bobfv’s AchillesBlog

Between my initial Post-Op wound check visit on May 26 and the second one on June 3 I stayed home, non weight-bearing, with my legs elevated as much as possible.  I stayed in my boot except for my daily sessions with the vaso pump on my lower legs. I scooted around the house on my knee scooter and occasionally on crutches. Nothing too exciting happened during the week, but being non-weight bearing was becoming a major inconvenience.  I really didn’t have any pain during this week - obviously the area with the stitches was still quite tender and I had to be careful to keep pressure off of it when my legs were up.

One thing I want to mention is how significant it is to pick the correct sock to wear with you boot.  I have a tall Aircast boot with two air bladders and a built in pump. It has a foam liner which gets pretty gamey. I tried using boot liners made of synthetic wicking fiber (Coolmax) but they were uncomfortable and difficult to put on and take off.  On Amazon I found socks made by the same company as my boot, Aircast, called "Aircast sock liners for Aircast Walkers".  This is the greatest purchase ever.  The socks are oversized so they don’t squeeze the surgery site when putting them on and taking them off - they are also soft and fluffy. My foot is so comfortable that I don’t even want to take the boot off!

On June 3 I returned to my Orthopedist, Dr. Kartelian. His Physician Extender, Tori, removed my bandage and wound dressing and told me that it looked great - no sign of infection and good healing - my stitches were coming out today!  She put on gloves and took a little scalpel and hemostat and I just heard a little snipping, very tiny pinching sensation but no real pain, and the stitches were out in a flash.

Dr. Kartelian did the Thompson test and I am told it showed that my Achilles was functioning completely normally. Tori put about 5 "Steri-Strips" over the wound site where the stitches had been. These are like butterfly closures. She said that they might stay on for a day or they might stay on for weeks, just leave them on and let them come off on their own.

Ah - I was cleared to go home and shower!  So happy about that, as I had been taking "bird baths" for a couple of weeks and I was starting to smell more like a goat than usual. Dr. K told me to make physical therapy appointments and said that I could go partial weight bearing as long as it didn’t hurt. I was told to remain on two crutches but that I could put partial weight on foot in the boot as long as there was no significant pain.

So that’s it - I was a new man - partial weight bearing!  PWB!  As I left the office I very gingerly used my booted foot not to really bear weight, but to just catch my balance as I walked on the crutches - what a difference in mobility!  I was ready to start physical therapy and the road to recovery. My next appointment with the doctor was scheduled in two weeks.

I didn’t know what to expect at my first post-op visit, six days after my ATR repair surgery.  I was doing well, non-weight bearing. I just stayed home and moved as little as possible, keeping my leg well elevated all week.

At the orthopedic surgeon’s office, we were greeted by Tori, who has the title "physician extender" - she is a certified athletic trainer who works with the surgeon helping with exams, arranging the surgery schedule, and assisting with durable medical equipment.  Tori put me face down on the table and removed the plaster and the splint and bandages and exposed my ankle for the first time since my surgery day. Dr. Kartelian came in and said hello, he said that the stitches looked fine - clean and dry and not swollen, and he announced that he was putting me back in the boot, with heel lifts. He did the Thompson test and everything was working fine (a “negative” result from the test)  He also had Tori order me a set of vaso pumps to prevent blood clots.  These are like blood pressure cuffs that go on your lower legs and inflate and deflate to move blood and prevent blood clots.

So my instructions for the following week were no weight bearing, stay in the boot except 3 times a day use the pumps for about a half hour, elevate as much as possible, use ice, keep the wound dry.  They left the stitches in and covered the stitches with a bandage and some flexible adhesive tape which wrapped around my ankle a couple of times.  I was thrilled to be going back into the boot after just 6 days!  I would have to wear the boot all the time, including in bed, but again, I could take it off to ice and to use the vaso pumps.  My next appointment would be in another week, and hopefully my stitches would come out then.  I have posted a photo of my stitches 6 days after surgery,