heyjud

Made it through my first week at work with 2 shoes.  Still limping a bit and not exactly a speed walker but its good to no longer have to wear the boot.  The backache from the uneven gait from wearing the boot is gone and my left foot is thanking my right foot for finally sharing the load so to speak.    One more step toward the “healed” process.  Saw my doctor this week also and he’s very happy with my progress and has me coming back in 3 months and only then if I feel it’s necessary.  Things are slowing looking up.  

Have been given the okay to try two shoes.   Been allowed walking in the house without the boot for a few weeks now so I think the transition to wearing shoes all the time will be  a fairly easy one.  Tomorrow a day at work without the boot will be a real test.  Think I’ll bring my boot along —just a little paranoia.  I’ve had a great orthopeadic surgeon, Timothy Gabrielson and his assistant, Aaron Schilling and I trust if they think I’m ready-  I’m ready.  Will be taking it very slow definately don’t want to go back to square one.  

This is my second week back on the job.  I’m wearing my boot everyday.    I’m a department manger in a large super-center.  My job entails being on my feet and a lot of walking most of the day.  The first week I found I had a lot of back pain and pain in my left foot from the uneven gait created by the boot.  Seems to be somewhat better this week. Because I’m working 8 to 5,  5 days a week and haven’t had a paycheck in 4 months its good to be back on the job but doesn’t leave me any time let alone money to continue physical therapy.  I did go to therapy for a couple weeks before going back to work and continue to do my leg/foot exercises every day now on my own.  I have even been going home for lunch every day to ice and elevate my foot which  seems to help. Next week I see my surgeon again and hope when I leave his office it will be with 2 shoes for the first time since April.

I started physical therapy last week.  Drove myself there. It went really well. Went through lots of range of motion exercises & spend about 10 minutes on the NuStep machine. Didn’t really feel the effects of it till the next day.  But onward I go with that beacon  a “pair” of shoes in the hopefully not too distant future.  This week two more PT sessions and back to work in the boot on the 18th. 

 

I  tore my right Achilles tendon on April 21, 2008 just walking with my grandson.   Before that fateful day I had apparently injured  it with a small tear and had been limping around for about 8 months.  I had been to a podiatrist on 3 different  visits and he was sure the pain and thus limp was being cause by a bone spur on the heel.  Which he , on two of those visits treated it with cortisone injections to no avail.  Little did I know at the time that cortisone erodes the tendons(ah isn’t hind sight great)   When the fateful day arrived and it finally tore completely I knew the last person I was going to see was him.  With a trip to my regular GP and a different podiatrist  I had a diagnosis and referral to a orthopaedic specialist.  His first line of treatment was - casting for 2 wks, then recasting with a sight flexion down and the recasting for another 2 wks in hopes the tendon would heal on its own.  And of course it couldn’t have been that easy. Surgery was performed on June 3 and I was back in a non-weight bearing cast for 5 more weeks.  Now I’ve been  in a walking boot for 4 weeks and will start physical therapy tomorrow, August 6.  I’ve been doing as much range of motion exercise as possible at home.  Can anyone tell me what to expect from therapy.  I’m shooting for going back to work in two weeks.  Its been a long, long , summer of dependence and sitting around.