A very short trip, indeed.

Radio · 06-09-2018, 09:46 PM

I'm headed home from work on Friday afternoon. Took off an hour early because vacation starts officially on Monday but as far as I'm concerned it started when the door closed behind me just now and I step into the sunshine of the enormous parking lot of the jet base.

I'm eager to get home. The camper is cleaned up, stocked and ready. Food, clothes, cameras, ice chests... everything is ready and we don't even leave until Sunday about 8 a.m. Saturday will be a rest day. A last minute trip to the grocery store for some perishable things and not much else. A good nights sleep and away we go.

This is going to be a good trip. I'm even looking forward to the 4 hour drive.

Then I get a call from my daughter. "Not to scare you or anything but I'm over at the emergency room with Mom. She's gonna be OK but..."

My daughter works at the hospital so I have easy access to the back side of ER operations. We are waiting for x-rays of Sweet Wife's hands. She has fallen in her garden, one finger on the right hand popped out of joint but has righted itself, and is now on ice. There is some swelling.

There is some swelling and bruising on the left hand, too. Probably going to ice that, too, and we'll be out of here. Rest up Saturday and Sunday we'll be out of here.

Until the resident comes in with the x-rays. The metacarpal bone for the left hand "pinky" finger is snapped in half, the fracture extending from one end to the other, running diagonally down the middle.

The resident says he's going to put a splint on that, when the swelling has subsided the orthopedist will put a real cast on it in a few days. That is, in the middle of our trip. I haven't mentioned Sweet Wife is a musician, highly accomplished on violin and flute. This is rapidly getting to be a very big and very gone sideways deal.

****

So for the rest of Friday and a good bit of Saturday morning we are adjusting to the idea of me as nurse and her having one useless hand and one that's sort of marginal. She can't open her pill bottle. (Good pills, though) After some discussion, we agree a trip is doable... but not likely to be any fun. No bike rides, no swimming, no guitar and I'm doing all the work plus nurse duty.

So I call the park and cancel our 5 nights. Unloading the trailer can wait until Monday.

And that's about the shortest trip we've ever not been on.

757Dave · 06-09-2018, 10:04 PM

OUCH!!!!!

Sorry to read your post. Hope that wife makes a full recovery and is able to continue with her music.

Glad that it wasn't worse.

Hoping for a complete and rapid recovery for your wife!

Radio · 06-09-2018, 10:18 PM

She has spirit. As we were leaving the ER she said we'd be going on this trip anyway. Then we began to figure out the reality of the situation.

It was NOT going to be fun, and fun is the point.

It will be cooler in the fall.

Scrapper · 06-09-2018, 10:33 PM

Sorry to hear about DW. Hope she recovers full use of her fingers.

Broken bones can be very painful for a while. I broke my left wrist when in 4th grade. At the time it felt like s*** as I sat in school from lunch time then the bus home so Dad could take me to the doctors office. Nice thing about having my arm in a cast for 6 weeks was the class bully left me alone after the first pop to his head.

Radio · 06-09-2018, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrapper

... the class bully left me alone after the first pop to his head.

Once I beat a bully with a chain. Totally revolutionized our relationship.

larryo · 06-10-2018, 06:46 AM

It sucks to miss a trip, but you've got your priorities straight!

Kaadk · 06-10-2018, 07:01 AM

Sorry to hear about your wife. Here’s hoping she get’s well soon.

CampingGator · 06-10-2018, 07:09 AM

At least your sweet wife doesn’t need surgery to pin her finger. I’m sorry you will miss your trip. That is so disappointing, but you seem to have a very healthy viewpoint of everything. Take her to a good movie (if any are playing) or dinner today and enjoy each other’s company. It’s not the good times that make for the best stories, but the unexpected.

stephndudb · 06-10-2018, 07:32 AM

Sorry to hear this. Hope she heals quickly.

5er_tom · 06-10-2018, 07:35 AM

Sorry to hear about the mishap and broken finger. Years ago I cut my hand with a chain saw, my wife who is a Polio survivor with a bad leg, fell down in the garden and sprained her other ankle. We went camping for five days anyway but we were a sight to see setting up at the campground.
Good luck going forward and remember that this too shall pass and perhaps you will be able laugh about it after a few months.

SophieP · 06-10-2018, 12:53 PM

Oh my God...sorry about the trip, but as all others have said, you both have a good outlook.

mtnlvr · 06-10-2018, 04:38 PM

I hope your wife feels better soon!
I understand the high anticipation of a vacation, then the big let down. Several years ago after the completion on a long ugly divorce I was really looking forward to my long planned 6 wk. trip to the Pacific Northwest coast. I got about 5 miles from home when my Solera's diesel engine blew all it's oil, all over the sides and undercarriage. It just had it's first oil change service and the dealership botched it. I was then towed about 180 miles to the nearest MBZ dealership(after 8 hrs. on the side of the road), @ 1:30 am. Later that morning I was told they would have to ship a new engine from Germany. It was such a letdown having to unload all my stuff into a rental suv and drive back home.
Life (and vacations)can be really hard to plan when life keeps throwing curveballs your way. I had major back surgery 12 wks. ago, thought I was perfectly healthy otherwise, but the back surgeon suspected something else. So, this week I'm unwinterizing the rv for next wknd. But, this time I'll be traveling with an oxygen concentrator for the first time, (I didn't smoke) and my big 'ol back brace, along with my two big furry companions. Life is full of surprises, good and bad; but that is part of the excitement when pulling out of the driveway and onto the next adventure.

TitanMike · 06-10-2018, 05:00 PM

Two pieces of good news out of this.

First and foremost your wife will be OK.

Second, this all happened at home and at some distance from home where she had to endure the ride home. If you are going to be uncomfortable while healing, "Home" is the best place to be. (Also, let's hear it for the good pills. Hand injuries can be extremely painful.)

mudman2 · 06-10-2018, 05:57 PM

Wow. What a story. Here’s to a quick recovery ��

Paulie1138 · 06-10-2018, 06:20 PM

Also hoping you 2 have a fast recovery. Hopefully, the music will not suffer either!

Murbella7 · 06-10-2018, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radio

She has spirit. As we were leaving the ER she said we'd be going on this trip anyway. Then we began to figure out the reality of the situation.

It was NOT going to be fun, and fun is the point.

It will be cooler in the fall.

The pain may not go away but the road trip will be a nice distraction, from time to time and so will relaxing far from any chance of doing housework.
Meeting new friends will also be good for her disposition and yours too. Nursing temporary invalids is not that hard, my DW has had to do it many times, (me). Besides, don't you do the cooking, make the beds, sweep the floors, keep the coffee coming, go get the milk and cookies anyway. So not much will change.

Johntgif · 06-10-2018, 07:17 PM

Remember, necessity is the mother of all inventions.

Adverse conditions may seem huge but the best can be made of any situation.
We have had fun on several questionable trips just by making things work out as best we could with what we had to work with.

Camping is true "family time" that always means more than the inconveniences.

Your situation is appreciated and our prayers are for speedy recovery but weigh the possible good & fun that can come from a trip working through some difficulties.

Happy Camping

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