you ask me. But the good doctors at the Orthopedic Center of the Rockies didn't think so when they scheduled Rheid for arthroscopic surgery this morning. Argh. Time to repair a torn tendon from a January snowboarding mishap where Josh, my son, said, "Mom, I saw him crash and I thought Dad was dead!" So I guess it could be worse, right? They will also clean up some scar tissue from two previous broken collarbone incidents...one where his mom said something at the time like, "Come slide on this hill instead, it will be safer." Oops! Hopefully it will clear up some numbing issues he's been experiencing in his hand. They also planned to reduce a bone spur forming at the tip--a smaller version of what he had operated on nearly two years ago on the other side. Poor guy!

It's such a different experience being the caretaker-type person instead of the invalid-type person. Both really stink in their own way. It is never fun to be the miserable one, feeling so awful. But its not exactly a fun fest watching someone else feel miserable and not being able to do much to make things better. Horrible or helpless??? My vote is neither one--thank you very much.

I managed to get both him and his therapy chair in the house in one piece which was no small feat. They wanted him to start in the chair as soon as possible...can you say barbaric? Come on, the guy's countenance still has a tinge of off-gray--but we are nothing if but compliant to doctor's orders. It's a bad habit we've developed over the years. So I help him get his dead-arm into the contraption all the while praying my sleep deprived brain remembers all the instructions the tech gave me on how to operate it. Then to get him out of the sling/harness--can you say velcro gone wild??? Not as easy as it looks. All this while supposedly keeping his shoulder completely relaxed...rrrrright. Then repeat this 50 minute procedure 5 more times during the course of the day and pump him full of pain medicine every 4 hours around the clock. Are we having fun yet??? Well at least this merriment only lasts for three weeks then he goes to PT twice a week for I can't remember how many months. But ten months from now he will be cured and we can look back at all the fond memories we've made.

We are so blessed to live at a time when doctors have the ability to make things good as new. Rheid's doctor is top-notch and it will all be worth it in the end. The surgery went well and my prayers were answered. Cool technology will also help Rheid be able to do his computer work. He talks into a microphone and basically bosses his computer around. Open Firefox. Close Word. You get the idea. It's awesome.

Well it's time to go do my nursely duties so off I go.