2023 - The Year of the Break

 So last month on February 10th Ryan wasn't feeling great and came home early from school.  He said he hurt his hand in recess (playing basketball) but I didn't pay much attention.  And before you judge, I'm a  Gen X Boy Mom.  If no one is hemorrhaging I don't worry.  Rub some dirt in it and you'll be fine.

The next morning it was still painful and swollen so I took him to urgent care and was horrified to find out that he had a broken finger, most likely on a growth plate.  A visit to an orthopedic confirmed a break on the growth plate.  He spent two weeks in a splint, followed by another two weeks with "buddy tape" to support the finger, and now he's back to full-throttle baseball (and everything else).

Baseball season is ramping up, and both boys are all in.  Ryan played a tournament with his 12U Greenbrook Travel team last weekend, and after 8+ hours in the FREEZING COLD (real-feel high was about 26º) and there was literally no break between games where the kids could even warm up.  It was miserable, but they won the tournament which made it feel worth it.  Or at least that's the story I'm going with.

This weekend it was Colin's turn.  Saturday his team had two games - it was raining and mid-40s the whole time.  Literally rained the WHOLE DAY.

Sunday we had to be at the fields by 7AM, which meant I was up at 5:20 getting everyone ready and making sure we could get there on time (the tournament was in Nutley NJ which is about 45 minutes away).  I was so grateful because it was still chilly but the SUN came out which made everything better.

Colin didn't get much playing time in the first game, but got a triple in his second at-bat, and when the coach finally put him in during the last inning he got 2 of the 3 outs for the inning.  The boys won and we went to Chipotle for an early lunch.  

Game 2 started and the team was playing well.  Colin was in left field and was having a decent game.  I couldn't see a couple of his plays because the players were standing, but overall everything seemed good.

The next thing I know Colin is off the field, holding an ice pack to his hand. He walked over to me, and very calmly said, "Mom, I think I broke my hand. We need to leave."

WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Colin has a generally high tolerance for pain and isn't one to make a big deal about any injury, so I knew it must be bad.

Thankfully there was an urgent care not a half mile from the field.  We went in... and they informed us that there was no X-ray tech in today.  I then started calling around and got the same story from four more nearby urgent care facilities.  American healthcare is just crap-tastic.

I drove 45 minutes to the urgent care in Green Brook... the same one I took Ryan to... because I knew they would have what I needed.  Sure enough, Colin broke his hand.  Specifically, his 5th metacarpal.  We left with a splint, and instructions to follow up promptly with an orthopedic surgeon.  Colin wanted to be there with his team, so we drove 45 minutes back up to Nutley where his team almost pulled it off, but ended up taking 2nd overall in the tournament against tough competition.

I've been on hold with the orthopedic for almost 20 minutes now, waiting to try and get through and schedule an appointment so we know what our next steps are.  I'm no medical expert, but from what I've read we are likely looking at a minimum of 6 weeks with no activity and it is very possible that he will need one or two surgeries.

This morning getting ready for school Colin stalled out.  I went upstairs and realized that he couldn't put his own socks on.  Imagine, if you will, putting socks on a cranky 180-pound toddler.  I also had to tie his shoes.  This is gonna be a tough couple of months.

Can someone please reach out to 2023 and tell it that I've raised the white flag?