Life Gets BUSY in Korea! 🇰🇷 | Elbow Surgery, Army Life & New First Sergeant Position

Previously on Doug and Marie's Life Chad finally came home from Missouri after being away for a couple of weeks. But we barely had time to settle back into our normal routine because two days later we packed our bags and headed to Indonesia for a week-long adventure. After an amazing trip, we came home thinking we could finally slow down. Well, not exactly. Five days after getting back from Indonesia, it was time for Chad's elbow surgery. And that was just the beginning. I already knew that once we got back from Indonesia, life was going to be very busy. We had three major things happening almost back to back. First, 8th Army had a hail and farewell dinner for Chad as he prepared to take on a 1st Sergeant position with his new unit. We woke up early and made our way to Osan Airbase. At this point, I feel like every year Chad ends up having some kind of surgery. But this time, it was his elbow. You ready for your surgery? Yeah, surgery's over. I haven't slept in the last couple weeks. It's all in your mind, baby. It's all in my trust. You know, sometimes, most of the time, the pain's on this side. Sometimes, it'll shift over here. You don't worry that you're not being pained because you're in American hospital. Yeah, ----. They should give me some type of nerve block. Korean hospital. You're gonna be having nerve block when I walk up for the anesthesia. That's the worst pain in my life. Whole body's shaking. Like, sir, stop screaming. I'm like, I'm in pain. Korean medical practice is way different from army medicine. Even as a nurse, it's hard not knowing exactly what to expect. I took the day off to stay with Chad, thinking I could go home later and come back the next day. But here in Korea, some hospitals require the guardian to stay with the patient all the time. If you leave the premises, you're not allowed to come back into the room. From a nursing standpoint, I understand. It's a way to reduce infection risk. It made sense during COVID. I just didn't expect it'd still be the practice today. The surgery went well. But Chad was in a lot of pain afterwards. I had to advocate for him, asking the nurses to give him additional pain medication because what he was receiving wasn't just enough. It's hard being a nurse and not being in control. But in moments like this, advocating is the only thing I can do. That's what you should be eating after surgery, not pizza. That's a common thing. With me waking up from anesthesia and just feeling the pain. We got checked in, went through all the pre-op procedure, and before we knew it, it was time for him to head back home. You're having a party. See ya. Bye. So we're here at the hospital today. Chad is getting his elbow surgery. And this is his third surgery since we got here in Korea. Thankfully, the surgery itself went well. But there was one little problem. The nerve block didn't work. So while he was in the recovery unit, they had to give him another nerve block to help him control the pain. Chad is two days post-op and everything went well. As for now, I'm working. Chad is at home, recovering. I hope that when we're doing this elbow surgery, he will go right back to his normal routine. So far so good. He's eating well. I got him a chopstick so that way he can eat with his left hand. Next week, Wednesday, he will have his 10 days post-op. As of now, he's still at the 8th Army. And he will be at the 8th Army until the end of the month. Chad was placed on two weeks of convalescent leave, which gave him some time to recover from surgery. And honestly, he needed it. But there wasn't really much time for extended recovery. Once those two weeks were over, it's time to go back to work. He still had to out-process from his old unit, get everything squared away, and prepare for his new position. Because apparently, surgery, recovery, new unit, new position, all at once, wasn't enough. We went shopping for his new uniform and got his new rank sewn on in preparation for his photo shoot. Two tops and two pants. Merge. Breathe, baby. Seeing him get ready for the next chapter made me really happy. Because Chad is happiest when he's working with soldiers. He loves mentoring them, helping them grow, and being there for his people. It's good overall. I've got most of my mobility. But, you know, doing stuff up here kind of still, like, I just don't have the strength. Yeah, and just yesterday, I could finally press, you know, like our soap dispenser for hand soap, I could finally press it down. But it's still like, you know, I just don't have a lot of power, strength. Actually, I got a call because the referral should be in. They said I'll start doing occupational therapy, but it'll just be probably stretching or something. Love you. Thank you. Love you. Bye-bye. You're a piece of ----. I'm trying to let her know. Because she was trying to do the insurance, and I'm like, no. Even though this transition came with a lot of changes, I know this is exactly where he wants to be. He's getting his kitchen. We tried to put concealer in his face last night. From surgery, recovery, a new unit, and a new leadership position. Life here in Korea definitely isn't slowing down anytime soon.