Posted on November 30th, 2013 by Ross
Luckily I was quite close to our home when I suffered my ATR so I could sit and wait while my wife walked back to get our car. It was during this period that my realisation of what this meant to my life started to sink in. On the top of my worries was the two skiing holidays I’d booked and paid for in the coming season. The first was definately a write-off but the second (a week in France with my family) was still 15 weeks away would I be recovered enough for that??
To A&E
Once my wife returned with the car we were soon on our way to the local Accident and Emergency ward. Unlike the United States us Brits are quite luky not having to worry about medical insurance and paying for health treatment, so I headed to our nearest A&E where I was dealt with diagnosed (an achilles tender rupture - no surprise) x-rayed, put into a temporary below knee “backslab”, given crutches and appointment for the next day at the fracture clinic all within about 2 hours of arriving. Not bad considering I had to wait for the plasterer to get back from his lunch.
I don’t care what people say about the NHS I personally think its a great thing and us British are lucky to have it, all the above treatment was free of charge as will the ongoing costs of my treatment. Admittidley it may not be the best treatment but it is free. I have the choice of paying for private treatment if I wish to go that way.
Home with Crutches
I’ve never used crutches before so although, they’re it’s obvious how to use them I wasn’t ready for how awkward they are not to mention tiring. I guess it’s just a matter of getting used to them and practicing. The biggest issue is carrying things around- especially cups of liquid. Looks like I’ll have to rely on my family a lot more.
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Posted on November 28th, 2013 by Ross
Hello All,
Having never blogged before, I find myself in the strange situation of wanting to put my experiences down here as and when they happen, as from what I can gather so far, this is going to be a long process and if anybody else can gain some insight, help or knowlegde from my experience, then I’m more than happy to put it into text. I’m actually hoping this may even be quite cathartic in its own way.
Best I start at the beginning with a bit of an introduction…………
ABOUT ME
I’m a 43 year old family man living in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the North East of England.
I’m slightly overweight but not obese, and I consider myself “reasonably” fit, however I’m no professional athlete. I cycle to work each day, a 10 mile round trip, and try to visit the gym twice a week. My hobbies include but are not limited to cycling, scuba diving, hillwalking and skiing, hence I think of myself as being active.
SUSTAINING THE INJURY - Sunday 24th November 2013
My family (wife, 7 year old son & 5 year old daughter) decided to go and kick a football (soccer) around in the local park. We had been doing just that for about half an hour, enough for me to remove my hat, gloves, coat and fleece, so I was nicely warmed-up at the time.
I was just jogging over towards the ball when SNAP! (actually It probably sounded more like a twang), and I felt a searing pain in my left calf. My instant thought was that somebody had thrown a half brick at the back of my leg. I believe I even uttered the words “What was that?” and looked around behind to find the cause of my pain. In hind sight I liken it to being hit in the calf by a baseball bat.
I have a couple of friends who have suffered from ATRs in the not to distant past and by the time I had stopped rolling and come to a halt I already knew exacty what had happened. I was 99% sure I had ruptured my Achilles Tendon……………..
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