Recent rupture 10/5/2015. Surgery Complete, what I’ve learned so far…
Hello everyone, I recently had a total rupture of my left achilles and am now on the mend after completing my surgery exactly one week ago. My story sounds like most that I’ve read on here, heard a very loud pop and instantly knew that something was seriously wrong. Until this happened to me i never realized how long a process it is to recover from an achilles injury. Ive never had a serious injury and I guess its not something you worry or think about until you’ve already had it happen to you. This site has helped educate me on what to expect and how to proceed in recovering from my injury since an achilles rupture is a pretty serious type injury and from what I have learned can have pit falls if your not careful. I decided to join and start posting my story and also voice my concerns as i go through my recovery. So as of now everything has gone very well except for a scare shortly after my surgery. On the third night after my surgery i got up in the middle of the night to use the bath room. I grabbed my crutches and started making my way when i lost my balance and for a split second stepped lightly down on my recently operated on foot to catch myself. The pain was intense but all i could think about was “did i just do something to my tendon thats gonna effect how it heals?”. The pain went away by morning so i don’t think i stepped down hard enough to do damage but the worry was definitely there. Needles to say I gave up the crutches for the time being and have gone with the knee scooter to have more stability. (Lesson one get a knee scooter) Other than that scare things have been i would say similar to most peoples story on the blog. The pain after surgery lasted for about three to four days after the surgery and i really can’t stay up right for more then 10 min or so and the throbbing will start in my foot. I wiggle my toes throughout the day and find my self wanting to move my foot more and more but i kinda fight the urge and try to keep the movement only in the toes. I can say the constipation from the pain killers is a real thing and you can find yourself in a miserable situation fast with a throbbing foot and no other choice but to sit on the can and put in work. So the faster you can kick the heavy medication and stay with only motrin i would say is a win (thats lesson number 2). I have four more days until my follow up where i hope to transition from the splint i was put in after surgery to the VACOcast. After doing my research on achilles injuries i went out and bought myself one since it seems they are the best boots out there when it comes to recovery. Ive been on the look out of the best physical therapy solutions and routes. The thing i dread the most or am starting to worry about is that i get a physical therapist that does have much experience with achilles and sends me down the wrong path as i gain mobility back.
