My son has a stress fracture in his heel

[AaronsMom]

I just got off the phone with my SRs girlfriend and she had received a call from him regarding their son.  He had called me last Saturday and was really upset because he could not complete his 1.5 mi run. After going to the doctor he found out he has a stress fracture of his left heel which was why he was having a problem running. I am so sad I could just cry. He will be held back until his heel heals enough for him to run again. I did some research online and that could take from 6-8 weeks.  GL is so far from Virginia and now it seems instead of seeing him 6/14 for his PIR, it could be twice that long. I would really appreciate any prayers and encouragement you could send my way and his. He left 4/16 and it already seems like forever. I was just reading about sending him letters and mail and realized that every letter I have sent him has 2 24cent stamps on them because that is all I had and his RDC can flag all his letters because of excess postage. I am so happy for all you moms who have had happy phone calls today. I know how great it is to hear your child's voice. I know that this too shall pass but I know how disappointed he is that he can not graduate with his division because of injury.  Say a prayer for us and thanks so much for your support and having this site that we can go to and share our good times and not so good.

[AaronsMom]

Thank you, Hayden's Mom.  Is your child in RCU too? I am not really even sure he is in RCU yet as I have not had a phone call or a letter, only what he could quickly tell his girlfriend on Tuesday before the RTC yelled at him to hang up. I know the Navy is trying to prepare the SRs to become sailors, it just seems a little harsh if your SR is injured that they can't notify their parents. I am hoping for a phone call today to shed some light on the situation.  I can't even send him a letter because I am not sure where he is. It isn't just the SRs who are used to having cell phones and texting capabilities; this being out of contact when you have heard that your child is hurt is so stressful for their families. I am trying not to worry and once I hear from him, I will at least know what is going on and where he is. Thank you for your wishes and hugs and if you have someone in RCU, I hope they are well on their way to recovery. :)

[Hayden's Mom 12 207]

I'm sorry, I don't even know what RCU means. My son is at GL and will PIR 5/31..so far so good! Your story streamed into my notifications and I just wanted to let you know that one mom to another, your boy is in my thoughts. The one message that I hear over and over is,"No news is GOOD news." Hard to believe that when we have raised our children in a technology driven world, however, I believe your son is safe and in good hands..hang in there Mom!

[AaronsMom]

Thanks for the wishes. RCU is the infirmary ship. My son wasn't able to finish his 1.5 mi run last week because he has a stress fracture of his left heel and so he will be in the RCU (recovery care unit?) 4-8 weeks until it heals and he can run again and resume regular boot camp. His original PIR was 6/14 but that will be pushed back until he can run again. I'm just moaning and groaning because it will be longer until I can give him a hug. lol  Best wishes for your SR, I know you are proud of him!

[lemonelephant]

RCU stands for Recruit Convalescent Unit and is where sick or injured recruits go to heal and be cycled back into another TG and have PIR or to continue training and then go on to "A" School or training following BST without PIR.

[lemonelephant]

You can continue sending letters to the address you had and they will be forwarded. If he is in the RCU, the address is:

SHIP 04 DIV 2341

3600 Ohio Street

Great Lakes, IL 60088-7103

[AaronsMom]

Thank you for the clarification and the address. I had hoped to hear from him today and since I haven't, I will continue to send letters to Ship 14 until I learn differently. If he hasn't called, maybe it isn't as serious as first thought. I can always hope. I think I will contact his recruiter tomorrow and see if he can find out what is going on with him. I feel sure he is in good hands wherever he is, I would just like to know where. Thanks again for being such a wonderful source of information.

[lemonelephant]

Yes, I would think it would be in the computer for the recruiter if they have moved him.

[spookmom (ship 14 div 367)]

AaronsMom, I know it will be hard on you all for him to be set back, but it might be the best for him.  My son had a lot of trouble with his shins in boot camp.  One test showed stress fractures, one didn't.  The doctor gave him the choice to go on or be set back.  He only had a couple of weeks left, so he sucked it up and went on, barely passing his last run.  That was 6 months ago and he is still having a lot of trouble.  They say he had fractures that never healed.  I pray that your son heals quickly so he can get on with his Navy career.  Hang in there!

[AaronsMom]

Thank you spookmom, I just wrote him a letter telling him the same thing. I told him it is not a sprint, it's a marathon and he wants to make a career in the Navy so it is not the end of the world if it takes him a little longer to get healed and on with the process. I used to get really bad shin splints when I was much younger and played a lot of tennis and basketball. If you don't let it heal, it will only get worse. I hope your son gets the chance to let his injuries heal up. Nothing is worse than constant nagging pain. Thank you for the encouragement. I guess my biggest concern is not really knowing how bad it is or where he is. I am working on my patience trait. :) Thank you again and I hope your son is doing well. Is he still in A school, C school or has he completed all that?

[Barbydahlzz ALUM 09/075 USS JPJ]

The Navy has come a long way with the care of our sailors...  I too had bad shin splints while i was in Navy boot camp in Orlando (yea when the Navy had 3 places for boot) and our CC's (RDC now) just told us to "suck it up and go on... "  just remembering how many of us were in pain for one thing or another..in Today's navy.. we all would have been examined and probably held to heal.  Yea it sucks to be held back for one thing or another.. I got bronchitis in boot and was held back a couple weeks..but it just makes us STRONGER..  keep hanging in !!

[spookmom (ship 14 div 367)]

Thanks, AaronsMom.  My son is still in school, will finish in June.  He has an appointment for another bone scan soon, and after that they will decide if he gets physical therapy or what.

[AaronsMom]

I am glad he was able to get through boot camp. It sounds like if he is still having pain, some physical therapy might be good. Everything I have been able to find out online says the best thing is just staying off it for anywhere from 4 - 8 weeks.  That is a long time to be out of commission.  I just hate not being able to find out something definite. I read on the Navy site that the SRs get a call home in the event of injury and the fact that his recruiter couldn't find any record of him in his computer doesn't make me feel any better. I want to call someone and find out where my son is and what he is going through. Really frustrating. I do hope your son's bone scan will give them a clear idea of what to do for him. Will keep both of you in my prayers too.