Whoopee.

(This has nothing to do with the post really, but how adorable is that?!?!)

So about three weeks ago C played a game and came home complaining about his ribs.  Seriously, these boys get more bumps and bruises than anyone I know.  The trainers told him it was just cartilage bruising and that it would just heal over time.  His defensive coach told him that if he needed to, he could take a week off and take a break.  Coach knows the guys are just getting beat up and they haven’t had a break.

Two weeks ago C played another game and was hit in the same spot. With the amount of pain he was in, he knew it wasn’t just cartilage. You couldn’t even brush the spot without him yelping.  Going over bumps or turning corners in the car were terrible. So, he demanded an x-ray.  I’m glad he did.  He had a rib that was broken into three pieces.

After finding that out, he told me he wasn’t going to play the following weekend (this past weekend), which I thought was awesome. He needed the break so bad. He continued to go to practice to support the guys, but didn’t really participate. 

That is, until he came home 2 days later and told me that the trainers had some sort of metal contraption they called a flak jacket for him to wear during games. If you know sports, Michael Vick of the Eagles wore one of these last year. It’s a big metal piece that hooks to his shoulder pads and goes all around his torso creating a space barrier so his ribs won’t be hit. Ugh.

He used the flak jacket during practice one day and was pretty confident in it so he decided to play last weekend. He told me that he wasn’t going to play much and only if they really needed him.

Now, here is something to note.  This weekend the team is playing in Philadelphia. C’s family lives in southern Maryland, so they are all making the 2ish hour drive to come see him play, about 40 people in total.  I have yet to meet his family, so back in March I bought a $400 *non-refundable* plane ticket to Philly so I could see him play and meet his family.  My brother, who is in the Navy and living in upstate New York, had plans to drive down as well.

Any clue on what happens yet?

C played in the game last weekend.  The whole game. As in EVERY. SINGLE. DOWN. No breaks what-so-ever. In case you were wondering, the team was up 42-6 at half time, so obviously they didn’t need him. He just did it because he is a guy and he is invincible right? I sat there in the stands getting increasingly frustrated.

Guess what?

He’s NOT invincible.  In the beginning of the 4^th quarter….he BROKE  his wrist. Um yeah. Well, the bones aren’t technically broken, but a bone on the side of his wrist was sticking out and they had to dislocate his wrist to get it back into place. Lovely.

C has been going to doctors and MRI’s all week and yesterday we were told he has surgery scheduled for Friday afternoon. He has two torn tendons that need to be re-attached and the bone that was sticking out will need to be screwed into place so it stays put.

Needless to say the whole trip is cancelled. I don’t get to see my brother. He doesn’t get to see his family.  I don’t get to meet his family. I wasted $400. He is out for 3+ weeks (which really, isn’t bad considering).

I don’t know whether to scream or cry.  

I told him repeatedly that he has so much riding on this game.  There’s just no convincing these sports guys!

Thankfully I have this Friday and Monday off.  I’m just not doing anything close to what I had planned. Instead of vacationing and seeing family and meeting new friends, I will be playing nurse.

Whoopee.