We've had a pretty good year, I must say. We finally bought a house and a new computer too. I'm honestly not sure which was more important... The computer was THAT bad. We did a whole bunch of theatre and pretty much decided we needed a long break from it. I performed in "Into the Woods" and helped produce "Cinderella" and a show called "Nuts." The wife did costumes for close to a bajillion shows and was nominated for two Encore awards (local community theatre awards). She even was onstage in "Nuts" playing a court reporter. Sounds small, but she's onstage the whole time typing. It wasn't easy on her body. All the sewing she does has started taking a toll on her body. She's got constant shoulder, back and neck pains that the doctor basically said is caused by the sewing. So, we're taking a rest from theatre 'cuz we really need the rest.
The Kid... well... he's tall... 5' 4" and is close to passing his mother. He's pretty much decided what he wants to be when he grows up... a professional wrestler. Which as much as I love pro-wresting, I'm not sure if I'm OK with. But, he's 13, so I think we have plenty of time to talk him out of it.
Speaking of the Kid, his surgery was yesterday... It couldn't have gone better. He's fine, at home, not in pain and is relaxing as much as a bored 13 year old can.
Here's the back story on the surgery since many of you don't know: Back in early September, he was experiencing pain in his right hip to the point where it was difficult to walk. We saw a bruise and a knot the size of an egg under it. So, we took him to the doctor and she wasn't sure what it was and sent us to have it x-rayed. She told us that the x-ray showed there was a 5mm long metal foreign object in his hip.
Huh? Wha? was exactly how we responded. We had no idea how or when he was punctured by some metal foreign object. It's still a bit of a mystery. She referred us to a Orthopedist and upon closer examination of the x-rays, we determined the metal object was a sewing needle. You can clearly see the eye and the point in the x-ray. They give him medicine to clear up the infection - that's what was causing the pain. After the meds, he was pain free. The needle didn't bother him at all. In fact, the Orthopedist said it's likely he could leave it in for life and it wouldn't bother him at all. Of course, that's not the best idea, so yesterday, we had him remove it.
The doctor informed us that getting the needle out would literally be like finding a needle in a haystack. He wouldn't know how difficult it would be until he was inside. It was possible he'd have to make an incision in the Kid's leg muscle to find it and that would have meant physical therapy. The Kid was prepped and was in surgery for 11am. They gave him a local and put him under, too. The doctor was finished by 11:45am. He was able to get the needle out without cutting any muscles, just by moving them around. We were home by 1:30pm.
My son has a very high tolerance for pain. The doctor gave him a prescription for vicodin and he has stated numerous time he doesn't need it. He is in no pain. Yeah, a three inch incision on the hip he sleeps on and no pain. I'm somewhat afraid that his high-pain tolerance is actually a good trait for a professional wrestler to have...
We have the needle now. The Kid wanted to keep it. Upon further examination, Tricia has determined that the needle is a smocking needle. Just when you thought the needle-in-the-hip story couldn't get weirder... Wifey hasn't smocked since we've lived in New Orleans... That's five years. It's possible that this needle was in there at least that long... Here's a picture of the needle to give you an idea of the size...
So, that's been our year... Now, we're waiting on the service guy to give us hot water. The water heater died on Christnas Eve evening. Who ya gonna call on a Sunday, much less Christmas?? He came yesterday and replaced the heating element, but it's still not working. They're coming back tomorrow. It's been below freezing here in the mornings and not much warmer during the day. Sponge baths are still quite unpleasant. We're very close to bathing in the hot tub.
Anyway, despite the trauma of chilly sponge baths, we have a lot to be thankful for and feel truly blessed to have what we do. Here's to the new year, may we all continue to be blessed!
1 comment:
Ouch! Poor thing, I can't believe he had that inside him all this time.
Hope you had a great holiday. It's almost time for Mardi Gras again!
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