Surgery?...Why not!
One of the main things that Bob and I had in common when we first started dating was that we both enjoyed playing sports and were athletic. He was on the baseball team in college and I played volleyball in college. This was a great bond that we shared through college and once we graduated I decided to coach because I wasn't ready to give up sports quite yet. Well, that was not for me...long story but Bob decided he should continue to participate in sports as a hobby. I encouraged this in the early years because it was great! He met new people, kept in shape, and could relieve some stress. Until...the injuries began. When we first got married he was playing basketball and took an elbow to the eyebrow and ended up with stitches. Later while playing softball he chipped his front tooth. Finally he took his ACL while playing basketball or softball I can't remember because it seemed like it would never end. Since we have had kids, playing sports has slowed down to about one sport a year with about once a week commitment. Bob's biggest hurdle with being active in sports is that he just can't play for fun, he has to be in it to win it everytime...not quite sure where he gets that from...ha ha! We are both very competitive with EVERYTHING but I think when it comes to sports he tops the charts.
On November 7th, he went to play basketball at his old high school with his buddies from high school. This was a great way to hang out with old friends. He decided to take a young guy from work with him to play, Sam. When Sam stopped by to pick him up, I specifically told him, "Sam, have fun but please don't let Bob get hurt!" Yep, those words came out of my mouth...word for word, but just like many things I say it just went in one ear and out the other. While playing basketball Bob said that it felt like someone kicked him as hard as they could on the back of his ankle. He fell to the ground and when he realized there was no one around him to have hurt him he knew something wasn't right. He said that he tried to stand up but couldn't put pressure on his right foot at all. Sam drove him home after the game was over and I already had the boys in bed and I was snoozing. Then before I woke up on Thursday he got up and went to work. He didn't wake me up to tell me about his injury. (another side note...Bob had "temporarily misplaced" his cell phone on Monday so keep that in mind thoughout this entry) Thursday afternoon he calls me from work and says, "I have a confession to make. I got hurt at basketball and I think it is worse than I thought. I can't walk on my right foot."
He decides to head to an after hours clinic where they tell him that his Achilles tendon is torn. They write him a prescription for some heavy duty ibuprofen and crutches. He doesn't fill either one of these. He calls the specialist here in Chelsea, Dr. Pinto, but he can't get in until Monday. He hobbles around all weekend long. Mind you he is as stubborn as a mule so whatever I said really didn't matter. On Monday we went to meet with Dr. Pinto who reinstated that it was definitely a torn Achilles tendon and that surgery was needed. We are headed to Punta Cuna from Dec. 8-15 so we scheduled the surgery quickly.
Friday November 14th, I drove Bob to the Chelsea hospital for surgery. They placed a nerve block in his foot so that he wouldn't feel any pain from the surgery for at least 24 hrs. Then they wheeled him back for a 2 hr surgery where he was also put under. Dr. Pinto came out after surgery to let me know that when he opened up his foot it wasn't a clean tear like he thought, it was a shred. He had make the incision larger so that he could get some strong tendon to pull down to attach to the remaining tendon on the ankle. I went back to see Bob after surgery and he was having a hard time coming out of it. He kept falling asleep. The nurses told me that some patients have a hard time coming to...I think he was having a hard time because that was the best sleep he has had for about three years.
We went home and the next morning he was in a lot of pain. He is taking pain pills, ibuprofen, and aspirin. He was feeling very sick from the medication and has not been moving around as much as he anticipated he would be. He is off work right now and I hope the doctor encourages him to take some more time off because I just don't think he is ready. We go back to the doctor tomorrow for him to remove the bandage and splint. I am not looking forward to this because I will probably pass out if I have to see this wound.
The past week has been pretty crazy. It is the best "boot camp" for having three kids because Bob has been as demanding as Carter and Landon. We are hanging in there and we owe that all to our family and friends for helping us out! The care packages, meals, and playdates have been so helpful! It's going to be a long road to recovery but we can get through it.
On November 7th, he went to play basketball at his old high school with his buddies from high school. This was a great way to hang out with old friends. He decided to take a young guy from work with him to play, Sam. When Sam stopped by to pick him up, I specifically told him, "Sam, have fun but please don't let Bob get hurt!" Yep, those words came out of my mouth...word for word, but just like many things I say it just went in one ear and out the other. While playing basketball Bob said that it felt like someone kicked him as hard as they could on the back of his ankle. He fell to the ground and when he realized there was no one around him to have hurt him he knew something wasn't right. He said that he tried to stand up but couldn't put pressure on his right foot at all. Sam drove him home after the game was over and I already had the boys in bed and I was snoozing. Then before I woke up on Thursday he got up and went to work. He didn't wake me up to tell me about his injury. (another side note...Bob had "temporarily misplaced" his cell phone on Monday so keep that in mind thoughout this entry) Thursday afternoon he calls me from work and says, "I have a confession to make. I got hurt at basketball and I think it is worse than I thought. I can't walk on my right foot."
He decides to head to an after hours clinic where they tell him that his Achilles tendon is torn. They write him a prescription for some heavy duty ibuprofen and crutches. He doesn't fill either one of these. He calls the specialist here in Chelsea, Dr. Pinto, but he can't get in until Monday. He hobbles around all weekend long. Mind you he is as stubborn as a mule so whatever I said really didn't matter. On Monday we went to meet with Dr. Pinto who reinstated that it was definitely a torn Achilles tendon and that surgery was needed. We are headed to Punta Cuna from Dec. 8-15 so we scheduled the surgery quickly.
Friday November 14th, I drove Bob to the Chelsea hospital for surgery. They placed a nerve block in his foot so that he wouldn't feel any pain from the surgery for at least 24 hrs. Then they wheeled him back for a 2 hr surgery where he was also put under. Dr. Pinto came out after surgery to let me know that when he opened up his foot it wasn't a clean tear like he thought, it was a shred. He had make the incision larger so that he could get some strong tendon to pull down to attach to the remaining tendon on the ankle. I went back to see Bob after surgery and he was having a hard time coming out of it. He kept falling asleep. The nurses told me that some patients have a hard time coming to...I think he was having a hard time because that was the best sleep he has had for about three years.
We went home and the next morning he was in a lot of pain. He is taking pain pills, ibuprofen, and aspirin. He was feeling very sick from the medication and has not been moving around as much as he anticipated he would be. He is off work right now and I hope the doctor encourages him to take some more time off because I just don't think he is ready. We go back to the doctor tomorrow for him to remove the bandage and splint. I am not looking forward to this because I will probably pass out if I have to see this wound.
The past week has been pretty crazy. It is the best "boot camp" for having three kids because Bob has been as demanding as Carter and Landon. We are hanging in there and we owe that all to our family and friends for helping us out! The care packages, meals, and playdates have been so helpful! It's going to be a long road to recovery but we can get through it.
In the waiting room
Getting ready to head back to surgery
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