I’m almost to month four, this is the best description of my condition: My wife frequently forgets I’m injured, because I can do most everything now. I can drive, walk across town to pick the kids up at daycare. Going downstairs to do laundry is no longer an odyssey. I’m not limping around the office anymore — my walk is nearly normal — so all my coworkers have forgotten, except those on the soccer team.
While others don’t notice, this last month has been the most painful except for the week or two after the surgery. Now that I can walk and crank on the PT exercises, I do. I can participate in the Saturday cleaning frenzy, so I do. Consequently, I’m pretty sore by the end of the day.
My only words of wisdom from this month: Don’t take these blogs to seriously and don’t compare my progress to yours. Your injury and recovery may not be comparable to mine all. At last post, I’d systematically analyzed when other people tossed the boot, and decided I was "late". Well, I tossed the boot, most precipitously. It was great to drive, but I went crying back to mamma FP Walker (my boot) in just 3 days. My doctor can say "I told you so."
(I wore the boot for all long walks for the next few weeks, and am finally able to walk a mile or two without it).
Other milestones:
Three weeks ago, I could finally hold my weight on my bad right foot, after the left helped me tiptoe. I was so excited I did it all day long … and hit the ice pack hard that night 
Two weeks ago, I discovered I was passing people on the sidewalks.
One week ago, I kept up with a co-worker walking quickly straight up 3 blocks of a steep hill. (And hit the icepack and the ibuprofen that night.)
This week, I’m walking for pleasure again. I’ve been biking for a few weeks, and might just hike this weekend.
5 comments ↓
how long was it untill you could drive again? I am 3 weeks post op and frusterated that i can’t get around myself. I live in phoenix which is NOT a good place for public transit or walking anywhere.
Hey Mathew: I did my right achilles in a bad way and have stick shift. I convinced my doctor to let me drive at 10 weeks post op. Of course, you can drive a lot earlier with a left Achilles rupture - particularly if you have an automatic. Others have more aggressive doctors. My doctor’s concern with driving earlier is the chance I’d need to slam on the brake. Either I wouldn’t be able to brake hard enough or I’d re-rupture.
3 weeks is an amazingly frustrating time.
Cliff: I am on my third Achilles surgery and I would have to strongly agree with you on month #3. I started to feel like my leash was getting loose enough to do stuff but I would always come to the end of the leash and get slammed back down on my keester. Frustrating. I am glad you posted that. I thought it was happening because there was something wrong with me. It seems more like it just normal for this injury.
Thanks for the post. I am three months post op and got rid of the boot two weeks ago. My heel hurts so bad the last couple of days it is frustrating. When I got my shoe back I thought I should be able to do everything I could do before surgery. My first walk through the Detriot airport and I thought I would die that night. I guess I will go across the hall and re-fill my ice pack and take some more Advil!
Thanks Cliff, Smish and Judy. I am three months post op as well and its good to hear about your experiences of recovery. One thing I am finding hard is planning when I can do stuff - when can I play 9 holes of golf? When Can I do a whole Jazzercise class? I am trying to take it one month at a time. Its hard tho and I never know when my foot is going to get sore. Also, I still feel a bit unfit post-op as well. I have been doing recovery classes in a pool with other people with different post-op injuries, the trainers have helped me a lot to keep my improvement (which seems slow!) in perspective. Take care Aussierules