my AT story

I am almost 1 year post-op. (47 weeks to be exact) I have noticed over the last month my heel seems to get numb and tingly. Has anyone else encountered this?

it has been a while since I have posted anything, basically because I wasn’t held up in bed elevating my leg. But the process has gone well. I was discharged from the physical therapist three weeks ago. Played hockey the last two Wednesday’s I can jog and run, in fact as part of my last PT visit she had me sprinting the 40 yard dash (6.4 was my best time guess I am not quite NFL wide out material…YET) so things are going well, I didn’t think I would be as far along as I am only 26 weeks post injury. Life does go back to normal, I don’t know if I will ever play football again but I am glad I know that I have the capacity to play if I choose to. And honestly that is all I ever wanted out after I got hurt.

well, here we go.  On Friday my PT told me that things were progressing better than she expected.  She worked the heck out of the tendon and had me do a toe raise 50/50 weight on both legs.   That my friends was SCARY!! But I did it and the tendon is still in one piece.  I asked her if that moved any timelines up (driving in 4 weeks 2 shoes in 12) and she told me to take the boot off and drive around the block this weekend.  I have been afraid to do so but i think I have mustered the nerve and am going to go out this morning and drive around the block.  wish me luck!

ok this will be short and sweet whereas I know I wont update this weekend because of the basketball tourney (I have Memphis, NC, MSU and Xavier in the final 4 and Siena, Utah St. and Western Kentucky are my upset specials in case you’re wondering)  Anyhow short and sweet because I am exhausted and want to go to sleep.  So, 1st session went like this. I did a laser treatment (anyone else heard of this?) then I was tested for ROM and measured.  My ROM seemed pretty good, I wish i remembered the exact numbers but my bad leg seemed to only be a few degrees shy of the good one.  My Therapist..Side bar here if you don’t to read skip to the end of the paragraph.  ok, every time I write therapist I frickin’ laugh.  Do you remember the Sat. night live with celebrity jeopardy and Sean Connery took the category therapist but pronounced it The Rapists.  “I’ll take the rapists for 100 please Alex.”  it gets me every time. 

Ok back to business.  The therapist (giggle) was pretty impressed with my ROM but was concerned about the atrophy, i am 4.25 cm smaller in the right calf then left.  but hey there’s nothing I could really have done about that.  So we did the laser, then  I got an ultrasound treatment, then we talked timetables and goals.  Here was the best part of the appt and the worst.  I set the goal of driving in 2 weeks, golf and 2 shoes in 6-8 and playing hockey for the fall session in the beginning of September.   I was pretty spot on with the Sept. goal (that’ll be about 7 months post-op) but driving is about 4 weeks out (that makes it 10 weeks post-op) 2 shoes and golf is pretty right on about 12 weeks post op or in 6-8 weeks.  But she did warn me that the boot might be on for another 12 weeks.   I told her realistically my goal is that in 46 weeks I want to be at the point to where i have the capability of doing everything I could do the morning of 1-16-09.  Not that I am going to play football/tennis/racquetball.  I just want the option to be able to.  her response was yeah that is totally with-in sight.  as long as you understand you will always have that increased risk of re-rupture.

At least it is good to have some time tables and goals set.  My doc was always hesitant to set any sort of time table with me. 

So we finished with some “light massage”  DAMN that hurt.  she broke up some scar tissue and then decided to feel around the stitches IN the tendon not the incision but the ones inside my leg.  OMG that made things sore and I am still sore.  then we iced the leg and I was free to go.  Total time in the office 2 hours.  That made for a long 14 hour day. 

so I am back Monday and next Friday.  She gave me some resistant band exercises to do at home once a day and bid me farewell.  All in all a good session I don’t like how everything is baby steps.  But I (we) need to take those baby steps to get back to the point where it all leads up to leg squats with 75 pounds on my shoulders.

here’s to good healing and a good night I am out!

I have been meaning to update for a few days now.  I wanted to give a 5 week update, but that ship has sailed, so here’s my 5.5 week update.  Two weeks ago tomorrow my doc gave me the go ahead for PWB and to work up to FWB within two weeks.  Well needless to say it has been a nerve racking two weeks.  I think it was probably Tuesday night before I put any weight on the thing and very very slowly got more comfortable walking on the leg.  I went to the bathroom scale to see what 25 pounds felt like and didn’t put any more on till probably last weekend.  So all last week (my second week of PWB) I kept telling myself if I am going to be FWB by next Monday I need to put more weight on it.  So I did.  over the last week I have moved on to the point that all day yesterday i was walking short distances around the house with no crutches.   Being the nervous little guy I am over the week, I noticed that the leg/tendon/heel/foot doesn’t seen to hurt as much or is sore as much as most people write about.  So of course I am afraid that something is wrong and I am constantly doing self Thompson test to make sure everything is in place.  But the good news is that yesterday everything was sore and tired.  So I feel better.     All in all it was a good two weeks of PWB although I am not going to change my status to FWB on account that   I am going to make a cane out of an old hockey stick, or bring the crutches to work.  I feel that I still need some assistance walking.  Plus it is hard as hell to walk in this darn Cam boot.  I kinda hate it.

So Wednesday I start PT I am looking forward to that.  My doc gave me the all clear to not sleep in the boot, but i haven’t done that yet I am so scared that something will happen in the night so I sleep with it on.  Needless to say sleep is still restless.  I have considered wrapping it in an ace bandage and putting on the air cast but I haven’t got the nerve to do that.  Anyone have any ideas on this?  suggestions welcome!

That’s right friends me.  I had a very encouraging visit to to the doc today.  We removed the cast.  He felt around the tendon, did some ROM stuff and said simply “awesome” so…I got the Darth Vader boot and I am cleared to bear 25 pounds on the leg and slowly move that weight up over the next two weeks to almost FWB .  Then I start PT.  My next visit to the doc isn’t for another month.  I have to treat the boot like a cast he wants me wearing it almost 24/7 i can remove for showers (still can’t stand up in the shower) and getting dressed etc.  But other than that the boot is on.

So what was today like after I got the news?  I haven’t put one pound of weight on it.  I am scared ****less.  I rested the leg on the ground more at work today, i crutched around the house more today, even pretended to walk but really haven’t bore much weight.  The doc told me I don’t HAVE to wear it at night, but its on.     

I am really afraid to do anything.  Here’s where i need your help.  How have you all gone from NWB to PWB to FWB?  it sounds easy, just put weight on it. How do you get over that first step? how do you know what too much weight feel like? If I am not staring PT for 2 more weeks, who can guide me through going from zero to FWB on this leg.  suggestions welcome

Other than that not much else in going on in my life.  I think this will be the last week that i work part time, i am going to try a full on 40 hour work week next week.  I will miss that day off in the middle of the week, and probably wont get to the playoffs in NHL ‘09 for a while now.  Oh and an old girlfriend from grade school found me on Facebook. I got a kick out seeing that she has like 5 kids what a trip!  (I only have 2, looks like I got some catching up to do)

Again friends I enjoy reading all your comments and posts on this website good luck and here’s to a safe recovery for all!

Today is my 3 week anniversary of the operation.  This week has been rather uneventful. I did notice that there seems to be more swelling  this week than last.  I attribute that to the fact that I have been trying to be more active.  And by active that simply means I’ve been moving the leg at the knee more an actually getting up and wheeling or crutching around more.  I am getting tired of sitting on the couch at home or staying at my desk at work.   I actually prepared dinner one night while the wife was at the gym.   I wish I could have taped that it’d be funny to watch later.  I would get a pot out of the cabinet move it three feet on the counter, crutch to the pot move it three more feet crutch to the pot, move it to the stove, crutch to the stove.  I took about 3 times as long and was VERY tiring

The good news is that I have cut back on the pain meds.  I still take some at night and maybe some ibuprofen during the day, but for the most part I quit that hard stuff.   More good news I worked three days in a row but Wednesday afternoon was rather painful, i kind of planned that which I why I have today off to rest and elevate.   

Next stop is Monday which will be almost a month since the operation and I am hoping and praying that I get the Darth Vader boot I am fed up with the cast.   I already have my arguments prepared if he tells me he wants to cast it longer.  in all honesty I really feel I am ready for some early mobilization exercises.  I know I will probably not be able to bear weight, and I am OK with that.  I just want some relief from the swelling and mentally something that shows i am taking a step forward in the re-hab process. 

Next update will be Monday, good luck everyone!

well literally my wife drove me home form the hospital but I crutched into the house.  The time between i hurt myself and getting the surgery I scoured the Internet and this site to see what i could expect during the first few weeks after surgery.  I found a lot of experiences from our club members (that’s what i call us) first, second, third etc doctors visits but not a lot of here’s what life was like.   So here’s what my first two weeks after surgery was like.  Standard disclaimers: my past events are not indicative of anyone else’s future events.  I cannot guarantee the same experiences,  member FDIC. (that last one’s a joke)

I had the surgery on a Thursday night the procedure started about 430 i was out about 545 600 I came home a little after 900pm .  the first night was OK, not a lot of pain until i woke up at 630 and was sore.  Nothing unbearable; popped a few percocet and all was better.  For the first 3-5 days the most pain i was in was when I dropped the leg from elevated to a downward position.  the blood rushed to the end of the leg and that was rather painful for a few minutes.    the pain really went away after a few days.  I still take a ‘cet once in a while usually before bed so i can try to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.  I also take one or two when my cast is bothering me so i don’t care about it as much.

I took Thursday-Tuesday off work. I have a desk job at a bank so its not psychically demanding.  Not being able to elevate the leg above my heart did take its toll and I had to leave work early on Friday.  Same thing this week, i took Wednesday off to rest and elevate that seemed to help a ton.  I will probably do the same next week. 

During my time off i stayed on the couch and in bed watched lots of movies caught up on my TV shows and advanced pretty far in my NHL 09 season on the PS3.  Same thing at night i get home from work, set up camp on the couch and i am there until bedtime.

after my first visit i got out of a splint and into a cast.  That was Monday it is Thursday and i hate the cast.  i can’t move at all i get some panic attacks almost like a claustrophobia and i have do something to try to take my mind of it.  I am thinking of calling the doctor to see if there is an alternative (any ideas would be welcome) right now this is the hardest part but that’s only a few times a day and it only seems to happen at night.  hopefully next week will fly by

now that i write all this down i can see why no one really blogs about it.  it is rather boring if i didn’t already invest about 45 minutes into this i would probably trash it.  But maybe it will help someone in the future

I have been waiting for this day for 1 week and 4 days now.  I finally get to see my leg again, and more importantly I get to see the wound!  but when it came time to drive…excuse me, get driven to the doctors, I started getting nervous.  it has been an odd few days.  On Wednesday night I woke up in the middle of the night with a twitching or fluttering feeling in the calf.  Thought nothing of it, but when I woke up Ikept hearing my doctors voice in my head “when i sewed it together the first time i moved your ankle the stitching came un-done so I had to overlap the tendon…” Wait could that fluttering be the stitches coming undone? called the doctors office, the PA told me that it is possible but if I am not in pain and running a fever to not be worried.  so Friday rolls along, Friday the 13th.  while getting my coffee ready in the morning my crutch hits a small drop of water on the floor and slips out.  Its the right crutch, my bad leg, so what does Matthew do?  you guessed it plant the foot to keep from falling.  OH S*&% pulled the leg up after maybe a second or two, started sweating and got nervous and scared but i waited for a minute…no pain…a little sore…didn’t hear a pop…think I am alright. WHEW I am seeing the doctor Monday I’ll wait till then to talk to him.  Spent most of the day Friday in my wheelchair (am I the only one that rented a wheelchair for my NWB time?)  So as Monday 3:30 approaches i am getting nervous that he’ll take the splint off and look and say let’s start over

Monday 4:00 PM doc comes in I tell him my concerns.  To put anyone else’s mind at ease he did tell me that to re-rupture at this point it would take quite a bit of stress or trauma to the tendon.  Looks at the wound does a Thompson test and BINGO! the foot moves.  The tendon is still there. He told me the wound looks great no evidence of infection I went from a splint to a fiberglass cast for two more weeks and we will see from there.  I still have to plan on more or less 6 weeks no weight bearing and then probably 2 weeks after that to start PT.  The way he had to overlap the tendons he is still expecting a 100% recovery.  So the next visit is 3-2-09 (my oldest daughters b-day) and by then i will be almost 4 full weeks post-op and that much closer to weight bearing. 

And for the wound, I couldn’t hardly see it the guy has tape all over it that he won’t take off till next time i see him.  Here’s to a safe and speedy recovery to everyone!!  emphasis on safe.  I had to laugh the guy that put the cast on me was in the room most of time hearing me stress over re-rupturing he told me the story of some guy that wouldn’t listen to doctors orders he had to have surgery to repair the AT 3 times before he finally gave in and obeyed.  That WON’T be me

So my friend calls me up middle of December and says want to join a flag football league. 10 weeks $50.00 we really go out there for fun.  Since i play hockey 2 times a week i figure it would be a good way to get a third day of exercise in.  In week three i catch the ball turn up field and i think i get hit in the back of the leg with another football, some guys warming up on the sidelines.  no football around, the defender said i tripped and fell.  So i get up to go to the huddle and nothing in the leg, i just fall.  thought it was a sprain, get to the sideline and i realize i cant feel the tendon. 

I talk to my doctor on Monday he thinks it’s a sprain i get x-rays they’re negative. go in for the MRI a few days after that and i get the news  looks like it is the tendon Matthew you’re going to an orthopedic surgeon.  Great, the one thing i wanted to avoid surgery. 

So two days shy of my three week anniversary of the injury i am getting wheeled into the O.R.  Surgery day was interesting, i had it scheduled for 8:00am but there is something in my family history that the anesthesiologist was uncomfortable with so i had to have it rescheduled for 6:00 that night at a local hospital.  procedure went well, one complication, he had to overlap the tendon when he sewed it back together.  Good news is that should be a better heal, bad news i’ll be NWB or 2 extra weeks.  I have to think so what in 12 months an extra 2 weeks in a wheelchair wont matter if i lower my re-rupture risk

it has been a long, well almost month now and i keep thinking in 5 weeks i’ll be off crutches and out of the wheelchair i hope.  my big fear is a setback.  Has anyone heard of someone tearing the tendon during recovery and having to back for another surgery?  I can’t find anything in anyone’s blog.  but that is a fear i have,  i have a fear of not being able to run again, or do the things i could before.  i have a fear of a blood clot. i keep moving the leg as much as possible to try to avoid but heck i don’t know what i am doing.  i have a ton o’ questions for my doc but i don’t want to unload everything at once.  are the little twitches in my calf normal?  I feel like i am rambling thank you for listening (or reading) i will keep everyone posted.  it turns out that writing about this with folks going through the same thing does seem rather therapeutic.  Talk to you all soon

Matthew