Sick Call ...... Tuesday, July 20th

Hey Everybody,

By now, I'm sure Mom posted something about talking to me on the phone Sunday night. It was very, very nice to be able to talk to Mom and Dad and catch up for a little bit. During that call, I had mentioned that I was going to go to sick call because my shins were swelling and you could push them down and leave an indentation......I'm no doctor, but I know that's not normal. This had been going on for a week and so I decided to miss a day and go to the doctor.

This may have been a mistake, I'm not sure exactly..... Since it was my shins, they took X-rays of them. While looking at them, there were no obvious problems, however the physician's assistant did not like how my Tibia's (yes, both of them looked in the X-ray. So now they are checking for stress fractures.... I have a bone scan on July 27th which will determine if I have any fractures in my legs.

If I do have stress fractures, I will automatically be a "dead man" (can't do anything) for 1 month and be restarted with another company. Or, I could be medically discharged and try again in 6 months (I think) If I was restarted, I would start at my last point of training, so I would have to wait for a company that is in week 5.

Basically, what I thought would be a minor deal, now has the potential to kick me in the face and throw me completely off track. Part of me is freaking out, because I don't want to have to stop. And the other part of me is trying to figure out the next step.

Currently, they put me on a week long profile to see if it improves. I'm not allowed to run/jump/ruck march, which HOPEFULLY will help with swelling and recovery.

Either way, PRAY, PRAY,PRAY, that I don not have stress fractures!!! I'll do my best to keep you updated on what happens from here on out.

Embrace the Suck
SPC Martin

Mom/Dad
-Don't worry, whatever happens, I know I'll be able to make it through.
Love you both,
Matt