Feeling Lost! - Navy For Moms2024-03-29T14:26:58Zhttps://navyformoms.ning.com/forum/topics/feeling-lost?groupUrl=ship04div741&commentId=1971797%3AComment%3A6933332&groupId=1971797%3AGroup%3A5154467&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHi Cathy, Oh I soooooo rememb…tag:navyformoms.ning.com,2013-09-01:1971797:Comment:81535712013-09-01T02:52:56.496ZJillhttps://navyformoms.ning.com/profile/Jill245
<p>Hi Cathy, <br></br>Oh I soooooo remember that upset phone call. Not a good day.<br></br>I'm a bit confused too. Probably because I have no medical training, but if he requires surgery, why are they waiting? It can't possibly take that long for any swelling to go down. <br></br>One piece of advice though, the diagnosis and treatment tend to change frequently in RCU. I don't know if at some point, they start planning for the worst case scenario, or what, but I remember seeing that a lot. It's a…</p>
<p>Hi Cathy, <br/>Oh I soooooo remember that upset phone call. Not a good day.<br/>I'm a bit confused too. Probably because I have no medical training, but if he requires surgery, why are they waiting? It can't possibly take that long for any swelling to go down. <br/>One piece of advice though, the diagnosis and treatment tend to change frequently in RCU. I don't know if at some point, they start planning for the worst case scenario, or what, but I remember seeing that a lot. It's a roller coaster. My son broke his pelvis, so I assumed the healing time would be a lot longer than it really was, and at one point, surgery with metal pins was talked about, but of course never happened. So hang in there cause you never know.....I think sometimes the diagnosis changes when they end up seeing a different doctor, and find out it may not be as bad as it first looked...<br/>THU, (short for The Holding Unit, and I'm not kidding) is both for recruits who are medically discharged and waiting to go home, BUT it's also for Sailors who have been in RCU, went on to graduate, and are waiting to be assigned to a specific class for whatever training they need for their particular job. I've seen the stays at THU range from just a couple days to three or four months. It just depends on when the next round of classes starts for their individual jobs. <br/>Remember that my information is a year old, but THU is much better for the kids. More priviledges, phone calls, some computer time, more general freedom, but it IS still boring if you have to stay there for a long time. <br/>Best all around advice I can give you, is don't make the mistake of thinking the roller coaster will be over when your son gets out of RCU.....it is the Navy.....and there are always surprises, and changes of plans.<br/>I have lost track of the times I've had to make and cancel hotel reservations in the last 2 years.<br/>My son's homecoming from deployment was recently cancelled due to the situation in the Middle East, so he's still out there, and once again I can't communicate with him, just like you guys in RCU. Sure makes you appreciate every single little email or FB post when you have them.<br/>Hang in there, Miss Cathy. Feel free to vent to me anytime.</p> cleokitty93....Jill, you hit…tag:navyformoms.ning.com,2013-07-02:1971797:Comment:80097652013-07-02T02:43:08.687Zpaceshttps://navyformoms.ning.com/profile/paces
<p>cleokitty93....Jill, you hit all the key areas and hope your sailor is doing well. Cleokittly, know that these ladies here are some of the best you can ever find. Although I don't keep in touch as I should, I developed several friendships as well. The most important thing is to give all the encouragement you can to your son. Our son spent nearly a year in RCU with a broken fibula. He became extremely discouraged and disheartened and often said that he had let us down. Just be prepared for…</p>
<p>cleokitty93....Jill, you hit all the key areas and hope your sailor is doing well. Cleokittly, know that these ladies here are some of the best you can ever find. Although I don't keep in touch as I should, I developed several friendships as well. The most important thing is to give all the encouragement you can to your son. Our son spent nearly a year in RCU with a broken fibula. He became extremely discouraged and disheartened and often said that he had let us down. Just be prepared for this and be as positive as you can and tell him how proud you are of him. As Jill said, God has a plan and it may not be the path that your son chose, but have the faith and courage to power through.</p>
<p>Our son went in with a Spec Ops contract for EOD. He was doing great. Prepared for a year through a DEP training with a SEAL Motivator and was well on his way when he broke his leg. Needless to say, he lost his contract. He is now a MA in Bahrain. Not what he wants to do and we still have to continually provide motivation and encouragement for him because he is so unhappy. We hope to be able to see him sometime this Fall, but not sure.</p>
<p>There is light at the end of the tunnel. You can depend on these ladies to help you through and I as well as Jill, I am sure, will stay in touch. Please lean on these wonderful ladies for encouragement as you send encouragement to your son. It is truly one of the toughest roads you will travel. Best wishes for you. Susan</p>
<p></p> Hello cleokitty! So sorry to…tag:navyformoms.ning.com,2013-07-01:1971797:Comment:80089032013-07-01T22:45:32.542ZJillhttps://navyformoms.ning.com/profile/Jill245
<p>Hello cleokitty! So sorry to hear of your son's injury. I know you have a million questions, I will try to answer what I can, but every situation is different. My son was in here over a year ago now, he is now deployed overseas. Although his injury was bad, he never had to have surgery, so your path is going to be a lot different than ours, I'm sure.<br></br>What normally happens is that there are 4 stages in RCU that the kids are put through, depending on their level of physical ability. …</p>
<p>Hello cleokitty! So sorry to hear of your son's injury. I know you have a million questions, I will try to answer what I can, but every situation is different. My son was in here over a year ago now, he is now deployed overseas. Although his injury was bad, he never had to have surgery, so your path is going to be a lot different than ours, I'm sure.<br/>What normally happens is that there are 4 stages in RCU that the kids are put through, depending on their level of physical ability. Each stage is progressive, and sometimes they move forward, only to move back again for awhile if they aren't ready yet. The kids are being well taken care of, lots of therapy etc. The main complaint is boredom, so write, write, write. Include things like newspaper articles, photos printed on plain paper etc.. anything you can think of, just try to send something every single day if you can. <br/>Ideally, after moving to the last stage in RCU, the kids go back into a division to finish training. Usually they find a division who is at approximately the same level as your son was when he was injured. But it all depends on how much training he received prior to the injury.<br/>I know your main question is probably whether or not your son still has a career in the Navy. I wish I could answer that, but I can't. I CAN tell you something for certain though. I remain friends to this day with several other moms whose sons and daughters were in here. Some made it, some did not. You just have to know that God has a plan for all these kids, Navy or not. The ones who didn't make it have since gone on to other things, and are doing fine. Some on other career paths, some back to school. I understand, believe me, what you and your son are going through. It's heartbreaking, and nerve wracking, and you never ever know what's going to happen next sometimes. Went through all that, and I can tell you, it was one of the hardest things EVER to have to go through. My son, Danny, tells me that it was actually much harder on me than it was on him. ha<br/>There will be letters and phone calls that you get that will be discouraging from your son. That's natural. You have to remember though, that some days he will be down, and other days aren't so bad. These kids learn a whole new level of patience, which can aid them later on down the road. And they also have the opportunity to make friends, very close bonds, with guys in here, that the other recruits never have the chance for. <br/>If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask, I'll be happy to tell you what I know, but remember that my information is a year old. A lot can change in that time. I highly recommend that you read through the past posts on these pages here. There is a wealth of information that can ease your mind a little.<br/>Prayers for you and your son! Hang in there, brighter days are ahead, I promise.</p>
<p>Jill</p> Hi Jill,
My son was starting…tag:navyformoms.ning.com,2013-06-30:1971797:Comment:80047692013-06-30T18:24:15.501Zcleokitty93https://navyformoms.ning.com/profile/dcaraccio647
<p>Hi Jill,</p>
<p>My son was starting his 5th week of bootcamp and also has a hip stress fracture. He would have graduated July 19, 2013. He had surgery in the VA hospital on June 25 screws holding his cracked femur, its pretty serious and he will be in the hospital for at least 6-8 weeks, just don't know what will happen at this point??</p>
<p>Hi Jill,</p>
<p>My son was starting his 5th week of bootcamp and also has a hip stress fracture. He would have graduated July 19, 2013. He had surgery in the VA hospital on June 25 screws holding his cracked femur, its pretty serious and he will be in the hospital for at least 6-8 weeks, just don't know what will happen at this point??</p> I'm not reading the thread. …tag:navyformoms.ning.com,2012-06-07:1971797:Comment:71090812012-06-07T01:24:28.134ZParrothdgalhttps://navyformoms.ning.com/profile/Parrothdgal
<p>I'm not reading the thread. I know he will get a chance to call you once a week and they are doing everything to get him well and finish boot camp. This is not a place for real seirous injuries so you can feel fairly well about that. I will pray for your son and his fast recovery! Let the group know if you would like us to send him a note. You can send us the info in a PM and I for one would be happy to write him!!! NMH!!! Look for the Navy Mom's page on fb there is a great bunch there…</p>
<p>I'm not reading the thread. I know he will get a chance to call you once a week and they are doing everything to get him well and finish boot camp. This is not a place for real seirous injuries so you can feel fairly well about that. I will pray for your son and his fast recovery! Let the group know if you would like us to send him a note. You can send us the info in a PM and I for one would be happy to write him!!! NMH!!! Look for the Navy Mom's page on fb there is a great bunch there too! :o)</p>
<p> </p> Hiya Zach's mom. welcome to t…tag:navyformoms.ning.com,2012-03-20:1971797:Comment:69377082012-03-20T02:24:13.582ZJacquehttps://navyformoms.ning.com/xn/detail/u_39emlbop6jeoc
<p>Hiya Zach's mom. welcome to the group. My daughter was just sent to RCU two weeks before graduating so trust me I know your pain. She was due to graduate next week. She too has stress fractures one on each leg. These ladies are wonderful and so hard as it is to do, try not to worry. We are here for eachother and for you.</p>
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<p>Hiya Zach's mom. welcome to the group. My daughter was just sent to RCU two weeks before graduating so trust me I know your pain. She was due to graduate next week. She too has stress fractures one on each leg. These ladies are wonderful and so hard as it is to do, try not to worry. We are here for eachother and for you.</p>
<p></p> Sharon and Misdes... You are…tag:navyformoms.ning.com,2012-03-18:1971797:Comment:69341332012-03-18T21:32:34.458Zpaceshttps://navyformoms.ning.com/profile/paces
<p>Sharon and Misdes... You are both so correct. One day at a time, positive attitudes and prayers. Our son has actually already finished boot camp and moved on to Spec Ops Prep. It was there that he re-injured his leg and as a result lost his EOD contract. He is now in a transition unit on Medical Hold and is in physical therapy. Fortunately, he did not re-break the leg as we first thought. He was devastated when he lost his contract. That was the last week in Feb. He has finally started…</p>
<p>Sharon and Misdes... You are both so correct. One day at a time, positive attitudes and prayers. Our son has actually already finished boot camp and moved on to Spec Ops Prep. It was there that he re-injured his leg and as a result lost his EOD contract. He is now in a transition unit on Medical Hold and is in physical therapy. Fortunately, he did not re-break the leg as we first thought. He was devastated when he lost his contract. That was the last week in Feb. He has finally started accepting ideas of other options, but it has taken a while for him to get over the feeling of being a failure. We just keep reassuring him that we are proud of him and we love him and most of that he is certainly not a failure.</p>
<p>Hugs and prayers, Susan</p> Thanks Ladies for all the val…tag:navyformoms.ning.com,2012-03-18:1971797:Comment:69336202012-03-18T14:05:47.092Zmisdeshttps://navyformoms.ning.com/profile/misdes
<p>Thanks Ladies for all the valuable information. My SR was in a 900 division as well, playing the drums but from everything I read I believe he will prob. not be put in with another division as he was already in week 4-5 not sure of that due to procesing week. It think it was the final PFA. He only had 22 days left. But I have read some moms on previous posts stating that their SR was injured on their last week! That is gut wrenching! I think my son has a positive attitude and he is…</p>
<p>Thanks Ladies for all the valuable information. My SR was in a 900 division as well, playing the drums but from everything I read I believe he will prob. not be put in with another division as he was already in week 4-5 not sure of that due to procesing week. It think it was the final PFA. He only had 22 days left. But I have read some moms on previous posts stating that their SR was injured on their last week! That is gut wrenching! I think my son has a positive attitude and he is highly motivated. I try to send him motivating messages/ letters several times a week. I agree this is going to make all of our sons/daughter stronger- mentally and physically. This is how life goes you never know what life will bring one day till the next. I believe it will build strength and character. We just have to roll with the punches:)</p> Paces, Thanks for your help!…tag:navyformoms.ning.com,2012-03-18:1971797:Comment:69335472012-03-18T13:21:45.932ZSharonWhttps://navyformoms.ning.com/profile/SharonW
<p>Paces, Thanks for your help! Great point about not 'pushing the envelope' and risk re-injury. My SR said that was why he wanted to let the medical staff know he had pain when he started running again earlier this month. He told us once he moves to phase 4 (again) he will start off easy to avoid re-injury as he really wants to move on and get with a division again. </p>
<p>I'm sorry to hear that your SR has another injury on the same leg - poor guy. I re-read your earlier post and agree…</p>
<p>Paces, Thanks for your help! Great point about not 'pushing the envelope' and risk re-injury. My SR said that was why he wanted to let the medical staff know he had pain when he started running again earlier this month. He told us once he moves to phase 4 (again) he will start off easy to avoid re-injury as he really wants to move on and get with a division again. </p>
<p>I'm sorry to hear that your SR has another injury on the same leg - poor guy. I re-read your earlier post and agree with you that they are where they are for a reason and to take it one day at a time. </p>
<p>Prayers for all our SR's, Sharon </p> Hi, everyone.... I have been…tag:navyformoms.ning.com,2012-03-18:1971797:Comment:69333342012-03-18T12:53:56.769Zpaceshttps://navyformoms.ning.com/profile/paces
<p>Hi, everyone.... I have been following your discussions and I just wanted to help with a couple of questions, if you don't mind. Your SR's can finish boot camp in RCU. That is what ours did. It really depends on what week of training they went in. Ours went in his 4th week 4th day. He only had one more PFA and roughly a week and a half. It also depends on what their designation is. Ours was Spec Ops. One of the boys was in the 900 division which is the fine arts. If there isn't another group…</p>
<p>Hi, everyone.... I have been following your discussions and I just wanted to help with a couple of questions, if you don't mind. Your SR's can finish boot camp in RCU. That is what ours did. It really depends on what week of training they went in. Ours went in his 4th week 4th day. He only had one more PFA and roughly a week and a half. It also depends on what their designation is. Ours was Spec Ops. One of the boys was in the 900 division which is the fine arts. If there isn't another group similar to theirs coming through soon, they will let them finish in RCU. It is really to their benefit to do that. They are still under medical care at that time. Our was in RCU for 2 and 1/2 months. Encourage your SR's to make sure they are completely healed. Ours pushed the envelope and is now suffering with another injury on the same leg. They will do all the training they would with their unit, they will just have a corpsman with them to supervise their activity.</p>
<p>I hope this helps some. They will take care of them. I will keep you all in our prayers. I know this is a difficult time, but your SR's will be stronger for this experience. I know ours was. Hugs and prayers, Susan</p>