Dinner and Therapy with the Bailey Family

Last night we were visited by Kathy, Kevin and Jamie Bailey. Not only did they bring dinner, but Kevin brought his cast and we were able to have a little therapy session right there over the Jet's Pizza :)

Kevin has a similar injury to mine except instead of an Achilles rupture he tore his bicep off! He is casted all the way from fingers to armpit and strangely enough we had a lot in common. We both have issues getting our shoes on. He cannot tie, I cannot stand and slip shoes on. Showering is a challenge for both parties. I am afraid of jarring the joint, Kevin cannot wash the right upper portion of his body. Also he is still in a cast and must use the garbage bag method of coverage. Kathy did point out that He is wearing hats more frequently due to the difficulty of gel application and one handed hair drying...I think there is an infomercial product out there for that precise predicament! ;)

Kevin described the sound at the moment of the injury so perfectly. He said it sounded like pulling a large weed out of the ground. He could hear the ripping as the tendon pulled from the muscle like the roots pull away from the ground. Mine sounded the same.

Unlike Kevin I was pushy and demanding in the ER. I knew I wanted the surgery and I wanted it NOW!!! Kevin was patient and went home and was moving his arm around. He said his didn't hurt as much as it just wouldn't react in certain positions...you know, all the positions you use your biceps for??? (Just about everything)! It was very interesting!

I kept up with my pain meds very consistently until yesterday when I woke up with little hive-like bumps. I think it was due to heat and sun exposure mixed with the medication. When I talked to Kevin he was big britches and said he only took Tylenol like the first day or something...whatever. Anyway, that made me want to be tough too and not go back to my meds EVER...I cheated and took 3 ibuprofen last night! I'm not as tough as Kevin :(

All in all I really enjoyed my night with the Baileys and I am glad I got to talk to a friend and fellow gimpy! I'm not happy that Kevin has to be hurting, but I am happy to have a friend who will be traveling down a similar recovery road in a similar time frame. Hopefully we can keep tabs on each other and work towards the common goal of being normal again...I know normal, that's funny :P