Playing Nurse is no Joke
Last week was a rough time in our house.
My husband had his long-awaited rotator cuff surgery, and I went down hard with a pretty relentless cold that turned into a seemingly never-ending sinus infection.
The rotator cuff surgery had been scheduled for many months. Tim has been suffering for at least a year with a chronic, occasionally very painful right shoulder. We know it was a result of years playing rough lacrosse and other sports, the latest being pickleball. It was time. He did the required PT and got the two cortisone shots, and nothing helped. Tim has a high pain tolerance, so I know that this has really been hurting him for a long time. He needed the surgery.
If you talk to people who have had rotator cuff repair surgery or know someone who has, they make a certain face when you bring it up. It is known to be a particularly painful recovery and so far, it hasn’t disappointed. My job was wonderful enough to allow me to work from home for the week so I could play nursemaid, and we knew it would be tough on everyone. And that was before I got sick.
I don’t get sick frequently, but my husband always says when I go down, I go down hard and he’s not wrong. This of course made everything that much harder.
This week was an excellent example of when it rains it really, really pours and sometimes we get soaking wet.
Thankfully Tim’s surgery was a success, and we are working on managing his pain. He is spending lots of time watching TV in the recliner, i.e. the “sick chair”. And I know that ultimately this cold/sinus infection from hell will go away.
But I believe there are always lessons to learn in everything good and bad we go through in life. So, what did I learn this week?
I am strong.
I really already knew this – I raised two strong, emotionally intelligent young men and have a professional career. And I’ve been through some tough stuff during that time and I’m still standing. But sometimes it’s good to have a reminder.
Despite feeling tired and worn out I was able to take care of my husband and myself and still do my job.
I can figure things out.
Again, I know this deep down. By a reminder sometimes is good. Everyday life can be overwhelming, so we forget how many decisions we make every day. We forget how much problem solving we can do and that we can be really good at it. Even if it’s just figuring out how to prevent chafing.
A short nap can really fix your day.
I remember my kids’ fighting naps when they were younger. I always thought that was crazy but didn’t always take the time to rest myself. When you are sick your body forces you to rest whether you want to or not. I made sure to rest, even if it was just for 20 minutes to make sure I could be there for my family and myself.
Nurses are true rock stars.
It’s hard to take care of someone else. I’ve raised two children and two stepchildren, but it’s different helping your husband get dressed, cleaned up, fed, and make sure he keeps up with his medicine. I hate blood and stitches and anything surgery/sickness related so cleaning wounds is not a favorite thing of mine. And nurses do all this every day for their job over and over for complete strangers while being underpaid and overworked. They really are rock stars.
We are now in week 2 post-surgery, and everything does get easier. You find a routine. And my sinus infection is almost gone (almost!).
I know in 6 months and then a year we will forget how tough this first week was for both of us. That’s human nature too. But I hope I can continually remind myself, when I have doubts, that I am strong and that I can figure things out when they get tough. Even when there are extra curve balls thrown in.
The last thing I have yet to figure out is how to work that nap in on a more regular basis!
