Let’s do this again, shall we?

Comment by Stuart

October 3, 2011 @ 6:03 pm

Many people will drive, some in plaster. It comes down to whether you feel you have control of the vehicle in an emergency or could the boot or lack of muscle strength in shoes cause you to have a collision and if you are prepared to take that risk. If you have a collision, nobody is hurt and you are at fault then the question is whether your insurance company will pay out. If someone is hurt then it could be more serious. Police would more than likely be involved and serious charges could be brought against you. The choice and the risk are yours but I would definitely not drive in shoes at this early stage. Modern cars do not need a great deal of pressure to brake but it could hurt you (re-rupture)if you have to brake suddenly and hard. I asked for a clearance from the doc before I drove.

Comment by ryanb

October 3, 2011 @ 6:39 pm

I did my right too. With an automatic transmission, I just learned to drive with my left foot, tucking my right foot in behind. My left foot is just as capable (as my right), and I don’t see why - with a little practice - this is any less safe, or would make you any more liable than driving “normally”. I started driving “lefty”, at 9 days post surgery.

Just within the last couple of days I’ve been able to again drive with my right foot. I do worry about a panic stop, but fortunately my left is now well practiced. In fact, I catch myself left-foot braking now and then… just from habit. In a panic, I can’t say I’m 100% sure which foot would go to the brake pedal first right now. Though, over the next few weeks, I have no doubt that I’ll return to full-time right-foot driving.

I am looking forward to getting back the use of my manual transmission vehicles. Very soon now. The motorcycles are a bit farther off though.

Comment by Stuart

October 3, 2011 @ 7:21 pm

Again, driving with the left foot is possible but my comment previous is more concerning the legal implications should anything go wrong. If you only had one foot then you would not have a choice but you be required to undergo a driving test to ensure your ability meets the standard. Insurance companies do not need much of an excuse not to pay out and could easily argue it was not safe to drive using the left foot, the right foot in a boot or an unhealed tendon in shoes. If your own doctor will not give you a clearance then you really don’t have any leg to stand on. Pun intended. Regarding charges from Police, on this subject I have considerable experience. The doctor would be the first person I would go to and be on my witness list. Regardless of the implications to you personally, my thoughts go to the implications for other people who may inadvertantly get in your way. The thing to remember is that your inability to affectively control a vehicle could cause injury to someone else. It all goes well until something goes wrong. Cars are potential leathal weapons which we have come to consider as our right to use whenever we want. I had too many years dealing with this, telling families about seriously injured or deceased love ones so I guess I can seem a bit inflexible. You can take the risk for yourself but in the process there is a potential risk you are taking on behalf of others.

Comment by bcurr

October 4, 2011 @ 4:35 am

You really are catch 22 on this.

Left foot braking/accelerating is fine. As Stuart mentions, some people have too, my wife being one of them. I would not say that is the issue here. The issue is that if a requirement of this injury is that a doctor/physio clears you to drive and you don’t get this, then your insurance will be null and void. They won’t care that you weren’t driving with the bad leg, just that you were not cleared to drive.

Best to explain what you do to your doctor and then get him to clear you as “ok to drive like that”.

On another note, for what its worth, I wouldn’t like to emergency stop using my bad foot even now. Had to do one last week and the amount of pressure required through my toes/achilles/calf was immense.

Comment by unclebuck23

October 4, 2011 @ 5:32 am

Hey guys! One thing for you to analyze…I have been walking now for about a month in regular shoes, things are going very well. I know that the swelling at the end of the day is normal, but I have also had a stinging sensation right on and below the incision, with a bit of redness. It is very painful to touch and gets worse when I push off. Seems as if I elevate and the swelling goes down, it gets a bit better. The stinging is more on the surface than deeper down. Any thoughts on this? I see the doc this Thursday anyways, but wanted to know what you all think!

Comment by unclebuck23

October 4, 2011 @ 7:42 am

Stuart, please read my previous post! Thanks!

Comment by ryanb

October 4, 2011 @ 7:50 am

Unclebuck23- I’ve read a few accounts here of people rejecting a stitch. What you’re describing sounds similar: localized stinging, just below the skin, with associated redness. Once the stitch has come out, they’ve all seemed to heal up pretty quick, without further pain or complications.

Might be worth looking into-

Comment by unclebuck23

October 4, 2011 @ 8:40 am

Thanks for the reply Ryan B! Just FYI…I am 14 weeks post op. So would this still be an issue? Perhaps with an underlying suture? Yikes…just hoping that I won’t have to be opened up again.

Comment by ryanb

October 4, 2011 @ 9:42 am

Here’s a few examples:

achillesblog.com/markuk/2011/09/19/suture-rejection

achillesblog.com/daviduk/2010/07/22/progress-and-a-problem/

achillesblog.com/jenni/

Looks like 14 weeks would not be outside the window. I’d just ask your doc about it at your upcoming appointment.

Comment by bcurr

October 4, 2011 @ 9:55 am

As they are “permanent” sometimes, it’s feasible at any time.
From my readings they either come out naturally or a doc can pull them out. This hasn’t needed surgery though if they can grab them. Take it easy until Thuraday I would say and the doc should hopefully sort you out. Good luck!

Comment by markuk

October 4, 2011 @ 10:35 am

Unclebuck23
My experience with a rejected suture sounds similar to you - irritation, redness and soreness - I was concerned this was an infection of the incision . In fact, it was the body rejecting and forcing out the stitches and so I think it is rare that surgery is needed to help them out. At most I suspect that the doctor may just help them out by making a little incision to get to the stitch. In my case, it broke the surface and then out it popped along with an inch of suture. No harm done and immediately the soreness went.

Mari
This time around it is my left leg and so as soon as I was in the boot, I was ok to drive (an automatic). I previously had done the right and in that case drove on the ruptured leg prior to being diagnosed but once operated, did not drive until in two shoes. Normal driving is no problem where you have time to conciously make the decision to use the other leg, it is when in an emergency you have no time to think and slam on the brake. A driver is likely to instictively go for the break with the right. If you have the boot on, this could cause a crossing of legs and not getting to the brake in time. If without the boot, the repaired tendon (assuming op) may take the sudden pressure but depending on how much sudden, likely to cause some damage (and a rupture means the brake will probably not be hit as hard as necessary). As Stuart says, if worst happens and there is an accident, you can bet the police/other driver/insurance will have something to say when you get out of the car with a plaster/boot on.

Comment by Stuart

October 4, 2011 @ 11:28 am

Unclebuck- I read your question yesterday but I really don’t know what it is so I didn’t respond. What others have said could be possible but I feel it is something your doctor will have to see. Sometimes the healing tendon adhears to the incision wound and it could be sore because it is tearing away. With Being at 14 weeks I would have thought that would have presented itself earlier. Hope it is alright for you until Thursday.

Comment by shootingthebreeze

October 4, 2011 @ 12:34 pm

I checked with my insurance company before buying a cheap automatic to get about in, and they said it was fine. Unless I had been specifically told that I should refrain from driving there was no reason that I wouldn’t be insured. My ATR is also my right On the strength of that, I sought out a boot friendly motor, ie one with large footwell and big, easy to use, pedals. I also opted for one with a big smooth engine so it’d need less driver input to keep it rolling The benefit of such vehicles being they come fully loaded, and with the cost of fuel making Dick Turpin look like a saint, they are so cheap to buy:) Ok they are a bit thirsty but then you only make essential trips, and it only costs money when you use it, as it won’t lose any money being sat doing nothing!!
I picked up a 1998 high mileageMercedes Benz E320 Elegance Auto Estate with full electric, orthopaedic leather seats, all bells n whistles including cruise control for a song
It’s a big motor but it’s sooooo easy to drive and it’s got all the brake assist technology they had pre-millennium What I would say though, if you are not a confident driver and you don’t need to drive then don’t worry about it. If you have to drive, then give yourself time to think on the road by thinking ahead, be more observant and attentive (I used to ride a motorbike and this experience makes a difference to how aware you are peripherally). I also used to drive around 40,000 miles a year and have driven a multitude of vehicles over the years so driving the Merc while booted up was an easy enough transition for me, and the brake pedal is big enough to brake with both feet if needed !!!!
For me, being mobile again gave me a huge ‘lift’ , excuse the pun.
Check with your insurance first though …. They might view things differently to mine?

Comment by unclebuck23

October 4, 2011 @ 1:18 pm

Markuk, how far along were you when this happened? I am 14 weeks. Are you talking about the suture that was used to reconnect the tendon?

Comment by markuk

October 5, 2011 @ 6:27 am

Mine was at about 8 weeks when it popped out. 6 weeks when I first noticed the irritation and redness triggered seemingly by a physio session.
Yes - we are talking the internal stitches that would normally breakdown within the body but in my case my body must get fed up with them - the actual suture had obviously broken down and was no longer performing any fuction. The actual suture knot takes quite a while to break down and so if it is normal for it to still be there at 14 weeks and maybe your body has just started to realise it is a foreign body. That said, clearly one to get checked because we are only speculating on here.