Oct
6
4 Months Post Op
October 6, 2009 | | Leave a Comment
Hello everyone! I met with my doctor for my final post op appointment todayand he told me that he no longer needs to see me anymore. It was a short and sweet visit. He spent a minute feeling the achiles and told me eveything is holding up fine. I asked him if I needed to do any more physical therapy after completing 16 sessions and he said no, just continue to build strength in my leg and do my stretching exercises daily as part of my normal workout regimen. Although I’ll never be 100% again, he said 12 months post op I should be fully recovered with no limitations so long as I use my common sense. I have to say that I’m feeling pretty good. I still need to build strength but I am pretty much back to normal. I’m cleared to play golf again so I am going to hit the driving range later this week and hopefuly tee it up shortly thereafter. It’s been a long and challenging recovery but I think it has turned out to be a positive experience for me and a wake up call to maintan my health. Good luck to everyone in your recovery. I’ll check in every now and then.
Sep
10
3 months Post Op
September 10, 2009 | | Leave a Comment
Hello everyone, just checking in to give you all an update on my progress. I have completed 14 PT sessions to date and feel that I am making steady progress. I’m still trying to build my strength and flexibility. Iwould say I am 60% of the way there. I can do some brisk walking / slow jogging with a slight hitch in my stride but I can walk at a normal pace with pretty much no limp if I am concentrating. As far as strength goes, I think I have a ways to go. I still can’t do a single leg heel raise. I can akwardly walk on my tip toes though. I’m currenlty taking a two week break from PT as I am traveling outside the US. I continue to do the daily stretches and exercises given to me by my PT. In terms of flexibility, I would say its getting better every week. Especially the mornings which are not so bad anymore. There is still a little stiffness but that goes away after a few steps. I recommend stretching your achilles and calf every night before you go to bed. It has made a difference for me the morning after. I’m scheduled for 2 more PT sessions when I get back and thenI have my 4 month follow up with the doctor. I’ll post another update once I hear what the doctor has to say about my progress.
Aug
12
9 Weeks Post Op
August 12, 2009 | | 1 Comment
Hello all, its been a great two weeks since my last post. Starting week 8, I was able to ditch the boot and crutches and I am now FWB in 2 shoes. The first week was a little rough, I would be really tight in the mornings getting out of bed but once I stretched, it loosened up and I could walk with a limp. I’ve been through 8 PT sessions now and I am slowly increasing my flexibility and gaining strength in my calf and tendon. I still experience some pain in my heal throughout the day but it eases up as soon as I stretch. When my achilles is warmed up and stretched out, it feels great and I can almost walk normally albeit a little slower but its the best I have been able to walk in over three months. I have to get my cardio back and lose a bout 10 lbs so I will start going back to the gym on the days that I do not have PT to do some cardio on the bike and get back to lifting weights for my upperbody. I saw my doctor last week and he said everything looked great, to continue with the PT until the end of the month and then he wants to see me in two months. It feels incredible to be independent again with the free use of my hands. I’m back to driving and things are almost back to normal. I owe a huge thanks to my wife for taking care me the past couple of months. Thanks to everyone for their posts. This site has been a tremendous help for me both physically and mentally.
Jul
29
7 Weeks Post Op
July 29, 2009 | | Leave a Comment
Hello all, we’ll I am now at 7 weeks. I started physical therapy last week and have been to three sessions. The first session basically was to check my flexibilty and range of movement and compare it to my good foot. Then the physical therapist massaged the scar area and then iced down my foot. I was given a sheet of exercises to complete daily which I have been doing. Second therapy session consisted of massaging the scar, folowed by approximately 30 minutes of various exercises, an then electric stimulation while icing the foot. The third session was basically the same as the second with the exception of substituting electric stimulation with ultrasound treatment. My flexibilty and range of movement has improved based on the therapists measurement yesterday so I guess I am making progress. My achilles does feel stronger. I’ve been putting almost full weight while I am in the boot while using the crutches for balance and I am finally able to walk with only one crutch. I can probably lose both crutches but I am still not completely confident in my balance so I’ll try to cross that bridge in the upcoming week.
I did my first real cardio today since my surgery. I was able to do laps in the pool alternating freestyle and breast stroke. Boy am I out of shape, I’m looking forward to swimming though just to get my metabolism kicking again and using muscles in my body that have not been active for the past couple months. Not sure when I’ll be able to transition to using the stationary bike, elliptical machine, and eventually back running on the treadmill. Baby steps I guess… Looking to start driving again in a couple weeks. I have my follow up with the doctor next week so we’ll see how he rates my progress. That’s it for now, take care everyone.
Jul
14
5 Weeks Post Op
July 14, 2009 | | 1 Comment
Hello All,
Let me start off by saying Ahhhhhhhhhh! It sure feels great getting my cast off and getting home to finally soak and clean my leg after 5 weeks in a cast/splint. I was fitted with my stormtrooper boot aka the Aircast. It’s bulkier than I thought it would be. My doctor said everything was really good, my wound was completely healed and everything looked great. My calf atrophy was a bit of a shock but it gives me some motivation to get it back to normal size.
My doctor said that the only time I needed to wear my boot was when I wanted to walk. I’ve read that some people are wearing their boot all the time even while sleeping. My foot was already set at 90 degrees for the past two weeks in a cast when I got my stitches out so I guess I’m a little ahead of the curve. The doctor told me to gradually put more weight as I felt comfortable this week and he wanted me to start PT next week. He said I should be walking in my boot without a crutch by the time I start PT next week. This seems aggressive but I’m all for it. It was weird to finally put partial weight now that I am in the boot. I am going to take it easy until I get more confident walking in it. All in all a good day and I’m starting to feel that I am making progress on the long road to full recovery.
Does any body have any recommendations for protecting the scar area while wearing the boot? Are there special socks or should I wrap my achilles in an ace bandage? Thanks.
Jul
1
3 Weeks Post Op
July 1, 2009 | | Leave a Comment
Hi all, just had my second visit to the doctor, three weeks post op. They removed my staples and stitches. Boy does it feel nice to get the cast off for a while. My wound is healing fine, no problems. They put me into another cast for two more weeks and then its on to the aircast boot. My foot is now set at 90 degrees. Boy was my tendon stiff and it took a while to get it to the 90 degree position. Its amazing how stiff and strong the tendon is. So after about 5 minutes of stretching and coaxing the tendon to 90 degrees, my leg is once again in a cast prison. My tendon is still a little sore so I popped a couple advil and I am back to elevating and resting my leg at home. I’m looking forward to walking/limping in a few weeks when I start physical therapy and then hopefully ready to drive a month from now. Happy 4th of July weekend to all!!!
Jun
18
8 Days Post Op
June 18, 2009 | | Leave a Comment
I had my first post op merting with my doctor 8 days after surgery. I was told that the surgery was successful and have a 6 inch incision healing nicely. My soft splint was removed and I was fitted with a hard cast. I was told that I would need to be in this cast for 2 weeks at which point they will remove my stitches and then put me in another cast for an additonal 2 weeks. So all in 5 weeks in a splint/cast before moving into the boot at which point I will start PT. Based on alot of the blogs I’ve read, this seems to be on the conservatie side.
Overall, things have gone pretty well, I’m pretty much down to one pain pill a day. I think I will stop taking pain meds this week. The cast is definitely an improvement over the bulky splint. I tried to see if I could fastrack into a boot, but my doctor basically shot that down. I guess better safe than sorry. I’ve basically stayed home lying down with my foot elevated since surgery. I hope to start being more active and getting out more now that I ammore mobile with my new cast. It was nice to finally get out of the house.
Jun
12
First Blog Post
June 12, 2009 | | 1 Comment
Hi everyone, this is my first blog for anything so bear with me. I am currently two days post operation. I ruptured my achilles over a month ago in the Philippines. When people ask me how I injured it and I respond “dancing”, I get a smiling response saying, “dancing, what kind of dancing?” Well here’s the story, I was in the Philippines celebrating my wife’s 40th birthday and I was trying some old dance moves that I use to do back in high school in the late 80’s a la Bobby Brown, MC Hammer, etc. when all of sudden I felt a wack to the back of my calf, I thought I had backed into a pole of something, but nothing. I was out in the Philippine provinces at the time so an emergnecy room was not an option. It actually took me a while before I finally went to see a doctor in Manila when he confirmed my ruptured achilles and at that time, I was set to fly back to the US within a week so I ended up postposing my surgery until after I arrived LA which is a month after the original injury date. Not sure how this delay will impact my recovery but my surgery went well on Wednesday. I have some pain but it is tolerable and have basically just laid down on the couch with my leg elevated the past couple days. The only time I get up is to go the bathroom. I still have not taken a shower yet, I’ll probably wait another day. Any tips on taking showers would be welcome. I have a bathtub bench and also a plastic sleeve for my leg. One thing that really bothered me last night was my first itch in my soft cast, it freaked me out that I could not scratch it, I got nervous and had a mild anxiety attack. I tried to focus on something else which worked, but I did not like the fact that I was helpless to physically deal with the itch. I’m having my mom bring a hair dryer as I read that blowing cool air into the cast will provide some relief. Anyways, this is my first surgery and first time to wear a cast, but after two days, I’m nervous I may lose it one day knowing that have to be in a cast for at least the next 3-6 weeks if not longer. I have my first post operation appointment next week so we will see how my wound has healed. Thanks inadvance for any recommendations and I look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you.