Good morning...it's been an interesting 24 hours. I picked the big kid up at the stadium after the three hour ride, ran a few errands and headed home in an ice storm. An hour into the trip as we drove down the mountain, we realized that we forgot his MRI disk and had to turn around. BP Mama was not happy with her BP son, but she did not remember either...so no blame here. During the drive home, he went through the Kubler Ross's stages of death and dying....denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. He actually hit on the anger phase more than once....it was a tense ride, so to speak.
Once home, his desktop computer was not working and his laptop hard drive blew. Needless to say, we all ran for cover, including Diva dog. Let's just say, "I get it..." His team left for Florida without him, one of their top relievers, a kid who breathes and lives for baseball, someone who wants to play in the pros...He's angry and I get it and got it....
And so, after dinner, we quickly scattered and I left him to his thoughts and a Joe Namath special on HBO. Our 8 am appointment with the specialist could not come fast enough and when it did...oh boy....
Here are the facts...the MRI was read by the specialist. he performed a physical assessment, looked at his frame, asked several questions...and showed us a physical model of what is wrong. His diagnosis is NOT tendonitis, but a worn tendon from poor mechanics. Apparently, he throws across his chest and that had pulled the tendon. Treatment? If you chose surgery, you win a trip for four to Tampa!
Yes, laproscopic surgery will be performed over spring break when he should be in Alabama. Further, he will be in a sling for 4 weeks with physical therapy for four months and back throwing in August. Stunned would be an understatement. Disappointed would be an overstatement. here is BP mom's perspective:
The kid has grown exponentially but his fast ball has been losing velocity. The pain comes with throwing if he does not warm up. He cannot long toss and this has been going on since his senior year in high school. With a bad shoulder, he was still throwing well during winter ball. At this point in his career, he would be hitting 90 mph without breaking a sweat. Furthermore, the team physician and the hospital radiologist misread the MRI and have been treating him for something that he does not have-tendonitis since October.
And now, I feel that all of this is a blessing. The kid has been working hard without seeing results. He has been in pain for quite some time and the surgical procedure according to the doctor is 100% effective. Once he recovers from surgery, he will be working with the top physical therapist in the country who only works with major league pitchers. Ironically, his office in our backyard at the local hospital. I cannot help but feel that this is the plan for him and he will be better than ever. Our next hurdle, however, is to officially red-shirt him.
Red shirt means that he will be on the team and can train and travel with them, not play, retain another year of eligibility, and heal and rehab his shoulder. Now, the plan is to call the coach and meet with him on Monday as a family. Dad insists on one thing...if he stays in college for another year, he is to work on a graduate degree and not just take his time to finish his bachelor's degree.
Now that we have the plan of action, we can implement it. Oy! Who would have thought that it would be so complicated? But....to achieve a lofty goal, a person has to be committed, work hard, and be willing to make great sacrifices. And so we begin the road to rehabilitation.....
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