The Stay at Home Dad life is filled with many fantastic moments. But when daddy-o goes down with an injury, that parenting world becomes, well, kinda sucky.
A week ago this morning, the Mouse and I worked outside for nearly 4 hours. We reorganized the shed, weeded, and cleaned the gutters. Getting that much accomplished felt good. My body, not so much. Almost immediately, I felt pain in my lower back. I’m nearly 6′ 5″ and have had back issues in the past, so it was to be expected after working that hard. Tuesday was better, I even went to the gym once the kids were in bed. Wednesday morning I awoke as normal, but my condition changed rapidly. In the car taking the Bear to school, I felt a tightness in my back. It got tighter driving the Mouse to gymnastics class. 30 minutes into the class I was calling, emailing and texting the Mrs. pleading for help. I even admitted to her that I had to see a doctor. I don’t think those words have ever come out of my mouth. Even with pneumonia last year, I was dragged to the doctor’s office and then to the ER. I managed to drive the Mouse home, then while she and I watched the fantastic Dirty Sock Funtime Band DVD (review coming as soon as my thoughts are cogent) in bed, the Mrs. came to my rescue. I got x-rays and have been 90% immobile since Wednesday afternoon. Something is wrong. Really wrong.
Thankfully, the Mrs. has a job with much flexibility, because to be home alone with a 3-year old when I’m one shooting pain away from collapsing to the floor ain’t ideal. After five days trapped inside with me, the Mrs. has gleefully returned to work, thanks to my mom who is now manning the fort. She’ll be staying with us for a few days to entertain my youngest. It’s nice that my predicament can have positive results for the kids – they get their Mom mom for 72 hours!
Fortunately, I happened to pick up the book Fathers & Daughers & Sports in the library on Tuesday, just before the new One Story and Atlantic Monthly showed up. All that reading, along with the World Cup (available on ESPN3.com – thank you very much!), has kept me from being completely bored to tears.
I’m making progress, meaning I can stand up, but the sharp pain is still there. I’ve got an appointment with a specialist scheduled for Friday. I’m hoping it is something, something that can be fixed. That open-faced turkey sandwich in the hospital was delicious, after all.
How do you cope when you’re down for the count with tiny tots running amok?
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