Chuck’s ATR

It will be 12 weeks this coming Sunday that my heel dropped while climbing the stairs to bed and I nearly went into shock, not from the pain, but from the anguish of breaking another achilles.  The recovery has been without pain or incident and I look back on the time spent in physical therapy, exercise and rest with no  regret to speak of.  The winter was bitter and it would have kept non-wounded Chuck indoors anyway.  I had no projects that I was particulary anxious to get back to.  Work was well paced with no travel demands.  Prices for a  South Beach getaway were too high this year for some reason.  I read 6 novels. 

I am pretty much back to normal, with weakness of course, but I am getting stronger by the day.  I am taking special care to strengthen my left leg as well because I feel I never did a thorough job of rehabing that one after my first ATR.  I know a lot more now and I know how committed I have to be to just get back to “normal”.  I read the other day that after age 40, one loses .5 pounds of muscle mass per year.  That is why people in their sixties just start falling over for no apparent reason. The’ve lost 10 pounds of muscle.  Leg muscles are no longer what they used to be and if you don’t work them baby you’ll start to notice that it’s hard getting out of a chair or getting off the floor.  I look at it this way: I have to overcome this ATR and stay on a path that is going to keep me as strong and coordinated as I can be.

For all of you out there that are finding your way with this very unique injury, have faith, allow time and nature to help heal,  keep working at making yourself better and learn as much as you can from your fellow travellers.

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