And so it begins
The good thing is, I wasn’t doing anything stupid.
I am 41 years old. I exercise 5 times a week, am in pretty good shape, and I love all kinds of sporting activities. On Nov 4, 2009 I was playing a lunchtime game of wallyball at work. (Yeah, we have a racquetball court at work, along with a full exercise gym… pretty sweet!) I stepped back to set the ball to my partner and BOOM! I felt an explosion of pain at the back of my left ankle. I immediately knew what had happened.
After things settled down, I showered and drove myself to my primary care doctor. They performed the Thompson test. My doc immediately got me an appt with an orthopedist that afternoon. I left and drove to the ortho. He confirmed the diagnosis - a ruptured Achilles. They scheduled me for surgery two days later.
If you’re like me, you grew up thinking that a blown Achilles was one of the most painful and terrible sports injuries you could ever have. Yes, the initial pain was intense (a searing explosion… like someone had popped a balloon of hot lava in my heel). But after a few minutes, it wasn’t so bad. Felt like a mild cramp. I could walk, but I couldn’t control my left foot. It was a very strange feeling.
The surgery was a success. They did a sciatic nerve block and then put me under full anesthesia. I must say, the nerve block was the most uncomfortable part of the entire procedure. But the whole thing went pretty quickly. I am now in a splint which keeps my foot angled down slightly. I can feel the splint is anterior and posterior, with openings on both sides. It’s wrapped up to my knee. I’ve got a prescription for Oxycodone for pain.
I know this is the beginning of a long journey. The worst part right now is the frustration of relative immobility. Before the injury, I could sit on the couch and watch a football game or movie without getting up for an hour or more… no problem. But now, sitting here knowing that it’s a struggle to move around is very frustrating - and it’s only the second day! This will be a time of God teaching me to be dependant on Him and others. Sigh, probably a good lesson for me to learn.
I’ve never blogged or journaled before, so we’ll see how regularly I update this thing. I’m looking forward to hearing your stories of struggle and success with this type of injury.
Blessings to you.
Steve
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We will join you in praying for a full and speedy recovery! I don’t have any stories of this kind of injury, but I do know how injuries can act as a catalyst toward gaining a new appreciation for health, mobility, and the love of those who will be caring for you. Hang in there!
Yes, it is a long road to full recovery and there can be a lot of potholes, sometimes cavernous. One word of advice is that after the stitches are out and you’re changing the dressing on a daily basis, if there is any yellowish fluid on the dressing, smell it. If it smells bad, get to your doctor right away because it is infected. This happened to me and it set me back 6-7 weeks. I had surgery on August 3 and am finally back to PWB because of three different infections.
What is your orthopod’s plan? The fact that you have a splint like that on makes it sound like he believes in the “go slow” approach to healing.
Good luck with your recovery.
Thanks, brother Wes. The family has been awesome, and Blake even stopped by today. Watching him rake leaves with Lauren was great entertainment.
Gerry, thanks for the warning and encouragement. I read your story. That would be very frustrating.
Pre-op, my doc laid out a plan: 6 weeks in splint, then a boot for 6 weeks, back to “full strength” in 5-6 months. I am scheduled for my first post-op visit in two weeks. I assume he’ll remove sutures at that time. I’ll be looking to you and others about what to expect over the next few months. I can already see that no two recoveries are exactly the same. Thanks again.
The plan laid out for me by my doc was no cast ever, PWB and start PT as soon as the stitches are out, FWB 2 weeks later and 2 shoes 2 weeks after that. Obviously my recovery got derailed. But now that I’m back on track I’m going as fast as I can physically go.
According to my doc, there have been numerous studies that show no better results from the slow progression as opposed to the rapid progression.
Sorry to have to welcome you to the club. If you’ve read the stories here, you know that there are plenty of frustrations to deal with. Fortunately, most of them are time-limited. Also, there are specific milestones that aren’t so far apart as to seem unattainable. Finally, I firmly believe that those of us who whacked our left side have it much better than the rights because we can still drive. Good luck!
Finally… A blog I can comment on without getting into trouble. I have been warning you ball sport types of these kinds of hazards. When I went for my flight physical several years ago having earned my pilot’s license the doctor asked me to show him my scars. I showed him my one scar above my right eye [from what else? A volley ball game.] He said, “Ok… where are the rest?” “That’s all I have Doc“, I replied. Asserting his knowledge of all things medical he stated, “No… Everybody has at least five scars.” Defending myself I countered, “Really Doc… that’s it! I’ve already pulled my pants down, so it’s not like I’m trying to hide anything. What’s this for anyway?” Grimfaced, he looked over his glasses and said, “Someday we may need to identify your body by these scars.” “Well”, I thought for a moment, “Make a note…If you find a body without any scars… That would be me!”
Get well quickly Steve, give up the ball sports and buy a motorcycle.
Have been / will be praying for a full recovery, I am,
Tim Adcock
I just had to comment again because I noticed that the anti-spam word is patience, and I thought that was really appropriate. Is the computer reading your mind? Anyway, I hope God gives you a large measure of that!
Utilidad - I couldn’t agree more! I don’t know what I would do if it was the right side that got whacked.
Well Steve you and I ruptured ours at about the same time. I am now just over 6 weeks post op, my cast has come off, I have had 4 PT appointments and I am now walking with a limp and when going up hill I use a walking stick. The massage on the tendon and the ultra sound has done wonders. I was surprised to see how short most peoples scars are, mine is at least 9 inches long. I suppose the docs might have struggled to find the muscle end of the tendon.
I hope you recover fast and have a great Christmas. Happy healing.
Tim