Hi, this was my story as at the end of August:

  1. Tim C, on August 25th, 2009 at 5:12 pm Said:

    Scarborough NHS Trust, ATR 8th August 09 on Scarborough North Beach.

    Hi All, we were having a BBQ for Scarborough Ladies football team (I cooked the burgers while they played footy on the beach), I played volleyball then rounders, plenty of excercise then twang I thought I’d hit myself on the back of the ankle with the rounders bat!

    I limped around for 6 days prior to presenting myself to my GP. By then I had swelling all round the ankle and foot and bruising either side of the ankle running along the bottom of the foot to the toes.

    By this time I had read lots of the ‘google doc’ stuff on the net and was convinced of either ATR or calf strain…Thompson test can be used for both.

    Anyway my GP was more concerned with the swelling and thought I’d sprained my ankle even though I told her I had no pain except when I plantarflexed the foot…I gave her all the handy hints but she never picked up on them and she told me to come back Monday if all was still the same (I had a feeling it would be after 6 days already!)

    Rang Monday for a doc appointment…4pm, I decided to present myself to A&E.

    Scarborough hospital A&E was great, Thompson test, ATR diagnosed, ‘you’ll be in for an op tomorrow’. Went home with a half pot on the back of my ankle, never ate after 8pm just in case.

    Tuesday 18th, got pot off, saw consultant, he did Thompson test and decided I should have ultrasound prior to him operating on Thurs or Friday. Lots of emergencies that day so Ultrasound sent me home and asked me to return 4.30pm.

    Re-presented myself, got scan full rupture 5cm above heel. They told me to go home and I would get a call re the next stage. I asked if they needed to re-pot as I wasn’t in for a couple of days…..the consultant was busy carving folks, it was late in the day so nobody could be found who would make a decision. They took me back to A&E to find a ‘potter’.

    The lady at A&E said they would have to re-admit me (2-4 hours waiting) and suggested I go home and drop back the next morning & ask for her and she would take me straight to the ‘potter’.

    On presenting myself Wed morning the lady on reception insisted on processing me in the usual way…half an hour later I saw the triage nurse and repeated my instructions from the previous evening. She found the relevent nurse and I was taken to the fracture clinic waiting area where she told me there was a change of plan and that I would be seen soon.

    Half an hour later I was in with a different consultant (Scottish) to last time, not sure if he’d seen my ultrasound, but he described that two courses were available…op or conservative and pros and cons of each. He also mentioned that 1-5% reoccurence with op and 5-10% reoccurence with conservative, and asked me if I played squash or did lots of excercise, I told him a bit of badminton and cycling and gym (I’m not a fitness fan but try to keep up with a bit of a regime). He told me that I’d answered the question and that I should be potted, 3×4 weeks of foot at different angles.

    Went home with pot on foot equinus but niggling doubt about the complete rupture and that I hadn’t reinforced the fact that I was walking around for 8 days prior to treatment to consultant number 2.

    Next day got on blower to consultant secretary to tell her my worries, she told me that it was the consultant’s last day (!) and that she would add it to my notes that she was typing up and that I would hear from them in due course.

    In the mean time I kept my leg up all but one day, I stuffed a piece of cushioning material to stop the top of my big toe rubbing on the pot as it was driving me mental, all else was well.

    I received a letter stating come to see us on 3rd Sep, then the next day I got one stating change of plan, come to see us Tues 25th Aug at 9.43am.

    On presenting myself I was called into the potting shed, my old pot (fibreglass) cut off and foot put into light semi-equinus as I could feel it pulling and a bit of pain…then re-pot. I mentioned to the chappy that I had only had my previous pot on 6 days, he said he’d noticed that in my notes and when another(different) consultant dropped into the room they discussed and the consultant highlighted that it was a bit early and that with the light equinus re-pot I would not be called for a change for 4 weeks.

    Currently I feel it has been a bit of a ball ache because of the disjointed approach, but feel that the attention has been good, and I’m fairly certain that the tendon is heeling otherwise the potter would have been able to push my foot back to the natural position that I had staggered around on for 8 days…and the pain told me that the foot was certainly not going to go anywhere near that position!

    Sorry it’s long but this is my tale so far :)

  2. Tim C, on August 25th, 2009 at 5:30 pm Said:

    Hi again, just to add:

    I do have BUPA (private medical insurance, for USA folks that may read this) with work but haven’t bothered with it yet….might do if I need extra physio but am more than happy with the current situation. I can’t imagine what they would have done better except the timing on the ultrasound I suppose….plus I have had the attention of three consultants not one, so I feel that I’ve had a team approach to my treatment. I definitely feel that the potting chap who was on loan from Stoke Mandeville hospital was attentive to my concerns, so a thanks to him.