connie’s AchillesBlog

I can walk!!!!! It is amazing in how such a short period of time I went from crutches with pwb to two shoes and walking.  On Tuesday, November 30 I visited my pt with crutches still under arms and some pwb with one lift still in boot.  Not feeling very optimistic at all of walking anytime soon but somewhat ok with that since I do not want a re-rupture to occur.  It was a day that I got the head pt.  He checked my chart to see where I was at with my therapy and said you are almost at six weeks, you should be full weight bearing with no lifts.  I told him that I don’t think that I have been putting 50% weight on it because it still feels way too tight and I guess I was afraid.  My therapy that day included significant stretching and massaging to the tendon which was very scary but didn’t include much pain to my surprise.  Seriously sweaty palms and a little discomfort is all.  He then had me put on my boot and practice walking with fwb.  The first step down was a bit painful but after that I was ok.  Practiced my walking that night with one crutch and fwb.  I was very happy with my progress.

The next day was my appt. with my surgeon to check my progress.  I was anxious to find out if I was progressing as expected and ask him a few questions.  I went from the high of my fwb yesterday to a low when he said that I should be walking with no crutches and taking the boot off sometimes at home and walking around without it in two shoes.  I thought he was crazy.  He said that I didn’t have to worry about a re-rupture that he got a good fix and I should be walking.  He actually had me step on the floor with no shoe or boot and wanted be to take a step.  It wasn’t happening.  I told him “NO” because it was so tight that I couldn’t and that it was going to snap if I did.  He didn’t push me, thank God, but he did say that the more I used it out of the boot the better it will get.  He told me again about that nerve or the right side of my foot is causing that pain and numbness.  Some what improved I might add.  I left the appt. feeling very disappointed and discouraged.  I felt like I wasn’t were he wanted me to be and discouraged that I didn’t think that I was even close to that progress.  I came home that night and massaged it some more and did my rom exercises and tried to take a step.  I was moving but I don’t really believe you can call it a step and still the tightness in the tendon felt like something had to be wrong and it could just snap.  My husband who was at my appt. and now watching me try to walk around the family room ask me what I was doing and I told him trying to walk because that is what the Dr. wants.  He told me to put my boot back on because I was making him nervous.  He was nervous, he should have been me.  He told me to just take my time and go at my own pace that it will come.  I almost cried and said that if this thing stretches it is going to be a miracle.

Well two days later a miracle has occurred.  Went to pt this morning in hopes to just accomplish taking out my last lift today because I did feel I was ready for that but instead I started my workout by biking for 10 minutes with two shoes on and then had to move to the next exercise to stretch the tendon standing up.  It felt really good on the bike.  I questioned how I would get to the place where my pt wanted me to stand and stretch the tendon without my crutches or even the boot on.  Thought I would have to hop and my pt offered me his shoulder but I said no thank you I think I will try to walk over.  I actually did it.  Snails pace, of course, but I did it.  I did those stretches standing and then walked over to the table to sit for my rom exercises.  I told my head pt about my visit with my doctor and how he wanted me to take a step and I wouldn’t and couldn’t, but I did today.  He was as extemely happy with my progress as I was.  He did some more (sweaty palm) stretching on my tendon and I did some more stretches standing near the table.  Foot was feeling good.  He had me do some leg pushes on a machine and then I just walked around the pt room in disbelief.  It felt soooo good to be in my own shoes walking around with no pain at all.  I wanted to just walk right out of there and leave my boot behind but of course I knew that it would be too soon to be totally free of the boot so I put it back on and walked out with a smile on my face. :-)))))  Called my husband when I got home and told him he had to come home, of course I scared him, but quickly told him why.  It’s a miracle!  Must be this time of year.  I got my Christmas gift.  Hope you all get yours.  I pray my progress only continues so I can leave the boot at home over Christmas on our vacation to Florida and hopefully never need this thing again.

On Friday, Oct. 22, 2010 I had the surgery.  I was not nervous considering that this was my first surgery.  Just anxious to get it over with and start recovering.  Did get a little nervous when I looked at my arm band the friendly nurse put on my wrist to find my name, date and the wrong doctors name.  I asked why the doctors name was different then the cute Dr. I had just seen on Monday.  I knew that this practice had multiple doctors in it but I didn’t think that they shared patients.  The nurses became as concerned as I was when I told them this wasn’t the Dr. that said he would perform my surgery.  They quickly resolved the issue and told me I was getting my doctor.  Relieved, however, since I had only met my doctor for a few brief minutes on Monday and didn’t really form any kind of bond with him, I believe I would have gone with anyone at that moment to fix my injury.  My cute Doctor showed up and told my awaiting, wonderful husband that everything was a success.  Left the same day with a partial cast on (hard on bottom) and pain meds.  Thank God for pain meds.  Needed those for quite some time.  Stitches came out two weeks later, and the air cast boot went on.  Still in need of pain meds.  The following day (Nov. 9th) my pt started .  My doctor believes in the aggressive therapy, which at the time I was happy about because I wanted to get back to my workouts asap and he had gone through this same injury five years earlier and was back playing soccer which I was happy to hear but after the pain I was having and reading posts about re-ruptures, I wasn’t so sure anymore.  Pt was twice a week, non-weight bearing at first, only weight of leg was allowed and  I was to do my rom exercises twice a day at home.  Unfortunately, I have had pain and discomfort especially at night and have had to use my pain meds.  Mostly pain and numbness on the right side of my foot which the Doctor told me that there is a nerve that runs along that side of your foot and he saw it during surgery and moved it to the side.  Thus, aggravating it.  Someone responded to my post about this pain and said that his decreased at about 10 weeks.  This was at 4 weeks for me and I was please to hear that his went away.  Six more to go.  Also, around the 4 week mark my pt said that I could increase my weight bearing to 50%.   Rom was improving but don’t believe I was hitting 50%.  Too, scared I guess.

Hello everyone on Achillesblog.com,

I am finally able to access my site and post thanks to Dennis’s help.  (sorry to be a pain Dennis).  This is my story….

I ruptured my achilles on October 18, 2010 playing tennis and had surgery on October 22, 2010.  I am 42 years old and up until this time I had never had a serious injury of any kind.  Thank God!  Such a surprise being a tomboy and athletic.  My first injury and my first surgery and I hope my last.  Last year around the same time I had my injury, friends and I decided it was time for a change.  We decided that just because we were over 40 and one of us closer to 50 (sorry Di) that we needed help.  Help in getting rid of the tiredness, depression, the pain of Fibromyalgia (myself) and of course extra weight.  Although, my thought at the time was the tiredness was because I was getting older and with the extra weight, well that is what everyone just put on over the years.  You know that extra five or ten (some even waaaay more) you put on with every new decade of your life.  So, we hired a trainer (yeah! Carol) at the local ‘Y’ and my new life began.  We worked out twice a week up until Christmas and then once a week starting the new year.  I had found a new passion in my life now that my children were getting older and playing soccer and tennis were out because of the fibromyalgia.  My friends had decided to move on to different activities but I kept going with my weight lifting and cardio.  I lost 22 lbs, dropped four sizes and completely eradicated the tiredness and depression.  The pain of the fibro will never leave but I thought that it was much improved.  I told everyone I felt ten years younger and tried to tell everyone I know of the simple secret of staying young and healthy.  The weight training was the key.  So, why I decided to go back to tennis is beyond me and now here I sit and sit and sit and sit. Lol  Sorry, got carried away with the sitting but you all know what I mean.  :-))))  Really I just thought that could be just another form of my cardio and getting back to a sport.  Not saying that people should not play tennis or any sport for that matter as you get older, just remember to STRETCH and PRAY.  This possibly could have happened to me doing my workout, who knows.

As for the rupture, it was just as everyone has described.  In a clinic with some extremely nice ladies, ironically, most of the ladies husbands  just happen to be orthopedic Doctors.  Went to move straight in for a ball that was just hit to me and POP.  I didn’t take the next step instead looked behind me to see who had just hit me and realized that no one was there and that it had to be me.  Dropped to the court, had significant pain for a short period and then it subsided.  As the pain subsided I decided to look at the ankle and knew when I saw the indent in my achilles what I had done.  Confirmed, by the lady doctor who was on the court and her husband the orthopedic surgeon whom she got quickly on the phone.  My best friend drove me from the court directly to the orthopedic office to promptly see an extremely nice Doctor.  See, it is who you know.  Fastest appointment I ever got.  He performed the Thompson’s test and I about jumped off the table, I had the surgery four days later and the saga begins….

Finding this site, reading the blogs and all of the important information pertaining to this injury has been a blessing and I want to thank you all, especially Dennis.  Good luck to all.  I will keep you posted on my recovery.