Pop Went My Achilles

I had my first Dr.’s Appt after the surgery. It was a small milestone. They sat me up on the table and cut the bandage and splint of my leg. Finally I could breath, it felt great. The nurse then told me to wait for the doctor. I was at a loss on what to do with my foot, I did not feel comfortable at all with my foot. Not sure if I should let it hang of the table, prop it up on the table, or just lie down. I was very nervous because it just felt so fragile and weird. I got a real wake up call on how serious this injury is, I did not want to put ANY pressure on my achilles. I guess that will feeling get better with time.

The doctor came in and saw the foot. There was little swelling. Keeping the leg elevated since the surgery really helped. He poked around the ankle and it felt really good. He then put me in a boot with crutches, NWB. I told him I will keep it on all day and just take it off for bathing. He said i could take it off while sleeping but after today’s visit, I want to be extremely cautious. I will sleep with the boot for a while.

He said to see him in 4 weeks.

The nurse came back in to take the 10 staples out. I thought that was going to hurt, but no pain there. Just a little pinch, not bad at all. He wrapped up my ankle in an ace bandage, adjusted my boot to point downward, and strapped me in tight.

That was it. PT is in 4 weeks.

Nice and Quick visit. Nice and slow progress.

Thanks to everyone who posts…it really helps

Well it has been one week post op. Pain has not been too bad, the 2nd and 3rd day after surgery I needed a steady regime of Tylenol Extra Strength along with an Anti-Inflammatory ,that kept me pain free. Now there is no real pain, just the occasional shooting something or other and the itchy stitches.

Absolutely not putting any weight on the leg. I am doing toes spreads and toe curls, they feel soooo good. My toes are almost as flexible as my good foot. Keeping the leg elevated as much as possible. When I put my leg down the blood rushes to my toes, they turn purple and start to swell a bit, but that is normal from the posts I have read.

Getting around has it’s moments. I am usually extremely active in sports and always the one that helps out. Now I am calling for rides and having my pregnant wife help me around the house. Definitely a change of pace, I am sure there is a lesson here and I am learning it. Keeping busy with work from home, has been huge. I think I would go nuts without work.  Also, I am doing 45 min of push ups and sit up every other day. This really helps clear my head and helps with circulation which is important during the healing process.

Epsom Salt Baths……they are great. I have read that some people don’t like baths. I feel they are awesome, they really help my back and shoulders out. I hang the leg up and soak for 15 minutes. It just relaxes the body. 

I have my 1st visit with the Doctor next week on the 19th. Looking forward to what I hear is pretty quick appt. but, atleast I will get some information on how my recovery is going. I think I am getting a cast for 2 weeks. Should I push for boot? I already have one from him pre-op. Any suggestions?

Thanks for everyone who posts. It definitely helps

-Mario

Surgery went well.  Got the hospital at 8:30am and left at 2:30pm. The actual surgery was quick, just an hour or so. They had me under a light general anesthesia with a Popliteal Block from my right knee down. This was a good option for me, this way I was not under for too long or too heavy. Once i got home, i just slept for few hours. I woke up around 7pm and had a big Bacon Cheeseburger…..I was hungry. My right leg stayed numb through the night due to the Popliteal Block. Thank you God.

I feel good today, I am taking Toradal a non-narcotic (i don’t do well with narcotics). The pain is not bad, it is tolerable (today). The incision burns a bit, but i am told that is normal. So, that is it.  Just hanging in bed with the leg elavated and working from my laptop , thank God I work from home.

Thanks again for the support

-Mario

Well it popped. I was training for soccer on a monday afternoon. I was running in between cones and planted my right foot and pop it went. The one wierd thing  was that it popped towards the end of my training session. I was warmed up by then although I will say, I probably was pushing my training a bit and did not rest from a long session on Sunday. So, i guess the tendon was overworked and just wore out.

I heard the pop and went down. Initially it hurt a bit but then it has not hurt again. I knew something was really wrong, my foot felt like jello. I did not get up, luckily my wife (who is 7 months pregnant) was around. She came and picked me up and we went to the ER. Six hours later and crutches with a silly ankle brace, I went home. I made a visit to the Orthopeadic the following day and he said I needed surgery, which I had already determined.  So surgery is scheduled for Wed 8/6/08. Can’t wait to get the this long process started.

Thanks to everyone who has posted their experiences, it has helped me out tremendously.

-Mario