Mar 01 2014
1 Year Achilloversary!
Well - it has been 1 year already! (and 8 days, but who’s counting!?). It’s amazing how slowly this injury goes at the start, and then once your life resumes some normality it just flies by!
So where am I at after 12 months? I have been back at dance classes for a few months now - I could have gone back earlier, but I continued to build up strength first to be more safe, and to minimise the chance of another type of injury! I have also been back skiing a few times, and off again tomorrow. Glad to say that with the skiing I have seen no impact at all from my injury, and minimal from the dancing either. I am still loath to do a lot of jumps/leaps - but that is a psychological barrier more than anything.
There is still a slight difference between the size of my calves - I wonder if I will always have that now. But it’s only noticeable if you look for it, which is a big difference from the muscle wastage in the first 5 weeks. Heel lifts are a breeze for me (sorry to all those who can’t!!) and I actually think my balance is better on that leg as I have focussed on it. I rarely notice any stiffness in it now - but still remember the days of waking up and having to stretch/warm up f I wanted to be able to walk without a limp.
For those of you on the start of this journey - don’t despair. All of us on here have been through what you have - and even though it is such a difficult time, and you have so many doubts about what you’re going to be able to do or even when- know that we all recover at different rates, and that one day you too will be where I am, and where many of us have also been. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel - I know it may seem like such a long way away! It is a time where you get to appreciate what you have, where you find an inner strength, focus and resolve to get better. It can be a time when you get to stop - and focus on other things in your life. I took the time to read more, appreciate music, start a photography course. I counted off every little achievement along the way - which made me feel like I was continually improving, and really helped me keep positive. The fact that it made me stop, also gave me the opportunity to look more closely at the world around me - and gave me the opportunity to meet my partner (ok - bit of an extreme way to meet someone, and I totally do NOT advocate rupturing an Achilles as a dating method!!).
I also learnt to QUESTION. Medical professionals sometimes need a guiding hand, and through reading other people’s experiences and recommendations I was able to come up with a plan of attack, and convince my consultant and physio that it was the right path for me. As such, I have more than exceeded their expectations of recovery, and have hopefully helped those that will come after me. And for this I thank all of you on here, some more than others (you know who you are!) for your support, kindness and words of wisdom. Only you have been able to understand what a journey this is, and what an impact it has on our lives.
Meanwhile I will continue to get on and read about other people’s progress - and hopefully pass on some of my own wisdom/experience.
p.s. I can’t tell you how good that red circle looks at the end of the marathon!