In the beginning …
July 14, 2008 by drahcir61
After rupturing my left achilles tendon 3 weeks ago & having surgery 1 week ago I was Googling for info about healing timelines, a waterproof cast bag, stronger drugs (just kidding) so I was thrilled when I found this site! I’m not much of a blogger but let’s face it, I have some spare time over the next few months … plus I can’t spend all my time watching my beloved Boston Red Sox. lol
Unfortunately I’ve had a long history of grade 1 & 2 ankle sprains over the years having played everything from ice hockey & college soccer to basketball & competitive tennis. I’m not sure there’s anything more painful than rolling an ankle & having a severe sprain … I’ve had more than my share. I was diagnosed with achilles tendinitis on both ankles about 4 years ago which forced me to stop playing tennis. During that layoff I learned a lot about the achilles tendon & ironically the sensation or “pop” that occurs from a rupture. As most of you know, it’s one thing to read the description of how it happens (the “pop” sound & the whack in the back of the leg) compared with experiencing it first hand. Despite the immediate pain, I remember an almost surreal feeling like, “oh THAT’S what it feels like“. It never occurred to me that I had just been initiated into the ATR club!
So the saga begins, I had been itching to get back into tennis for awhile. My ankles & achilles had been feeling great for over a year plus I own a Lobster tennis ball machine which allows me to control my level of activity so I had no hesitation getting back onto the court … if only just to work on my stroke. I made sure I did a lot of stretching & light jogging before my first workout.
I had 2 great sessions (1.5 hours each) over a 2 week period but it was my 3rd session that put me out of commission. What’s funny is that I had the ball machine set to just pump balls down the middle of the court so I wasn’t doing side to side drills. It was a pretty conservative approach to getting back into tennis … alternating forehand & backhand drills without much lateral movement. Eventually I’d ramp up to a full side to side workout but for now I was focused on my hitting technique. I have a tendency to “jump into” my forehand shots to get more pace & recover more quickly. Basically I’m leaving the ground but also swinging thru the ball at the same time. All was going great for about 30 minutes until I hit one forehand, landed on the left foot & heard/felt the “pop”. I remember yelling out & as I was falling to the ground I heard a guy outside the court say, “that didn’t sound good”. Pretty wild considering he was 40 to 50 feet from me & he still heard my achilles rupture. I never got to thank him for walking onto the court & turning the ball machine off for me. lol I didn’t get off the ground for 10 minutes so the motor could have burned out. Eventually I picked my sorry ass off the court, limped around gathering the loose balls, & made it to the bench where I was able to call my wife for help. I knew the achilles was shot & there was no way I could get all my gear including the ball machine in the car. So that was 3 weeks ago … surgery was 1 week ago & based on the other blogs I’ve read, I have a long ways to go!
Welcome to Achillesblog.com.
This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
Following link will take you to your blog’s “command center” where you can write your posts:
http://achillesblog.com/drahcir61/wp-admin/
Be sure to fill out your city, Achilles rupture date, surgery date, etc.. (if you know it) here:
Fill out my Achilles Profile Here
When you do, you can keep track of your recovery progress and see your information on the Marathon Tracker.
Here’s more info: using Achilles Timeline Widget
Please change this post’s title to something more descriptive. Just leaving it as “Hello World” leads people to believe that you haven’t updated your first post!
If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask! 
Dennis
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Welcome! Here’s hoping your recovery goes well!
Welcome dude! Also did mine by playing tennis. Hit a kick serve, landed fairly gently and you know the rest.
Yes, you have a long way to go. Be patient. Sometimes time will seem to zoom by, other times, one day can feel like an eternity. Keep yourself busy as much as you can and things will be better.
Welcome, as I think Nerys once said, to a club that you didn’t want to join.
Take heed of the advice on this site it has all been earned the hard way.
Take plenty of rest and always be cautious.
Good luck from England
Annie
After reading your other post, i had to come get your story.
Tennis here, too, if you can’t tell from the blog name “Foot_Fault”. 
Sorry you joined us, but welcome!
Considering you’re “not much of a blogger”, your first entry is well-written, with a good feeling of keeping the reader snagged. I used to consider myself a writer, but the blogging world out there shows me that my writing is nothing special, and others are far better, naturally, than me. So even though many ATR people are competitive in sports, and indifferent to readers’ rankings/approval of their scribblings, it could well be that writing becomes a new outlet for the rest of your life.
Think about writing more, because if you do, then you become a better writer. A great site to practice, aside from here , is http://www.epinions.com, where you get paid to write opinions on anything: books, movies, restaurants, cities, products, etc. etc. Every time someone finds and reads your reviews, you get a penny per read. I have only earned $80 or so from this, but it’s really great feedback: people read what you write, then tell you what they think of your “epinion”. Good time filler if nothing else!
Mary
Mary, thanks for the kind words & encouragement. I do enjoy writing although I should categorize my blogging as “beginner’s luck”. lol
We’ve all experienced hell to some degree or another but I will say that this injury has opened my eyes (& then some) to those who deal with permanent disabilities every single day. My struggles during the past 4 weeks pale in comparison to others … this has been a very humbling experience, to say the least.
I’ll keep writing, perhaps not adding much value except an occasional smile or laugh … which will make it worthwhile. Cheers!