Posted on January 17th, 2014 by reelaction
Well…one week down! I
have to say that the one highlight of surgery day HAD to be the nerve
block. If only I could get one of those
shots every morning, it would be smooth sailing! Unfortunately, mine began to wear off about
ten hours after the surgery. The doctor
prescribed Vicodin, which I began taking at the first signs of pain and as I
began actually feeling my toes. I
started with one Vicodin every four hours, but immediately moved up to two
every four. When the nurse called the
day after surgery, the surgeon bumped me up from Vicodin to Percocet. On my first dose, I took two Percocet, as I
had with the Vicodin. Bad idea! The extra pill didn’t give me any additional
pain control, nor any longer duration, just made me light headed and generally out
of it. The magic dose for me ended up
being one Percocet every four hours.
After a couple days, I was able to go back to the Vicodin, and have
since begun taking Aleve during the day, and one Vicodin at night. I have also been taking 800 mg of Ibuprofen
every 8 hours to help with the swelling…and it seems to help. I would recommend taking a stool softener
with the pain meds…the nurse had instructed me to do so. I can’t say if it helped, but it definitely
didn’t hurt. The pain hasn’t been
overwhelming as much as the inability to do anything that I enjoy. From playing with the kids, to just general
Daddy duty…it’s been a tough week…and I know there are more to come. I’m trying to keep in mind that it’s most
important to follow the prescribed regimen…but it’s never easy to just sit
still. Elevation has been important, as
I can definitely feel increased swelling and discomfort whenever I go any
period of time without elevating my leg.
I’m looking forward to the two week checkup, to seeing what the incision
looks like, and to hopefully taking the next step forward. (figuratively speaking of course!) Good luck to anyone who is just starting
their journey!
3 Comments »
Posted on January 17th, 2014 by reelaction
Well…I’ve become a member of the group. The list is long and distinguished…those of us that have had to endure the long road to recovery follow an ATR. First and foremost, I want to thank everyone in advance…as I’m sure the rest of you did…I have plenty of questions…and this seems like a great place to start looking for answers. Here’s a little background on me…and what brought me to this point.
I am an active, 38 year old, living outside of Rochester, NY. A couple years ago…I worked my butt off and was in the best shape of my life…and was feeling great. Then I began a new sales job…got into an accident…and my trips to the gym became less frequent, and then non-existent. I had finally gotten the bug to get back into it…and when I go at it…I go full bore. Weights, cardio, basketball, strict diet…the whole nine yards. I had just gotten back into the 6AM trips to the gym…and was starting to feel invigorated and excited about the road ahead. And then it happened. During an over 30 basketball game the morning of January 3, I took an outside shot, went for the rebound, and felt that familiar pop that everyone writes about. I immediately went down, and looked up to the guy defending me to ask if I had stepped on his foot…hoping it was a sprained ankle. After he informed me the only contact was when I grabbed him on my way down…I immediately assumed what I would come to find was true. I hobbled to the sidelines, felt the back of my good foot…and then the other. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind..it was ruptured.
I was able to get into the Orthopedic Surgeon’s office that afternoon, and they confirmed what I had, at this point, self diagnosed thanks to this site and others. We immediately discussed options, and decided on surgery, which would take place the following Thursday…6 days later. I hobbled thru the week, keeping the foot elevated and using crutches as needed. On January 9, I went in for the repair, which…hopefully…went well. I am currently in a hard cast, split up the sides to allow for swelling. I go back next week for my 2 week check, at which time I’m hoping to get into the boot. My goal is to be on the golf course for the beginning of golf season…our league starts the first week of May. It may be unrealistic…but it’s what I’m hanging on to.
Much like most of you…I was tired of crutches by the end of the first day…and the feeling of helplessness, together with the utter boredom of being confined to my chair with my foot elevated, is already getting to me. I’m not one to sit still for long…so this is going to be an interesting journey. I have two young children, ages 8 and 10…who are used to Daddy being the one down on the floor wrestling and playing knee hockey…my reign has ended for the foreseeable future…and it’s tough to bear.
I look forward to interacting with others on the site…I look forward to sharing my experiences with those that are just beginning their journey, and to learning from those that have been through it.
Tom W
6 Comments »
Posted on January 14th, 2014 by reelaction
Welcome to AchillesBlog.com.
This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
Following link will take you to your blog’s “command center” where you can write your posts:
http://AchillesBlog.com/reelaction/wp-admin/
Be sure to fill out your city, Achilles rupture date, surgery date, etc.. (if you know it) here:
Fill out my Achilles Profile Here
When you do, you can keep track of your recovery progress and see your information on the Marathon Tracker.
Here’s more info: using Achilles Timeline Widget
Please change this post’s title to something more descriptive. Just leaving it as “Hello World” leads people to believe that you haven’t updated your first post!
If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask! 
Dennis
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