A “little” trouble in paradise
Posted on May 9th, 2011 at 10:30 am by gailbuddy and
It’s been a while since I last posted and I’ll have to admit it’s been a while since I logged on(compared to my 20x a day when I couldn’t do anything else) also I feel like I come here to complain but maybe I just need guidance, suggestions(without a Dr visit) and some camaraderie. I have been doing great! I have had no restrictions on my day to day life. Every once in a while I have experienced minimal discomfort and a little swelling but this weekend I managed a double whammy.
First I went biking with my nephew. He has a scholarship for the bike team at his university. He is 18, I am 52. We were full throttle to the beach in some pretty consistant wind. Also at the beach I felt like my ankle was really unsteady in the sand and was twisting a bit. Once we got home my ankle started swelling and for the first time in forever my toes turned purple. In early healing I had circulation problems but not in a long time.
Yesterday there was no visible residual but my sister says I was limping(I never think I am) Later in the day I was giving tours to family of my garden in heels and hit a crack in the drive wrong and went to my knees in pain. All night long I had stabbing pains more in the front of my ankle than the AT. I’ve iced, elevated and rested it(some) and today I have a visible limp, soreness but no swelling(it’s still early)
Does anyone have a suggestion, comment or even a similar story to share? I’m sure this is not a Dr visit kind of injury but the discomfort is a little alarming at this stage…or is it?
Just when you forget about it
Posted on April 14th, 2011 at 7:43 pm by gailbuddy and
I am at 4 1/2 months and most days I go about my business like a “normal” person. I don’t check this site twice daily like I used to because I really do have my life back. I don’t limp until I am extremely tired but I do still get swelling but just in my heel. I can’t wear shoes with backs still because it rubs the scar and inflames it. My heel seems to be the only real problem. Why is that? My heel is still so tender.
However, today I was planting flowers outside on my front door step. It was a fabulous day and I was having a great time..one of those out at 10am not in till 6pm days…love it! Well…I FORGOT I had surgery and jumped from the top step down to the bottom(3 steps). Holy crap! Oh yeah, I remembered alright. I was jolted back to reality. No harm done just a stunning pain that lasted for a while. No more jumping for a while I guess.
Back to my life…..
Dismissed!
Posted on March 23rd, 2011 at 5:14 pm by gailbuddy and
I am now 16 weeks out and have formally been dismissed from both doc and PT. It really snuck up on me. It seems like all of a sudden I had this “healing” spurt. My plantar flexion is equal to my other ankle. My dorsiflexion is just a bit off. My calf has really gained back muscle remarkably. Doc says my cycling has contributed to the calf strength and girth. I’m less than an inch off and when I was first out of the cast I was over two inches off. Yay!
On the matter of the limp…I was so excited to show off to my PT. She says I still have a slight limp. It doesn’t feel like it to me but I guess it is her specialty. I still experience swelling in the evening when I am extremely active which is everyday because Spring has me redoing my yard. So I still ice and am still careful but…….. I got sprung!
What limp?
Posted on March 19th, 2011 at 8:44 am by gailbuddy and
Yesterday I was doing my morning routine and realized I was walking like a normal person. Up until yesterday I have had a little hitch in my step. I have resumed pretty much all of my usual stuff. Yesterday I cycled 26 miles in some pretty ferocious wind. As a rule I ice afterwards and this seems to work for me. But getting back to my new limp-free world…..I promptly called hubby and interrupted big business for the news. He was as ecstatic as me. I also have become good friends with the very sexy compression sock. The weather has been so beautiful here and I have a spring tan…’cept my sock leg…ugh! So it looks funny but whatever works. I wore my “patience” tee yesterday…it has really paid off. So all of you on the road to wellness…it DOES happen.
Happy Healing y’all!
I never thought…..
Posted on March 8th, 2011 at 9:14 am by gailbuddy and
So here it is…..I never thought I would get, dare I say Norm…addicted? I’m starting to wake up and wonder what my new cyber friends said or did while I was gone(off line). I really do have a normal life but this ATR thing has absorbed a lot of it. Therefore, I go to my understanding new community to vent, listen and comment. There…it has been said. Justin Beiber does say “Never Say Never” ha ha
Yesterday my PT that I’ve used for 2 yrs got snowed in to upstate NY. The office knows I don’t like to see anyone else. Nothing against the rest of them, I have just built a trusting relationship with Patti and she knows what is going on. Well, they didn’t call me and when I showed up yesterday the owner of the business was to take my appointment. She was running about 1/2 hour behind and I had rushed to get there. First off it was a late afternoon appt. which is not my fave because I have usually been running around or on my feet so I’m swollen.(BTW /I picked up a compression sock yesterday…will use today) I’m not crazy about waiting so I went to the weight room and did three sets of my usual i/e leg press,ab/adductor, knee ext., then I got on the bike. These are all things I do at my club gym but why not? She finally came in and we went over my case blah blah… anyway she took me to the staircase and had me go up and down. I know I’m not quite a master at this but she was not happy so we did it several times. Next she had me do the stretches where you hang off the steps and lower your heels…alot… then she manually manipulated my ROM. Mind you none of these was severe but it was a more PAINFUL appt than usual plus the last couple of days I’ve had more discomfort than usual(humidity?too many miles cycling?)
Anyway…last night I could not sleep from the pain..Every time I tried to turn my foot would SCREAM and this morning it still hurts. I’m used to getting up and going about my business these days but I’m wondering if I should “baby” my ankle today. Am I at the stage it is alright to be so sore and just muscle through? Is my regular PT really taking it easy on me? I’m starting to feel like a wimp. When you get to this point and you are crutch less,bootless,cane less and there is no “obvious”impairment all my friends and family think I should be running marathons(or as one friend said..you’ve been the center of attention for too long) so I don’t even tell them anything any more…y’all just get to read the rants of a crazy woman that is starting to feel like a whiner.
pictures…I think
Posted on March 1st, 2011 at 8:04 pm by gailbuddy and
I started messing around with some old pics I uploaded in the Media part of this blog stuff. I clicked on Media, then library. Then I put a check in the box next to the pic I wanted to use. Then I clicked on view and it showed up on a comment page in my blog site. It was purely an accident! I still couldn’t do it the way Gerry suggested. Thanks G but I’m a computer dummie!
I had a glorious bike ride in 80 degree weather Saturday. I just took it easy but I am chomping at the bit now. The only problem is getting on and off. My takeoff foot is the AT side and some bumps send shockwaves. I only stayed out about an hour and had a little swelling.
Today I ventured out to Walmart and Costco without my boot for the first time.I had no problems but still feel a little timid if people get too close. That might be a good reason to brandish a cane. when I got home I decided to cook dinner which involved whole wheat biscuits(rolled out kind) By the end of my time in the kitchen my foot felt like it might explode. It gets so huge and hot and red when it has had enough for the day. I think it has worn out it’s welcome with my (understanding?) husband. How long can this go on?
I saw doc on Friday. Get this…I might have gout in the big toe on my AT foot. It keeps swelling up so I had to take a blood test. We will see. It is possible that the gait I have developed may be causing this. I hate that word “gout”. Otherwise doc says I am a semi star patient with a fine looking ankle. He just likes me:)
So ridiculous, I must share…
Posted on February 18th, 2011 at 5:23 pm by gailbuddy and
So, I have been hounding doc and pt that I have to get on my bike during this beautiful weather we are having at the beach. My pt is still not too happy about it but recommended this orthopedic support called “AchilloTrain Pro”. It is designed to promote lymph drainage and circulation and help reduce swelling. It is also recommended for post surgery Achilles patients that want to exercise with some support as it fits the lower shin. You measure the smallest part of your ankle(which is not too small right now). I ordered it and it was here in about three days.
Well, I put it on and it felt so good. There is a pad of cushion that sits right on your Achilles. I was just trying it on for fit and when I tried to take it off I panicked. How am I going to get this thing off without ripping my foot off? It is a snug fit sorta like an ace bandage but an all in one piece. I COULD NOT GET IT OFF! I tried everything and the more I tugged the more it hurt. I had to go next door to my neighbor’s house for help. How pitiful is that? With her treating it like a riding boot and my hands down into it we finally got it off but it hurt like a mother!
Now I’m icing and hoping I’ve not torn anything in there. I know I haven’t but what a pain. I guess the form fitting type stuff is out for now or maybe even a larger size. I think I’ll let the pt measure.
If I ever get it right with this thing I’ll let y’all know but right now it’s back in the box!
Oh my achin’ arch
Posted on February 15th, 2011 at 9:27 am by gailbuddy and
I think I’m coming to the end of PT. We did a lot of stretching and balancing yesterday. The only thing I’m doing there (for $30 copay) that I can’t do at home is the ultrasound. I still get so much swelling when I’ve been on my feet all day. The copay is almost a deal breaker. Last month I was doing PT 3x a week at $30 a pop..you do the math. She has helped me so much though, it is gonna be tough to say goodbye!
I was reading about the sensitivity issues of most on the bottom of their feet. I definitely have that but alsoI have a problem with pain in my arch. When I’m doing stretches, toe and heel raise(on minitramp) my arch screams. It’s almost a constant ache all day. Has anybody else had this?
Also, my swelling is on the opposite side of the incision. My op site is on the inside of my left ankle but the swelling is on the outside. Is that weird?
Anyway…exercising is going well and here in North Carolina the weather is fabulous. I plan to try cycling on one of these 70 degree, sunny days!
Happy healing!
$hoes
Posted on February 13th, 2011 at 8:52 pm by gailbuddy and
I have a closet FULL of fabulous shoes. Boots…I have lots of Uggs, to the knee high heeled boots, riding boots,hiking boots….
For the last year or so I have worn shoes without backs, ie. clogs or a slip on sport shoe. Last winter I tried to wear a pair of boots and I couldn’t walk after driving somewhere! The back seam rubbed on that knot of achilles. Everything rubbed it.
I can’t wait to wear a proper girlie shoe again.
in the beginning
Posted on February 11th, 2011 at 9:34 am by gailbuddy and
I have had problems with both my Achilles for years. I had severe tendinitis starting as far back as 7 years ago. I remember trying to find something to wrap them just so I could take another class. About a year and a half ago I went to an ortho and he told me I had advanced to tendinosis which is past the inflammation stage and into the tear upon tear stage. He had me start PT to try to break down the matrix of rips in both my tendons. I did that for months and got a little better. The next summer I started some long distance walking (7-12miles)daily with all that stretching but still developed an even larger lump on my left Achilles. I went back to the dr and was put in a cam boot for fear that I was going to have a full rupture. We also tried injections, Kinesio taping, regular taping, ultrasound, excruciating massages, exercises…I’ve done it all. I have to mention that during this time I could not walk without a limp and the pain was awful. My activities were limited and I HATE saying “I can’t.” That just doesn’t work for me. By June of 2010 my left tendon was down to threads and I was hobbling around and doing next to nothing. The graft jacket surgery was suggested by my doc as a way to strengthen my tendon and get me back to my normal activities not to mention sports. No way was I going under the knife. I hung in there(literally). Things got really bad and I couldn’t sleep it was so painful.
I waited until the first of Dec to commit to the surgery. I was literally hanging on by a thread and doc said he had to cut out a gallon of scar tissue.(exaggerated,I’m sure)So, what about that time line? I don’t know. What I know for sure is no matter what got me here, I have enjoyed this site. It has helped me immensely. I had no idea what to expect and it has been hard. And still is. I appreciate the sense of community. Hopefully by next year I will l the look back at this and have a hard time remembering when “I couldn’t” because I’ll be doing it.
