The Diagnosis and Surgery
After the injury, I immediately iced the back of my calf. There was pain but it was not horrendous (or at least not what everyone says a rupture should feel like). I even slept thru most of the night.
Urgent Care (1 day post-injury)
One day after the injury, my mom helped take me to the local urgent care. We really didn’t know what I needed to do but urgent care may not have been the best choice. The doctor that I saw definitively said that my achilles tendon was intact. X-Rays showed no broken bones (I already was certain of this) and they put me in a boot. I was told that I would need to wear the boot for 4 week and to go to PT for a month. I did not feel confident in the diagnosis which is probably because there was not really a diagnosis.
Seeing a Physical Therapist (3 days post-injury)
By Wednesday, I met up with my friend who is a PT. At first glance, she did not think my injury looked too bad. There was minimal bruising and swelling. She had me turn onto my stomach and did a Thompson test. That is when I got the “ohh girlll…” She let me know that she was feeling a gap and that she recommended that I go get an MRI asap. I already had suspected that something was torn and an MRI would help give a definitive answer of what was wrong.
Seeing an Orthopedic Surgeon (10 days post-injury)
My mom and I did some research and reached out to friends for an orthopedic rec. We were pretty lost in figuring out who to see. A close friend recommended a surgeon in the area that had a great website and great reviews online so we decided it was the best bet. I got the soonest appointment available (10 days after the injury). The orthopedic surgeon looked at my ankle briefly, performed a Thompson test and let me know that he was 90% sure that my achilles was ruptured. An hour later I was having and MRI and then headed back to the office. We confirmed the rupture and surgery was recommended due to my age and activity level. We were very confident that we had the right doctor for the surgery. Surgery was scheduled for 2 days later (12 days after injury).
Surgery
The only surgery that I have ever had was my wisdom teeth, so there was definitely some nervousness. I also had less than 2 days to prepare, so there was not much time to think. Part of me was a bit torn though; I walked into the surgery center without any pain in my ankle but I also knew that this was the best option for me. The worst part of the experience was definitely the IV, but even that was not that bad! I think my experience was pretty standard. After the procedure, I was a bit bothered not completely understanding or knowing what happened after I passed out. They gave me some additional pain meds and sent me on my way. I think I was there for under 5 hours total.
Post-Op
While the first few days post-surgery are supposed to be the worst, they really weren’t too bad for me. While I was on pain medications, I never felt like the pain was unmanageable. I kept my foot elevated any time that I was not in the bathroom. I was very lucky that I had my mom the take care of me. By day 3, I was only taking Aleve. The worst part was that the splint they put me in was a bit too tight on my toes but we did some adjusting ourselves. I went back to the Dr on day 3 and that was probably the worst part. I was nauseous and exhausted the entire time. I had to lay down for a lot of the time at the dr. I figured that it was just part of the process of getting back to activity but it was still humbling and frustrating.
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