Pop it like its Hot……

So I’ve seen the surgeon 7 weeks post op and the verdict is unknown WTF seriously!!!!

No scar tissue is present anywhere in the achilles including under the actual scar and the surgeon has never seen this before :s “i don’t know if this is a good thing or not, it should feel thick and I can feel your whole achilles and it feels thin. If feels the same as the other leg tho and there is no lump in there” fantastic where do i go from here.

Well in a boot for another week with the last wedge out and then start walking round the house bare footed for 30mins daily and more threaband work.

Not happy with this undecided advice i saw two physio’s who also agree with the surgeon “never seen or felt this before so soon after surgery with no scar tissue” but did get “it’s the best surgery i’ve seen and felt, however there is no scar tissue” I’ve been asked to go for another mri or ultrasound

Can someone please help me on this or if anyone else has experienced this.

Thanks muchly

Saturday 4th September- Tuesday 7th September 2010
So I’ve built up my left shoe (cut the first wedge I took out and used it as an insole) and learn’t to walk again! My parents must be so proud.

After 5 and a half weeks of constant war and conflict, I’ve almost established a truce with stairs. They are no longer the snake to my mongoose! I can hold onto the wall and 5mins later i’ve made it all the way to the top. It’s like conquering a much smaller size of Everest!

Friday 3rd September 2010
So today I took out wedge one……….*woop woop* one down three to go!!!

I started to put weight through my leg, pretty much straight away. So now I’m moving 38 times slower on crutches than I was yesterday and by lunch time I was down to one crutch!!!!! Jake the Peg strides on…….

By the end of the day I could partially weight bare through it, WITH……………WAIT FOR IT……………….no crutches!!!  Which means I am now officially doing the moon walk three weeks after surgery pain free and started some theraband work through my foot and calf

The joys of recovery

Sunday August 29th 2010
It has been 4 weeks today since my Achilles turned to mush. Thoroughly bored of hobbling around!

Friday 28th August 2010
I’ve finally mastered the stairs on crutches and my arms have doubled in size with muscle bulk from the usage.

So I had my first visit with my surgeon today, He cut the cast off, which was hard on top and soft  underneath (bit like a creme egg) and took my stitches out, all 15 off them, revealing a brand new scar, to add to my ever growing collection.

Now for the exciting part and $260 later…………My new SPACE BOOT!!!!! With a bonus of 4 heel wedges!!!! The first being removed next week and then another every fortnight until my foot is back at 90 degrees. The pain being in the boot was worse then when I left the hospital and being in a cast, because being in the boot elevated my toes ever so slightly creating a very slight strain on the tendon OMFG……….(I’m to remain on crutches until i can weight bare through the foot without pain) 

After walking back out to reception and making my next appt, I collasped straight down  to the floor like a sack of potatoes and there i lay for the next 5mins with wet towels on my head. The pain was terrible, it was torture! I was told it’ll go in the next few days. Screw going through this every time i have to take a wedge out and bring my toes up FML.

So day turned into night and I’m to wear the boot at all times except while showering. YES even to sleep in!!!! I decided to take off my space boot for show in tell purposes and by the look of things someone appears to have swapped one of my legs with Mr Burns!

My foot is going numb, well from above my arch right down to my big toe anyway and i don’t know WHY and it’s very painful. I’m convinced they cut through a nerve.

Here’s what I’ve learn’t so far…….

And Finally…….

Friday 13th August 2010-  (AKA Black Friday)
So into the hospital I hobble, my final walk into two shoes until 8+ weeks. The thought haunts me, on how long it’s going to take me to get back. While
I wait gowned up ready to be carved on the operation table, i met a young orderly named Tom who managed to take a teddy bear from somewhere and give  it to me to help keep me relaxed before going in. I was suppose to be waiting 10mins, but 10mins turned into an hour.

Wheeled into theatre was exciting, teddy and I enjoyed the ride and the views were breath taking……..NOT. I was crapping my pants to say the least. I flipped from my bed onto the operating table tummy down on a lot of pillows, i must say i was rather comfortable and after a long day i was ready for a sleep. Needle and drip go into my hand and i hear “you’ll be sleepy very soon” i was getting very sleepy, the last i heard was “the needle isn’t in far enough” and the pain of them forcing it in was terrible.

THEN……………….

SLEEP……………..

Post Op!
I woke up after 20mins of being there crying wanting to go home and to take  the  saline drip out of my hand which had bruised badly from them forcing the needle in. The Op went for 1hr 10mins and i woke up with another cast on with my foot elevated.

Pain? What Pain? I felt good…………

Saturday 14th August 2010
Teddy and I slept like a charm, despite waking up every three hours to use the bed pan, as the saline was going straight to the bladder. Now the fun begins daily injections through my tummy for 14days and a cocktail of 12 pills for a few days. Finally i see the surgeon, who said the surgery went well and I’m free to go home. Yipeeeeeeeee

Sunday 15th August 2010- Thursday 26th August 2010
After being at home i had numerous fainting episodes for the first few days. I went  off the painkillers the day after surgery and my tummy became severely bruised and  sore from all the injections. Every time i stood up, the blood would rash to my toes and send them a lovely shade of purple, i accidentally put pressure through my toes whilst standing one day and it was the worse pain i had ever experienced in my life, i was just praying i didn’t do any damage up there. I always had my footelevated for the 14day period leading up to my next surgeon’s appt.

Well on the 1st August 2010 I thought my athletic career came to a screeching end

Now for a quick intro on my life, well I’m an elite 26 year old female high-jumper (Olympian) and I ruptured my Achilles tendon while training for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

I was walking back to do another rep when all of sudden i hear a  ”POP” and I came tumbling down to Earth with a thud :( YES i did it walking!!!. I knew straight away it was going to be serious and it was either my Achilles or calf muscle on my right leg and it just happened to be my take off foot as well.

I could walk straight away after i did and just had major pain in my calf and couldn’t push through my toes. Being a Sunday I was taken to hospital ASAP where I was diagnosed with a partial tendon rupture and when straight into a half plaster cast, front slab to prevent tearing the tendon all the way through and was informed I would require surgery straight away if it was required. So I hobbled home on crutches and waited till Monday.

Monday 2nd August 2010
So Monday Came and went where i saw a family friend and doctor who booked me into an MRI on Tuesday and an appt. with an Orthopedic surgeon on the Wednesday. He then continued to look at my Achilles and removed the front slab of plaster, he then preformed the Thompson test from where my leg went from bad to worse. There was no movement what so ever, meaning it was a full rupture. There i left on my crutches after the surgeon informed him i can continue to weight bare on it, till i saw as once it’s ruptured you can’t do any more damage on it and that there was no such thing as a partial tear :s

Tuesday 3rd August 2010
It’s MRI time!!!!! Results confirming my nightmare: Recent complete tear of the Achilles tendon 8 cm above the insertion with intra-tendinous gap of approx. 1 cm. FML

Wednesday 4th August 2010
Appt with the surgeon who also is a sports surgeon and does the Australian cricketers (I knew I was in great hands). I was presented with two options surgery and non-surgery. Non-surgery would take longer to heal and the chances of the tendon repairing longer then usual was an extremely high factor, meaning I wouldn’t be able to generate the same power and strength through it, also making it slower. Being on my take-off leg and being a jumper i wasn’t going to the take risk and further more there was a 20% chance of a re-rupture.

Surgery would mean a 2% chance of a re-rupture and the tendon repairing to it’s full strength in 12 weeks. I was also informed should i have the plantaris tendon, they will use that to repair it, making it stronger and aid in a quicker recovery. However not many people have this tendon, it also doesn’t serve a purpose in the foot. We also have one in the wrist.

Surgery would also mean plaster cast and crutches for 2 weeks after surgery then a boot for the following 6 weeks, along with daily injections for 15 days to prevent blood clots. Surgery booked for August 13th.

Stay tuned………