Cartwheels, Surgeries, and the Art of Worrying (only the latter have I perfected!)

This past weekend was nice and quiet over here. Bensten didn’t have a XC meet. Izzy only worked a few shifts, so we got to hang out a bit. Lance got his second Shingles vaccine, and we were prepared for the worst after hearing so many horror stories, but he felt completely fine.  It was a low key, lovely weekend. 

So you are probably wondering what I was able to worry about. Oh never fear, I would never let a full weekend go by without a good bout of anxiety….

Last Thursday my dad had another knee surgery. Poor guy has been in so much pain- but the doctor didn’t think he needed a full replacement. Unfortunately, when they got in there, it was a bit worse than expected, and they did a clean up, but said he would likely need a knee replacement in a few months, depending how recovery goes.

I know the disappointment of waking up from surgery and hearing the surgery did not go as planned. I broke my ankle in 3 places in college. I was 100% sober- doing a cartwheel while walking home from the library. (I know, my poor parents when they got that call!) Despite being in a cast up to my hip for months, I developed an osteochondral defect that didn’t really present til I was 30! I had 3 kids, and the pain was brutal. After trying everything, the only solution left was to have surgery, and do a graft from my knee into my ankle bone. So I did it…or so I thought.

When I woke up from surgery- and they told me the hole in my ankle was too large to hold the graft, I nearly lost my mind. They said they drilled a bunch of tiny holes in my ankle to hopefully regenerate bone growth, and we would just have to see how the next few YEARS went. (Or I could get a cadaver bone grafted into my ankle, which let’s just say was NEVER an option…my fertile imagination went in a scary direction!)

And guess what- those little holes worked. It did take a few years before I was back running, but the doctor's “temporary” fix has held for at least 20 years, so I can’t complain!!!

I shared this optimism with my parents on Friday when I delivered baked goods as my Dad laid on the couch and my mom looked after him. My dad looked tired but not terrible for being in his mid 70’s and just having had surgery.

Saturday morning, I texted to check on things and didn’t receive a response. 

So Saturday night, I called to check on them. No answer.

So I tried my mom’s cell. No answer.

So I tried my dad’s cell. No answer.

(Yup, you guessed it, this is when the anxiety set in. I imagined them back at the hospital. Maybe a blood clot….)

Then my phone rang. It was my dad.

“What’s up Heath, everything okay?”  It sounded like he was at a freaking kegger.

Umm, yes, everything is okay with me- how about YOU?  

Apparently two of my brothers had just played in a member-member golf tournament and won, and my parents cannot miss an opportunity to celebrate their kids. So gimpy and his nurse ventured out to the club where my brothers belong. Good God. It’s a good thing my dad’s surgeon doesn’t read my blog, cause I am guessing the field trip was not sanctioned just 48 hours post surgery.

The good news is that apparently I don’t just worry about my little family. I worry about my entire extended family too! And once again, my worry was for nothing- my dad is fine. In fact, seeing my brothers so happy made him so happy- it was probably a worthwhile unsanctioned field trip!

Anyway, not sure what my point was when I started this blog today. Maybe that I need to quit stressing about so much stuff?!?! Or maybe I need something stronger than baking to quiet my mind! For now I think I will go for a quick run and then make some muffins for my kiddos- cause they already plowed through the protein muffins!

This week’s menu is below. I wish I could find a picture of me in my cast back in 1993. It was December so I opted for a green and red striped cast. My poor mom had to push me around Tyson’s Corner Christmas shopping in a wheelchair with the most obnoxious cast- which of course drew comments from everyone…..That lady is a champ! I wonder who was a better patient me, or my dad.....

Have a great week!

Xo,

Heather