Hi!
This is my first post on the Achilles Blog! I thought I’d also share my stories, like many of you did. I find your stories and experiences very helpful and definitely play a part in my recovery.
How it happened
I first “ruptured” my Achilles tendon April 16, 2014 playing badminton on my right leg. (More than a month before my surgery!) I felt a “pop” and then came the pain. Though I could still limp/walk, I went back to play a bit after a few minutes of rest. Got home and RICE it. The next day, I went to a clinic and got a doctor to look at the ankle (I don’t have a family doctor). He said it was just a sprain, 2 weeks and it’ll be back to normal. 2 weeks past, my calf was really killing me and I was still limping so I went to a different doctor at different clinic, same diagnostic. He said 2 more weeks and it’ll be fine.
4 weeks past by, I was still limping. I noticed that I couldn’t do a toe raise on my right leg, so I went to see a different doctor. I told him about what happened, and said that I couldn’t do a toe raise, he was surprised. He did a calf squeeze test on me, no tendon. He immediately referred me to an Orthopaedic surgeon and said that the first two doctors should have done a calf squeeze! I was in tears at this point, I LOVE sports, especially tennis and badminton. I walk to work everyday, I walk everywhere! I was also in tears because he said I will absolutely be needing surgery as he described my injury as “Chronic Achilles Tendon Rupture” because it has been left for so long. I was devastated and scared. I never had any kind of surgery before in my life, this was definitely heartbreaking.
Day of Surgery
On the day of the surgery, I was scared and didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t meet my surgeon until a few minutes before the surgery. They decided to not put me under general anaesthesia, and went with a leg freeze instead. I’m glad they went with this option, I was awake the entire time could feel them pulling my tendon together. Luckily, no muscle graft needed! My surgeon came highly recommended, specializes in foot and ankle, the surgery went well.
Post-op (The first 2 weeks)
It has been an emotional train wreck since the surgery up until this point. The pain, anxiety and stress. My freeze block didn’t last as long as I hoped (it disappeared after a few hours), I took Oxycodone as prescribed for only a few days, then went on to Extra Strength Tylenol. I cried, cried and cried. I had a few slips and accidentally put weight on my foot, I cried like a baby thinking I had re-ruptured it. Yesterday I went to an emergency room because I slipped and thought I re-ruptured it, but it turned out to be not as bad as I thought. The doctor (not an orthopaedic doctor) took an x-ray and said the tendon “felt” intact. Wound is healing perfectly. I’m quite lucky that I can somewhat work from home on the laptop, this keeps my mind of the pain. The key is definitely rest and healthy eating.
2 more sleeps until my first post-op follow up with my surgeon. Can’t wait to get out of this splint. Hopefully I didn’t re-ruptured it. The pain is still there, but from reading other people’s stories, seems like it’s going to be there for a long time.
I’m happy to answer any questions!
I owe it to my family and friends who continue to support me during my recovery! Happy healing!
Twinklebell
After she took the stitches out, the Physio came in. She put me in an Aircast boot, with 3 wedges. She told me that I have to put the boot on ALL the time, except for when I exercise my ankle 2-3 times day (just by moving my ankle up and down) and to shower. No scrubbing the wound out, and no swimming yet