Too Much, Too Soon - my Achilles Tendon Rupture

Hi all,

I saw a member of my surgeons team this week; he was very happy with the progress of my AT (phew!). He also told me that a normal, healthy AT does not rupture by itself, unless cut, kicked, etc.

I was wondering if anyone has other information on this? If he is right that means my AT was defective for some reason (lack of exercise, age). I hadnt done anything for all 2007 and was making a gentle entry into sports again when my leg blew. I’m past my best at 42 but surely i should be able to play sports at this age if Im in the right condition? Or maybe my AT’s have gone past their “sell-by” date and will just be weaker no matter what I do?

He also said the outstanding typical case for an ATR was a middle aged man, with a desk job, who played squash (or sport) once per week. I asked “and what about someone like me?” to which his deadpan-face stared me in the eye, for some reason

This statement really gets my attention because it means that probably both my AT’s are defective and at risk during dynamic sports. I dont want an ATR in my good leg in my comeback game. One blow-out is enough.

I feel my total lack of exercise in 2007 rotted my body; I saw and felt my body age. At the time I put it down to lack of sleep but I now believe my body rotted away in that period. This gives me hope…

My hope is that the AT condition, like muscle, can be toned by sustained gradual exercise. My problem, I hope, is that my body went limp and in trying to get back into shape I did “too much, too soon”. If I had taken a more gradual increase in sport I would have strengthened the AT to the point where it would not have blown.

Does anyone have a view on this?

I am still hoping that I can build strength in my AT’s through gradual increasing exercise, to the point where it will be safe to play dynamic sports again.

What also gives me belief in this is that in my experience of intense sports when younger, players who got a serious injury (and hence didnt exercise for a long period) were likely to pick up more when they came back.

I wondered what all your views where on this concept?

Tags: Does a good AT rupture?

I made the most of my new found freedom and watched my local football team Bristol City play today. To be out under my own steam, amongst lots of people enjoying themselves outdoors was a great feeling.

I owe a big thank you to Wendy at Bristol City Football Club for taking the time earlier this week to find me a seat for the game that was going to be the most convenient for someone wearing a boot and using a crutch. She even opened up the ground and took me through to view the available seats. The seat she found was great and made today possible. My normal seat is in the middle of a row, I would have had to slither past everybody to get there, not easy in a boot and on a crutch, especially as to squeeze past people in their seat you need to be either a snake or a size zero supermodel. Wendy you are a star!

Weeks of NWB is frustrating and depressing, as you all know. But to everyone still in the NWB phase “hang in there”, it is worth the wait. Dont beat yourself up and dont feel alone when frustration and blues wash over you like a relentless tide; its expected, its normal but just remember it will end sooner than you think right now.

I even think my ATR experience is even making me a better person! Certainly I get less irritated when driving; doesnt matter how crazy people are, or how hot tempered they are, I just feel so glad to be out driving myself there is no way Im going to even raise my eyebrows; its all insignificant compared to me being out on my own steam again. The ship has finally left port!

My recovery has taken a boost recently, better than was expected. After being in a cast for 4 weeks I got the boot, but my ankle was locked with a tiny amount of movement. I was told I was at least 2-3 weeks behind were I should be, because the cast should only have been on for 2 weeks and then the boot fitted and PT started soon after.

My first PT didnt excite me. My foot moved small amounts and the exercises seemed the minimum to be asked. I felt it was going to be slow progress. But then the sun began to shine.

Only one week after getting the boot and having my first PT, I had major movement back in the ankle but even more encouraging to me I could easily walk in the boot without crutches. The leg felt really solid. I also got permission to drive long distance in the boot. To play safe I will use one crutch until week 8. Those little exercises everyday paid off.

The scar has healed well but will leave a very dark scar; Im dark skinned and dark skin scars badly more easily. In the boot the leg feels bullet proof but outside of it is a different story. The limiting factor in flexing my foot is stiffness in my ankle, not the AT. But I do feel the AT if I push a little and the ankle/foot are still swollen. Got to keep on with the toe wriggling and cold packs. Its clear my leg is vulnerable and Im very careful with it out of the boot. That said I can actually walk comfortably with no crutches and no boot and that has amazed me. I only do it indoors, e.g. kitchen or bathroom, but that has sent my happiness soaring, week 6 post Op. I keep the leg straight to avoid any accidental over flexing at the ankle and overstressing the ATR repair, so I have a definite Frankenstein limp

So the last week has been a real surprise and a sudden turning point. To anyone feeling low, try and remember that your turning point is right around the corner, waiting for you. Keep plowing along and you will get there.

One last note, I found a great convenient way to flatten my “Buddha Belly”. While doing my foot exercises at night, I was sat on my bed, pillows behind me resting my back against the headboard. I found the exercises more comfortable with my leg slightly raised an inch or two. Then I raised my good leg to compare the ROM. With both legs slightly raised I needed to reach behind my shoulders and grab the headboard. I raised both legs a bit, did the exercise, then lowered both legs. Wow! I really got to feel it in my lower stomach. Great - stomach exercises in bed! The ideal for any couch potatoe or “bed bug” I do it immediately before sleeping and immediately after waking, in a few minutes.

Also, my diet is paying off, I have definitely lost pounds from my waist which is where you need to lose it (recent news was that, at least for men, the waistline ratio to height is the significant indicator for healthy weight, not the BMI (too simple, doest not take account of muscle for example).

Tags: week-06

I finally got the boot yesterday :-) 4 wks post op. Its great to be able to see my leg/foot after all this time. Being able to wash the leg feels great, a treat. Best of all is I was told I could sleep without the boot, which I did last night; a bit nervous at first but it felt G-O-O-D, like my leg had been set free. PS. Ive had trouble getting to sleep since my ATR, dont know why. I had insominia last year but started to get rid of it by changing some habits (e.g. no computer just before bed!).

Had my first Physio today. He checked my ROM (up-down, out-in) and was very happy although the pull-up looked tiny to me (stiff ankle and the AT starts to feel like Im ripping it if I go a fraction too far; he said only go as far as is comfortable). He gave me some simple exercises to do and stressed not to feel like Im forcing the foot to do anything; the goal is to losen the ankle gradually and build up the ROM. He also said I can go 50% PWB which I am happy about, seems like a big step but I feel totally comfortable doing it. It also gave some tips on walking with the crutches and is encouraging to put my good foot infront of the bad one, instead of just in line with it.

The leg feels solid but I find it awkward walking in the boot; it is raised higher than my right foot and is a bit on the large side about an inch and a half beyond my toes. I could go monoskiing if I could get to a lake I look like RoboCop!

Im happy and feel like buying some champagne, but being drunk on crutches isnt a good idea Maybe a nice chilled beer for now.

My next Physio appointment is 3 weeks away (should be 2 but he is on holiday) and I have to call the cast/boot people to make appointmemts for them to adjust the foot angle every now and again. I really feel like Im getting somewhere now.

 I am H-a -P-p-Y.

There is a slight downside; I was annoyed to find out that at the 1st post Op check (2 weeks ago) the cast technician took it upon himself to put me back in a 2nd cast instead of the boot at 20deg, as the surgeon had told him and as per the hospital procedure hanging on the wall (states clearly that at 2 wks post op. patients go in the boot at 20deg). He also lied to me because I thought I overheard the surgeon tell him to put me in the boot, before he left. The technician then also left and came back and started putting a new cast on. “But wait” I said, “did not the surgeon tell you to put me in the boot?”. “No” said the technician “thats after another 2 weeks in the cast”. I figured he wouldnt lie to me and that I must only of heard part of what was said. Nearly a week later the Physio dept. contacted me to start the next day. I told them I was still in a cast, but they thought I was in the boot. They gave me an appointment for one week later but on my query said it was normal to be in the boot at this time. A day or so later I got a copy of the surgeon’s report from the frist check and clear as day he states I am now in the boot at 20deg. I go a few days later to get my cast off and see another technician who looks the business from my hospital days and I trust her. She is suprised to see me in another cast and I tell her the story. She points to a plastic wallet by the wall; it is the hospital process for treatment and clearly states the boot after 2 weeks post Op. She is going to tear a strip off the guy who put me in the cast and I am writing a letter of complaint to my surgeon to pass on. Because I have been in a cast for 4 weeks not 2 my foot is really stiff and I had to have extra-wedges in the heel.

So Im glad to be where I am, but I should have been here weeks ago. The moral of this story is always go to the horses mouth and make sure the surgeon explains directly to you what is to happen. Now, where’s that beer! Cheer’s to my fellow ATR compadre’s Life is Good! Remember, every tick of the clock is a step forward!

Tags: The Boot

Folks,

you have no doubt (at least at some point in your ATR journey) been so bored that you have taken to reading the phone book, or telephoning the speaking clock to hear a voice, or similar desperate stuff that you thought you would never do.

I am a bookworm and could read my life away if Im not careful. There are many good books out there but also even more poor ones. Finding a book you cant put down isnt as easy as it sounds. But with a good book I can disappear for days and resurface needing a good shave. Been like that since I was a kid; I would find a book and crawl into it and enter another world. With this in mind I will start a new page to cover books of a general type that I would recommend as a good read. Likewise for DVD’s.

I find TV irritating. It is like a hot dog - 10% meat and 90% crap, but it tastes great and you could eat a load of it. Just like a Hot dog, TV should not be ingested too often (thats how I feel). I used to have it on all the time, just as background noise; it was habit and I thought nothing of it. But then I discovered radio. I think radio is far superior to TV. Radio has its junk but it seems in less concentration. Each station is clearly themed and its easy therefore to find something that fits your mood. And through radio I discovered classical music. I couldnt name a single piece of classical music but I like lots of it. I hated it as a kid and thought anyone who liked it was faking it, just trying to look clever. But I tell you, find a good classical station, flick it on and it will relax you far more than TV. I dont like all classical but a lot of it is easy listening, ideal background to sooth and calm. I would rather have a radio than a TV anyday.

I started leaving the TV off and the classical radio on. The difference in my stress level was humongous. I found just having the TV off allowed me to relax a huge amount more. Then I kept the classical radio on and I was just taken to a new level of calm, peace and tranquility. I really didnt see it coming but I realised TV made me hyper and radio sedated me. I listen to Classic FM (UK) mostly, plus “thejazz”, “Smooth FM”, radio4 (current affairs, news, drama) and occasionally more lively “pop” type stations. Ditch TV and try radio, I bet it works.

Apart from reading, music/radio or DVD/TV, which are easily done whilst in solitary confinement, there is a need for some sort of interaction with living things. Cats or dogs are a great help; you can talk to them, therapeutically stroke them, pat them, play with them and get an immediate response.

Having a garden is also a valuable outlet. You can retreat to your little oasis of colour and scent, listen to the breeze gently ruffling through the trees, or the birds that visit and scurry around or sing effortlessly to their hearts content. Even in bad weather its possible to nudge open a window and hear the patter of raindrops on the outstretched leaves grasping for water.

Having a partner must also be a blessing; regular chats, empathy and fun. Any movie is twice as good if you dont watch it alone.

But I guess a lot of people have none of these things. Interaction with people, or with pets or with nature is what breaks the isolation of our daily solitary confinement. Interaction, to break the relentless observation (of music, TV or books), makes a big difference to the day. Thats where sites like this are invaluable, a place to communicate and interact with others.

As well as providing a ton of really useful information, this site has a fun side to it and even better has access to people who understand just how you are feeling and will support and encourage you through your ATR journey.

But all this made me think of how much I miss some simple things, like games. Games are a fun way to interact with others. Everyone likes some sort of game; Monopoly, cards, dominoes, darts, backgammon, etc.

There is one game for me that stands above all others; an elegant game that can be as fun or as serious as you make it. If you are thinking “Twister” at this point in time, or ”Poker” then I hope you are not too disappointed in my answer (as much as I like those games too). For me I think Chess is a wonderful game. I know its associated with egg-heads who live in a cave so they can isolate themselves from humanity and study endless permutations of moves. But its a game for everyone and its philosophy has many applications. Its also fun.

Apart from the intrigue of trying to figure out what your opponent is up to and the satisfaction of outfoxing your adversary there is also a much more simple reason I like chess. Chess sets can be a wonderful piece of furniture. Even if you never move a piece, a nice chess set will eminate its own presence in a room. Especially some of the more artistic sets, with ornate and spectacular characters.

Another useful side-affect is that if someone steps into my abode and see’s an elegant chess set with pieces randomly scattered (careful with the King!) to impersonate a mega-mind tussling battle with a Moriarty type nemisis, they will be impressed and think me of sophisticated manner. Sadly, it wouldnt last long though!

By the way, I found a great place to buy some fantastic chess sets. I promise you, even if you hate the game I bet you would still want to have some of these sets decorating your homestead. Lots of choice, but my favourites can be found on the page in the link below. I dont have the space to leave out a nice chess furniture but if anyone should grab one of these please tell me what they are like in the flesh!

http://www.chessmove.co.uk/catalogues/browse_categories.asp?CatalogueID=178&CategoryID=4022

The jist of me tale is, does anyone know of sites that allow you to play games online in real time? I dont mean the online gambling scene; the last thing I want to advocate is for everyone to become gamble-aholics and end up losing their house to some Casino or bingo hall. But friendly, preferably free, sites with simple games aimed at fun and nothing else. Could a few games be added to this site to allow members to have a social game of Gin Rummy or something? Just wondering.

Perhaps it would reverse my new addiction to online window shopping. Ive found everything Im going to need for the next year, and then some. Ive moved on from searching for necessaties like a new scarf for winter, socks or a few new shirts for work and become seduced by the darkside of the online convenience force and started looking for anything that will give me an excuse to go online. Luckily, there is still hope; I havent bought the special eco-toilet paper that lets you use both sides. My ATR is turning me into an internet junkie. Or perhaps I was one before and didnt know it?

Tags: Bored Stiff