Chris’s double achilles blogg

16th November

Well, it’s now 11 weeks since my second operation and overall I am quite pleased. A typical day for me runs something like this:-

I drag myself out of bed. I usually have back pain (long standing problem) and of course a stiff AT.  Before getting dressed I do my exercises. These take 15 - 20 minutes and comprise:

• stretching AT
• heel lifts
• back stretching exercises
• tummy exercises using my cruncher 

After breakfast I do 5 minutes on my exercise bike to warm up my leg muscles and then walk the dog, a distance of about a mile. I keep the heel lift orthotics in my walking boots and I take my telescopic walking sticks. These are useful when negotiating slippery downhill stretches and going uphill. Sometimes I use them on the flat to help with walking with  a normal gait. I find I tend to walk with a limp when sometimes I do not need to. I think this is mainly  because my calf muscles in my bad leg are considerably weaker than my good leg but it is also partly a mental condition - I have not walked normally for over 4 months now. I still sometimes have a pain low down in the AT but it is bearable and mostly I am pain free. I am very concious of the need to be careful when negotiating hazards such as slippery stiles as a slip could be disasterous.

During the day I may go out in the car. I have been driving short local journeys for 2 weeks now so have some very welcome independence. I am still reluctant to take long journeys as having ruptured my AT twice the last thing I need is another rupture when braking hard. If I do not go out I usually make myself useful doing DIY around the house, or maybe even clean the oven (unlikely though). Generally, I feel I am more help to my wife Elaine now as I can do the shopping, walk the dog, or do some cooking.

I try to repeat the stetching and heel lifts a few times during the day. Unless I have been sitting with my feet up I find that my leg gets swollen later in the day. I find that an occasional massage helps reduce the swelling.  My Physio says that the calf muscle acts as a pump and until it recovers the leg will continue to swell up. At around 4 pm I walk the dog again.

Last weekend we visited our daughter Caroline who presented us with a third grandchild - a daughter, Martha. This was a very pleasant experience but I mention it because I forgot to take my anti-inflammatory pills which I take daily to help with arthritis. I noticed that my AT became stiffer and it was not so easy to walk. What I am not sure of is - do these pills assist in my rehab, or by preventing pain are they allowing me to do too much? Who knows? I need to take them anyway as I get bad stiffness in my joints, especially the back and knees.

A few weeks ago I calculated that I was about to run out of outpatients insurance cover so I agreed with my physiotherapist Sue that I would self administer my rehab for a while. I was not entirely happy about doing this but I could always go back to her anytime if necessary. I have since decided to see her every couple of weeks as I think I need to know how I should progress in order to keep moving up a level.

At the last physio I mentioned to Sue that my leg was very stiff in the mornings and she showed me a picture of a type of sock that can be purchased (at vast expense) which attempts to keep the foot at right angles to the leg. Back home I managed to find a way of doing this with the bits and pieces I had. I used a couple of straps with velcro which I put on at bed time. It was pretty successful - I was definitely less stiff when I got out of bed, but I found it tended to slip off during the night so have to use some sticking plaster to prevent this. I wonder if anyone has purchased the sock - it has a piece of elastic streching from the toe to the top of the sock. I have tried to insert a photo at this point but not sure if it has worked.

23rd November

I have had another physio session. This time Sue gave me a wobble board to use - to strengthen my ankles. My leg feels stronger and I have no pain when walking but still have a slight limp. I still am nowhere near lifting myself up on my toes using my bad leg only. Sue says this will be  a major breakthrough when I can do this. Perhaps this is when I will feel safe to go back to dancing which I was enjoying so much before this happened. Must remember to ask Sue if I could try some gentle dancing before this stage.  I have now dispensed with the walking sticks and the orthotics. I tried extending my walk by a small amount the other day and realised how unfit I am. But it could be my age - I turned 63 ealier this month.

I think that is all for know so until next time - BYE!

Chris