MAN OF STEEL

Sunday; over 6 hours of surgery, 1 plate, several screws and one pin later Sweet Thang has been sliced, diced and reassembled. Only the left side of his pelvis was broken, thank goodness. The doctor says that he’ll have to stay in a wheelchair for 6 to 8 weeks without putting ever putting his left foot on the floor (he’s so big that if he puts any weight on his left side the new hardware won’t support him until the bone grows back) and then undergo 3 to 6 months of physical therapy but the future looks pretty good. He has a good chance of a full recovery if he’ll just take it easy and let Mother Nature do her healing thing.

Ever since he woke up from anesthesia, he’s been talking about having hallucinations while he was under. Something about being in a war zone complete with battle cruisers. Sweet Thang is ex-navy so I guess that’s where the dreams came from. Today they took away his morphine pump and started him on oral pain meds. He kept telling them that they could take the med-pump but he needed to keep the button, kinda like a pacifier (I spent the weekend at the hospital and watched his thumb twitch on the button even when he was asleep). I got tickled because he would be talking and fall asleep in the middle of the sentence, doze for several minutes, and then wake up and finish what he was saying.

He’s still in a lot of pain, when they tried to put a bed pan under him he screamed. Thy still haven’t tried to get him up and I hope I’m not there when they do, hearing him scream if almost more than I can take. It’s hard enough to hear him moan while laying immobile; he still can’t stand for the head of his bed to be raised up and I know that it’s going to hurt like a bitch when they make him move but he can’t come home until he proves that he can do more than just lay in bed.

I’m afraid that recovery is gonna be a long hard road before it’s over. Thursday looks like his discharge date, he’s going to his parents’ home but they have health problems of their own. Last year his Dad had a stint put in and his Mom has had a stint and 2 colon surgeries in the last 6 months, but there’s no where else for him to go; I have to work and neither my home nor his are wheelchair accessible. He’ll have to leave the hospital in an ambulance, have a hospital bed with one of those grab bars to pull himself up and swing over to the wheelchair. The bed is supposed to be delivered tomorrow and arrangements have been made for a large wheelchair and a potty-chair. Home health care has been arranged to come 3 times a week to help bathe him (he can’t get in a tub or shower) and do whatever else needs doing. Thank goodness the girl who pulled out in front of him had insurance because the bills are going to be outrageous.

I’m afraid that Sweet Thang is in for more than just pain. His Mom is making it her mission in life to force him to lose a lot of weight while he’s helpless and she’s already made the statement that he can’t smoke at her house. They’re both hard-headed so it’s gonna be a battle of wills. I plan to go stay with him whenever I can so they can get out and have some free time. I wish I could do more but I have to make a living and they don’t give you family leave unless you’re married.

Thanks for all y’alls good wishes and prayers. I’ve told Sweet Thang about my cyber buddies and he’s thankful for all the support.