No, I wasn’t dancing.

You know, supposedly if you regularly eat dark chocolate, it will help with recovery. Speeding things up as well as being delicious.

C’mon lets see the foot! No one here cares. Besides, if I can get over my nasty toenails being out on display who’s gonna care if you got a little leg-warmer action going on?!?

Hoss,

Was a bit distressed about LJ going when they moved it to Friday - beginning of the end. It’s my bad tv escape for the week. But saw an interview with Brooke Shields (was going to write “BS” - that’s unfortunate!) and she said that it’s still on - for now. TV becomes a little more important when you can’t get out much.

Keep on elevating. I learned the same lesson. It took at least 4.5 months before those swelling issues went away. It still do it every so oftern (especially after a longer workout).

By the way, I heard that NBC has cancelled Lipstick Jungle. I don’t watch it, I just happened to see a news item that mentioned that show and the one with Christian Slater (My Own Worst Enemy).

Happy healing.

wintermute - thanks for the encouragement. Hey, did I read that you are coming out of a cast on Tuesday? Good luck with the next step! I am seeing my surgeon on Tuesday, too - hopefully will get the all clear to go PWB.

Richard - yes, I too have found that I am much wearier at the end of the day, inactive as I feel! And while I know that purple swollen feet are a bad thing, I think that the odd couple of beers after work during this period can only be good for us! Your emotional health is important, too. So maybe the occasional purple foot is the price we have to pay. Occasionally!

Hello Despina,
The same happened to me this week - I’m itching to get back to work and went in on Tuesday for a full day including a meeting in the evening and a couple of beers in the pub on the way home - I ended up knackered (fell fast asleep when I got in) and with a purple,numb and swollen foot.

Lesson learned!!

Richard

Hey Despina, these things can happen. As a friend (who’s a physio) of mine said about me, the hardest thing will be to hold back and take it easy once the rehab has started. I think we all want to get back to the way we were so much and get on with things. You’re doing well.

Can’t wait for the shower stories, we all have very funny stories there.

Otherwise, an excellent post and fantastic advice for newbies. Well done, now go and do some real work!!

Annie

gw0508,

(Feels a bit weird addressing you like that, but at least you know who you are!)

We should develop a shame page of insurance companies, doctors and PTs who’ve done us wrong (and just to be even balanced about it, a legends page of those who’ve been superstars!).

That’s great that you are starting to do heel raises already. I’m a week behind you in surgery, but quite a bit behind you on the heel raises front, I am guessing. But it’s ok - baby steps.

Thanks so much for letting me know that you , too were a late discovery (what’s with the hand doctor bizzo?!), and that you are doing just fine. It helps so much to hear it from someone who is going through it.

Hi Cliff,

You are right about the chocolate; if it’s just a chocolate craving, a little bit of dark chocolate, while definitely not as tasty as my favorite aussie milk chocolate, definitely gets rid of the cravings.

With the exercise bands, are you talking about your legs or your arms? If it’s your legs, my guess is that you should ask your PT first. I’ll do a post tonight on what exercises mine has me doing (very few, just in case I got you interested on false pretenses!).

I injured my Achilles 23 July. It took my insurance guys until about 10 September to send me to a “real” doctor! After the original urgent care doctor said I tore my Achilles (& put me in a boot), my insurance guys turned around & sent me to a hand specialist! I ended up seeing his partner who told me I just tore a muscle & I could get rid or the crutches & boot. Right. So, long story short- 6 weeks after the original injury, my doc did the surgery. I was so ready to start healing instead of just limping around waiting for my insurance guys to get their act together. You can check out my saga on my blog.

You’ll get better. I’m in PT 8 weeks after surgery & my PT is trying to get me to do heel raises already. My doc was totally happy with the surgery. I go back to see him this Wednesday. He ended up having an ATR just a week or so after he operated on mine. So we’re both on a more aggressive PT therapy.

Hang in there! Before you know it, you’ll be up & around, thankful to be rid or your boot & crutches! Just wanted to let you know there are some of us out there who were operated on

If, like me, you can’t stop eating chocolate, go ahead and get good chocolate. A few squares of 85% dark satisfies me, where I’d eat a whole bar (or 2) of cheap milk chocolate bar

For activity, I’m going to go get a couple of those exercise bands and see how much of a workout I can get with my leg elevated.

sgtmo & maestro: ok, you should by no means take this comment as any indication that I might get a tat, but if we were to get one, I love the idea about the greek letters, but the problem is that a Greek “R” actually looks like a “P”!

(And, in case anyone is interested some pretty useless information, the Greek “B” actually sounds like an English “V”, and the Greek “V” actually sounds like an English “N”!

Yeah, she’ll be right mate!

People really do say that, by the way.

Maestro,
An ATR tattoo? What a great idea! Most of my upper body is tattooed, but some sort of rendition of Achilles with possibly “ATR” in Greek letters on my left calf would be awesome!

despina: Funny post! I laughed out loud big when reading about the ying and yang butt cheeks. That is such a great description. You sound a little like me with losing track of time on an exercise machine. I know for a fact the fitness will come back before you know it. Thanks for the post.

You’ll be fine. No worries, right?

Well said. Agreed that this is a great, informative post. Thanks for sharing and your honest account. Every Doc should read this honest story.

Access of stories like this will only improve the Health Care Quality for us all, and make all members of the team:
Doctor, Nurse,PT,MRI Tech,…more accountable.

Great job Dennis, as your resource here continues to unfold.

Please keep us updated Despina!

Thanks so much for your sugestions and advice; I really, really do appreciate it.

I stumbled across this site through a google search a few days ago and spent quite some time reading some of the posts, and found not just some useful achilles rehab information, but also, that this is quite a warm and fuzzy site, full of supportive people.

It’s beautiful to see people in a common predicament come together to share stories and help each other, and I thought that it would be a good idea to join in.

From what two of you say, and from how I feel, I gather that a reluctance to seek help or even receive unsolicited help is common amongst people who all of a sudden find themselves temporarily disabled. I like the idea that we shouldn’t deny others the good feeling that they get when helping someone else out of their own free will. Very nice thought. Isn’t it nice to be able to do someone a favor by letting them do you a favor!!

Asking for help from a busy spouse is a different matter, however, and while I know that it’s my husband’s duty to help me, and while I know that he wants to help me, the man is not a mindreader and s

I would have to agree, awesome post. Just know that you are now among friends. We can all relate to your situation. I know for myself this injury was pretty devastating. My job requires a lot of walking and being fit. So I’m out of work until at least Xmas. Taking care of myself at home was a bit of problem too at first. I absolutely hated asking people for help and having to rely on others but I had to because there were things I just could not do. But as you continue along you will adapt to your situation and find that their are some things that you can do. I would suggest reading some of the blogs here. There is a wealth of information here. It’s been a big help to me reading everyone’s story and it can be to you as well.

So to sum it up you are not alone. Continue to record your thoughts in this blog. Believe me it’s very therapeutic.

When we are ALL fixed up. We’ll get our ATR tattoo and meet at the TOP OF THE ROCK to celebrate!

sgtmo: Awesome post!!!!!

Hi Despina! I had my surgery the day before you so were sort of on the road to recovery together. Don’t get too down on yourself. I look at it this way: I’m not the first person this happened to and I’m not the last.

I know what you mean about housework and such. I have gotten used to asking my wife for help. Actually, I used to refuse to ask anyone for help opening doors or getting things for me, but then I realized that those people really wanted to help, and I was denying them the good feeling they got from helping someone (or something like that) anyway, I let lots of people do things for me that I can do for myself.

The way I see it, the trick is to divert your energies from what you used to do to what you can do now. Did you ever want to do something but never had the time? Sketching? Learning a new computer program like Excel or Powerpoint? Scrap booking? Cataloging old photos you have in a box? Learning to knit?

Anything?

I never thought I would start a blog and I have some books from the library so I’m learning HTML and how to make web pages. Of course I want to get back to being active again but I