My 15 year old son with severe hemophilia learned this week he needs to have elbow surgery. His elbow was a target joint many years ago. There has been quiet a bit of stress trying to plan it.
Last night Cody was filled with stress trying to figure out a time for the surgery that would least affect his busy life of activities. I sat down with him to prioritize his list. I could see he was becoming more and more frustrated. As I hugged him I said isn't it wonderful we are having such a problem finding time in your activity schedule! He thought for sure I had lost my mind! I started telling him that kids his age 30 or 40 years ago would not have a problem with this at all because they couldn't be in all the activities he was in.
Sometimes it is hard to look on the bright side when we are frustrated. It is important to sit back and take a breath. It was amazing how much of Cody's frustration was lifted by that one sentence I spoke to him.
I would love to hear how some of you have handled situations like this!
Make it a great day!
Lori
4 comments:
I am a 34 year old with severe hemophilia A. My left elbow surgery was done about 5 years ago. It has been a target joint all my life, but due to lack of activity, the elbow was slow to wear down.
From the little bit you wrote I can tell you are doing a great job teaching your son.
You are right. Those of use that grew up years ago had very few activities. I usually had to sit out during PE and watch. It is hard to be greatful for what you have when you have never lived without it. The surgery is worth putting aside some of the activities. He may not see it now, but hemophilia will be a blessing in his life. The sooner the surgery is done, the sooner he can get back to life. He may also appreciate what he is able to do more when he gives something up for a while that he loves. The adversity he faces with hemophilia will strengthen his character and make him a good leader one day.
If he is that stressed about giving up some activity, then he may not feel how important this is to his health yet. He may feel that fun is more important than this procedure. It may be time to pull back and cut out the extra. My mother usually didn't have that problem with me, but as an adult it has become one. Now that factor is easy to inject, I can choose my activities I want to do. I often find my self swamped. That is when i make the hard choice to give up something that can wait. Often supporting my friends/family from the sidelines is as important as being apart of the activity.
I am a park ranger for the US Army Corps of Engineers. I am active outdoors and know what it is like to be benched from activities. A sense of lose and being left out is common.
I am due for a knee replacement soon this year. That is a major surgery and I am having to take time from my work. But it is important and I had to learn that the hard way. Hopefully your son will realize that health is first and activities always take a back seat.
Hi there! How do I go about getting my son into becoming a park ranger as a moderate hemophilia b patient? It's like his dream!
I'm trying to figure out how to get my son going as a park ranger. He has Moderate Hemophilia B. What do I need to do with it?
Chelly, if you want the inside scoop on becoming a park ranger, you or anyone else can contact me directly on facebook. I am listed as SAMUELL PRICE. I have my sons little green pine wood derby car as my picture. Also, my name has 2 L's not one. All others on facebook have 1 L in their name. Message me about the blog and I will respond later with more info.
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