Surgery

Let me begin by saying that we made a decision at the end of the year to change our insurance this year to the cheapest option since we weren't planning on having a baby this year, and we never visit the doctor except well visits for the kids and very occasionally a sick visit for the kids. So all the money we were forking over for health insurance seemed a bit of a waste. We switched to a plan where it would cost us a lot more for each sick visit we made to the doctor, but we figured, even if there was a surprise baby or something it would probably still be cheaper for this plan. Ok, now on to the real story...

Jeremy played flag football on Thanksgiving morning with our stake. He was really excited to go, he took my brother Devin with him since they were visiting and had a good time. EXCEPT that Jeremy jammed his ring finger on his right hand pretty badly. When he got home it was already pretty swollen and bruised. Having jammed many a finger myself in my basketball days, I wasn't too concerned. I basically forgot about it, until weeks later he was still complaining of soreness and saying he couldn't do certain things because it hurt, or he couldn't play any basketball because he couldn't move his finger. I can't lie, I was a little perturbed. I most definitely thought he was being a bit of a drama queen for a jammed finger. I told him to go to the doctor before January if it was really that bad. But alas, life gets busy around the holidays and I don't think either of us thought more of it until last week or so.

Jeremy finally went to the doctor on Friday. He went to urgent care since we don't have a family doctor yet and it was probably cheaper that way anyway. He did an x-ray and found that the bones weren't broken, so he was referred to a hand specialist. Today he went to a hand specialist (it's hurts because these visits are now over $100 each instead of the $20 or so they would have been a few weeks ago!). He called me today with some shocking news. He is having surgery on Wednesday. His tendon has completely broken and is no longer attached to the top of his finger, hence why he has been unable to move it. The doctor also believes that the tendon is somehow caught on his second knuckle, hence the swelling and pain. So the surgery can have one of two outcomes. Ideal outcome: he reattaches the tendon to the top of the finger, and after 6 weeks of healing and further physical therapy, he will be fine. Outcome 2.. less ideal: the tendon cannot be reattached and will instead have to be severed completely and Jeremy will no longer have use of that finger.

CRAZY, right? I was shocked at the news, and more than a little humbled. So, short story long, if you read this in time and remember to say your prayers, you could please mention Jeremy and pray that he is able to save his little finger! If not, he'll have a weird ring finger that always sticks out, even when the others are closed. Unfortunately, that is the likely outcome since he waited so long to go to the doctor (which is partly my fault for telling him to suck it up).

And the last thing that needs to be said, is, SORRY BABY! I am insensitive and promise to believe you more when you say you're in pain in the future! I will definitely be saying my prayers!

Oh, and PS - surgery, 3 weeks after we change our insurance? Really? I guess we should have expected that! Good thing there's a maximum deductible because we have been basically guaranteed to hit it in just this one surgery! But, God works in mysterious ways and a huge blessing this last year was that Jeremy met his lofty work goal and got a bonus. Now we know what we will spend it on!... and the PS3 that was so important.. haha