Scar Irritation (at least that’s what I think it is..LOL) post op??

Hey Davis!
Welcome to the ATR club! Sorry to hear about your injury, but you’re in good company here….I tore my right AT 2 1/2 weeks ago and I had surgery 8 days ago. I think the first week post-surgery is the worst, but you’ll get through it and you have a great support system here!

Post any questions you have and you’ll be amazed at how many responses you get from people who are at all stages of recovery……

As to work, everyone recovers at a different pace and seems to go back to work at different times, but my orthopedist told me that I shouldn’t expect to go back to work until at least the post-op splint comes off, the stitches come out and a hard cast goes on (which for me is about 16 days after my surgery) - and assuming that there’s no postop wound infection….

Anyway, hang in there and keep posting!
Heather

Hey Davis,

Welcome to the club… in regards to taking a shower, you’ll see there are products to allow you to protect the cast. I tried the garbage bag route and it was too much trouble.

This is what I did… one of our bathrooms has a stand-up shower stall. I attached a shower head with hose and now sit on a plastic chair - the legs were removable so this allows me to position my injured leg at an elevated level - this helps to prevent water from running down my leg. Yes, I shower with my injured leg sticking out of the stall while seated.

Going back to work… I was able to make arrangements to work from home and just come in for meetings. Now this may not be an option for you. See if you can make arrangements so you can elevate the injured leg when at your desk. You want to minimize swelling as much as you can. Bring pillows for your foot.

I secured one of the leather adjustable chairs from the boardroom and have it set pretty low with my leg on the desk. I grabbed an extra keyboard from IT so I can use it on my lap with the notebook on the desk… having an extra LCD monitor helps as well.

I had my surgery within 2 days of my injury and I don’t think I could have gone back to the office as quickly as you plan to. Everyone is different and most of us have no choice but to return asap. My challenge would have been driving to work since it’s my right Achilles.

I have not been able to update my blog but I’ll share photos of my “hands-free” crutches soon.

Cheers!

Hi Davis,
Welcome to the club. Are you in the UK? I bought a protective sock to allow me to shower and they delivered the next day, completely watertight, the link is below.

http://www.limboproducts.co.uk

If you have any questions, post them and you should get some rapid answers as the varioations on ATR injury and treatment varies massively.

Speedy healing,
Jon

HI Davis,

I also did mine playing football. I went to try and get in front of the defender and ‘SNAP’ it went. I thought some one had clattered me and when i looked no one was there

I too find showering a pain I got a bin liner as well with tape but its not good. I will check out the link Jons left in a while to see if i can get a waterproof cover.

This is a good site for all things to do with recovery. i have not ordered anything yet but will do when i am further down the recovery line.

http://www.return2fitness.co.uk/

If you are in the UK check out my UK ATR page on my blog to compare fellow UK sufferers and their NHS experiences.

http://achillesblog.com/dazfones/uk-atr/

Good luck Davis.

I was/am in the same boat. I’m 26 and ruptured mine playing volleyball - a sport I have played my entire life (even through college.) It sucks.
I also have three flights of stairs to get to my apartment - just be careful walking up. Apparently, I schredded my Achilles pretty bad - and I think it might have been because I used my foot a little while I was waiting for surgery..even though I was in the splint.
Good luck in surgery!

If your leg doesn’t ache or throb when you leave it down for an hour or more, go for it! I’m 2 weeks post surgery myself and I’ve been going to the gym almost everyday since my one one week post op check up and stitch removal. I was only told to try to not sweat too much while still in a cast (obvious). I’m a semi-competitive power-lifter so I didn’t want to fall too far behind as well. I’m using the machines mostly but I hope to be able to do more free weights, in 21 days, when I get to switch to a weight bearing boot. There’s not enough weights on most of the machines but it’s still better than nothing. I also do dips, pull ups and leg lifts.

I also read your comment on showering. Hopefully, you’ve figured out a strategy that works for you but if you haven’t, here’s what I’ve been doing and I haven’t gone a day without showering since my ATR. No problems with getting my cast wet either. I can shower for as long as I like. The key is bungy cords (tape sucks). I tie a tee shirt around the top of my cast, slip on a puncture proof garbage bag and cinch it with the bungy cords above my knee. I used two cords and double wrap them. You can adjust the length by tying a knot in the cords. I also use an 18 inch garbage can sort of like a prosthetic leg by resting my knee on it so I can stand comfortably in the shower (also use the garbage can at the sink). Another thing that really helps is my office chair which has wheels on it. I load up everything I need onto the chair, skate it over to the shower, use the chair to change and also to help me get in and out of the shower. I’m pretty efficient now. I hope this info helps.

Best of luck!
phu

Hello,
Is it an ‘itchy’ sensation or more uncomfortable than that?

Richard

You can sleep without the boot in bed.