Mules & Pain

"You're as stubborn as a mule and not half the size." I heard this repeatedly from my Grandfather until the day he passed. He wasn't wrong - I fully admit it. I believe the same can be said for my husband, so it's no surprise that our first born is equally so (possibly even more so). I believe some would call it Karma.

Moments like these in the picture, where he's sound asleep and breathing deeply, have been rare over the last 48 hours. Tristan's pain is non-stop and all consuming; there isn't a single part of his body that doesn't hurt. The nurse told us the first two weeks will be the hardest due to the ribs, organs, and leg. After that he should start noticing an improvement in his pain. It's interesting how our life has become all about numbers. Six days in the ICU. Three days in Acute Care. 14 days until the pain will improve. 12 hours until the next shot. Six hours until the next dose of pain meds.

Tomorrow will be our first face-to-face with Tristan's legal team. While the police report states the driver of the car admitted full responsibility, her insurance company is still trying to find ways to avoid accountability for it. We received a letter yesterday from the Property Adjuster..."If we pay your claim." How can there possibly be an "if" in that sentence? I'm thankful for the legal representation because none of us have the energy to fight that battle.

Tristan receives two blood thinning shots in the stomach each day. Thankfully Jon is able to handle this task because I would pass out...honest to God. And given that he'll be on these shots for the next six weeks, I'm happy to let Jon own it. Tristan's also on three different pain medications, which are given every six hours around the clock. In addition he has a pain relieving ointment that we rub on his ribs (when he'll allow it). Thankfully his stomach is starting to settle down though so we've been able to stop the anti-nausea pills. We have to celebrate the small wins.

He was able to eat a scrambled egg, 1/4 of an avocado, and some sliced peaches for breakfast. That's the most he's eaten in one sitting since the accident. Jamba Juice smoothies still remain his main source of nutritional intake, so we're grateful we have one 10 minutes from the house. I made some chocolate chip cookies and he's enjoyed several of those. Shhhh...I know it's not the healthiest, but we just need to get calories in this kid.

Our main struggle is the belief that "I'm home = I can do what I want". See note above about mules. Yes, Tristan is home and there's no other place we want him to be. That does not mean he's "ok" though. We keep having to remind him that the hospital would have sent him to a rehab facility, but he was able to come home instead since Jon and I are home 24/7. He is not "ok". He is not whole again. He is not able to care for himself. And he is not able to think for himself a good portion of the time. Now we just have to convince him of that.

So, if you're in the neighborhood and hear a bunch of hee-hawing, don't be alarmed. It's just our family of mules bickering over what is and isn't allowed when one is recovering from a life-threatening incident.