Sylveeuh’s AchillesBlog

Well, after 1 week (6 days) from surgery I had my first appointment. Physically things had been going well, I felt as if I was heeling okay and was nervous about my first appointment and cast change. They took off my splint and had me lay on my stomach. The doctor saw my leg and was impressed, said it was heeling well. I wasn’t prepared for this but they took out my stitches. It didn’t hurt too bad, just kind of like plucking a hair, maybe even not as bad! Next they put me in a new cast (full plaster) but didn’t change the angle of my foot. Two weeks of this position! I can do this…

This is my leg. I’m proud that the scar looks so good! Very clean edges and good approximation of the incision. Please don’t mind how hairy my leg is, I’m horrified! The bruise is from the hematoma where I tore my muscle as well. I’m concerned that my actual heel is so red, the pressure I’ve had on my heel worries me about a pressure sore. Must monitor it closely!

My pretty new purple cast! She’s a beauty!

I was so excited for this day to come. To me it was finally the beginning of my healing process. I arrived at the surgery center at 7 am.

This is what my legs look like on the surgery day, I want to do a before and after to see how bad my leg will atrophy

Anyway, Shortly after I arrived I was taken to pre-op holding room. I changed into a paper gown and was allowed to leave my underwear on. The pre-op nurse started an IV and began my pre-op antibiotics. My mother was allowed back and we waited for anesthesia to come. The anesthesiologist called me the night before and explained that he wanted to do an anesthetic block on my leg to help control pain. Why not? Shortly before surgery the anesthesiologist came and prepared me for my block. My mother left at this point since she can’t handle medical things too well.

The anesthesiologist had me lay on my stomach, he gave me some medications to help me relax and not get nauseated (Versed, Fentanyl, Zofran). He then used an ultrasound to find the sciatica just below the back of my knee, he poked me once and I felt what was like pins and needles all along branches of my lower leg, he then poked me again and inserted the anesthetic to numb my leg. Next I was taken off to the actual operating room.

In the OR I was wheeled in and remained on my stomach. Being an ICU nurse I’m quit familiar with surgery, anesthetics and such. I asked if he planned to intubate (put the breathing tube) me while I was lying on my stomach and the anesthesiologist said yes. This is not normal. I’ve never heard of patients being electively (or even emergently) intubated in this fashion. Not concerned I said kudos. He next approached me with a syringe with milky fluid, the last thing I remember was telling him,"Ooh, that’s propofol" and lights out.

I woke up out of surgery and saw my mom by my side. I was pain free but groggy. Very clearly (to me and to my mom) I said, "The last thing I remember is the propofol, good job!" and then continued to repeat Good job, Good job multiple times.

What was surprising and yet disturbing to me was that my leg was paralyzed. I couldn’t move a thing below my knee. I knew they were going to numb it but I’m not sure why I didn’t think that it would be paralyzed too. There’s different things with numbing agents. For the most part you can take away the patients ability to feel pain, but not pressure. Surely this had to do with him injecting it into the nerve and not just the tissues. Anyway…

Within 30 minutes I was discharged with my mother home. She set me up in my room and I took a good nap. She also spent the first night with me, although I’m sure she didn’t sleep for fear of me trying to get out of bed on my own. I took a pain pill (Norco) and began my recovery…

This is My first post-op cast, I had a lot of pain with pressure at this weird spot on my heel, it started to concern me. so I ended up calling the surgeon and he said I needed to have my cast redone in the ER. So below is the next new cast…

Three days after my injury, the following monday, I struggled with my insurance. After much advice from fellow healthcare professionals I finally was approved to see an orthopedic group. I was amazed at the difficulty I experienced in getting authorization. Didn’t they understand I was incapable of living life this way? I’m sure this is being dramatic but it’s how I’ve felt this whole time. After some sobbing and being kind to strangers I finally got my approval. The office called me and had an appointment for me that afternoon! What a relief.

The ladies at the doctors office helped me fill out my disability and said they’d send it out once the doctor completed it. Now it was time to head home and "patiently" wait for friday.

I did decide that I couldn’t do crutches any more. I had a friend who used a "Kneely", it’s a scooter for leg/foot injuries. I rent it for $100/month and it’s made my life SO MUCH EASIER!! Check it out! I highly recommend it. Honestly, I can go distance now and move around without becoming tired quickly. The only down side is you cannot do stairs with it.

This is my scooter, it’s amazing! I call it scootie

Here’s my story. I’m only 25 and who knew I’m not invincible? Apparently I didn’t. It started with a cold, I hadn’t been sick for nearly 2 years and finally succumbed to the common cold. I had been off work for 2 days and decided I wanted to sweat out the remainder and chose to play tennis that morning.  I had stretched a little and was playing a tough match against a strong opponent. I suddenly sprinted to a short ball and I heard what sounded like a gun shot. Quickly, I was on the floor. It hurt, but honestly the pain was nothing more than a 4/10. Lying on the asphalt I had a feeling that it was a tendon injury and not a fracture of some sort. I rolled over and felt the back of my left heel/calf and for lack of better words, all I felt was mush. The girls ran over to me and swore it must have been my shoe because the sound was like rubber snapping. I attempted to stand but was unable to place pressure on my leg. To add to my luck I was on a back court, we called for help and of course there was no wheel chair or crutches at the club. I had no way of getting to a vehicle short of being carried by 4+ people. I was forced to call an ambulance to help me get to a hospital.

I’m a nurse so I chose the hospital I work at. They took me there and thankfully one of my favorite physicians was working, after a quick Thompson’s test he told me he knew it was a torn achilles. He snuck me into an MRI in attempts of moving things along since it was friday and I have a managed care type insurance. The MRI confirmed the tear and also noted that the gastrocnemius was also torn (slightly). I was splinted and informed to contact an orthopedist. My ER visit was pleasant, they medicated me frequently and in my opinion, never let me experience pain. I was discharged home with some pain meds and crutches. My mother at my side the whole time, we left for my apartment.

Unfortunately, I was never instructed on the use of crutches. Let me just say, crutches suck! I have 3 steps leading to my apartment both in the front and back, I never knew how horrible this wound make my life. I fumbled around and some how managed to make my way into my home. The first weekend was miserable…

My mother helped loads.  I couldn’t figure out how to prepare food and bring it to a place to eat. We ended up rearranging the kitchen and dining room in attempts to make it more “handicapped friendly”. My how I’ve grown to hate that phrase…

This is my splint I got in the ER, very soft and comfortable