Fire in my leg!

In case you havent seen enough of these..and considering this was my first real look at it too..

Will that tape hold?

All who carry this affliction…of achilles rupturitis…all know about ‘the boot’.  My half cast was removed and the boot ensued.  I call this walking in my own post hole all day long.  Throw in the armpit chafing crutches all day long and you got some kind of cruel impersonation of R2D2, with your significant other walking much like C3PO just to ’slow down’ with you while you hobble step your way around your new life.  I wouldn’t complain so much but the PT and the nurse called this ‘walking’.  So I spent the whole of two days looking for the highest heeled manly appearing shoes I could find to even out my gait so I looked and walked much more like Frankenstein then my pal R2.  Frustration overpowering good judgement I hopped from store to store to store even to a shoe store that advertised selling ‘orthotic’ shoes and finally settled on a twenty buck pair of ‘work shoes’ from walmart.  Yes folks after all that good ol walmart had the best selection to offset the height differential of my bipedal gait.  As soon as I get them out of the box I’ll show case them here with a tape measure in case anyone else has this problem.  What comes next adds to the frustration, I will have three to four weeks between appointments with the Doc., or P.T. or nurse, just to ‘take out’ a 1/2 inch wedge from the heel of my boot and to hear them say..”ok looks good see you in a month, and we will take out another wedge.”  Next move is to figure out how to strap an office chair to my knee when I get back to work, thanks Dennis and Peter.

I am not a patient person…and my stubbed (injured side) toe is throbbing post bonking on the cold hard linoleum floor!  Dang it..i was being a brave soul and just finished cooking myself dinner..( i know the doctor would highly disapprove).  Now I wait and wonder if i did any more damage further along..tick tick tick.   My first thought after i performed this manuever was a PT who gave me the advice that, ’slow is safe, safe is fast’, while lumbering on crutches.  Damn crutches, please I implore no one else try the single crutch spin and turn to reach the crutch propped against the wall..danger danger danger…I’ll digress more tomorrow..goodnight.

Ok..after badmouthing bedside manner in general terms over the years..I now must digress.  My Doctor J.L. who performed surgery on me this Tuesday, just called me and asked how all was going.  After I caught my breath and wondered if my HMO knew about this guys manner…and if he was charging for it.  All joking aside, I am duly impressed and reverse my thinking about bedside manner-isms.  He didnt have to call, he could have read the chart like im sure most doctors do, but he called to get a first hand update on my condition.  Bravo doctor, bravo.

I couldnt resist I had to see the damage.  This is a complete rupture as they call it ..cause its completely snapped.  Who knew playing softball was so brutal?

Heel bone..Not connected to the leg bone!

One more thing..i got a copy of my MRI photos..and will post it as soon as i get it scanned.

Thanks for the posts…Motogirl and AnnieH..I appreciate being able to know I’m not alone enduring this unopportuned detour in life.  I went back to the doctor today who told me all looked well, but wanted me off my feet for another week before I could once again wear that fancy robo boot and walk in my post hole all day long!  So I now have to take an additonal 3 days off work..and do you think I mind?..hmmmm..I’ll let you bloggers answer that one. 

I asked the Doctor about the lingering fluidous filling pain I was experiencing and he told me that it was exactly that.  Fluid’s rushing back to the injured area and pressuring nerve endings that are a bit frayed from the surgery.  I told him the pain killers really didnt know about that kind of pain and didnt do anything about it.  To wit, he says I can ALSO take an aleve to help with the inflammation issues…oh joy!  I’ll let you know if that works..Besides this I had the nurse redo my ‘half cast’ as I call it because it seemed to be pinching me in certain places.  I learned that the half cast is a chemically reactive casting material (to water) that after wetted it forms a hard ‘cast like’ or splint like support under my calf and foot to such specified angle of reduction on my achilles.  I also learned that, thats how regular casts are done today with this new chemically reactive casting material..quite cool and neat if you ask me, as opposed to old plaster casting.  Anywho, after this was redone my leg felt more comfortable and ‘fitted’ to which the nurse confirmed my suspicions that the first ‘half cast’ applied right after surgery didnt take into account swelling..thus the tightness and extra uncomfortableness I have been experiencing.  Can we say ‘aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh’ ? 

So here I am agian on the couch, leg up, planning my next hop, hop, hop, to the toilet.   Till next..you all take care..:)

All is well or so I think, since Easter my left achilles has snapped, burned, radiated heat, tinged, and all but made me pee my undies.  Unless you count the hospital gown post op, (i did not take a picture, but who would want to see the fluids that transgressed during surgery translated to hospital bed sheets! ewwww).  So I am currently two days post op and have a few questions and some new wonderments about lazing about on the sofa all day while the world is spurling around me.  First, the pain associated with the surgery, stiches included have been barely noticeable here and there.  But whats up with the standing up and the fluids running back down there pain!  Whoa…I have to admit the only reason I get up off the couch is to go pee, but when I lay back down I think I still pee a little because the lingering pain from the gravity induced fluid rush filling my calf and achilles area becomes U N B E A R A B L E !!  I read a forum post from a gal that spoke about this pain and she said she fainted atleast 3 times from the fluid rush pain.  I dont blame her, there’s no shame in losing consciousness from this type of pain, none at all.  Now my first question to any achilles bystanders reading this is, why? why? why?.  Most posts i’ve read about post op experience people do not complain about this type of pain, or little at all especially when keeping up with the painkillers.  I take 7.5 mg Hydrocodone’s/Apap 500 mg painkillers, and these do not kill any pain.  As far as I can tell they make me drowsy and make me not care about my condition for about three hours, if I dont get up.  While pondering this post op rumiment another observation I have thats kinda scary right now is that I really dont mind laying here all day perusing Discovery channel, and reading emails and blogs all damn day!  This is a first for me and I hate to admit that I dont mind being laid up at all, sans the pain.  This is scary because like most able bodied adults who procured their new injury accidentally did so enjoying their one or two days off from work with the fam like usual.  With all expectations to go home, go to bed, and go back to work.  To my initial dismay this was not the norm, but a detour to my plan doctor who pointed me directly to the Ortho doctor, who pointed me directly to Mr. MRI, then back to Ortho doctors knife, and skilled tendon reconstruction abilities.  Now I lay all day, and am almost embarrased to admit that I’m enjoying it…anyone else feeling as guilty as I?  I have a Ortho follow up tomorrow and will hopefully update some answers to my painful question, and updates on my prognosis.  Till then keep on blogging fellow achilles ruptured warriors…I will keep reading!