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.

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?

Crutches are really from hell, you know

Can someone please tell me why, with so many advances in medical science, are crutches still designed as implements of torture? When did having a wrecked ankle mean that I would lose the ability to use my hands?!

The only changes to crutches that I have seen in my lifetime are the transition from wood to metal. That's it.

I went to Upper Canada Mall on Saturday and was glad that there was a wheelchair available for me to use. Now that may sound like fun but let me assure you that pushing yourself around in a fairly heavy, generic, vinyl, steel and plastic wheelchair is not that much fun. But at least I wouldn't have to hobble around on aluminum crutches.

When I was told by the doctor on Friday that I would have to be off the foot (non-load bearing) for at least two months until I got into the walking boot, I broke into a cold sweat. Not because of the length of time to recover, because I knew my injury would be getting better. I was more upset being crutch-bound for the entire time. The stress from the crutches on my body would NOT get better as the days clicked away.

I'm sure crutches are part of the arsenal of implements of torture in hell and Satan makes you use them to do things like go up and down stairs, carry hot cups of coffee, or even eat a banana without sitting down. Since I'm not going there, I figured I wouldn't want to experience hell for the months I would be off my foot.

There was no way I would be able to be out and about using crutches and/or a wheelchair.

While researching Achilles tendon injuries and treatments online, I came upon something called an iWalkFree Handsfree Crutch. Here is the story of why it was created. and here is a picture of it.



Interesting and made in Canada!

So I go hunting for a medical supply company that carries this amazing device but lo and behold, none carry it. Hm.

Although I knew that my insurance would cover it, I couldn't wait for it. I found a lightly used one on eBay for $175! I contacted the seller and asked if I could try it out. He was located 30 minutes from home, so on Monday afternoon, my family took a trip to check it out.

I tried it on, did a bit of wobbling and hobbling, then finally got the hang of putting it on and taking it off. That took me about 15 minutes. I was very impressed with the simplicity of the device.

Why in the world do hospitals and clinics not even mention that something like this exists? Maybe the company should boost their marketing and promotion of the product.

No matter. I have it and you can't take it away from me.