Well I made it 3 and a half weeks post injury before it happened.  Today I was getting up from my chair and wouldn’t you know it, I lost my balance and put weight on my affected leg which is still in the cast.  Although I feared the worst, the only sore spot was right where my toes met the cast so I think I dodged a bullet.

Of course I was uptight and moaning a bit.  My wife asked what happened and before I could say a word she said, "You fell.  What did you fall over, and don’t say the area rug?"  I informed her I simply lost balance getting out of my seat and never really fell.  Much to my surprise she didn’t freak out.  She did however scold me by saying I was grounded to my chair elevating my leg for the rest of the day.  Well that and I’m getting to confident and need to slow down.

Hopefully things stay ok and I didn’t cause any damage.  No new pain yet but its only been an hour.

On an unrelated note, anyone out there ever have a cast cause you pain right around the outer or lateral side of the ball of their ankle?  I assume the cast is very snug there as to keep the joint immobilized.

Thank God.  I can’t wait to get this cast fixed or removed.  Some of this nerve pain has to be related to my pinky toe being jammed due tot eh cast appearing too tight to me.

Over the past two weeks I have been relatively pain free except for my previously stated pain on the lateral side of my foot.  Overall things seem to be going well.  The swelling is way down and the surgical site is a bit itchy but nothing else to report really.

So the usual check in process happens then right to the cast room.  I figured lets give this a shot.  Could I please get a cast replacement cast?  This one is too tight and driving me crazy.  Once I explained what is going on, the cast specialist took a look at it and said well lets get you some relief and then I’ll talk to the doctor for you.  That placated me for now so she immediately detected a wrinkle in it and decided to open it up around the toe area.  Ah, I felt immediate relief!  Next, she needed to cut a window out of the cast over the surgical site so we could access the sutures.  This should be interesting since we have no solid reference point to figure out where to begin.  Luckily my wife was there and said she was told it was lower than expected due to the rupture site.  Now the real fun, you can’t get a blade guard back there due to the location of the incision and all.  Overall it wasn’t bad and the blade only tickled my heel once or twice.  Now for suture removal.  Now mind you I never had stitches or staples before so I have no idea what to expect and I’m a bit of a baby when it comes to pain. I asked my wife to take a pre-suture removal picture for me which she did.  Knowing I am a baby at times she wouldn’t show it to me until later.  (I will put it in my media pages if you are interested in seeing it, not as bad as I thought.

I was assured I would feel nothing more than a pinch.  10 staples down and nothing felt.  Numbers 11 and 12 were a bit sticky so I felt them but overall nothing unbearable.  Now lets see the doctor.  Well everything looks good I’m told and I explained the pains I am feeling.  apparently I was right basic nerve pains partially caused by a snug cast and otherwise related to the recovery healing process. I asked about changing the cast but was denied.  It was snug for a reason, it keeps my foot nearly 100%  immobilized.  I guess I’ll have to suck it up, at least it isn’t as bad as it was before.  The procedure was explained to me.  Apparently, it is a newer way of doing the procedure which is less invasive and should speed recovery and should be stronger than traditional methods.  It is called PARS and is minimally invasive and is pretty cool.  Check out the PARS link on the top of my page to check it out.  It is not gory or anything but pretty informative.  This method is used on pro athletes as well as Joe Lunch Bucket like me.

Well the window cut out piece was placed back in along with a antibacterial strip to be placed over the incision site to keep everything clean and healthy.

Take an aspirin (325 mg) daily to prevent blood clots from forming.  Keep up on the Tylenol regimen to keep swelling down, continue to elevate and no weight bearing on the affected leg.

In 4 more weeks we will see where we are going next.  that’s when we will decide on whether to put it back in a cast, put me in a boot or maybe just go the route of using a heel lift and going right to 2 shoes.

I’m hoping for the best but planning for the worst.

Wow, I never thought sitting around all day with my feet up would be so tiring.  Just going from my bed to my recliner wipes me out.  I am not enjoying this too much.  I hate being at the mercy of other for things and like doing things for myself, just a bit independent.  The family has been great and my friends call and stop by to visit me which has helped out but I’m still going crazy.  I coach a youth lacrosse travel team and being laid up like this bites!  I want to get out and be with the boys.

My wife was seeing this and went out of her way to help me out a bit.  She went to a local wheelchair company and looked into  how to make things more bearable for me.  I was hating the crutches as they were tearing my armpits up.  So we did a couple of things.  First we got a knee scooter, I like the Drive Knee Scooter 790  (http://origin.kaboodle.com/hi/img/c/0/0/172/3/AAAADDXIF6kAAAAAAXI9Ow.jpg?v=1312653005000) .  It helps me get around the house and saves on the pit pain.  Secondly, knowing I wanted to get out a bit she picked up a wheelchair with and elevated leg rest.  I only use that when we go out for anything it is too bulky to use in the house.

Another problem needed to be solved, showering.  Well anyone who has had a leg injury knows this will be tricky, so we got a shower chair.  Ok problem one solved.  I tried the garbage bag trick.  got some water in the bag so now a new problem. This happened twice, luckily it cast stayed dry but this couldn’t go on forever.  She stumbled upon a device called Dry Pro cast cover (http://store.drycorp.com/HL-15-Large-Half-Leg-Waterproof-Cast-Cover-p/hl-15.htm )  This item vacuum seals using a bulb to remove the air from the pouch.  I was worried at first due to the sutures but thankfully there were not any problems.  (Once I get the photo posting down here I will get the pics up but for now, just follow the links).

I would also advise you to check with your local motor vehicles department about getting a temporary disabled parking permit.  This could be a lifesaver no matter what mobility option you choose.

Since then I have been out a couple of times.  My first trip out was hysterical.  Once my wife/chauffeur agreed to take me somewhere, I felt like a pet dog being asked if he wanted to go for a car ride.  If I had a tail I would have been wagging it uncontrollably!  Just remembering it is making me laugh!

Oh well until next time, take care

Wow, I am amazed how good my heel area feels!  I am having some pains but OMG I am having electrical pains shooting through the lateral part of my foot.  That and my "pinky" toe is numb.  I feel like my cast is too tight there.  Looking at it, said toe appears out of place a bit and under its neighbor a bit.

Oh well I go back soon for my 2 week post-op visit, I’ll deal with it then.

It is Monday March 10th, five days after my injury.  Got up at 5am for the 8 am surgery, no big deal because I get up at 5am to get ready for work anyhow, my amazing wife, not so easy for her.  Anyhow, gave the kids instructions for the morning and off we go to Kenmore Mercy Hospital just north of Buffalo, NY.  Anxiety is there but I almost have myself in a Zen like state because I know that this is the first step on the way to recovery, the sooner it is over the quicker the healing can begin.

We made it on time and I was in pre-op after 5-10 minutes in the waiting room.  The staff was great!  Of course the litany of 1000 question was gone through more than once but I was glad they made sure we were covered.  The anesthesiologist came in and gave me the option of a local (spinal block) or general anesthesia.  Once I realized that the local would have me awake for the whole thing, i said, I could use some extra sleep and he said given my slight anxiety, that was a good idea. An IV was placed in my left hand and fluids had began flowing.  I was told I’d be prone for the procedure, laying on my stomach, and given that fact I would be intubated (a breathing tube would be placed in my trachea to keep my airway opened.

Dr. Shields came in right at 07:55 and asked if there were any questions.  Nope, just a thanks for getting me in so quick to begin the repair.  His reply was educational.  The quicker the better in these cases he said because time does not help the tendon at the rupture site.  Apparently the ends get, for lack of a better way of saying this, soupy.  That caused more tendon removal before repair so the sooner the better.  I was a bit more relieved.  OK, see you in the OR, and off we went.

On the way to the OR, the nurse transporting me asked if I’d like a blanket.  Given the anxiety my adrenaline was flying so I didn’t think it was too cold outside the OR so I declined, that is until I was actually in the OR.  Oh God was it cold in there.  I saw the equipment but didn’t care, I needed a blanket.

Well the anesthesiologist told ne he was adding a sedative to my IV line and it was no big deal, all will be fine.  I glanced at the clock, 08:05 am.  Then he said he was adding vitamin F as well.  "you ever hear of vitamin F?"  I replied no and he chuckled and said, "Its right after vitamin E."  That was the last thing I remember.

Next thing I remember was being told to wake up but relax a few ok’s were said then my lip felt wet.  I assumed the tube just came out.  I began to get worked up, everything was blurry, oh God, what had happened?  Slowly, the fog in my mind lifted.  I could see the clock and it was about 09:35 or so, amazing that was almost exactly how long I was told the procedure would talk, an hour and a half.  I was still hazy but I was coming around and realized I just needed to relax, I’d be going home soon.  About 10 minutes in recovery and back to my pre-op room.

I laid there for a bit in the pre-op room and was struggling to stay awake, looking back on it I should have just went back to sleep but too late now.  My wife was brought in to see me and we just sat and exchanged pleasantries.  I just was not in the talking mood, beside for some reason my throat was sore.  I am usually quite talkative but not right now.   The PA and nurse came in to bee me and remove my IV.  Wait a minute, why is the IV in my right hand, how on earth did that happen?  I could swear it was in my left when I went to the OR.  Eh, who cares, its over so I never asked.  The PA gave a brief overview of things and the nurse gave me specific post surgical instructions.  I was also told my throat would be sore, there was some difficulty intubating me, keep that in mind if I ever have surgery again.

I sat in the room for an hour uneventfully when the nurse asked how I was.  I felt pretty good so he asked me if I could use the crutches to get to the bathroom.  That was my test for discharge.  Hell yes I could, I want to go home!  I willed myself out of the bed and made it unsteadily but ok there and back.  Discharge was on the horizon!

I was ready and was wheeled out the door.  Time to go home.  On the way home my wife stopped for a treat for being a good patient.  We stopped at Paula’s Donuts (a local favorite of mine that has amazing donuts).

Once home things were good, I was hungry but as advised, I took it easy.  The rest of the day went well as did the next week.

So Thursday March 6th I had an appointment scheduled for around 4 or 5 pm.  To me that was not soon enough.  My wife had already called in sick to work to take care of me.  I knew of a great orthopedic clinic in the area (Excelsior Orthopedics) so I figured why not give them a call and see if I could get in earlier with them.  Finally my luck improved, I could get in to see someone in about an hour and a half.

As expected, they were awesome.  Unfortunately the news wasn’t good.  After the usual tests and another set of x-rays and an MRI along with some painful squeezes which had me jumping off the table it was confirmed, a ruptured Achilles.  I met with a surgeon, Dr. Peter Shields and he said there were basically 2 options; surgery or try and let it heal on its own (a method which nobody in my area will treat this injury).

I was placed in a hard splint and wrapped pretty well.  Actually I felt better already

I said whatever he thinks is best.  I just want to get fixed!  He said he could do the surgery either on Monday the 10th or Wednesday the 12.  I said lets do it as soon as possible and go with the 10th.

See you then

Oh my God! The pain was excruciating! On Wednesday March 5th I was playing in a parent/son basketball game to celebrate the season ending and we did with a bang! I’m 43 and wigh a bit too much especially around the middle. Surprisingly I had been doing pretty well and knew to slow down when I felt I was overdoing it. Everyone was having a great time and I was actually feeling pretty good.

Three and a half minutes to go and I went up for a rebound. When I landed, I thought someone hand come down on the Achilles region of my left leg. Either that or someone took a 2×4 and really smacked my leg but good. Since nobody was near me and didn’t know why I was on the floor I figured this has to be bad.

I tried standing up but there was no way I could! People always ask, “Did you hear a pop when it happened?” No way, i was too busy saying “OUCH!!!” (I wanted to say other things but remember there were kids present).

So I had a couple of friends drag me to the sidelines and I waited for the game to end, at this point I already figured out exactly what was wrong. I am no doctor but I was an EMT and do have some background in human anatomy.

Luckily a parent there was watching and had crutches as they had just had a MCL/ACL repaired. Even though they were too short for me I made do with them and got to the car.

Off to an immediate care center. The 7 minute ride seemed like forever. I live in the Buffalo, NY area so you can imagine there were plenty of pothole on the road and I thought my wife hit every one. Every little bump felt worse than the first.

Once we got to the center, the folks there x rayed me and ran me through the tests. My favorite the squeeze my calf and watch nothing happen. They concurred with my prior assesment, probably a ruptured Achilles.