Just in Time for Summer

I am almost able to walk with no crutches.  It is such a wonderful feeling to be able to get back to a somewhat normal life.  I think my husband is loving it even more now that is womanly duties are about to end.  The thing I most regret during this entire injury is that my husband, for my college graduation/2nd anniversary, got me a puppy and I missed her in her puppy stages.  I know she is still a pup, but the first 2 months are so much fun. Training and playing.  Potty training wasn’t too bad though, thank god.  Anyway, I am taking things slow in getting to FWB.  This week I would walk with one crutch and the past two days I would ditch both crutches when I would have to go short distances (i.e. from the couch to the kitchen, the bedroom to thebathroom). The best thing is that I don’t have to hop up the steps on one leg.  I am getting pretty good at stairs and am loving it.  On one of my earlier posts, I said that I have an old house where the steps are very steep.  I can get upstairs without going on my butt, but am very scared to go down.  I take one look when I am at the top and say WHOA this are steep and go down on my butt.  I will get there though.  The only thing with walking is that I get pain in my heal.  Has anyone else encountered that?  I am trying to walk as close to normal as I can, but with the boot, it’s kind of hard.  My knee on the injured leg also hurts a little, but I think that is just because I am walking again. 

Anyway, my progress is going good.  I can get to 90 degrees which is great. I am getting around work pretty good (just sick of telling the story and hear…oh I heard about you..blah blah - then think to myself, why did you ask in the first place if you already knew what happened. I got injured playing softball at a game for work).

I hope you all have  agreat weekend!

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This post is for the ladies.  Yesterday, I decided to put a wedge type flip flop on the good leg.  I would say it was about a 2 inch lift.  Let me tell you, it was so much easier to walk and it felt like my good leg actually got a break and the tightness I was feeling in my lower back is gone.  It helped me stand straighter and the limp was not bad at all.  I was afraid I would bust up my good ankle by doing this (I became accustomed with a boot and a sneaker), but it felt great.  Plus, I was sick of wearing a sneaker to work with my pant leg rolled….let me know if any of you have done this. 

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Today was my second post-op appointment and the doc gave me the boot with 4 thin heal lifts.  I almost got my foot to neutral, but it got to the point where I just couldn’t push it anymore.  He said that as soon as I am comfortable, ditch the crutches and he will allow me two shoes after my next visit on August 18.  I have been walking - slowly, trying to get used to this before I go to work tomorrow.  The last thing I want to do is take a header in front of all of my coworkers.  I need to keep telling myself to slow down because I get a little too excited.  Sometimes I forget my coordination.

As soon as the cast came off, I almost cried because my calf has nothing left to it (plus the leg hair didn’t make me happy).  I have big, solid calves as they run in my family.  To see one calf withered away to nothing is quite upsetting, but since I am somewhat walking again, it will start to rebuild itself…hopefully to the way it was before the injury.

My doctor said that I can take the boot off to sleep, which made my husband happy as he is sick of getting kicked at night  :) He also said the write the alphabet using my foot 3 times a day. 

Nothing is worse then having to deal with this during the summer.  Right now in PA we are having a heat wave..The heat hits you hard when you walk out from air conditioning.  I hope the heat breaks soon..I sweat bullets even before I get to the car. 

Well - another month.  Hopefully I will be walking normally soon.  I can’t wait until I am able to FWB.  I am not sure how long I should wait until I try to FWB.   Any suggestions? 

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Just a quick question.  On the 21st I am going to get my first cast removed.  The doctor told me to bring my boot along because he is probably going to put me in it.  How painful will the appointment be due to stretching?  I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but just the thought is making me queezy.  The reason I ask is because I am not sure I should take the entire day off of work.  The last thing I want to do is sit at work all day in pain.  Thanks for any input.

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The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday.  I love the picnics, being with family and friends and the fireworks.  This is the first year ever that I am not able to partake in any of the festivities.  Well, I guess I could, but it is raining here in PA and I don’t feel like walking around on the crutches on the wet ground and risking another injury to another part of my body.  So today I will sit on my porch and kick back with an adult beverage. 

So my first day back at work was on Monday.  It wasn’t too bad.  Getting to the cafe was the hardest.  I just don’t want to be rolled around in a wheelchair, so I sucked it up.  Monday there was a lot of swelling, but by Wednesday there was some, but not a lot. 

My cast is feeling loose…anyone else have that problem? It’s probably a combo of loosing more muscle in my calf and swelling going down.  My next appt is on July 21. I am not sure if I should call them sooner since the cast is loose, or just wait.  I guess if the cast gets to the point where I can pull it off, I’ll call. 

Happy Fourth!

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Yesterday, a co-worker and myself decided to do a little shopping.  After the calling around to the stores to see who had a scooter, we hit Walmart and Target.  I needed to get out of the house and to also prepare myself for my first day back at work on Monday after a month of sitting on the couch.  Getting out of the house wasn’t too bad.  The most tiring part was getting everything ready to go (GPS, Purse, cell phone, etc.), and of course the mad hunt for my car keys.  Since my ATR was on the left leg, I had no problems driving.  The most awkward part was to figure out how to position my leg. I suggest anyone with this injury get a handicapped permit becuase it is fantastic.  Also, Target’s scooter is much faster then Walmart’s.  If you need to go out, go to Target, its fun because the Scooter is fast :)  You can zip around the store and run the people over who are rude and don’t get out of your way, or run over the people that continually stare at you. 

The hardest part of yesterday was getting back into my house.  I was so tired.  I have a few steps in the front of my house that I need to get up.  Normally, I don’t have any problems, but yesterday my good leg was just so tired, but I did it.  I don’t use my crutches to go up and down steps.  The front of my house has railings, so I use the railings to balance myself.  It is much easier that way.  My house is an old brick house built in the early 1900s, which means the steps to the second floor are extremely steep.  I have this constant worry that if I were to hop all the way to the top or down all the way to the bottom, I will rupture my other achilles.  So, I chose to go up the steps on my butt and down the steps on my butt.  Go up is a great tricep and ab workout.  Going down is easy. Since my injury a month ago, i can see that my arms are more defined.

Anyway, getting out of the house was great, coming back was tiring.  It will get easier.  I can’t wait to get this cast off though - 25 more days.

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Had my two week post op appointment yesterday.  The surgeon said everything looks great.  Luckily he stitched me up with dissolveable stiches so I didn’t have to go through the pain that most of you had to with staples being removed.  The doctor didn’t say much only that I need a cast for four weeks and may need another, but was told to bring the boot to my next appointment just in case he puts me into that.  I have never broken a bone, so this is the first time I have ever had a cast.  It’s kind of annoying, but it’s a nice shade of purple :)  I have to get used to it, but I feel much more secure with the cast.  I was in a splint for the two weeks after surgery.  I was cleared to go back to work on Monday.  I am kind of excited because sitting at home is awfully boring.  I am not excited about trying to get through a huge building.  Luckily I am good at the crutches, but it is still a long walk, even from handicapped parking.  Anyway, just wanted to give an update.

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On May 29, 2008, a great hit occurred, which probably could have stretched into a double..Yup, softballl was the culprit.  Between homeplate and first, I felt and heard the infamous “pop”, then the face plant in the dirt occurred.  I knew exactly what it was as soon as it happened.  Straigh to the ER I went.  Since I barely had a wait in the waiting room, I thought today was my lucky day.  Not really.  After being seen by the ER doc, he indicated that it is just a partial rupture and sent me off to X-ray.  When I came back, the splint was put on, and script of vicodin was given and the number to the orthopaedic surgeon was given, I was sent on my merry way.  The following day I called the surgeon, who proceeded to tell me they couldn’t get me in for 2 weeks.  I freaked and had to explain my story.  I saw the surgeon on Monday (injury occurred on Thursday), who also thought it was only a partial.  He sent me for the MRI on Tuesday with a follow up appointment on Friday.  The doctor put up on the screen the shots of the MRI and said, it looks like you need surgery, this is a complete rupture.  LUCKY ME!

Surgery was the following Tuesday, June 10, 2006.  The surgery went well.  I was given an epidural..I am not sure if anyone else was given one.  The epidural was the worst part since you can’t feel or move your legs.  They also put me to sleep.  After the surgery, the surgeon went to see my husband and proceeded to tell him he hasn’t seen a rupture that bad in a female and that he usually only sees a rupture that bad in football players…geez thanks.  I spent the night in the hospital, which I hated and then went home with a scipt for 90 vicodin.

The first three days were pretty painful when the vicodin wore off.  By the end of the week, I stopped taking the pain killers completely.  I don’t have really any complaints except that I am extremely bored out of my mind.

First Post Op appt on Monday the 23rd.  Hopefully I will get some good news.

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