jls84’s AchillesBlog

Whats up everyone?
Just wanted to give a quick update as to where I am at right now with my recovery from ATR surgery on April 19th.

Tomorrow will be 9 weeks post op and I am happy to be able to tell you that I am walking again, with the aid of a wedge in my tennis shoe. I am started rehab as well and am doing that 3 days a week. They actually have had me walking heel/toe barefoot! Scared the crap out of me, but I was able to do it. I’m also able now to balance on my injured foot and toss a ball back and forth with the PT. So things are moving along nicely.

I see my surgeon again on 7/11/12 and hopefully by then he will relase me to drive AGAIN! I’m really hoping that he will let me play golf as well. . .but only time will tell!!

Anyway just wanted to update “blog-world” I hope all of you who are in the same boat as me are doing well with your recovery!

Shaka,
-Loren

Today is 5 weeks post op!

I have not written in a while so I wanted to go ahead and get back on the horse, “so to speak”.

These last 5 weeks have been quite the eye opening experience and I cannot tell you how humbled I am by this injury. I hate to say that I am someone who takes things for granted, but something as simple as walking, well I had been taking it for granted everyday up until the injury, subconsciously.

 Your Achilles Tendon allows you to walk, and walking seems like such a GIVEN in the lives we all lead. This tendon is something that you depend on without knowing you are actually depending on it. My experience has already taught me that much, and I intend on sharing that with a host of others. Be thankful for your ACHILLES TENDON PEOPLE! Stretch it, ice it, soak it, massage it, and for goodness sake if it begins to hurt do not be stubborn and go get it looked by a doctor! Ok, I’m done preaching, well about that anyway!

Since the operation on 4/19  I have seen some considerable progression. When I first injured my achilles I was told time and time again that it would take up to 6 months minimum for me to be back to normal, but I didn’t want to believe it. Now I believe it, and trust me when I say that I pray that I am back to normal in six months! The reason I think i might be a bit longer in my recovery is because of what I found out last week in my 4 week post op appointment.

My surgeon explained to me exactly what he had seen once he opened me up. He told me it was “ugly” that I had certainly had a previous injury to my achilles and that it was never diagnosed or possibly overlooked. This made perfect sense to me considering I have been an athlete since the age of 4. Countless hours spent on the basketball court from rec league, to AAU, to high school, to Division III NCAA ball had run its course on my achilles. I dontknow the exact number, but would venture to guess I have severely sprained both ankles at least 8 times, with my right ankle having had the worst of them. I wouldn’t for one second trade in any of those experiences but if I could do it over I think I would have done more REHAB, before getting back on the court to soon. In addition to all the basketball, I have been a surfer since I can remember and do know for a fact that I have had a fin slash my leg up under my right calf. Needless to say, I have had some time to reflect on just how much my tendon has gone through and therefore been able to obtain some closure about the injury. If I could personify my tendon I think it would have said right before rupture, “Loren, chill out, I am beat up!”

(please excuse my rant, i’m just letting go)

BUT! I do have a young surgeon who in 12 years of repairing ruptured Achilles, has only had one re-rupture! He is being aggressive in my rehab, and I am weight bearing 50lbs this week on my injured foot, in the boot with a wedge of course. He wants me by ,June 8th at my next appt, walking into his office without crutches so that was exciting to hear. So this train is in motion, but moving ever so slowly. I just want to get back on the golf course!

Well, I think that’s it for today, so hope you enjoy the dialog and I’ll post something again soon!

thanks!

-JLS

Hello all,

Let me first say that I have been overwhelmed by the amount of feedback I have gotten from my first couple posts. I expected to maybe hear from one or two people over the course of my entire recovery. I guess I underestimated the power of the internet, number one, and just how common this injury is, number two. Then I also figured out that most people in this phase of the ATR recovery are at home, in front of a computer, so I don’t feel that special any more, hah.

Today has been rather uneventful. My pain level has gone way down; so there is good news out there for those of you who have not yet had the surgery. The real PAIN, in my experience, spans 48 hours after your Nerve Block wears off.

The Pain is no joke, so stay with the Pain Meds and find a good wooden spoon to bite into during the spells of agony! (half-way kidding)

THANKS again

cheers as always!

Good morning again!

Well, overall yesterday turned out to be a pretty painful day. I had about 5 different instances where it felt like someone was sawing my foot off, but i found that laying on my stomach and putting my foot up in the air so that my heel was higher than my toes, really did help…

As the day wore on, I decided that going outside and sitting in a lawn chair was something that i wanted to do. Turned out to be a great decision, especially since it was like 75 and sunny in Virginia Beach  yesterday. If you can break the monotony of being stuck on the couch or in a bed, DO IT!

I really appreciate all the feedback and advice that everyone has given me over the past 3 days! It has been awesome to know that all of you have gone through this is some way shape or form. Keep the "tips" coming and feel free to suggest anything at all that you think might help! And if anyone out there is an avid golfer, like i am, please let me know how your progress is coming!

Other than that I hope you all enjoy your Sunday, and seeing as how my pain has really subsided, I hope to enjoy mine too!

Cheers

JLS

Good Morning!

Well i have had a couple new discoveries in the past 24 hours.

First and foremost I have come to greatly understand and appreciate a ‘nerve block’. After surgery, my foot was completely numb for almost 22 hours and thank god it was! Once the Block began to wear off, the pain set in. I had a couple instances yesterday where my pain hit the roof and topped out around a 10+, but it only lasted like 15-20 minutes at that.

Another discovery I’ve had is that staggering my pain medication is incredibly effective. Basically i am only taking 1 pill every 2-3 hours, and adding in another one if needed. This keeps me in a very relaxed state, and from what I can gather, those first 48 hours are the most painful.

Other than that I am looking forward to getting this weekend in my rear view and moving on with the recovery!

Cheers!

JLS

Back on the Pain train!
this stuff is no joke! I am taking my med’s as prescribed and still i would rate my pain about a 7.5 on a scale of 0-10, 10 being unbearable…

it is coming in waves though, i will have a few minutes where its not bad, and be able to doze off to sleep, then out of nowhere it comes back with a vengeance, ha. Its almost comical.

happy healing to all of you!

Here are a couple of video updates; "the pain files", ha!

enjoy

day 1 post op update

JLS

I’ve never been shot, thank god, but I have heard that when your Achilles Tendon ruptures, well, that is what it feels like. Being a weekend warrior on the golf course, my best comparison would however be that when it DOES happen it feels like your buddy took his 3 iron and teed off on the back of your leg.

Take it a step further, go to YouTube and look up the scene from Dumb&Dumber where Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels, in their ridiculous tuxedos, walk into a banquet. The part where Daniels knocks the crap out of Carey, that’s a good visual for what I went through.

http://youtu.be/TxG-WsSaVQg

I wish I could sit here and say I was dunking on somebody like Blake Griffin, but nope, just a Friday night in a Men’s league, 40 sec to go, we were up 5 I think and I catch the ball from the inbounder. Then go to square my defender up and pivot while ripping the ball through from my left hand to my right, take a step, and POP.

At at point, well, I don’t really know what I though it was, I guess see the above example and that’s what went right to my brain. ” who the hell just hit me?” then next thing I know I am on the floor screaming bloody murder. I don’t wanna sugar coat this, all my fellow injured folk in Achilles-blog world, you know what I’m talking about.

I mean, honestly, I have played basketball since I was 4 years old. Ive had broken and dislocated elbows, 1st,2nd, &3rd degree high ankle sprains, multiple concussions, a couple of which would make you sick to see the film of, and not mention I have had the pleasure of getting plenty of Humble Pie from the east coast’s beloved OBX barrels and felt like I was going to drown. Basically roll all those up into a ball, let Tiger Woods pull out his 3 iron, tee the ball, while you put your Achilles directly in front of it, and let Er’ rip.

there we go…I think I finally have done an accurate job of explaining the pain I was in!

Thats all I got for tonight, till next time, take care,

JLS

Whats happenin?
this is jls84, and I am from va beach Virginia and i have been able to now get this blog setup. I am hoping that blogging is going to do a couple of things for any of you who are checking it out.

#1 i just to share my story
#2 I am excited to be able to have an outlet to vent about my progress

So hope any of you who read it, enjoy it!
If it sucks then don’t read it anymore hah