My journey
- housemusic has completed the grueling 26.2 ATR miles to full recovery!
Goal: 366 days from the surgery date.
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- housemusic has completed the grueling 26.2 ATR miles to full recovery!
Today marks my 3-month ATR surgery anniversary so I decided to make a list of the good, the bad, and the ugly to refer to in three months from now.
Overall, the past two weeks have been positive. I started PT one month ago, and have seen steady, albeit slow, progress. To those of you who have been recently injured, do not be discouraged by my healing timeline. Everyone is different, and I am both, a slow healer, and an overly cautious patient.
Now, for the good:
- went to 2 shoes on Nov. 30
- pain from nerve damage is nearly gone
- incision line and surrounding skin appear healthy
- I’m regaining range of motion, calf strength and some flexibility
- I can carry out basic chores such as grocery shopping, laundry, minor house cleaning, without difficulty.
- I can walk upstairs normally.
- I can stand on the injured leg for 30 seconds.
- I can do single leg raises in the swimming pool.
For the not so good:
- I have little push off strength which causes me to limp.
- I still have some numbness on the outer side of my foot.
- Repaired tendon hurts if I walk longer than 15 minutes.
- Swelling/soreness at the end of the day.
- Unable to go downstairs normally, only one step at a time.
And the ugly can be summed in one word: fear.
Fear of rerupturing, fear of healing long, fear I’m pushing the tendon to much, or not enough.
And above all, fear of rupturing the good tendon. After such a long period PWB, my good tendon got overworked. It was already hurting me for quite some time before the ATR, and now it hurts even more. I am terrified of going through this again. And I keep wondering, do we ever truly heal, physically and psychologically, from such a life changing injury?
Comments
Thank you so much for posting this update. It was truly uplifting, inspiring, and most of all so real. I am only 9 days away from getting my boot (Vacocas Achilles boot). From all of the points you made I really like the one you put emphasis on in regards to your good tendon. My good tendon has not hurt, has felt tired but not exhausted, and lastly my right leg has held up tremendously! The only body parts that have really hurt are my right hip when standing for long periods of time, and my left shoulder from all the crutching around. I might add I have not missed a full day of work since my injury (I am a school principal & athletic director). I have missed a 1/2 day here and there for doc appointments, and was even at work for 3 hours before the surgery.
I did have a scare the other night. We had our staff Christmas party at a local Mexican restaurant. It had been raining, and upon entering the floor inside was extremely slick. It felt greasy & wet. Needless to say, when I walked it both of my crutches slipped on the floor, they flew out from underneith me. I took one big hop w/my good leg and grabbed onto the cashiers counter. My bad leg, in a soft cast w/splint, was protected but it felt like my left foot shot straight up! I know it did not b/c of my hard splint stopped any type of movement upward, although it sure felt like it!
Today I showered and got a great foot massage from my better half, and she noticed some distinct bruising on my foot. I wonder if it was from my “scare”???
HouseOfMusic congrats! I am very happy for your accomplishments… Keept up the great work!!!
I too am at 3 months post op and you echo my sentiments. Just spent an exciting 5 hours working around the house and food shopping. I’m exhausted and my repaired tendon hurts. Very frustrating.
In retrospect going from PWB in a boot to FWB and 2 shoes in 2 weeks might have been pushing it.
On the other hand I’m walking and everyday is a bit better than the previous one.
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