39 Days Post Op
July 22, 2009
Today I went in to the doctor and they took my current cast off. There is definite atrophy of the calf muscle. The doctor gave me a boot and said that I was still NWB. I am to return to the doctor in 3 weeks to be re-evaluated. He told me to take the boot off 3 times a day and do the ABC’s with my toes on that leg. My range of motion seems pretty good to me. I can flex less than 90 degrees. My foot was very sore…some massaging made it feel more human. Swelling is minimal…mainly around the suture area where there is definite thickening. When I asked about physical therapy, the doctor said that at the rate it is going he feels I’ll be able to rehab at home. That would be a huge blessing ! The PT is about an hour drive from where I live. The doctor did warn me of the fact that 6 weeks PO is a very vulnerable time in the healing process of the Achilles tendon. I am taking NO chances. I do want to share that for a lady, the amount of hair that can grow under casts in 6 weeks time is amazing, LOL ! Also, never, I say NEVER underestimate how blessed you are to be able to take regular baths and showers. Just being able to sit on the shower chair with BOTH legs in the shower was WONDERFUL ! ! ! ! At this point it’s just the little things. LOL.
Looking back at this point I’d say that the first 3 weeks was the hardest for me. It was very hard for an independent person to ask or accept help. I couldn’t have done it without a supportive household. My husband and kids were and are wonderful ! My husband’s work has been gracious to allow him to be off as needed to help me at the house and take me back and forth to doctor’s appointments, etc.
NECESSITY:
1. Buy or rent a shower chair. It makes a world of difference as you do not have to get down into the bath…you can stay upright and it’s so much easier on your leg. I never had a cast cover, although I have heard good reports of these….I just left my casted leg out of the shower and wrapped a towel around the top of the cast.
2. If the doctor says that you will have a cast for 4-6 weeks, ask him if you can change it out at about 2 week intervals…for one thing, the atrophy makes the cast loose, and secondly, it’s a mental relief to be able to SEE the incision and that all is okay.
I hope that my experience can be of some assistance to others. I do know that this injury is all a part of the plan for my life and my families. God is GOOD and has kept me through this entire time…thank God I have Him to walk through life with me !
July 23rd, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Congrats, Michelle! May God continue to bless your journey.
Shay
August 9th, 2009 at 12:28 am
Hi - sounds like it is going well now - I was just curious about how you did it? leading a horse - did you trip. I have recently done mine and was hoping to get back to riding quite soon thinking that might not be too much pressure on the tendon.
Best wishes,
Sharon
August 9th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Sharon,
This all occured June 7. Well, I had just finished riding my western show horse and unsaddled and washed off the horse and had my boots and spurs on. My 13 and 14 yo daughters were still finishing up riding. I had a yearling on the cross ties and was going to put her in the pasture which was about 30 feet away. You know how it goes…you work babies every chance you get…so I was stopping and backing and setting her up and went to do a 360…she wasn’t moving off me fast enough, so I popped her on the shoulder with my right hand to speed her up while I had my left hand with the lead forward. She sped up and I went to track with her…there apparently was a devit in the ground…not even a real hole. As I sped up my left foot went in the hole and threw me off…I couldn’t catch up with her and went down kinda sideways still holding the lead. I felt it rip like a piece of paper. She was backing up looking at me on the ground like “You FREAK !” LOL. I let her go and she ran in to the pasture and waited for someone…the girls bailed over the arena fence and ran for my hubby to help. I took off the spur, but couldn’t pull the boot off….I got him to pull it off before it swelled. They had to carry me into the house. I knew right away that I had messed it up good. I will say that about 2 months before this that my AT had been hurting…it was real stiff…even when I rode, I tried to go REAL heels down to try to stretch it…but it never seemed to loosen up. I hadn’t been to the dr about it ya know…I think it might have had micro tears and stepping in the hole just did it in.
I had surgery on June 11th. The dr said that I am 3 months non-weight bearing and 9 mo physical therapy. He said it would be a year before I’d look at the ankle and it would be “well”. As you see in the pics, I got into a boot at about 5 1/2 weeks. He told me to take the boot off 3X a day and write the ABC’s with my ankle. I go back Aug 12th for the next appt (2 mo from surgery). I sure hope that he says that I can put a little weight on the foot along with the crutches. I think I’m a little ahead of schedule. I am not rushing it… I want it fixed ! LOL. I am being good this time…I can’t always say that ! I talked to APHA and told them about my experiences and told them it would be a good article for the APHA Journal…there has to be other horse people who could use the AT advice. I don’t know when I can go back to riding…hope it’s soon, but I know if something happens that I come off it could be really bad. I don’t want to re-rupture. NO NO NO NO NO.
So, after all that dissertation, LOL….how and when did you do your ATR?
God bless you and your recovery.
Michelle
August 10th, 2009 at 2:05 am
Owch - that sounds really unlucky there - I was trying to work out how it had happened with you but that explains it. There is another woman on the site who has done it endurance riding. I do not have my own horse at the moment but we moved about a year ago to a place ideally set up for horses so I was hoping to get into it more when the children are all at school in 2 years (can I wait!?)I was thinking that horse riding could actually be quite good for the achilles - but perhaps I am wrong there?
I did mine 1st July playing squash - no warning or pain and a very loud bang. Currently it has been treated conservatively and I am hoping to start weight bearing in a boot this week. I am taking the boot off several times a day to point and flex the foot which seems to be OK.
Anyway, good luck and let’s keep in touch,
Sharon
August 10th, 2009 at 6:55 am
Well, after the AT’s are well, I dont’ know that riding would be bad….I plan on doing it. I think that it’ll stretch the tendon and help strengthen it. My dr said no problem for riding, just not now. I don’t know when will be ok, but we’ll see. I hope when I go on the 12th, I’ll be PWB (partial weight bearing) but I don’t know. If you run across the id on the endurance lady, let me know. I haven’t seen any other horsey people on here.
God bless, Michelle
August 10th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Hi Michelle, the other horse rider I have seen is: http://achillesblog.com/horsinround/ - looks like she did hers last year. Take care and good luck on 12th.
Sharon