Filed under: Uncategorized
It really does feel like getting shot in the back of the leg.
Those were my first thoughts as I fell to the ground after trying to lunge forward in a squash match. My second thought was %#!@$.
My third thought was “It really does make a POP sound.”
And my last thought was of course there goes my Achilles.
So here I am. Maybe a little background. I’m your typical weekend warrior; highly addicted to playing sports with a memory of a 20 year old in a 34 year old body. I was playing squash and had been running around that silly little glass box for an hour. I tried to spring forward and POP. There it goes. I’m currently living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the medical situation has been interesting to sy the least.
So what happened after the pop?
I went to the emergency (It was a Thursday) and had an ultrasound done on the achilles heel. No tear. Hmm. I swore I heard a pop. Plus I can’t stand on my foot. But I’m sent home (hopping on one foot no less) and told to come back on Monday. On Monday I trudge back to the hospital, this time on crutches (wooden ones - seriously?!), and am told I have probably torn my calf muscle. The surgeon is in on Tuesday and… yes you guessed it… come back later.
So I go back on Tuesday and lo and behold the surgeon said yes, I’ve torn my achilles. However, it’s an unusual tear in that it’s very high. Surgery or non-surgery that is the question. Since it is so high up surgery is not recommended. So into a cast I go, which he said should have been done on day one. Sigh… I hobble out on wooden crutches, in an archaic plaster cast, with an appointment for an MRI the next day.
Smile! Say cheese. Well, those are things you don’t do in an MRI. But I did anyways (remember, I did it in English and this is Argentina - no one laughed). I always fall asleep in MRI’s and this was no different. After my snooze I am told to come back in a week for results and see the doctor again. Joy.
Another week later with pictures in hand - the diagnosis is confirmed. High rupture of the Achilles tendon. Here’s Google Translates interpretation
“consistent with reports in the medical order is identified image compatible with ruptureof the tendon fibers of the Achilles tendon, close to the Union miotendinous,approximately 85mm of the distal insertion site in the calcaneus bone. This strikingfinding consistent with a full-thickness rupture, or at least commit the majority of its fibers. proximally at the junction miotendinous and the site of rupture are mildinflammatory changes. The distal end shows marked increase in anteroposteriorthickness reaching approximately 11.4mm. in turn there are intrinsic changes in signalintensity inflammatory findings also finding that could be related to injury intrasubstance.”
The surgeon says to come back in 4 weeks (6 weeks total) and have the cast taken off and fitted for a nice shiny looking CAM boot. Joy.
And here I am…
No Comments so far
Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>