Had a physio come to my house over the weekend, a friend of my sister’s (who is a brilliant sports physio with 30 years experience but whom unfortunately lives 1500kms away!!), who says he owes her a lot so is going to treat me as a favour to her. Happy days, because I am not insured for physiotherapy and am only working part time at the moment! Anyway this great guy came around primarily to do some work on my ‘good’ side, firstly because I have been worried about rupturing my other achilles, which has been sore, and also because I was experiencing huge tightness in the glute region, doing so much hard work. He really loosened me up and got me more mobile, and gave me pilates strengthening work to do.

He was completely gobsmacked at the lack of information or direction I had been given by the doctor when I got the boot on. I was told to touch weight bear but not told what this really means, nor how often to do it…as a result I was doing it pretty much all the time, and ended up with a nasty inflammatory response which was actually inhibiting dorsiflexion. Since I started going easier, I have gradually got my foot flat in the boot which is set to 20deg plantar, and can pull my toes back further, so feeling much better about getting to neutral without enduring the absolute agony I suffered after the orthotics specialist worked his ‘magic’ on me!!

The physio’s advice was not to do ANY work involving soleus or gastrocnemius for now, until I am a little further along the healing process. He suggested that massaging the calf will assist healing, and that light self-massage of the tendon would assist in creating strong but mobile scar tissue. And the biggest lesson - trust myself, listen to my body…if it’s too painful it’s probably not right.

Did my third day at my new job yesterday, and boy it was tough. I work in an office on my own, although there is an associated organisation in the same building and we share many facilities. Normally my husband would pick me up and drop me off to work but yesterday I just needed to go for a couple of hours (or so I thought) so I decided to drive, and park in the one hour parking bays a few hundred meters from the office. Figured I could go refill the meter once!! Well….of course in this state, everything takes much longer than when you have two hands free, so I had to go refill the parking meter three times….uphill and beneath a beating sun. By the time I had to go a fourth time, I was exhausted, my hands were blistered…I knew I could not do it! I only knew one person’s name so I asked him if he would mind going….he told me he was too busy! I went into my office and began to cry…when a woman walked in thinking that I might need someone to get me some lunch. I was so embarrassed to be found in that miserable state by someone I did not know, but bless her she went and filled the meter, and I do believe I have made my first friend at work!! :0)

I have a new little challenge now…I have a couple of finger joints that have become painfully swollen from crutching. My mum suffered bad arthritis in her hands and I have been thinking for a while that I might have some slow arthritic changes happening…well I am not sure if this is possible but it feels like the crutches are speeding up these changes. Onto the glucosamine I go, for the moment…if they don’t show signs of improvement once the crutches are vanquished I shall take my hands to my trusty naturopath for treatment.

All the best everyone!!