Me & My Boot
I have had 1 more session of PT, last Wednesday, and have been faithfully continuing my home exercise program. At my PT session, the therapist noted that when walking (on 1 or 2 crutches) without the boot, that my right foot still walks as if it were in the boot, that I am not putting it through normal flexion with each step. She had me focus on walking very slowly while mindfully attending to all the motions of each foot. We discovered that my metatarsal head were a little bound up, and she worked them loose, which made everything a bit less stiff, and my walking more normal.
Now I am walking with the boot and no crutches while out & about and at home sometimes with boot/no crutches (when I want to cover ground and/or carry things) or with crutches & bare feet, when I can walk more slowly and attend to proper foot motion.
Yesterday my husband and I spent the day together, mostly doing errands and shopping, and I walked more than I have since my initial ATR in October. Later in the day, I was a bit tired and sore in the hips/low back, but I was very pleased at how well it all went. He was impressed too–he had not seen me walking so much without the crutches.
When I last saw my orthodoc, he said we would discuss my driving again at my January 30th appointment. My PT has said for the last 3 visits that she feels I could safely drive now. I am planning to drive to my appointment with her on Monday, and to the pool to swim on Tuesday and perhaps other days as well. This afternoon I will do a “test drive” in a parking lot with my husband…I figure that since in October I drove for 2 weeks with no functional Achilles tendon in my right leg, driving with a repaired one will actually be safer/better…
I feel I have made a lot of progress since beginning physical therapy, and am eager to get back to driving. I am also hoping that perhaps I can get back to work sometime in February…
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:30 pm
very proud for you! you’re certainly making strides in the right direction. i too have tried walking w/o boot & crutches. i must say, it feels weird! i just get worried that i’ll put too much weight on the repaired achilles. thus, i’m very leary when i try to walk w/o my boot. i haven’t had to worrry about the driving part b/c i ruptured my left achilles. i’m just counting the days till i get into 2 shoes. keep up the great work!
January 22nd, 2012 at 5:40 pm
Thanks, Kevin! It does feel weird to walk with no boot, for me, going very slowly and paying close attention helped me get through the very odd feeling…
Today’s driving went well–around the parking lot a few times, then (2 miles) to the grocery store & back…I drove in 2 shoes–some slip-ons with no back and walked a few steps from the house to the car & back in them, no crutches.
It is a long process, but the weeks when you definitely see progress are rewarding. I think RyanB’s advice to keep a daily journal is good, to keep track of all the progress, even the tiny bits, when recovery/rehab seem very slow.
January 24th, 2012 at 2:22 am
Hi Kathy, Been behind on my blog posts and building my pages. My Arizona trip was longer than expected. catching up & looking at everyone’s posts tonite. Yeah for you! Congrats to you and 2 shoes. I’ve gone backwards since last post. Did not realize your injury was October, same as mine. So we both have just surpassed out 100 day mark. Mine on Jan. 12th.
I am having a Integra Placement on the incision just above the heel as it is not closing. The placement preps the wound bed and creates cellular generation so the skin graft will take. have this surgery on friday 1/27 and will be back to NWB for 2-3 weeks. Then I have the graft. I will try to spend some time on my blog to post more about the procedure in event anyone else is going through this.
Enjoy the freedom of shoes as I have done since 12/15. You will see gains everyday. I found wearing a comfy pair of low platform heels I walk better than in flat shoes lkie my CROCS. I rotate between the two shoes and am walking pretty good no limp.
January 24th, 2012 at 1:09 pm
Hi Dory–glad you are safely back from AZ…but I’m sad to hear that you will need to go through the skin graft procedure…I hope that since it was the PA’s fault your incision didn’t close properly that they are doing the graft for free! I wish you patience and good cheer as you go through more surgery & more recovery time.
I’m pretty much just in 2 shoes to drive at this point…per my doctor, I am to be in the boot when on my feet until next appointment (1/30), no exceptions. I figured out pretty quick that I didn’t want to put the boot on if I got up in the night to use the bathroom, so just crutch there & back.
My PT said I could walk with no shoes using crutches indoors, and that driving would be OK…can’t drive in the boot, so decided shoes would be the way to go…I did wear the shoes and no boot to PT yesterday (with crutches) and that was nice.
(My husband is encouraging me to wear 2 shoes to the doctor visit on Monday, but I it seems rude to openly flout his instructions. I will take my right shoe, but go in wearing left shoe and boot.)
And I drove myself to the pool & swam this morning, with a little help from the lifeguards to move the boot & shoe away from the edge of the pool, and to get a folding chair for me to sit in to dry off and re-boot. I was pleased that I could walk up the steps out of the pool on my own instead of scooting up on my backside, as I did when I swam 2 weeks ago. And I was able to swim/kickboard a full half mile today. (However, I am much slower than I used to be when I swam regularly…)