Since I ruptured my AT, I’ve been housebound for 3 weeks, except one visit to the Orthopedic outpatients to have the first half A&E plaster replaced with a proper cast 2 days after the rupture. I’m still in the same cast and there is one more week to go.
Nothing much has changed, but over the last 3 weeks I’ve made some progress. For example, my arm muscles seem to have grown a bit and they are not sore when I walk with crutches. Although I still need my husband’s assistance when I get in/out of the shower cube, I can now cope with more house chores than in Week 1-2. Having said that, let me tell some of you guys who have been looking after your kids while you are in a cast/boot, I do admire you! 
Yesterday, I found out more of my treatment protocol when I called the Orthopedic Outpatients. I called them to ask about what kind of cast/brace I’d be wearing in Week 8 because I was going to fly to Japan then. As you may know, the airlines require passengers like me to put on either a boot or a CUT cast (to allow for quick removal if swelling occurs).
A nurse who answered my call told me that they’d put me in another below knee cast (in semi-equinus position) on my next appointment and that I’d be in it for 2-4 weeks and that boots were not used for ATR treatment. I wanted hear more about the following protocol, but she told me to ask the secretary further questions because she was not sure if my cast would be cut one when I’d be on board. And then, the nurse put me through to the secretary, but what I heard on the phone was more than 10 ringing and the following recorded message that the secretary was not in on Mondays. Yes, it was Monday when I called. Great.
I’m going to call the secretary tomorrow morning to request a boot. As some of you wrote somewhere else, boots seem more comfortable and better than casts for patients in Week 5 and onward. If it is with a hinge, one can use it from Week 5 for sure.
After arriving in Japan, I will be sending out my stuff from my home town to Tokyo and need good protection around my AT while doing the preparation in Week 8 & 9. Moreover, I will start working in Tokyo from Week 10 and have to commute by train (1 hour with 1 change) and by walk (10- & 15-minute walk) in the rush hour. Many hospitals in Japan provide ATR patients with a boot, but it takes 1-2 weeks to get one, since braces are usually made-to-order there, believe or not. So it’s better to get one in the UK before my departure.
In the UK some NHS hospitals use boots for ATR treatment, while some don’t. I don’t why, but I assume it has something to do with the budget. I wouldn’t mind to purchase a boot on my own expense, if the hospital won’t get me one. I’ve actually found a few Internet shops which sell the public several kinds of boots, such as MC Walker and Air Cast. The best scenario for me is that I can get one from the hospital, but if it’s not possible, I want them to allow me to buy a boot by myself so that I can ask them to adjust it at a right angle for me. Am I asking too much?
Oh, well.. I’ll leave this to rest until next morning.
Earlier in this post, I wrote how helpful my husband had been, but forgot to mention one thing. Every evening since I ruptured my AT, he prepared dinner and brought it to me on a tray like a battler. I’m hoping he will keep this nice service even after I ditch crutches.
(I know I’m asking too much here!)
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