Fall BREAK

For the second year in a row, Rob has taken himself out of playing volleyball at the Senior Games.

Last year he sprained his ankle during his last warm up hit before game #1, and we spent the afternoon at the Instacare.

(He played on his bad ankle for a few minutes)

That fall break in St. George was no fun.

This year I took myself out of the trip to St. George, just in case. And what do you know...

Five minutes after MK and Cy arrived at the tournament, Rob tore his Achilles.

Pre-op

Absolutely no weight bearing on the injured leg for 4-8 weeks, so crutches and a scooter. Then a boot and rehab 1-3 times a week for a couple months. Total recovery time is ten to twelve months before he can hike or play volleyball.

But that wasn't the worst of it.

One night as Rob and I were watching tv, Rob turned and sat at the edge of the bed for about 30 minutes. I assumed he had heartburn, which wasn't unusual for him. "Do you need anything?" I asked.

"I think I broke a rib. I've never felt so much pain before."

I jumped out of bed and got dressed and told him we were going to the ER. He said, "No, it comes and goes. I'm fine." I couldn't physically move him, so I asked Cy to help me get him to the car. In the garage, Rob said, "See, now the pain is gone. I'm fine." I said, "We'll sit in the parking lot of the ER if you want, but we're going." So we went.

We walked into a pretty full waiting room and explained his situation to the receptionist. She told us to have a seat. I took a quick bathroom break, and when I got back 3-4 minutes later, he was gone. The receptionist told me he was in room #9. I walked into his room and saw...

The doctor ordered an MRI and found several blood clots in his lungs, one of which was a saddle embolism. Saddle embolisms are often fatal.

Rob also had cardiac infarction, where part of his lung had died due to loss of oxygen. The doctor told us people die of Rob's condition all the time. Usually the blood clots are not painful, but Rob's embolism sat right at the lung lining, where the nerves are, otherwise it would have been undetectable. 

Rob is 53. My dad died at age 56 of a heart attack, so this hit home for the both of us. Scott, our brother-in-law and cardiologist looked at the MRI pictures and couldn't believe Rob was that close to death. 

We are so lucky to have him with us and are hanging on tight!

On a lighter note...😂

We found out Rob has been dubbed "the Candy Man" at Smiths grocery store, because he always asks the cashiers and baggers their favorite candy bars and buys them for them.