jenniferanderson’s AchillesBlog

Ok, I’m not exactly Shuffling or jumping up and down with joy physically, but in my mind I am. I thought I was happy to reach 12 weeks! Now at 16 weeks I am breathing a big sigh of relief. From what I have read on this blog the risk of rerupture is now very low. I know it still happens, but rarely.
I am now in 2 shoes almost full time. I put the boot on, on Saturday, as we were going to be a doing a lot of walking, some of it on uneven ground. Yesterday I went to the grocery store, without the boot, for the first time. I made my son walk behind me though, as the thought of someone hitting my ankle with their shopping cart is terrifying. I still walk slowly and with a small limp, but it is getting better everyday. I am able to do a water aerobics class 3 - 4 times a week which I LOVE! My husband also dragged in my punching bag from the garage into the house. We have reached 100 degree weather here and working out in the garage in that heat was not going to happen, lol. I really miss my kickboxing class, so having that bag in the house has really been good for me.
I am very tired of having to wear tennis shoes with the lifts and can’t wait to start weaning off of those. I miss flip flops!! I can walk barefoot around the house, but with a big limp. I need the lifts to walk without a limp. How long did it take most people to be able to walk barefoot without a limp? I’d love to hear from anyone on this subject.

Update: Walking is slowly improving but the tendon still feels really tight. I started a cardio kickboxing class, in the pool, this week. It feels really great to be active again and get my heart rate up there. I almost forgot how it feels to have sore muscles! I have noticed that I have greater ROM in my ankle since starting this class and that obviously makes me very happy.
Temporary goodbye : we are leaving on a 10 day camping trip tomorrow so I probably won’t be able to log in as much as I currently do. I will miss you all. It’s been a busy week though and I can’t wait to sit and relax. I spent the entire day packing and at one point the husband person said to me “well, at least you only had to pack half your shoes”. Haha. Make fun of the gimpy girl in the boot. (And yes Starshep, they are all 5″ stilletos.

I was very fortunate in that I found this website the day after box jumps took me down. I have read on several people’s blogs that 12 weeks post op and non op, is the “magic” week where your Achilles is considered healed and the rates of re rupture begin to drop. Over the last 10 weeks I have looked forward to ditching the cast and getting in the boot, PWB, FWB, and finally 2 shoes. Now the number 12 flashes in my mind constantly. I know I won’t be completely out of the woods when that magic day comes, but for some reason I think I will be able to breath a little easier knowing I have hit the 12 week mark.
So…a little update on my progress. I am now walking about the house in two shoes full time, for the most part. I put the boot back on if I’m doing something I feel could be hazardous to my tendon, such as lugging around the vacuum, or mopping the floor. Don’t want to slip! When I go outside I wear the boot. My walk, in two shoes, is very slow, but improving every day. The first few days I was just playing catch up. That is, I would take a step with the bad foot and “catch up” with the good foot. Now my good foot can go past catching up and I can go heel to toe. I hope that in another week I will be able to take my good foot farther past the bad foot, but right now the tendon is just too stiff. I started using a recumbent stationary bike. The first day I only made it 5 minutes before my ankle felt to wobbly to continue. Today I made it 20 minutes and burned 38 calories. (go me, ha ha). The best cardio I have found so far is to play Just Dance on the Wii, with my son. My kids crack up watching me bust a move with my big ol space boot on. That’s all for now. As always, I hope everyone is having a good healing day and welcome to our newest members! It does get better!

Hope everyone has a good holiday weekend. It’s hard to feel sorry for yourself when you realize the sacrifices others have made for your freedom. Thank you to anyone and everyone on this blog that has served our country!!

Today is 7 weeks since I had surgery and I had a follow up appt with my Dr. He gave me a stretchy band to use to work out my foot and two wedges to put in my shoes. He said to walk in the shoe, with the wedges, for one hour today. Then go back in the boot. If it feels ok then I am to spend 2 hours in the shoe tomorrow and then go back to the boot. I am supposed to increase the time spent in my shoes by one hour each day, unless it starts to hurt. If it hurts I’m supposed to repeat the previous days hours spent in a shoe. Once I am able to walk in the shoes full time for a week I am to take out one wedge and walk with the remaining wedge for 2 weeks before I can walk in just shoes. He says this entire process will take around 2 months. He is not going to send me to physical therapy, he just wants me to increase resistance on my foot using the band he gave me. He also says he does not need to see me again. Really? This is all the instruction I am to be given? I am frustrated, confused, and feel abandoned. For the first time since this happened I can not find a happy place. I have been all over this blog in the last 2 months and I read about people going to physical therapy, working towards 1 legged heel raises, etc. I have been given a band and wedges and been dismissed. The Dr. had me push on his hand with the ball of my foot and said I had some good strength (that’s good) and he doesn’t think I need physical therapy (I don’t know if I agree with that). Thank goodness for this blog or I would be completely lost. I will be searching this site for exercises that others have done to strengthen their calf. Any exercise tips would be much appreciated.
I have also read about people needing deep tissue massages to break up scar tissue. I have one bump that I asked him about. He felt it and said it was pretty small (again, good) and I should be able to massage it out myself (ok…..). Guess I’ll be researching that as well!

I did it, I did it!!!! Went to one crutch yesterday and today I gathered up all my courage and walked across the living room WITH NO CRUTCHES! My husband followed me watching nervously and I felt like a toddler taking her first steps. Oh, I’m so happy!! I can’t even sit still and write a proper entry. I must walk!!

Back in January I registered for a 5K called The Color Run, with some friends. The first thing I said after the Dr told me what I’d done and how long it would take to recover was, “But I’m doing a 5k in April”. He said, “No you’re not”. And I remember thinking…yes I am. Well, I did it! In my wheelchair, but still. It was the most fun I’ve had since my ATR journey began. People there were very encouraging and I got a lot of “Good for you!!”, which made me feel great. Have a great week everyone!

Today was a very very good day!! Today was my 4 week post op checkup. Dr. said everything looks good, incision healing nicely, etc. Then he says I can start partial weight bearing, in the boot, putting 50% of my weight on the booted leg. He says do that for one week and then go to FWB. Two weeks after that he wants me to come in and he’ll decide if I’m ready for two shoes and PT. I was originally told I would be PWB for 3 weeks and FWB for 3 before taking the boot off. Condensing it all into 3 weeks seems a bit fast, but we’ll see what happens. So far I am only putting maybe 25% of my weight onto the leg. I was really nervous to take my first step, but once I did it got easier! If I’m not at FWB by next Tuesday that’s OK. I am NOT rushing this. Right now I am just over the moon that I am allowed to take my boot off while I sit on the couch. He said I could take it off sleeping too, but I’m to nervous I’ll get up and forget to put my boot on before walking. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

Had my stitches removed yesterday. Not a pleasant experience in my opinion. I am very squeamish about blood and such and the sight of my leg full of stitches made me cry. Literally. I know, big baby. Anyway, the nurse said the wound had healed nicely. The skin was all grown back together and there was no oozing and hardly any dried blood. They put a cast on me that is pointing downwards. For some reason they covered my toes which I find to be very uncomfortable. I can’t wiggle them or move them at all. I liked the split I had after surgery much better. I have an appointment to have the cast removed 2 weeks from today and they said they will decide then to put me back in a cast or go to a boot. It better a boot. My claustrophobia is getting the better of me. Trying to distract myself and count my blessings. At least the wound was closed and I have an appointment in 2 weeks instead of the originally stated 3. Hope everyone is having a good day today!

If one more person says to me, “You’re 40! Of course you hurt yourself jumping off a box.” I’m going to scream. What are some of the most insensitive things people have said to you? I know the best medicine is a positive attitude, but sometimes you gotta let it all out. Where better than here, with people who understand you?