Not so Wild Dog

Today marks a very important day in my life after ATR. It is my one year anniversary. The doctor did a FHL transfer and I had no problems at all from that. To those of you out there that have had that procedure given as an option, I would say go for it! My achilles is very strong. The MRI that I had to have six weeks ago showed that it looked great. I believe that I can go back to doing everything that I was doing before the rupture, up to and including climbing mountains.
Today was also cast removal day for the stress fracture which occurred because the biodegradable screw that was put in didn’t biodegrade. That was my fault. Since my tendon felt so good, I pushed things which caused inflammation around the screw and wouldn’t let it dissolve. Having been in a cast for the last six weeks, I feel great again.
To those of you just getting started on your journey, read the blogs and learn from them and take strength and encouragement from them. But remember, you are unique and your experience isn’t going to be the same as anyone else. Don’t get caught up in time frames. Push yourself, but use good judgement. No one knows your body like you do. Listen to it. Stay positive and focused on the goal. You WILL get better. You WILL do everything you want to do again.

I have had heel pain for a number of months. I had seen my surgeon in June telling him that I was experiencing this pain, and was told that the screws he had used were biodegradable and that some people did in fact experience pain as the body absorbed them. He said to come back after the nine month mark if I was still having the pain. After a summer of walking in the corn fields, and a fall of climbing up and down the ladder of combines, I went to see my surgeon again. It appears I have a stress fracture of the calcaneous. He stated that the mere action of putting a screw into a bone is going to cause a stress fracture, but that it would heal, and the Xrays taken today showed that indeed the bone was healing. However, it wasn’t as far along as it should have been, which most likely has been a product of the amount of walking that I have to do for my job. 10 to 12 miles a day on the uneven ground of cornfields, has kept it irritated and inflamed. I was given the choice of cast or boot for six weeks. There was no choice given about being non-weight bearing. Knowing myself as I do, I chose the cast. It is the only sure thing to keep me from cheating.
I know from reading these blogs everyone is in a hurry to get out of the cast, get out of the boot, and get on with life. More power to you if it works, but be careful. Better to take the time and do it right the first time.

In September our black lab broke her ankle bone and while the bone healed fine, she never used her leg again. Today we took her to the University of Illinois vet school to have her checked out. They did a doggie MRI. Turns out that when she broke her ankle she also ruptured her achilles tendon. Since it has been so long, there is no fix other than fusing her ankle into a fixed position with a steel plate. Guess tendon trouble runs in the family!

Yesterday I took my bicycle off the trainer and went for a ride outside for the first time in months. It felt so good to be free and moving at a speed faster than a snails pace. I want to ask some questions to those of you out there who might also be cyclists. Now that you have had achilles surgery, do you have any fears about clipping in? I have fallen over a couple of times while being clipped in back before surgery and the thought of falling now while clipped in scares me. I used to think it was funny–you have to admit that watching someone fall over while being clipped in is rather humerous, but now not so much.
Also, are any of you having any problems getting on and off the bike? It was my left achilles and I am experiencing some fear getting on and off. Perhaps I just need to buck up?

A few short weeks ago the PT put me back into the boot because of pain and swelling.  Taking their advice and cutting back for a week on my PT routine has put me back on top again.  Today I went to the doctor fo the first time I had seen him since I got my cast  (the nurse had cut off my cast and put me in the boot).  He poked, prodded, and twisted it a little.  He said it looked fantastic and that I was doing very well.  He also removed all restrictions on me except running and jumping.  I am supposed to listen to my body as my ankle will tell me how much I can do.  He said it will continue to swell and that is normal for up to a year.  I am allowed to ride my bicycle outside (yeah I was getting tired of the trainer now that the weather is nice) I can start walking  long distances again, you name it, I can do it.  Just not running and jumping.  He said to wait till at least 6-8 months post op for that.

I asked a ton of questions and I thought I would share them with you:

Can I go barefoot now?  Yes, no problem since I can go past zero degrees

Can I wear sandals?  Yes, no problem-I was even allowed to throw out the heel lift

Just how strong is the tendon since he doesn’t want me running and jumping?  It will never be as strong as the original but it is very strong.  If I stretch before exercise and pay attention to how I am feeling there should be no problem.  He said he has people who have had tendon transfers like mine running marathons, mountainbiking and doing most everything.  He did state very emphatically that they were doing so at their own risk, and to be aware that since a tendon transfer was done, if it pops again there are very few fixes and none that will allow me to go back to the level of activity I have been used to.

What is the chance of the other side going?  When a person has one side blow out, there is a 20-30% chance the other side will go a few years later.  (to me that says there is a 70-80% chance it won’t)

Since my job has me walking on very uneven ground (cornfields all summer long) should I wear a brace or any other protective device?  No, just be aware of your foot placement and realize that there will be a lot of swelling this first year.

Did he see any problem with trying to ride RAGBRAI  (the bicycle ride across IA) this year?  No, it should be fine by then.

I realize that the pain and swelling I was having a few weeks ago was my own doing.  I was told to “wean” out of the boot and I went whole hog and basically threw it away.  That being said, I also realize that even though the doctor has lifted all restrictions, I do need to use some common sense and not go out at warp speed again.  If there is one piece of advice I would offer, it is to use common sense and go slow.  It is hard I know because we all have been so active, and how one person heals doesn’t mean everyone is going to progress that way as well.

I hope that some of the things I have written will be helpful.

The excitement of being in two shoes and getting to ride a stationary bike has been replaced with the pain of reality yet again.  My job is one where I do a lot of walking and the amount of walking ramps up as it gets closer and closer to spring and summer.  All of that walking is causing my ankle to swell to sizes that are in direct correlation to the amount of walking that I have to do.  Thus, my physical therapists have put me back in the boot to try to get the swelling to go down.  They have assured me that swelling is normal especially due to all the walking I do, but they thought the boot would help take some of the pressure off.  It has I guess, but I am still bummed as it feels like a real setback.

I have started having some pain on the side opposite my scar on the heel bone.  I wonder if it is the screw they put in when the did the FHL transfer.  Does anyone else have pain on the side opposite the scar?

I have commented on how good my scar looks (I think) so I thought I would give you all a chance to see up.  compared to some I have seen on this site, I do believe mine looks really good.

Two months and two days ago I had my surgery.  Today I got out of my boot and into two shoes.  I was afraid that there might be some fear of walking and maybe a little pain since there would be no protection without the boot but NO.  There was no pain, no fear, only joy.  The joy of being free and the joy of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Besides walking they let me get on a bicycle today as well.  That felt fantastic.  For right now the therapists only want me to bicycle under their close supervision (they are afraid I think that I will take off at warp speed) but they said within a week or so I can get on my own bicycle set up on a trainer.  I have set myself a goal to be ready to ride RAGBRAI in July and the PT says that should be no problem.  (RAGBRAI is a bicycle ride across the state of Iowa–this year that will be 442miles)

The therapists have said that I am to wear my shoes with a heel lift when I am walking inside and on level ground.  If I am outside on uneven ground or if I will be walking long distances I am still supposed to use the boot, or if it becomes painful in anyway.  The doctors order stated I should “wean” myself out of the boot.  Does a chick go back into the egg once it is out?  I don’t think so!

I wondered if I would have a limp once I got out of the boot and into shoes, but no limp whatsoever!  I am being very mindful of the mechanics of walking.  The PT says to make sure I point my foot forward.  I know how important that is as 25 years ago I had knee surgery and didn’t have any therapy afterward and that foot points out like a duck.  Paying so much attention to walking correctly does help me to go slow.

To those of your waiting for your day to go into shoes, take heart.  That day will come and it will be just as wonderful as you are thinking it will be!

It has been quite awhile since I have posted.  Since then I have gotten out of the cast and into the boot.  That didn’t go well at the beginning, as there was quite a bit of pain involved with going weight bearing in the boot and the boot itself seemed to hurt more than the actual scar, but  doing much better now.  I have been having PT twice a week.   Right now my therapy is just walking back and forth in the pool and some stretching in the pool as well.   Amazing how the simple fact of walking can feel so good!   I keep trying to push the therapists to let me do more but the doctor is really strict, and very conservative.  And it does seem like everything I do, besides the pool therapy, makes my ankle swell up.   The therapists are all amazed out how good the scar looks.  You can barely even tell I had surgery!  I am just 3 degrees away from getting to do land therapy and get into shoes.  They did tell me that when I go into shoes I will have to go back onto crutches for a week or so.  thanks to everyone who has been posting.  I have shared our blogsite with my therapists and they are all following us as well (and picking up some good pointers along the way).

In previous posts I have stated how well I am doing.  Getting around great with the crutches and wheelchair, going back to work, no pain etc.  I decided to take the wheelchair I was using at work home because I was doing so well, I didn’t need it.  So yesterday I worked all day just getting around by my crutches.   Reality hit big time!  By noon my leg was swelled up so bad in the cast I couldn’t move it at all, could barely wiggle my toes!  I was exhausted from all the running back and forth I had to do, and the pain was starting to set in.  I got my leg elevated as quickly as I got home, but it is still swollen today.  The pain is not so much that I can’t stand it, but “the black dog” has come to visit. 

My girlfriends brother is an athletic trainer for a major univerisity and he had just talked to me a couple days ago about realizing that how easy things were for me right now and how I was having no pain, was a bit of a fluke and that most people don’t have it that easy.   He cautioned me to not get overly ambitious and try to do more than I was really able to do.   

Guess he was right.