The vows

“In sickness and in health.” Vows Mark and I made to one another, fully aware of the possibility that we would be making emergency room runs with our children. We were both young, healthy and a bit accident prone. I’m naturally clumsy and have required a few memorable runs to the emergency room in my youth. Mark also had his fair share of run-ins with silage forks, chainsaws and flying debris, requiring doctor visits and tetanus shots. We just assumed our children would carry on our traditions. Thankfully, they didn’t. We only had one ER run with Jonathon 16 years ago while making maple syrup. No scars, just funny stories of how I may have run a red light or two on the way to the hospital in the rain.

As we have gotten older, our bodies are showing signs of wear and tear over the years of farming. Like many dairy farmers, Mark’s shoulders and knees may have aged a bit faster than the rest of his body. His knees are adjusting to fewer deep knee bends without having cows to milk every day, but his shoulders are a different story.

A few years back, Mark and I traveled to the Twin Cities to meet with an orthopedic shoulder surgeon recommended by a fellow dairy farmer. He had had good luck with this doctor over the years. The surgeon had seen some pretty messed-up shoulders as he was a surgeon for the Twins pitchers. He was able to get many of them back on the mound after repairing the damage. This sounded like the right doctor for Mark.

After looking over Mark’s x-rays and MRIs, he paused and looked directly at Mark. He had only one question before we could move forward: “Are you done milking cows?” The shoulder recovery would require several months removed from the barn and chores. Did he have enough dedicated labor back home to stay out of the barn? That was a big life question we weren’t ready to face yet. So, the surgery was tabled and Mark kept milking.

As you know, we did eventually sell the cows in October last year. Mark’s body has been transitioning to different types of movements and stretching; no more deep knee bends and fewer shoulder stretches to reach the pipeline. Torn, sore muscles weren’t being aggravated every milking. His body was getting a chance to recover — until December. Stepping out of the truck, Mark slipped on some ice, with his left shoulder breaking the fall. Nothing was broken, but other types of damage were discovered in the MRI.

He tried some rehab therapy for a few weeks, but it was not working. Now was the right time for surgery. Unfortunately, our original shoulder surgeon had retired, and we needed to find a new one. It is amazing how much things can change in a few years. Now, the surgeons are younger than our kids, and they grew up playing video games — hence they do their surgeries via joysticks. Talk about a leap of faith and trust to climb up on the operating table, but the pain was stronger than the doubts, and Mark moved forward.

There were a few things Mark needed to take care of before he went under the “knife.” He needed new slip-on shoes and a new recliner. He needed to go shopping. (I’m not counting this as an exotic trip on my Bingo board for the year.)

By delaying his surgery these past years, technology and life came together to make things a bit easier for his recovery. He found a pair of shoes in his size that he could just slip his feet into without having to tie. No hands needed.

His biggest purchase was a new recliner for his recovery. He needed a chair to sleep in for the next month or two. We already have two recliners. One is a La-Z-Boy we received from Mark’s parents as a wedding present almost 40 years ago. I spent many nights in that chair, nursing and rocking babies to sleep. It has held up well. Our newest one is only 22 years old, but isn’t built to sleep in. It needed to be replaced.

Mark found the perfect lift chair recliner with heated lumbar support. He can maneuver it to a zero-gravity position to provide a comfortable night’s sleep with the touch of a button. I think the other reason he bought it was because of the hidden beverage holder. We brought it home the night before the surgery, and Mark moved into it. Nothing like the last minute.

We are in the first week post-op. Things have gone remarkably well, but we’re waiting for next week to start rehab, when the real pain may hit. The shoes and recliner have been perfect fits for Mark. He can’t do his chores of feeding heifers, but he can still walk around outside to “supervise” how things are moving along. The recovery time may keep Mark out of the tractors during planting time, but this is a year of transitions, so it seems to be the perfect timing to take the first steps in healing.

I’m especially excited for this time of healing. Mark has done such a great job of taking care of me through my ambulance adventures over the years; now, it is my turn to live out our vows and take care of him during his recovery.

As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark Schmitt started an adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.