Hold On

For all the boasting about self-care and couple time, I can be pretty garbage at making it a reality - we all can.  Sure I book date nights, manage to get out a few times a month with friends, book necessary appointments, and get in some runs, but as a parent a lot of the time the kids come first.  Mostly because that's what we need to do and what we get used to.  It's easy to forget that the original family line-up was just Chris and I.

Then, every once in a while, I get reminded about our couple team and how we both step up to the plate for each other when pitched a curve ball.

Chris has been experiencing back pain (which manifests itself in pain walking or standing in the lower back and legs) for nearly two months now, and it shows no sign of letting up - it's actually getting worse.  He's been to the doctor, he's been to the physio for hundreds of dollars of care, and after over a month of special exercises, X-rays, and a diagnosis of what we thought was spinal stenosis, we're back to the drawing board.  His X-rays have come back normal, the physio tapped out and now we've been referred to a specialist sports physician.  Good news right? Not exactly.

Image Courtesy of Giphy

Yesterday a call came in from the doctor's office confirming an appointment, six weeks from now.  I don't know if it's lucky or unlucky for Chris that I was the one who got the call.  While in terms of the world of specialists another six weeks for an appointment after eight weeks of pain seems like a lifetime. I understand how lucky we are to be in Canada where this treatment will now be covered under OHIP, but it still sucks to play the waiting game.

This mystery problem has been unrelenting.  He's been in constant pain.  It's impacted his mood, his patience and all of our lives, and his ability to do everyday things with us ranging from going for a simple walk to playing with the kids.

So I protested, I begged, I pleaded, and I got us on a cancellation list so as soon as there is someone who bails on their appointment, Chris can run/hobble there in a heartbeat and we can figure out what the heck is going on and do what we can to improve his pain and try and get things back to normal.

I later found out that Chris has been telling everyone how I wouldn't take no for an answer.  At first I thought he was annoyed about me and my big mouth.  Then he explained how I said things he wouldn't have if he had received the call about the appointment, how I, hopefully, was going to get results. I guess in the mess of parenting, I don't go mama bear all that often for my husband, and it's easy to forget to take care of your partner or yourself.

Sometimes it's nice to be taken care of, even when you're an adult.  So parents, do something nice for your spouse without them asking - even if that something involves you saying "that's unacceptable" over and over again to a doctor's office receptionist.  It means more than you think.

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