mandy000’s AchillesBlog

I packed my back with my spare trainer, a pair of other trainers and a pair of sandals plus a nice bottle of red.  Made it down the stairs, I’m getting quite adept at stairs crutches bag combo.  :).

The wine is for Dave (the best PT in the world) it is Christmas eve here and he was amazing when I first I jured myself, sorting out the MRI Ankle surgeon referral and making me feel ok in a crap situation.

So today is all good, starts out asking me questions about the past 8 weeks, then why I haven’t tried walking despite being told I could a couple of days ago, understood that I felt vulnerable and wanted to wait until he was there as I didn’t get much from the doc - shoes no shoes, warm it up stretch it, nothing.

He starts by working on my other ankle which is getting tender basically dug is bony fingers in and pressed and stretched….did explain that heat is better for this ankle than ice, after I told him I tried icing it but it didn’t help but that the bath did.  Then he moved to the other one, gentle light massages of the calf, all while ankle was supported, seemed like alot of squeezing of the tendon quite hard but didn’t really hurt, some me not very nice rubbing of the scar and sent in his massage man to get into my calf some more attention. Who worked my calf for about 15 mins, which hurt but ok all the same.

Now it’s time for a walk….I look at Dave like he is crazy and who asks what I’m worried about is it that it might snap, yep pretty much I said nodding.   Remember I know Dave and have worked with him on a torn meniscus (right knee) prior, so absolutely trust him. So I grab the crutches, he walked about 10 feet ahead of me holding a long mirror and tells me to look at the mirror and walk towards him.  I take a couple of steps (bare feet) with the crutches taking a lot of the weight. The goal here was for me to get used to walking and to feel the motion and to be aware of my step that I was straight and not hunched to one side or doing a strange hip manouver to take the step.  I did a couple (strange ones) his impersonation of me made me laugh, and then I did about 10 good steps and turned around all smiles went back to the chair and put my boot and shoe back on.   It’s at this point we have a conversation about swapping out the sole of the boot to the flat one - which we did it seems tight,  restricted like, but not painful. Not as easy to walk, just different.

Instructions leave boot on while out or having a vino over Christmas, try walking in pool preferably a kids one that gradually slopes into an adults one don’t kick just walk, and come back on Friday.

Today was all about making me feel comfortable (he did warn me to be careful, and to use crutches on stairs) - the fun begins next week!

Happy holidays everyone xx

For Christmas I got FREEDOM…..from sleeping with my boot on. Yay!  And I start Physio on the 24th.    The doc said today to start walking, without the boot, for a little bit each day. A bit chicken about that bit will start with placing foot on the ground with gradual weight on it.  It seems a bit extreme one day never take the boot off to take it off and go for walk for 30mins.  Maybe I’m being a bit over cautious but I am going to take it slow and see how it feels.   Looking forward to seeing the Physio on Monday and to sleeping tonight without the boot, must remember in the morning to not just stand up!

Excited but kinda weird too!  Anyone have any tips for the first step - I’m thinking trainers not bare feet and slow and not by myself.  It really is a bit scary maybe I should wait until I have the Physio (who I know really well and trust) by my side…..am I being silly?

This past week has been like a miracle in comparison to the previous four weeks.

When the surgeon initially fitted me he did try the medium vaoped but I couldn’t stand the pain of it around my heel, if felt too narrow, which is why he put the vacocast one…now I’m thinking it was cast-to-boot shock combined with mini-freak out.  After putting up with it for a week and rubbing a blister on the underside of my foot I started to complaint. Forget the grin and bear it!

I emailed vaco people at head office, they explained the vaocast was not designed to put wedges inside that I really should be in the vacoped boot.  They put me in touch with their Australian rep who offered to swap the boot (shell) over for me with just paying the price difference of the two boots, the inners are the same.

On Tuesday I swapped out my vaocast boot for a vacoped boot, a size smaller. Not only is it smaller, lighter, less hot and without the painful hard wedges inside, I slept! The vacoped small now feels like a comfy ug boot in comparison.  And I’m starting to feel like a normal person…..ok one that still has to relie a lot on others, but not sleep deprived.

On Wednesday I went from NWB to PWB to taking four steps without crutches. Ok they weren’t graceful but the sense of progress was amazing. This morning Saturday aussie time, I’ve roamed around doing things in my apartment, unaided.  I’m not suggesting I’m now FWB but am for periods of time.  Might even take myself off outside and enjoy summer that has finally hit.

Anyway just wanted to share a happy update, and if you’re struggling with your boot, if it feels too big and cumbersome, maybe it is the wrong boot or incorrectly sized boot, it doesn’t hurt to fire off an email and ask the experts.

Happy healing!

very thankful for everyone’s thoughts/well wishes/advice…we’re in this together!

I’ve had a vacocast fit (the pro killed when it was fitted) for 1x week which I think is too big.  It’s very wide and heaps of space in the length.  It’s a medium and I wear an asics US 8 trainer, if that helps.  When the lining is wrapped around securely it’s fine when I’m upright. It’s when laying that I have problems.  It’s like the lining forces the bottom wedge, of which there’s 4, to slightly curve in, and the pointy bit digs in to the soft part of my foot, about wear the arch is.   But it’s the same even when the straps are released/loosened.  In the night i have to sit up and hang my feet off the side of the bed to relieve it.  Does anyone else find this?

My ball if my foot kinda burns a lot when laying elevated, like the boot places extra pressure from the weight of it….not pleasant.

Maybe it’s just the wedges and not the boot size.  I think going to order one of the even ups for my right foot has anyone used these, good / bad idea?

I start work again on Monday so trying to prepare myself a bit.  Fortunately I’m 4-6 hours a day (work cover) so can elevate or snooze in the day if needed…not really ready for a commute and full days work yet!

Safe healing! xx