Posted on April 13th, 2016 by metonia
Time seems to be flying bye!!! It was a tough week last week. Not so much health wise but puppy wise. My babies left home (sniff, sniff) My wonderful daughter-in-law found homes for them all. I had wanted to keep one, but it was so hard to decide, I decided to let them all go.
I still have the one my son wants and plans to take sometime in the future if they find another place to live. Where they are now doesn’t allow pets. I’ve lost the battle on non-attachment though. For now, it’s mine to love but it’s hard being in that limbo state of knowing it may someday go too.
As for the heel recovery… as long as I keep the ankle wrapped, the pain is a dull ache most of the time and bearable. I tried going a whole day two days ago with it unwrapped. I was in the house all day but that didn’t go so well. Much more pain.
Then yesterday, I did more outside work over uneven terrain than I should have and I paid for it all night. Wrapping this morning took most of the ache away so I’m not sure how to look at things execpt telling myself…BE PATIENT
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Posted on April 1st, 2016 by metonia
Well, saw my primary doctor who would neither confirm nor deny my worsening was due to side effects of my cholesterol medication and agreed we will treat it as such. Blood work done showed my cholesterol was better so I’m off it for now.
I’m feeling much better and was ecstatic I could climb my stairs without having to drag myself up by the handrail. Going down is still an issue as the pain in the heel and tendon insertion site is beyond tolerating in that final needed action of bearing my weight until the other foot hits the next stair.
The one legged step still causes discomfort in the right knee but it’s tolerable. I’m trying hard not to use the pain free side stepping going down. I’ve reverted to wrapping the ankle when I know I have to do alot of walking for appointments or shopping.
I attempted my front yard which is all hill but decided even though I could do it, it wasn’t yet wise based on the pain.
Hope all is well with everyone else here.
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Posted on March 23rd, 2016 by metonia
Well, I started back on my aqua therapy maintenance program Monday. Wanted to be sure the cellulitis had resolved. It wasn’t 100% but much better and a waterproof band-aide was enough to cover the remaining scabs. Since I’ve spend approximately 6 months of every year in active therapy for one thing or another over the last three years, I know my limits and probably all the exercises possible in the water.
Things haven’t been as easy as I’d hoped. My slow limpy walk is improving if I pay real close attention to my foot position. Before surgery I had developed a side ways walk which I’d unconsciously done for over a year. Once FWB and in the boot I found it easier to walk with toes forward. Once in 2 shoes, it took a few days because my body wanted to walk “the old way” and I found myself stumbling more and actually in more pain if I forgot to point my toes forward.
First day back in the pool and some land exercises and my foot told me “you over did it” It was frustrating. I am much more weaker overall and especially with stairs since my surgery and wheelchair bondage. I found stairs almost impossible unless I could drag part of my weight up with the hand rail. Going down is also bad. Because of left knee problems and right foot Haglands, I’d go down sideways, one step at a time, left foot down first sideways, then right foot down sideways to same step as left… repeat.
I was hoping after surgery to do better. Left knee is still a problem but trying to go down facing forward has also failed. I’ve too much pain in the right ankle with my weight to manage. I can do two footed toe raises and ankle drops off the bottom platform in the pool but can’t manage them on land on the therapy stairs, even at half a step.
I also tried the seated bike the therapy location. I tried level 5 for 4 minutes (6 for 6 was my maintenance level) . At first my ankle didn’t even want to do it but I readjusted my foot in the pedal strap and then was able to pedal with the right in the up and down position. I think level 5 was a bit much.
The tendon stretches do well at the surgery heel level but I’m getting a pulling feeling and pain further up my tendon at the top of the calf area with my stretches. Should I be worried about this? It’s not a constant thing and I’m pretty sure it’s not a clot because it’s only with the exercise stretches.
I took it much easier in the pool Tuesday but worked longer and avoided the bike and stairs. No workout today except what I do at home including stairs. My legs are baring a bit more of my weight on the stairs but I still need some help from the rail. I keep trying a few down facing normally. I only get one or two before I have to side step again, but I keep trying. My progress is small increments but hey IT’S STILL PROGRESS. So I’ll keep trying.
I’m back in the pool in the morning and plan to try the bike and workout stairs again. Hopefully, I plan to add the platform on the half ball while seated for ankle flexibility and strength. (I know it has a name but I don’t know what it is)
The weird nerve sensations on the bottom of my foot and semi numb toes is taking some getting use to. You know that feeling when your sock slides down into your shoe and bunches under your heel? That’s what it feels like anytime I walk and I know for sure there is not sock.
Well, that’s my update.
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Posted on March 17th, 2016 by metonia
Saw the doc today, the cellulitis is looking much better. It has stopped oozing and much less red. Still has two scabs but doc was happy. She graduated me to 2 shoes, said “progress carefully” and “come back as needed”. I don’t need PT, I can drive and good bye.
WOW, I’m definitely happy but also shocked and a bit scared. Maybe because my lifestyle was already sedentary in nature she felt I was back to my pre-haglund activity level.
But I’ve decided, thanks to beanies and everyone else’s posts I don’t just want to be sedentary because of all my other painful conditions. I’m going to exercise harder and get other surgeries I’ve been putting off if doc’s recommends and try to improve my overall health.
My biggest challenge will be taking my time and not overdoing it all at once. I’m known for that and then I’m set back weeks just trying to get back to my “normal”
So I will continue to visit, update, follow others here and try to post on others sites often.
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Posted on March 11th, 2016 by metonia
Well, my incision is still open but not infected. I’ve decided I need to start thinking wound care. I’m finding no matter what I do the boots rubbing which isn’t helping. I read someones post recently with suture and wound problems that I’m going to try and find to read the entire history hoping it will help.
I started back with my aqua therapy and it felt so good. I hadn’t realized how overall out of shape I have become. I had terrible muscle spasms (thighs and feet) after what I thought was a simple slow aquatic exercise session. I was quite happy with how the ankle worked. I didn’t wear the brace in the water but I did wear a waterproof dressing over the incision. The ankle supported my aquatic weight and didn’t give me any problems with the calf/toe stretches.
Now I’m anxious to start 2 shoes next week.
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Posted on March 5th, 2016 by metonia
With all the different stages of swelling I became curious if the Lymphatic System was involved post surgery. Basically I was curious if this was severed during surgery and if that would explain all the swelling. I found this site, which actually was a very good site and was very informative about the health of tendons in general and how they become unhealthy.
It has one area specifically devoted to ATR but the entire page explained much, even for Haglunds surgeries. It also addresses athletes and why they are so susceptible to ATR.
I was going to post this on beanie’s page since she has so much helpful information but I didn’t want it to get lost among her posts. It may also have been one of the sites she listed for review on her Month 5 post-op page but I wasn’t sure.
Though the site was very helpful and very informative, the consensuses seems… no one knows for sure or it is dependent on the injury and healing properties your body uses. This healing can also work against the tendon actually making it more susceptible to re-injury. So it may or may not play a factor in swelling.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4650849/
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Posted on March 2nd, 2016 by metonia
I searched the blog and found this one http://achillesblog.com/kristin123/2011/09/09/definition-of-pwb-and-fwb/ but it doesn’t answer my question. Plus how does a person measure how much weight they are putting on their foot when in a boot and on PWB?
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Posted on March 2nd, 2016 by metonia
Well it will be interesting. I’ve continued to have pain to touch on the side of my ankle. Yesterday as a means to protect it come, I put on a neoprene ankle support. I’m guessing it’s nerve pain from lack of fat tissue between my skin and the operative site. The support was comfortable and helped.
What I didn’t count on was the moisture from my ankle sweating all day under the neoprene. It caused my scabs to rub off. No bleeding but it showed the incision had been spreading with my stretching exercises and that is what caused the excessive scabbing since my sutures were removed last week. (I’m allergic to steri strips which cause bad blistering underneath them so they weren’t put on after sutures were removed.)
After my shower tonight, I was able to get a good look at the ankle. It’s impossible to see how deep the splitting has gone due to the scabbing. which remains almost half and inch wide at the top and bottom.
I also have some weird neuropathy happening on the bottom of my foot. My middle toe is frequently numb and the sensation is less over the entire bottom of my foot. The foot is always freezing cold compared to the other and in the shower, the water felt warm to my good foot but scalding to my operative foot. There is a quarter sized area under the scab at the top that is a blue tinge in color all the time.
I’m hoping I get to graduate to PWB and my boot. I still get dependent edema when my foot dangles. Not looking forward to going out in the cold and snow again after such nice weather the past few days.
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Posted on February 25th, 2016 by metonia
Well the end of Week 3 has been interesting. I’ve only worn the splint once and that was for a trip to one of my many doctors (unrelated to this blog issue) Since I’m either in the wheel chair or bed at home, getting out the door has become the hardest part to accomplish. Those 2 steps and twenty some feet of walkway have become the most dangerous part of each journey out. The uneven ice and too narrow for the wheel chair AND walker walkway has caused numerous near falls. Raised flower beds on one side and a narrow, slippery ramp on the other. The ramp was mainly intended as an assisted walkway for my mother on the rare occasions she visited in the summer. Never thought it would cause a winter hazard.
I tried crutches but have absolutely no upper body strength nor enough strength in my good leg to handle my excessive weight. Even with the walker, it’s only very short one footed shuffles which is more of a slide or ankle walk aka toes down, twist ankle, heel down toes up, twist ankle toes down etc etc… Once in the vehicle it’s easy, hubs gets the wheelchair out and I just hop into it, go where we need and back home. Then the perilous trip all over again.
I’ve been doing ankle ROM and stretching on my own per doctor. All she said was raise my foot until it hurt then hold it there a few seconds and keep repeating it to stretch the tendon. I’ve been doing the exercises PT had me doing before my surgery minus any weight bearing ones. But I’m not sure how to describe my pain.
Some times it feels like a sharp needle pain right in the middle of the heel section of the bottom of my foot. Since it’s not there all the time I’m beginning to think it’s from an anchor. I’ve 3. I am also getting incision pain. Sometimes it’s a burning, other times it a sharp pain to light touch. Since the sutures were removed last week, the top layer of skin has died and peeling. like a sunburn peels only much thicker skin. I know I shouldn’t but I’ve been peeling some of the dead stuff off and the scar underneath is actually quite wide, over 1/4 inch but not quite 1/2 inch wide red shiny skin. I do get keloid scarring and I’m wondering if that’s whats happening here.
As for the rest of my recovery I’m wondering if I’m pushing the NWB. I’ve been resting my foot on the floor if I’m sitting on the edge of the bed. It’s extended out slightly and just resting, it’s not bent with the weight of the leg pushing against the floor. Does this still count as NWB?
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Posted on February 19th, 2016 by metonia
Now that I don’t have to wear the splint in bed or when resting I was wondering… Is it OK to cross my legs? Specifically cross the bad one over the good one. Since I had the Haglunds surgery and not a tear the pressure isn’t directly over the surgical site. I’m only 2 weeks post-op. I don’t have any pain but I do notice it pulling slightly. If I think it’s too much I uncross my legs. It’s such an automatic thing to do, cross my leg. But now I’m wondering if I should be more diligent on not doing it.
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And as for your husband not taking the extra shoe along, I avoided that problem by taking a bag of my own with the shoe in it! LOL Otherwise I, too, would have had to walk out in a boot! LOL
