sjdrmt’s AchillesBlog

So i am now at 5 1/2 months post surgery. My goal for 6 months is to be able to do as many one legged calf raises with my left as i can my right. Then im allowed to start one leg hopping and then running. I have had a very good recovery so far.
I was out of my vacocast boot at 6 weeks. Used crutches for a week or so and walking with cane by week 7. I used a cane outside for a while as we had a bad winter up here. I had physio 2x week for month starting day after cast removed and then down to once a week till may. once a month now. getting laser, ultasound and tens done. working on stretching and scar tissue myself.
I can do about 10 one leg raises and no problem with 2 leg hops. I went skiing at the beginning of april and started riding my horse in march ( not supposed to!)
I have my 6 month dr appt coming up soon. Hoping everyone has a speedy recovery!

I had my OS appt today in Owen Sound. Roads were closed, blowing snow but I made it there and back. All ok and he was very happy with the scar. I have no hypersensitivity or hypo and i also don’t have a palpable bump at the attachment site. He said he had to shorten quite a bit as the tendon was quite frayed so he was surprised at my stretch so far. I am into a flat sole on the boot now and able to work up to 5 treatments a day.
Nothing else exciting to report except for the driving conditions and the skin freezing wind.
Take care everyone and keep healing

Logged in and looked at the marathon tracker. hmm I’m not very far.
I went to physio last week started jan 6 and going 2xs week. Having laser on scar, ultrasound and tens sor 20 min. Started using stationary bike on thurs jan 9 and aquafit at the YMCA on Fri jan 10 ( 3 weeks post op).
this week had physio x2, aqua fit x3 and started working doing 1 massage on tues jan 16, 2 on wed and 3 massages fri sat and today. leg feels great! well maybe not great, as good as can be. I have dropped down to setting 1 on the vacocast and going to .5 next week. No swelling!!!! no real pain and getting more mobile on the ice and snow! A few Bambi on ice moments.
Using the vacocast in water and hanging in the deep end for aquafit. I just take the fabric cover off. works great!!!

Goals: Jan 30 6 weeks lose heel lift on boot. Feb 13 8 weeks no more boot. next week physio x2 then down to once a week. aquafit 3 to 5 times a week, bike 3 to 5 times week. work up to 4 massage a day week of jan 20, 5 massages in feb. April 2 go skiing in Vermont and Maine !!!!! and go back to my rolfing course on april 7 in maine.

I feel further ahead than my marathon tracker!!!

The evenup foot thing is great!! I also use a body pillow at night to put my leg on. Both even out your hips!!

Talk again soon.

On Fri i went to the hospital to get my cast off.  Insision is offset medially so as to prevent rubbing and nerve damage. I must say I was quite impressed with the scar. Looks alot better than I thought it would. Lots of muscle wasting.  I have tried to add pictures but it doesn’t seem to work. If anyone knows how let me know. I have them in the media library. I have a gallery but cant put any in.

I go to physio on mon. I have the fowler kennedy protocol to follow. Active rom neutral to dorsiflexion inversion and eversion in neutral aswell. In vaco boot for 6 weeks with weight bearing as tolerated. Every hr i have dorsiflexed actively for 30 secs and it is much less painfull and i have move movement. I only go as far as feeling a pull.  also doing lymphatic drainage which is a light technique to help with swelling and formation of scar tissue.  Remarkable the difference from fri to sun!

I am also pretty much house bound. So much snow and wind. I have to get pulled in a sled to get to the car. We have another 20 cm on way tonight!! I will only go out with someone with me in case I fall. If it was summer I could get around and drive no problem

Has anyone tried tommy copper compression garments?

added pictures to library. not sure if they are available to see or not.

Hi everyone ! I’m Sam(Samantha)

I lost a game of rock paper scissors at 11pm on Dec 9th. I had to take the dogs out for their night pee in a snowstorm. I knew where the hole was as it was raised up and the dogs always go over to sniff. What I didnt know was about the emergency hole close by!!  Heading home my foot went down up to my knee i fell forward felt pop and pain. I couldn’t move my foot so i crawled back to the house. I had a foot drop so i knew i had messed up my achilles tendon. I am a massage therapist and specialize in manual lymph drainage and rolfing so this was not a happy moment! Due to the storm I couldn’t get to a hospital so I went to my Dr the next day. She sent me to an orthopedic surgeon who i saw the next day. I spent the day researching studies etc and decided due to my work and that i competitively ride horses in eventing i wanted to have the surgery.The OS said my tear was complete and no surgery as it was too high. I was given a vacocast boot and told i could be fwb and come back in a month. Boot set at 25 degrees plantar flexion fixed with raised heel. I could walk around no problem and had no pain so i started back at work on Fri dec 13. I started doing 3 treatment a day and all seemed ok.  I work at a spa in Blue Mountain so it is very busy right now!! I’m self employed and have no benifits or coverage so working was important. I went to a sports medicine clinic that I had previously worked at and asked one of the physios to work on me right away. My first appointment was mon dec 16, one week after r-day. He really didnt want to work with me so early but agreed. :)  I had a laser treatment, ultrasound and  tens machine on surrounding muscles. The swelling went down considerablely the next morning. I was lucky that i was nor in a cast so I could get the treatment. We agreed on 2x wk for same tx for next 4 weeks. I was trying still to get a second opinion as stength in my leg was a concering factor. I push off my feet all day long at work and riding you put all your weight in your heels so i felt rerupture was a high risk for me. My dr found me another OS consult at the Owen Sound Hospital. I saw the dr on wed dec 18. He said surgery was posible and that tear was not too high. He was recommended to me so I was all in! Then he told me he couldn’t do the surgery but another dr could tomorrow. He said he was new, young and great. SO….. Thurs dec 19 i went for surgery. The new dr tried to talk me out of it ont the way to the surgery room!!! I said I new the research and the risks and the non operative new way but i still wanted surgery. I can work my own scar tissue and drain the swelling and know the rehab and have access to help from fellow therapists. His last words to me were -well ok then ill do the surgery. pause. but dont worry ill do a good job???!!!  .  Comforting?!???!

So I came out of surgery with a fat lip. I looked like i had had botox on one side of my face. I was flipped to prone for the surgery so i assume the tube smushed my face. and i had a cast. The dr filled out the prescription wrong for tylenol 3 . The pharmacy couldn’t get hold of him so we had to go back to hospital to get it changed. Next day was horrible. I was reacting to the codeine and it didnt even touch the pain! We couldn’t get hold of the OS either. Finally fri night i was able to get percoset and that worked. We found that a local church in Clarksburg had a room of medical equipment to lend out so I now have a walker, a wheely walker, a cane, crutches and bath stool. That was an amazing find!!! I will donate my boot when I’m done.

Since then all ok with the leg. I had to put down one of my dogs on sat, Laddie. He was 13 and had a great life :)  I also found someone selling a iwalk free leg crutch. I bought for 120 on sun dec 29. I can get around the house and have use of my arms. I cant get out as we have too much snow and i’m on a rural farm. Helps though!!!!! Perry my partner has had to do everything for me and dogs since r-day. I appreciate him very much xoxoxoxo

I see the OS tomorrow fri jan 3. Plan is to take off cast. Go back into vaco boot. PWB as tolerated with crutches. Start physio on mon. :).

Happy New YearEveryone.

ps thank you everyone for all the info i have read and learnt.