» I need encouragement An ATR at 39

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I need encouragement

October 20, 2008 by melissa39

I just discovered this site and this is my first post. I am 8 weeks post-surgery and I am getting depressed. I was an extremely active person who is stuggling with the fact that I walk like my arthritic grandmother. I am extremely aggressive with my PT and I stretch it constantly. It is so dam sore and stiff. Can anyone please tell me how long it will take to get back to normal?

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7 Responses to “I need encouragement”

on 20 Oct 2008 at 10:13 pm1 maestro

You will find plenty of info on this site to help you with recovery. I’m a newbie to the site and injury. Your way ahead of me. Looking forward to getting to where you are.

And we will get that tattoo [insert smiley face].
on 21 Oct 2008 at 5:57 am2 drkpllrd

Melissa:

I am copying you on a response I sent to Phu1971. It goes like this:

I began working out (upper body) about one month post op (while I was still in the boot). I was in a splint for two weeks and the boot for three. I also worked out using the crutches - those crutches can be the best cardio workout. Subsequently, I bought a Powertec Workbench multisystem http://www.fitnesszone.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=FFFPU&Product_Code=WB-MS&Category_Code=002-001-015 at the one month post op mark and it was one of the best investments I have ever made as you do not need a spotter to lift heavy weights (I paid $300 less than the listed price). You can do: incline, decline, and flat bench; pull downs; squats (for when you can); calf raises (for when you can); rows; etc.

My cardio started in the pool sometime around the one and a half month post op period.. Then I began walking through my subdivision shortly thereafter.

I am currently in my fifth month post op and have lost 35 pounds and five inches on my waist. Mind you, I was in two shoes at the five week mark. I am running six miles (I did five this morning before work) and will do my first 10k post op this week (Saturday). There is hope; I am 48 years old and am in the best shape of my life.

I have done absolutely no formal PT. As I continued to visit my ortho, and he saw how motivated I was and how much weight I lost, he told me not to waste my money going to PT. He stated that I was doing the same things I would have done in PT anyway. I hear folks talking about laser treatment and massage techniques. I have done none of that.
I hear so many folks have taken months off of work post op. But with all due respect, my surgery took place on a Thursday and I was at work the following Monday (in a splint and still on Oxycodone). Now, my wife called my ortho and told him I was at work. They immediately faxed over a letter stating that I needed to rest the leg for at least a week. As such, my boss sent my home; I was back at work the following Monday.

Melissa, I say all of this to say that normalcy is all in YOUR mind. When you get motivated (and you sound like you’re already there), and decide to get (be) normal, you will be normal. With no complications, you should be there no later than six months post op. Six months sounds like a long time; however, my surgery seems like it was a few weeks ago.
on 21 Oct 2008 at 7:21 am3 annieh

Melissa,

We ‘ALL’ go through a very depressive stage, and those of us who have been there can assure you that it eventually goes away.

Don’t be too aggressive with your exercise, you don’t want to put too much strain on the achilles. Slow down a little. It will come right eventually.

Annie
on 21 Oct 2008 at 7:28 am4 Sandyin ga

Melissa,
I am 13 weeks and still going through it, but it does get better. Listen to your body though, your injury will lead you. If I overwork it, it tells me!!! The scar area is still sore and sometimes feels like it is burnt underneath, but it is loosening up quickly. Like I said, I want to be back on the court hitting balls in a few weeks. Just listen to the injury though.
on 21 Oct 2008 at 12:13 pm5 bernardhg

It will get better….. I went the conservative route……. I was at work the next day … self employed… no option for a boss to tell me to go home….. doctor wanted me in an above the knee cast… hence restricting me further…. I said no…. I need to work…… I generally got around to all my sites ( i am an architect)….. I kept very active…… when my cast came off on the 7th week change,… a physio therapist in the cast room was impressed with my muscle tone…. you see I kept moving my leg…… at week 8… I was in normal shoes… had two physio sessions…. and I can walk…… I do the stretching exercises … as required… I can walk up and down stairs….. and you guessed it still go to work… and do site visits… I managed it… I even went on holiday, to Cyprus in a plaster with crutches …. only 5 days after ATR…… I did not let it get me down… I just looked at it as a management problem….. on the simple fact that I need to work and still get paid……. so my situation may be different to yours…. but even if it goes rerupture…. or I fall I will simple get up and then keep on going… as one of my clients said… its better to have an injured architect than a dead one……. so keep positive…. things could be worse….. and bodies do heal eventually……there is alot to read on this site… and the positive attitudes people have is encouraging….best of luck from Bernard
on 21 Oct 2008 at 3:36 pm6 MarilynRD

drkpllrd,
AMEN! Well said! You would not believe the bill I got for 7 visits of PT !!! I haven’t responded yet to them because I was told “it was 100% covered, and “unlimited”!!! WRONG! Get any quote in writing “my friends”. I am happy to say that I am getting a whole lot out of a $6 hour long county pool water aerobics class, and I can stay as long as I want to continue laps, and get my “massage” in the hot tub. Further, the worse was the fact that I showed up early for an appt and the gym was EMPTY, and the very snippy lady said I couldn’t go in and warm up because I wasn’t “a member!”>>>>NO ONE was in the GYM! I wanted to go on the elipical for ten min before my therapy appt. I thought they were really into wellness there and they even promoted that their PT patients would get a discount if they joined the gym. I asked for a “personal trainer” that I was going to pay separately, and the “AIDE” that worked with me that day said the GYM didn’t employ one! Can you believe it? Don’t believe that places have the staff on their websites…go and check them out for yourself. The insurance company is billed way too much for the SLOW plan they sometimes set up for people. I can hire my husbands certified personal trainer for the same amount as my co-pay for the lame P.T. I got! Be your own advocate! YOU know what you can do, so please JUST DO IT, as Nike says. Good Luck.
MarilynRD,RN
btw, I never thought the “E-stim” was that stimulating anyway, and I had worked with three different people who set it up differently each time.
on 22 Oct 2008 at 8:44 am7 alfia

Hey there Melissa,
I feel for you. I am prone to getting bummed out about this too, being a super active person myself. You seem farther along than me, so I don’t have too much advice to offer, just solidarity. If you ever need to complain, I’m here!! The only thing that I’ve really been able to do is pilates, and that seems to help my mental state, because it makes me work up a little sweat. There are lots of videos you can download, or maybe they have classes at your gym. Good luck, you are not alone.