Out of sight out of site

Woah! It's been almost 6 months since my last post to this blog. I guess once I got full use of my right ankle, complete with the attached foot, I got off my butt and out doing stuff.

Well, since my last post I have been doing great! The Achilles is completely healed, although it is twice the width of my left Achilles.

I found it very strange running with it and I'm much slower than I was pre-rupture.

That's it for now.

Buh-Bye Boot Cast!

The day finally came; no more walking boot needed!

The doctor said that I can now start walking on the foot without the use of the hands-free crutch or the boot cast. I do have to be wary of any swelling in the ankle as it may be a sign of a little too much stress on it.
He also mentioned that although I can walk without aid, I can't carry anything heavy or work-out my calf. No calf raises, etc. I won't get full strength back for 6 months.

Next is home physio. It will be a bit painful but it's for the better.

I guess I'll have to cancel my entry to Mr. Universe.

If you don't want to get hit, stay off the sidewalk!

Note: The past month has been fairly uneventful. I didn't want to bore you with how I'm taking a shower, caring for the stitches (now gone), etc. I guess if I was still using the regular crutches, I would have more to share (accidents, lounging around, getting served, etc.) but since I can contribute to my own care and feeding, there isn't much to say. And I'm happy with that.

I started a new job on Monday, and was concerned that I couldn't drive for a few more weeks. A cab ride is $80 each way (flat rate)! The company has been gracious enough to let me work from home the first week until I find out what the deal is with the injury.

I went to my 8-week update with the Orthopedic surgeon yesterday, and it's all good news! My surgery is healing perfectly. In fact, it's a little ahead of schedule (if there is actually a schedule to keep).

He mentioned that some surgeons allow their patients to walk after 4 weeks, but he's found that that the Achilles would stretch too much and therefore weaken the step later on. He knew that I'm not the sedentary type so he's kept me off it longer than most to keep the tendon a little tighter.

He's glad that I have kept off the foot as much as I can and now that my ankle can bend beyond 90 degrees, I will be able to officially walk on it. He also said I could drive (woot!) although I would have to wear a regular shoe since I really can't feel the gas pedal. No argument from me. Freedom!

But I won't be able to walk on it for two more weeks. Although I am grateful about the iWalkFree device, I think it's time to start walking on my own. It snowed a few days ago (in October!) and I had to take it off and hobble on the walking boot for a bit since I was afraid of slipping on it and tearing my groin muscle.

It's all uphill from here, and now that I can drive, I can do it faster!

Good bye cast! Hello, uh, different kind of cast.

I went to the fracture clinic at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket this afternoon to get the cast removed and the surgery examined. The doctor told me that the stitches were healing nicely and after moving my foot to the 90 degree position, said that the Achilles was remarkably flexible for only three weeks out of surgery.

Verdict: no hard cast but a walking boot! At least I can take it off to stretch the Achilles, shower (can't submerge it though) and air it out. Wonderful! I still have to sleep with it on because my foot may be stretched too much under the covers, or even hit by my other foot.

I had brought an Aircast FP (Foam Pneumatic) walking boot my wife had borrowed from her business partner. No use paying for one, right? It comes with a little rubber pump thingy that attaches to two little nozzles on each side of the boot. One end of the pump inflates, the other deflates.

The doctor also made sure that it was clean or I would have to get a new one. They've had other patients bring their own only to get infections because the boot wasn't properly cleaned. That's nasty.

I'm due to go back in 5 weeks to possibly begin walking and rehab. I can't wait.

Calf squish!

I can understand the medical reason for not putting weight on my foot (time to heal, don't want the calf working on the newly-stitched Achilles, etc.), but there is another reason not to put your foot down while wearing a cast; calf squish.

I had put my heel down on the floor by accident while reaching for my hands-free crutch and immediately felt my calf muscle trying to squeeze into the narrower space just above the ankle space in the cast.

That in turn put a little 'stretch' on my stitches (it felt like it did). I didn't like that feeling, so I will be more careful now.

Although I reserve the right as a man/husband/father to "put my foot down" from time to time, this would not be one of of those times.

It's a nice red

The temporary plaster half-cast that I've been wearing for the past week was removed this afternoon (no saw, just shears), and I got a chance to look at the doctors handiwork. I'm impressed.

Speaking of saws, I'm still a little paranoid of that little blade taking a half inch from the surface of my shin bone! It almost looks like the one they use on CSI to cut open the top of a dead guys head! And no matter how many nice colors you have on the saw, a 6 year old kid still knows it's a saw and will scream bloody murder when you try to remove that stinky cast she's been wearing for the past month.

Anyway, the cut is about 4" long and is held by dissolving stitches, not staples. I'm glad for that since I've seen some nasty scars from staple use. The stitches are covered by tape and the whole thing doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. Great job doc.

The tech reset my foot in a more forward-facing position (not turned-in as they did in surgery) and at a slight down angle. In the coming weeks they will be taking off the cast(s), checking out the wound and resetting it at a slightly flatter orientation to fully flat. These changes will allow the Achilles tendon to stretch and be ready for the walking boot (even thought I'm not to walk on it at that time), then to fully walk after that.

The cast is a nice red color. I was going to get a black one but my wife and kids selected a red one for me so that I can cheer on my Red Sox baseball team as we try to take first place in our league. This is the second time I have missed the finals! While pitching last year I took a softball to the face that knocked me out and had to miss the second of a double header.

This new cast is much lighter than the plaster one but also much tighter. I was informed that as my ankle and foot swells and contracts, the cast won't budge so I will feel it much more and must keep it elevated more often.

Hey, who am I to argue with a professional who says I have to sit on my butt more often?

Bone saw! Isn't that the name of a thrash metal band?

I'm scheduled for an appointment at the fracture clinic this afternoon. They're supposed to be removing the plaster cast, examining their handiwork, and replacing the cast with my first of many fiberglass casts. I'm interested in seeing how the doctor closed the cut since I was told by the wonderful nurses that some doctors use stitches, some use staples.

When I started this blog, I decided I wouldn't post pics of other Achilles injuries I found on the web. I planned on posting a picture of my own for your gross-out pleasure.

And Now the Wonderful News!

I was told by the emergency room doctor that I have ruptured my Achilles tendon. For those of you that don't know what the Achilles tendon is, here is a good picture of one. It's basically the elastic thing that attaches your calf muscle to your foot and allows you to point your foot down.

A rupture is a complete breaking away of the tendon from the heel of your foot. I know that because during my consult on Friday morning, the doctor performed what is called the Thompson's Test. He squeezed my calf muscles to confirm that there was no movement in the injured foot. You want to fail the test. I passed.

Hey, if you're going to do some damage to yourself, 'rupture' is the way to go.

I am told that there are two options to getting this fixed;

1. Non-surgical. Get a cast and wait until it heals on it's own. Then physio to learn how to walk again. At least 6 months of that. 11% chance of breaking again.

2. Surgical. They go in and reattach the tendon. Hard casts for two months, then walking boot for one, then physio after that. 3% chance of breaking it again. Same chances as a healthy Achilles.

Either way I can look forward to realign my foot every few weeks by removing the cast, resetting the angle, then casting again.

I don't enjoy going/staying at/or visiting hospitals, but why on earth would someone go the non-surgical route? I guess for Americans without enough insurance this could cost a pretty penny, but here in Canada our tax dollars cover almost everything.

After discussing it with my wife for about 10 seconds, I opt for the surgery. The doctor quickly confirms a spot in surgery, and we're off to the races.

I won't go into the weird wait in line to get into the OR (hey lady, if you didn't want the nosejob, why did you come back TWICE?). Anyway, once it's my turn, they knock me out, flip me on my stomach and do their magic with the scalpel, needle and thread. About an hour later I'm in the recovery room and waking up.

One thing I forgot to mention; at every point in my journey, and with every NEW hospital staff that my wife and I met, they all asked me to confirm what foot it was and what was wrong with it. Did they not have it written down somewhere? Have they made a mistake and worked on the wrong body part in the past? Kind of scary but I guess necessary.

My love takes me home to start my recovery on Friday afternoon. Not even 24 hours after the injury.

Weekend Warrior Gets Whacked!

A little background first which I'll break up into a few posts tonight and tomorrow:

So last night, my neighbour invites me and two others to play a friendly game of squash at a local community centre. That day I go to SportChek and pick up a good pair of Nikes with gel soles (so I won't slip, of course).

I hadn't played squash in over ten years. My wife and I were members of a squash club and visited it many times a week. I played squash, she did aerobics (with the occasional squash game with me). But once the kids were born, and work got more intense, we gave it up.

I did about 10 minutes of stretching my hams/Achilles/shoulders/etc. while I was waiting my turn to get my butt kicked by my neighbour. We had one court and were switching in and out and played for about 45 minutes.

I'm really getting warmed up and getting in some nice moves and good points. I hit a good one and waited for a volley. The second I went for it with a quick forward lunge off my right foot, I went down like a ton of bricks. It felt like I caught my heel under the glass door of the court or that I had hit myself in the ankle with my own racquet!

The guys watching said that my foot never left the court but my leg and body tried to go forward without it.

I was rushed to SouthLake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, admitted to emergency. About an hour or so later (pretty quick for Canadian healthcare waiting times) I was put into a cast and sent home (because Orthopaedic surgeons don't work at midnight) with an appointment made for the next day to get surgery/consultation in the fracture clinic.

My wife of course has seen this too many times before; I go out with the guys, I get hurt, I call her to explain (I can see her in my mind slowly closing her eyes and shaking her head), then we're off to "recovery". She then forces me to lounge around the house and then I get quickly get into trouble when I try to do things as if I don't have a 5lb plaster cast on some part of my body.

I am lucky to have a woman like her!