Kristin’s One Footed (Now Two-Footed!) Blog

Just hanging out with leg up. I tell you…I’m 2.5 weeks post op and still if my leg isn’t elevated most of the time it hurts. I know, I know, it’ll get better each day. My splint is getting gross from the oozing that’s going on with my incision…So, cld the doctor and I’m stopping in tomorrow to have it checked out. It’s been 3 days since staple removal and it’s oozing mostly in that tender spot of your ankle where a lot of stress was put. And, when I removed the bandages it didn’t look too good.  Silly me…I removed the bandages and unwrapped my leg, but I didn’t have the first aid kit handy to re-bandage it.  Hubby is out of town and 2 little kids couldn’t reach it. So, helpless gimp cld a nice neighbor to come by and help.  That’s the most difficult thing about this injury…is the helplessness and inability to perform the simple, everyday things. 

Dr. went ahead and cld in antiobiotics so I’m taking those. Hopefully not a bad infection, but we’ll see.

I’ve been sleeping much better now, so that’s nice.  And, some people are nice about holding doors open. It cracks me up that there are also those people that just stand there and watch as I try and hold the door open with one crutch or push it open hard enough to quickly crutch out. Maybe it’s entertaining the watch…that’s why they do nothing. Daycare and other folks have been great. In the evening when I pick my monkeys up they’ll bring them out to the car. I really appreciate the extra thoughtfulness.  My daughter’s First Communion is this weekend…so, I’m trying to determine whether to battle it on cruthches, or go in the dreaded wheelchair. I’m still waiting on my kneel walker to come in.  This is crazy….so, I rented a wheelchair and insurance covered it. Of course..I had to meet this wonderful deductible…the other good thing about this injury…you definitely meet your deductible with it. :)  So, cld to trade in wheelchair because I thought it would be good around the house…but so impractical..too bulky…and you sit too low to reach anything on the counter. So, cld to trade it in for a kneel walker…and my med supply company doesn’t rent these..they classify them as personal items like toilets, etc…so, I buy…good news is insurance covers a lot of cost and I only pay $70.  Maybe we can all get together for a kneel walker derby race. :)  So, hopefully by Friday I’ll have it and can start wheeling around and reaching things. 

Mood- OK. Everyday I’m mentally better. But, goodness…it’s been tiring.

Hope everyone sleeps well tonight as we are one day closer to being 2 footed again! 

Hey! Got my staples removed yesterday, Monday the 28th. The PA warned me it would hurt…but good thing…it didn’t hurt at all! YEAH!  I expected to get a cast. But, my incision is so moist with sweat…it’s hot here in Georgia! :)  That, we are keeping the splint on and I am supposed to air it out once a day to help it dry out. 

And, the dr. said i’m supposed to begin doing slight movements with my foot. Gotta read the blogs to see how much to do. I’m afraid to move it too much.

Stair phobia - Funny…so, some places I go there are huge curbs to jump up on.  I’m not sure if any of the rest of you are like this…but, I have to physc (sp.?) myself up to jump up on them. 

When my injury first happened I was rolling around the house (all hardwoods in house) on an office task chair. It was great…except it was scratching my floors to bits…so, I thought a wheelchair would be the answer…but, it’s too difficult because you sit so low.  So, tomorrow I’m going to trade in the wheelchair for a knee walker which will enable me to zoom around getting the kids ready for school.  Funny…I just used the wheelchair as a bedside table…the crutches are much more practical to hop from place to place.

As we speak I am airing out my incisions.  See the dr. again on Monday.  

BIG NEWS - I am not sleeping so much better!  Took 3 weeks I guess of getting used to sleeping in this heavy-a%$ splint…but, now it’s easier to sleep….and thank goodness I’m sleeping much better!   

Hey there! So, I became part of this family on Sunday, April 6th playing tennis. I knew what I did when it happened…I was running for a short ball and it felt like someone shot my ankle or drilled me with a tennis ball in my heel. Then, the awful feeling of touching your heel and having nothing be there…all mush.  Well…my brother ruptured his achilles playing soccer a couple years ago…so I knew what I had done. I couldn’t walk on it, so my teammates cld an ambulance…waste of money. I thought I’d be seen faster, but nope…had to sign in along with people off the street.  So, lesson learned there. After waiting in the ER for a few hours they splinted me and sent me home with crutches. Another funny thing is when it happened I expected surgery that day…I’ve learned that that NEVER happens. Well, only a PA could see my at my Ortho on Monday…so went there…they wanted to do an MRI so that had to be a couple days later…then my ortho was out of town, so the big repair day was on April 15th.  Fun day prior to surgery…I was getting the kids out the door and after a week I was getting pretty good at holding on to railing and hopping down with crutches on my bad side…I always had a tennis shoe on as I hopped.  Well, guess what happens when you hop down hardwood stairs with a sock on?  So, I tumbled down all 10 stairs…thank goodness nothing really damaged besides lots of bruises.  So, SURGERY….OH MY…..YIKES…waking up from surgery I was in so much pain. I probably shouldn’t write that for those who haven’t had the surgery yet. I’ve had a couple of C-sections and those were like a walk in the park compared to the instant pain that I felt with my little old achilles.  So…backing up a bit…had to wait a week to have surgery in a splint…and have been in a splint another 2 weeks post op. SO, FINALLY this Monday I get my staples out and will be casted. Funny, my PA said that I might want to take some pain pills prior to coming in…she said it would hurt…wish I wouldn’t have that to look forward to. So, I’m sitting here HOPING HOPING HOPING that I can sleep tonight…3 weeks in a splint I’ve been so tired, but can’t sleep. Many of you experience the same thing I’ve read.  I’m so glad that I googled upon this site in my search for answers. My ortho spends 5 seconds with me and never tells me anything…seriously…never what to expect, etc. I ask him lots of questions, but it’s so nice to come to this site for answers from real people who have been throught the twitches and the claustrophobic feeling of the cast….Oh, by the way…early on in my splint I felt really claustrophobic. I’m better now. Will the cast be better in terms of that claudtrophobic feeling?  Guess I’ll go and read more about other’s journey…this too shall pass….this too shall pass….Oh, this afternoon I went to my Tag office for a handicap sticker…funny I had to wait for 30 minutes in line to get it…but that should help. Another positive is riding in those fast carts at the grocery…as you now…no place for crutches on those carts, so clean up in every aisle as I knock things off the shelves. Another positive is seeing how helpful people are…..very kind. I appreciate all my friends who have cld or brought meals when hubby is traveling and it’s just me and my monkeys (ages 7 & 4). My kids are really helping me. And, it’s good for them to help out more…so, that’s been good.  And, we are all blessed that this injury is temporary and fixable.  Tonight is a good night…had a good day…so no pitty party at the moment. Goodnight!

Welcome to Achillesblog.com.
Ruptured winning a tennis match on April 6, Surgery on April 15th.