…Yet again.

It seems I do this from time to time and mostly with Lucas.  I win “Mother of the Year.”  Today is another shining example of winning this coveted prize, yet again. 

When Lucas was little he would have massive ear infections that would go undetected until his pain was so unbearable and then his eardrum would rupture and we’d be faced with draining eardrums and massive amounts of antibiotics.  Then we’d go through it all over again, not noticing much until the infection was too full blown to stop in it’s tracks. 

Last year, when Lucas broke his thumb it was only at the urging of our friend, who is a doctor, that we took him to the orthopedic doctor…and confirmed what our friend suspected ~ a broken thumb.

In our defense, Lucas seems to have a massively high tolerance for pain.  Zach broke his wrist just days before Lucas broke his thumb.  Zach was sweaty and pale and weak.  Lucas was chipper and sunshiny.  When Zach separated his shoulder at the beginning of hockey season I thought he was going to pass out on the way to the hospital.  Again, he was sweaty, gray and weak.  When Lucas came home from his game on Sunday, he be-bopped in, telling us about this big hit he had and saying his shoulder hurt a little bit…but he was chipper and sunshiny.  He didn’t seem to be in much, if any, pain.

When he told me about the hit and that his shoulder was hurt, I asked him to do all of the things the doctors tried to get Zach to do.  Lift his arm forward, backward and out to the side.  He could do it all, with minimal pain.  I told him we’d keep an eye on things and if he was still in pain, we’d take him to the doctor.  Monday morning dawned with Lucas cruising into the kitchen for breakfast…no mention of pain or his shoulder.  NOTHING!  He went to school.  He shot pucks in the basement after school.  He ran around with his buddies.  No pain, no nothing!  Last night, he came to me with his shirt off and said “Mom, does this look normal to you?”…”UH, gee NO, Lucas it doesn’t,” I responded.  It looked  like Zach’s did when he separated his shoulder…malformed.  I told him I would make an appointment but was still leery…there was NO pain mentioned.  How can you have a separated shoulder with NO pain??

This morning Lucas came down asking if I had made the appointment.  It was 7 o’clock in the morning…my temper flared a little as I snapped back and told him the time.  I let him know I was going to make the appointment as soon as the doctor’s office opened at 8:30…but I was still baffled by the lack of pain. 

As I called the doctor’s office I had to wonder if Lucas was just trying to get out of exams…and at the back of my brain I also knew I had tennis waiting for me at noon.  The receptionist asked if I would like the 11:30 appointment ~ or how about the 1:30.  Both conflicted with tennis…and I reasoned to myself, he wasn’t in any pain…what was the harm in waiting a little longer?  I set his appointment for 3:30 and went on my day.

I picked Lucas up…he was FINE.  No pain.  He had his back pack on both shoulders.  He was chipper and sunshiny…I felt like it was going to be a waste of everyone’s time but I knew I had to get him examined, just to check the block….not so fast, the doctor says….it looks quite wrong, she says….let me call the orthopedic surgeon’s office and get you in, she says.  Our doctor comes back to our room, fairly quickly and says “You can go ahead on over to the ortho guy.  They are waiting for you.”  WAIT!  WHAT???  REALLY??!!??  Basically, it was a “do not pass go, do not collect $200…go right to jail” card…DAMN!

The X-Rays confirmed what we really already knew.  Lucas’ shoulder is separated…midly, but separated just the same.  DAMN!  Out of the sport he loves for three weeks…all with NO pain.  None of the medical personnel could explain his lack of pain…I now know it’s just an extremely high tolerance for what takes most people down.  I need to be watchful of that.  You would think I would have learned through so many years of ear infections but I didn’t.  Today, I won “Mother of the Year,” yet again.  And I feel more than a little guilty about it….I really hate winning “Mother of the Year” this way. 

I would rather win it for the love of my children…not ignoring their pain ~ or lack thereof.  DAMN!