Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Nick's Surgery

Does this shot look familiar?  Didn't I just post a picture like this last month?  Yes, for the second time in 5 weeks, Nick went under the knife (figuratively speaking) last Thursday.  He had surgery to repair multiple tears to the muscles and ligaments in his rotator cuff and to remove a massive bone spur on his collar bone, which was in the process of severing a ligament itself.  He's always had trouble with his joints, and having to wear the extremely heavy body armor around all last year in Afghanistan really exacerbated some existing issues and created new problems. 
We've been working toward this surgery since he got home in March, but because of the move and the ridiculous referral process, which required us to see a total of 6 different doctors before landing at the actual orthopaedic surgeon's office in Amarillo, this was literally the soonest that we could have it done.
The good news is that the doctor thinks Nick will be completely back to normal once he is fully recovered.  He'll be able to lift weights and throw a football again, things he hasn't been able to do for a long, long time.  The bad news is that he literally can't move his right arm for at least 4 weeks, and is in for a grueling 3-6 month recovery process following that.  Dr. Parker does think that if things go well Nick will be able to hold Baby H once she is born, as long as she stays in there the full 40 weeks.  Should she decide to arrive early, all bets are off because my "full-term" date coincides with the tail end of Nick's 4 weeks, no movement rule.  So pray that we have an on-time or a late baby!
Nick is recovering well, and in good spirits, although he hates that I have to help him do so much, like washing his hair, driving him everywhere, etc.  It's admittedly tough having an 8-months-preggo and someone recovering from surgery in one house with no other help.  (For a good laugh, try to imagine us getting Baby H's glider into her room from the front porch where the delivery guys left it this morning.  Loads of fun).  We're both uncomfortable, tired, and cranky, but I know that in the end we will be glad that we went ahead and did the surgery now so that Nick can really enjoy his little girl during her first year.  Prayers for Nick's quick recovery and my patience are, however, appreciated!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Poor Nick. I remember Mark's grueling recovery and PT following his shoulder surgery. As they say, "It gets better." :) Love you two - Edith/Mom

kelly said...

Don't work too hard- BGH needs lots of R&R over the next month! :)