Jen
A week ago today, he tore his bicep doing a 'human flagpole' - something that looks super-impressive but is a typical move for my superhuman husband-trainer.
Needless to say it's been a long week.
Wednesday was spent in the hospital waiting to be seen. After 8 hours, two ultrasounds, and many ice packs, it was determined that his distal biceps tendon was completely torn off the bone, and there was muscle tearing as well.
My first thought was, "Man, is this guy ever tough. He rips a muscle right off a bone and calls it a 4/10 for pain."
Selfishly, my second thought was, "What the hell are we going to do without our trainer? What the hell am I going to do at home without his help?"
Thursday went without incident most of the day. Jamie was home with his arm up, waiting for the call for surgery, which we were told would come between 7 and 10 days, Privately I wanted to strangle the doctors - how can they even think of making someone wait that long?? - but outwardly I remained calm. Between sleeping and taking his pain medication, Jamie was in good spirits.
Thursday night, however, was a different story. Suddenly, at bedtime, his hand began to go numb. The colour of the arm, which had been normal until that night, was beginning to look purple and constricted, and his fingers were growing colder by the minute.
We rushed back to the hospital and were seen right away. The doctor on call (bless her heart) had enough sense to realize that Jamie was at risk for having compartment syndrome, a condition that is rare for the upper limbs, but extremely serious. If he indeed had compartment syndrome, he would have to undergo emergency surgery to relieve the pressure built up in the arm, or risk losing tissue. Worst case scenario would have him lose the entire limb, said the doctor.
While we waited frantically for the head orthopedic surgeon to arrive, the nurses packed Jamie's arm in ice and elevated it. My heart pounded in my ears as the doctor finally came in; opening up Jamie's arm now would mean an even longer wait for biceps surgery - not to mention extra scarring, a hospital stay, and potential for infection. I could tell by Jamie's stricken face that he was scared; not a common emotion for him.
The surgeon, thankfully, decided that the swelling in Jamie's arm had come down enough to delay surgery. Sigh of relief. We hadn't slept in over 24 hours, but we headed home hopeful that this was the last of the drama.
Fast forward a week. Jamie is still house-bound, and going a little stir-crazy. He felt human enough to go out for dinner for his birthday over the weekend, but we had to cut it short because his arm began to swell again. Things are going well, though, and his surgery is scheduled for tomorrow.
I haven't slept much these last seven days, what with changing ice packs and doling out meds every 4 hours, checking swelling and blood flow in the arm, parenting and working, and (annoyingly) dealing with the cold I caught during our overnight stay in Emergency.
But there are two silver linings: One is the fact that our trip down south, scheduled for this coming week, may not have to be cancelled after all. Jamie spoke with the nurse this morning, who said that it's the doctor's decision ultimately, but that flying shouldn't be a problem.
Second is that this past week we have really learned to appreciate each other. He has a hard time asking for help, and I'm not usually the mother-hen type. But we have filled our respective roles well so far, and have been able to appreciate the extra "us-time" (even if most of it was waiting in Emerg waiting rooms.)
I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring, but I'm hoping for the best. In the meantime, the girls and I are banging the weights, waiting patiently for our amazing Trainer Jamie to come back to us.
To be continued... Thanks for the good vibes, everyone :)
