So, this is my very first experience with blogging! I was looking for an opportunity to connect with others who are going through the same or similar ATR journeys and stumbled onto this site, very cool.
Let me introduce myself, my name is Kristen, I am 30 years old, and on December 17th I ruptured my right Achilles tendon while bouldering at a local rock gym in Portland, OR. At the time, I was uninsured….EEEK, I know. Fortunately, I was able to get Cobra back insurance to cover the cost of my treatment, phew! But, the insurance didn’t kick in until the 26th of December thus I didn’t have it repaired until 12 days after the accident!
I had surgery to repair my tendon on the 28th, everything went great, though not as the doctor had initially expected. When he got in there, he realized that my tendon had not in fact torn, but rather disconnected from my heel entirely. It turns out that I had a Haglund’s defect that caused the tendon to wear abnormally. So, the doc chiseled down the bone, inserted some bone anchors and reattached my Achilles to my heel. Done deal!
Every part of this process so far has worked out well, but only because I have been able to see this as a blessing rather than a curse. Trust me, it has not been easy. There has been pain (obviously), the fear of not being able to get insured, pain meds that reacted so poorly with my body that I didn’t sleep for weeks plagued by the WORST nightmares of my life, financial troubles with not being able to work, and my having to learn to be inactive (probably the hardest one of all).
This entire experience has been a process in acceptance, slowing down, and presencing. I have been a meditator for several years, and now more than ever, I realize that this is a huge part of how I manage in the face of fear, pain, and change. I wanted to share this with others that are going through the ATR process in hopes that it helps. I have a long way to go with little to do, so I figure at least I can serve others this way (while not leaving my couch).
Thanks Dennis for this space and hello everyone, please reach out!
Kristen
5 comments
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March 1st, 2013 at 4:13 am
normofthenorth
Although it’s fun to sleep barefooted, if your AT & calf are tightening overnight, you may be better in the boot. Esp when you remove a wedge, the “nicest” way is to remove it at bedtime and sleep in the boot. That way your leg can get used to the new stretch without being loaded with your weight. Safer and morfe comfy, too, IMO.
I had no problems boot-walking. RyanB has posted some
suggestions. Land in the heel the use the round sole to roll forward to the toe. Let the rigidity of the boot support your weight, transferring the AT’s normal load to your shin. You should be able to walk fast, with a long stride, once you get the hang of it and once your foot is comfy with FWB.
March 1st, 2013 at 4:16 am
normofthenorth
That was SUPPOSED to be a response to your latest page,
About ankle pain. I have no idea how it got here…
March 1st, 2013 at 3:16 pm
normofthenorth
“Land in the heel the use the round sole to roll forward to the toe.” –>
“Land on the heel then use the round sole to roll forward to the toe.”
If you turn on editing in your dashboard/options, some of us will fix some of our own typos.
March 1st, 2013 at 3:19 pm
normofthenorth
Dennis, why are my comments showing up on two different pages here?!?
March 4th, 2013 at 7:30 pm
kkirk
The best advice I could give as far as walking is don’t rush it, and if you have to, use the crutches to assist and keep your gait as correct as possible. With your boot on put your weight on your heel and push/roll forward to your toes. I hope you have found success since your posted. Good luck.