Back on those sticks…..
I know it’s off topic but as an “oldie” member who has now had his second total hip replacement, anyone know of a relevant blog for that?
Thanks everyone.
Add comment October 31, 2011
Eight weeks today!
Well……..it seems a lot longer. Am cautiously FWB, still booted up, use the two crutches when I’m out and about, but try and manage with a shoe and heel lift when I’m at home. Have done a lot of travelling and it’s great how kind most people are. I’ve been using a wheelchair to get through airports because the distances can be so long. The system works pretty well but you’re always a bit nervous you might be left somewhere and forgotten…….have to remember to let some air out of the Boot when flying high as the Cabin depressurisation causes the airbags to swell up which is painful if you forget to adjust.
In hotels, if you unpack your stuff and it gets scattered at all, its a helluva job to collect it together again……..answer, don’t unpack.
Now that I’m more mobile I feel more positive but I am nervous about it happening again. Any tips from the experts about this? I’m finding that my heel on the bad leg get pretty sore and I rub some mosturising cream in every night. You learn a lot of new things……
Andrew Marr, who was the Political Editor for the BBC had an ATR and there’s quite a perceptive article written by him about the experience - see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2006/11/09/hmarr09.xml
Carry on the good work everybody.
4 comments May 14, 2008
Using those crutches……
Had a session with my physio and mastered getting around on two crutches with my Aircast Boot. Can now go up and down stairs. Taught me a good way to remember:
Going up: Good Leg goes to Heaven (Good leg up a stair, swing bad leg up, crutches always stay with bad leg)
Going down: Bad Leg goes to Hell (Bad leg down a stair, accompanied by crutches, swing good leg down)
It helped me - maybe could help someopne else!
2 comments April 21, 2008
Day 28
Saw Mr Klinke the surgeon again today. Wound healed well and he said I could move onto PWB but still keeping Aircast Boot on 24/7. Absolutely stressed the need for caution and said the risk I’m running is that the tendon will stretch otherwise - need to do some research on that. He said that I can start some physio so I have to work out how to organise that. He’ll see me again in two week’s time and that I might be able to move to FWB then. He confirmed that the most likely time to rerupture is weeks 8-10 when people start getting too confident……so watch it guys. He also said important to be careful at night and to wear the boot in bed - he had a patient who didn’t, got up in the night absent mindedly and reruptured……..
I suffer by the way from haemochromatosis which is a genetic disorder that means you don’t metabolise iron. Do any other Forum members have the same thing as I’m interested in whether there is a connection between that and my ATR?
Keep moving (if you can)
2 comments April 16, 2008
First Blog - Day 27
Surgery 19 March. Rupture I think probably started on 2 March. Background is as follows: I’m a reasonably active business guy aged 58 live London and Edinburgh but travel a lot…hiking in Bhutan in February, was at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland on 2 March and had a session with the hotel Personal Trainer; probably did a bit more than I was used to, and had a calf pain in left leg a couple of days later. Got worse and went to my GP (family doctor) as I was worried it might be a DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis). He took a blood test which checked out OK and he thought I might have torn a muscle. Gave me painkillers (Diconal)………got worse and worse.
About to go to Thailand on 19 March…..pain by now really bad, went to see a local physio just before leaving for airport (Catherine, Sloane Square Clinic)…..she told me she thought I had ruptured my Achilles Tendon. Amazingly located one of the top Ankle surgeons in London - Mr Klinke (great guy) - who said if I jumped in cab could see me right away. Went to hospital, saw him, confirmed rupture, said he could operate that night, cancelled my trip, went home, got wash bag, came back, operated at 2300.
Stay in hospital two nights; some pain but not bad massively better than pre-op. Everything OK…..go home with leg in plaster cast. Start of Solitary Confinement.
One week later back to visit surgeon…..everything OK…….changed plaster cast
One week later back again (now Day 14)…….still OK. Moved to XP Walker Aircast boot. Brilliant improvement Possible at night to unbuckle front-half. No weight-bearing. Getting around house on hands and knees, Zimmer Frame, and crutches.
Now Day 27. Back to see surgeon tomorrow and hopes he can say that I can start some weight-bearing…..have been cheating the last couple of days a little bit on this just to try it out.
Mood up and down….terrified it’s going to happen again.
Interesting differences between US and UK treatment.
Keep moving guys.
3 comments Tagged: Achilles Tendon rupture, London, recovery, UK April 15, 2008