Nov

24

Swelling and Scaring

November 24, 2011 | | Leave a Comment

It’s been two months since the removal of my cast and I am back in my heels. But when I wear flats, my tendon swells. Also, the scaring is terrible. Any advice on how to help the scar go away?

Aug

19

Newly Injured On The Mend — What’s Up With “Old School” Medicine?

August 19, 2011 | | 4 Comments

Thank you everyone who has responded to my blog/questions.  I’ve learned a lot from you and know that I am not alone in this journey.  In reading your collective responses I’ve learned that there are many schools of thought in treating our injury.  Some have stitches while still in hard casts while others have transitioned to boots a lot sooner than others. What gives?  Is there no "one" rule on how tho deal with this?  By the way, I am 10 days from getting my hard cast removed and transition into a boot…(yay)  My doctor seems to be taking the "old school" course in healing this.  I had to negotiate getting out of my hard cast a week early because there was no way he would put me into a walking boot before 4 weeks in a cast. So what should I expect when I get the boot — (pardon the pun)?  Do I have to sleep in it?  Can I not wear it in the shower?  By the way, the shower cast protector is fantastic!  If you don’t have one, get one!  Arrrrgh!  I just want to wear my shoes again!!!

Jul

29

Newly Injured — Can I Still Exercise While Waiting To Heal?

July 29, 2011 | | 6 Comments

Here’s a quick question for the community:  Can I still exercise with this a cast on?  I know not to put pressure/weight on it but has anyone had success with pilates or yoga or anything else to stay in shape/tone?

What exercises are good to get your leg back to its normal size?  I can see my left leg wasting away…it’s scary. It’s amazing how the body reacts when you restrict movement…

Any advice to share?

Jul

29

Newly Injured — I Got My Cast — On The Road To Recovery!

July 29, 2011 | | 3 Comments

OMG, I’m so excited! I have my cast! It’s orange! I’ve never had a cast before and I’m actually ok with it. I thought I was going to freak out but I was able to negotiate how high my cast would be. I know I would not be able to handle six weeks of with the cast being up to my knee cap. Yikes!

Working with  crutches is still hard but my husband purchased “The Only One” crutch and I’ve been practicing with that.

So thank you all who commented on my posts. I really appreciate all the support and advice from the community.

Jul

26

Newly Injured - A Different Perspective

July 26, 2011 | | 3 Comments

Having this injury has definitely given me a different perspective on how people treat people with different abilities.  I went to the grocery store to try to have some sense of normalcy in my life.  The closest store has underground parking (I live in the city) where handicapped parking is garaged but far from the front door and the motorized shopping carts are chained-up or dead.  After several minutes of watching the cart guy pass me as  I’m obviously on crutches I was able to get his attention by waving my crutch in the air and asked him to help me grab a cart with a functional basket.   I sat in the cart.  It was covered in garage soot and only God knows what.  I learned how to go forward and backward and learned to stay seated when it stopped then pitched forward.

Oh the looks and stares of “please don’t come my way because I don’t want to move” were overwhelming.

Sitting in the cart I realized that various sections — such as the produce bins and shelves were much higher than I could reach.  Fortunately I was able to stand on one leg to get what I needed but what about the person who can’t stand up?  How do they get the fresh produce on the upper shelves?  The lanes were wide but other shoppers were rude.   I found myself waiting for shoppers to finish conversations among themselves before they would move their baskets to let me get by.  Store staff who were stacking produce didn’t offer assistance but would look at me hard because my presence caused them to have to move their flats out of the way.

I felt challenged when I had to maneuver between a stack of soda and charcoal to get by because that aile was narrowed by promotional end-caps.

I now have a new perspective on being handicapped.  I will no longer walk by a person in the store or wherever and not ask if they need assistance or ask if they would like company while they shopped to help out.  When I heal from this injury, I will find an organization where I can volunteer my time, my reach and my legs.

Just a thought…

Jul

25

Newly injured seeking advice

July 25, 2011 | | 7 Comments

I recently tore my achilles while at the gym “doing the right thing” with my trainer when I heard the haunting “pop” and felt the kick behind me.  Needless to say this is the  most inconvenient thing that has ever happened to me.  My job is not all that understanding — even though I work at a hospital.

I’m due for my post-op this week and I am terrified of being in a cast.  Has anyone ever gone from post-op to a weight bearing boot?  Is that possible?  I’m kinda freaking out over this whole thing…

Jul

24

Hello world!

July 24, 2011 | | Leave a Comment

Welcome to AchillesBlog.com.

This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Following link will take you to your blog’s “command center” where you can write your posts:
http://AchillesBlog.com/1shutinathlete/wp-admin/

Be sure to fill out your city, Achilles rupture date, surgery date, etc.. (if you know it) here:
Fill out my Achilles Profile Here

When you do, you can keep track of your recovery progress and see your information on the Marathon Tracker.

Here’s more info: using Achilles Timeline Widget

Please change this post’s title to something more descriptive. Just leaving it as “Hello World” leads people to believe that you haven’t updated your first post!

If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask! :)

Dennis