I still can't put a whole lot of weight on it yet. When I do (by accident) it feels as if the incision is going to bust open and the tendon is going to pop out. Doc said that is a sign that the area and tendon are still healing. He said to keep testing to see how much pressure I can add each day. I definitely feel a difference each day, but not very much.
I have been moving it back and forth, but I have only gained a tiny bit more mobility. The bottom of my foot feels like I have a piece of tape on it, but I think it is because that tendon is so tight still, it's a weird feeling.
The boot has not been on since last Tuesday. The doctor said the only time I need to wear it is if I go somewhere, but since I don't go anywhere I have been able to keep it off. It feels so much better to keep it off too.
Also, the butterfly stitches came off so you can see the scar for the first time. The redness around it will go away with time. The doctor said that it is healing nicely, and that he is very happy with the progress. Check out the pictures.
I am so glad I found this blog. I am going to have surgery on May 31st. My tear is on the side of my right foot. I have been in a cast boot for three months trying to heal it without surgery but there is too much damage and my body just isn't building up the tissue. I am glad to get an idea of what the after surgery expectations are. I am sure they will be different because yours looks so invasive. My dr. Said not to fool myself. There is going to be about a 6 inch scar and it will be a long surgery. This tendon is deep in the foot. I wish you a speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteNmlnml_17 Thanks for commenting. How did you injure yourself? Currently I am a little over 2 months out of surgery, and I am still having a tough time getting around. I've been doing therapy 2 times a week for the last month, but it is still being a pain in the butt. I can only walk on it for an hour at most before it starts hurting really bad. At night it swells up really bad. I will continue to update this site so I hope you continue to watch. I've gotten a little lazy about updating, but your comment is very encouraging for me to get back into it. Hope everything goes well with your surgery. Let me know if you have questions.
ReplyDeleteI stepped off a curb and heard a pop, something as simple as that happening last August has turned into a nightmare. It's very frustrating because it's not an injury somebody can take a look at you and go "wow, that looks like it hurts". It took some time and fighting with the insurance to get a referral to see a specialist and get an MRI. Triwest insurance because we are Military. They have been great now that I have seen the surgeon. I run a daycare out of my home which is good as far as taking time from work at my own pace when needed but bad because I have no disability pay. I planned on taking a month from work but I'm not so sure now after reading stuff online. I just do not want to sit and get depressed. I guess it's an injury that can happen at any age but it made me realize I'm not in my twenties anymore.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how simple little miss steps can completely turn your world upside down. I simply stepped into a hole in September, and here I am 8 months later still not able to work. I think my injury could have been resolved months earlier, but they misdiagnosed it from the beginning. I went 4 months before I even got an MRI. They put me through all kinds of therapy, and designed special orthotics for my shoes, but it never got better. I'm starting to wonder if I will ever be normal again. I've been an athelete and a very physical person my whole life, so this injury has really opened my eyes and got me thinking differently about life. I'm 33 and have a great career that I love, but if I can't walk through the grass I can't do it. I feel your pain, and know what you are going through. Keep your mind busy after surgery while you are healing so you don't get down on your self. I've done really well with keeping a positive attitude, but every now and then I get down for a day or so.
ReplyDeleteI am 33 also and walk everywhere. I used to run 2-3 miles a day. We also lived in Japan for three years and I walked pretty much the entire island we lived on so I am pretty down right now about not being able to walk up the stairs in my house without getting frustrated. I wanted to ask if you have any secondary issues? My left foot and hip hurt some days from trying to compensate for my right one. Do you have an issues with that type of stuff? I am lucky to have a good supportive husband that has helped out a lot and understands. This would be crushing if I was a single mom trying to work and have this type of injury. I have a new compassion for anyone with an injury to a tendon. I never had a clue about this type of injury. I am glad you are still on here. I seen you had not posted in a while but was glad to get feedback.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty crazy that we are the same age. As far as the secondary issues go my right hip hurts if I'm walking (or limping) most of the time. I still can't be on my feet for very long. 30 minutes to an hour is about all I can take. Then it swells up real bad and gets to throbbing pretty good. I figured 2 months out of surgery I would be feeling pretty good, but thats not the case. I haven't been in a store, like Walmart, in 8 months because it hurts so much to be on it. If I get it good and stretched out I can walk normal for a little bit, but as soon as I sit down for a couple of minutes it tightens up really bad. So I try to constantly stretch it out. It's a lot of work. I'm lucky to have a wife that is very understanding as well, but I know she is dying for me to get back to work. I'm starting work conditioning therapy tomorrow morning. I think it's a little early for that, but I've tried to tell them. Everything I have heard about this type of injury is that it is a major pain to deal with, and they can take years to get over. That makes me sick thinking about it. Where is most of your pain located? I've got a couple of posts I am working on with some pictures, so stay tuned. If I can help answer any more questions feel free to ask.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your job requires physical activity. What do you do? Like I said earlier I am doing my own in home daycare because there are no jobs in the area for my field. I would still easily be able to return to work because it does not require physical strength. My pain in located about 1 inch back from mid outer foot. So if you went straight down from the ankle bone and about 1 inch forward. As soon as I put my finger on it the Dr knew. He said it's right at the point where it dives under the bones into the foot. I have never had a normal injury or do I have normal anatomy! I had back pain a few years ago and the did an MRI. It showed that I uhave 6 lumbar vertebre rather than 5. So who knows what surprise my foot will hold. Another thing I remembered last night is that I injured my foot and ankle before. It only hurt for about a week but I had a knot like a piece of chewing gum under the skin. The Dr said it was a tendon and I never thought about it again because it got better so fast. Makes me wonder if I had previous damage already.
ReplyDeleteWell I posted stuff on the 11 th and it is gone. I will rewrite my questions this evening
ReplyDeleteYeah, blogger has been messed up for some reason. I haven't been able to login. I did recieve your questions through e-mail. I work for a power company as a lineman. When your power goes out I am the one that gets it restored. It is a physical job, and that's kind of the downside right now. My companies lite duty program requires the ability to walk on uneven surfaces and I can't do that without major pain. So I am stuck at home. If I had an office job I probably wouldn't of missed any work. My pain was where the calf mucsle forms into the tendon, so it was pretty high up. When the Doctor opened it up he said that specific tendon is really long. A lot higher than normal, so that is why my scar goes so high. I didn't have any pain where you hurt yours before the surgery, but now that is where it hurts the most. I started work conditioning on Wednesday, and my therapist said I am less than 50% and still have a long way to go. I will probably be off work another 2 months. Thats really interesting about your back. It's crazy to think how people have those little differences that you don't find out about until you're either opened up or have an MRI done. I have never had any problems with my ankles ever, but I'm guessing I will from now on. You probably did injure that tendon before, and it's taken this long to finally give out. Are You still in a walking boot now?
ReplyDeleteShhh the walking boot. I have not decided if it is my friend or foe. Yes I still have to wear it. It makes my ankle feel better because it airs up around it. Does not do much for my foot. Plus it makes my hips hurt if I do too much walking in it so I just settle with not walking as much as I would like. I am glad because when he first said he was going to cast it I thought he was talking plaster cast. At least with this I can take it off. It has been in the 80's and that makes it a little more uncomfortable because it gets hot. Guess I don't have to tell you that! I never really think of myself as someone that takes stuff for granted but it's funny how you don't realize something as simple as being able to go run or jump is really such a gift. I look at it this way, we were at the VA hospital the other day and this kid, maybe 20, went by in a wheelchair. He had one leg gone from the knee down and was wearing a helmet. I assume that he had a concussion incident of some sort. Maybe IED or that sort. So I appreciate my hateful little tendon and all it's pain in the ass because at least I have one. Like you said at least were not in Japan
ReplyDeleteWhat caused the large red area at the bottom of your surgery site? Was it an infection or was it just inflamation?
ReplyDeleteIt was an infection that we caught just before it got out of hand. He gave me some anti-biotics that cleared it up in no time. One of my Doctors biggest concerns was infection, so they gave me anti-biotics a couple of weeks before, during, and after the surgery. It's something you should stay on top of with yours as well. After your surgery try to take a peek at it periodically if you can. My Doctor said it is very common in the foot and if it gets to out of hand they have to go back in and clean it out surgically. Pretty nasty stuff. The following 3 weeks after my surgery my lower leg broke out really bad as well, because I couldn't wash it. That was not much fun. After the third week he said I could sleep without my boot, so from then on I never wore it unless I left the house, which I never did. I still couldn't put any weight on it, so I just relied on my crutches and basically sat in the recliner all the time. I would suggest the sooner you can do without the boot after surgery the better off you will be. It's not much fun to sleep in. This weekend I kind of over did it I guess, I didn't think I was doing anything different, because my foot swelled up so bad you couldn't tell where my calf ended all the way to the bottom of my foot. It was creating a muffin top where my shoes were. It took forever to get it to go down, and it still hasn't gone all the way down. Hurts like crazy too. So frustrating!!!!
ReplyDeleteWell that sucks. I hope it feels better soon. I am trying to get as much done around here as I can while I am still able. I am the one that does everything around the house. Not that my husband is not a help but thats the way I was raised. So I am not sure about take'n a backseat to ding everything! The break will be nice but I am such a control freak I have this mental picture I will be stuck in chair and able to see dirty dishes! Also pain pills make me sick so I am not looking forward to that feeling either.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I hope it gets better too. Do as much as you can before your surgery, because afterward you will be confined to one place for a couple of weeks, unless you don't mind crutches or being seen in public in a wheelchair. I'm kind of the same way about the outside of my house. I love taking care of my yard and working on improvements around the house. Since the injury I haven't been able to do any of that. It's driving me crazy. Before I got hurt I purchased a table saw. It arrived a month after the injury and has been sitting in the box ever since. There's so many projects I want to do, but can't. Not sure if you can do this or not, but I would highly recommend you and your husband get away for a couple of days before you have surgery. Because you are going to be so sick of sitting in your house, and any time away will be a refresher. I was unable to, but wish I would have forced myself. As far as the pain meds. go, I took them at home right after the surgery, and then never took them again. I did just fine without them. I'm in more pain now than when I had surgery. I kept it iced and elevated and felt great. Pain meds. make me hallucinate extremely bad, so if I can do without them I will. I take ibuprofen now when it flares up.
ReplyDeleteWe are doing just that. We are going to Las Vegas for four days. My family is there so we are going to just have some down time and relax. We have a Mini Cooper and there is a Big Mini Cooper convention in Vegas so we got a package deal for hotel stay. Sounds dorky but its fun. Make the best of it. They just called today and all is set for surgery on the 31st @330. It is in Fresno which is about 40min North of us. Was yours @ an outpatient surgery center or did you stay in hospital?
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like fun! I'm dying to get out to Vegas. I had outpatient surgery. My Surgery was at 8:30 in the morning, and I was at home by noon that day. I didn't get back to surgery until 9, and when they woke me up in recovery it was 10:15, so the surgery only lasted about an hour. That whole day is kind of a blur now that I think back. So, are you excited about the surgery or nervous?
ReplyDeleteI am a little nervous. I am not afraid of death. I am afraid of all the other things that can happen. I am worried about blood clots or strokes. Stuff like that. I guess it's silly. I dont smoke or drink so the Dr. said I should not be overly worried. My sister in law passed away last year and she was only 31. She left behind a young son. This is what made me start thinking about stuff. My son is not old enough to truly remember how much I love him. So that is my only prayer in life. That I live long enough that my Son knows and can remember how much I love him. The rest will be an extra gift. They said my surgery would be about 2hrs. He has scheduled for a second foot Dr. to assist. So I am not sure what the day will be like. Also kind of excited to start the road to recovery!
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way before the surgery, but it turned out to be the easiest surgery I ever went through. I'm very sorry to hear about your sister-in-law. That's got to be difficult losing someone so young and to have a child involved too. I can't imagine. 2 hours seems really long for the surgery. Do you know if they are going to use stitches or staples to put it back together? I also see you found a more interesting blog than mine. My wife has been doing that blog for several years now. I'm one of her taste testers for the cupcakes, and that's one of the reasons I've gained weight since being home and off my feet. They are yummy!!!
ReplyDeleteMan I could tase test cupcakes all day long! My true weakness. I didnt even ask if they were going to use stitches or staples. Good question. I noted it for my pre-op apt on the 25th. Do you have any other things you can think of that maybe you wish you had known about before that I can ask? Or just advice from your experience. Well I am packed and going to sleep. Drive to Vegas in the morning! Talk to you next week. Thanks for the advice so far!
ReplyDeleteHope everything went well in Vegas! I can't really think of any other questions to ask. The only advice I can give is to get out of the boot as soon as you can, and as soon as you can get out of the dressing the better also. One more major thing is to be patient with it. Because if it is anything like mine it's going to take a lot of time for recovery. So, get your mind in the right place. If you've got pictures I would love to see them (we can compare scars). Enjoy your last day before the surgery. Talk to you soon.
ReplyDeleteVegas was great. I am getting in the mind set. The assisting surgeon today mentioned he thinks its worse than original pics show, so we will see. I am instructed no pain meds from today til Tuesday after surgery. I have Lupus and they dont want my blood too thin. Going to make for a long weekend. Also cant eat after 6pm Monday, nevermind the faact that the surgery isnt til 330pm Tuesday. But I am in good spirits. Want to start to get better! You have facebook? If you want send invite. Thanks for everything so far. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=640393151
ReplyDeleteIt wont let me post under my google profile, dont know whats up. Try my facebook if you have one. Talk later if I can fix it.http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=640393151
ReplyDeleteThat does make for a long weekend, but I'm sure you can handle it. The eating would be the most difficult for me. What pain meds are you on? I've been taking ibuprofen through the whole process. Here is a little tip that I just found out, you may already know this. Ibuprofen reduces inflammation, but your body needs the inflammation to heal properly. Medicine that reduces inflammation makes for a longer healing process, because your body is constantly fighting the medicine and the injury. My Dr. said you can greatly reduce your recovery time if you don't have to use inflammation reducers. This would be pretty difficult to do. I just try to take them when I absolutely need them. One more question I forgot to have you ask the Dr. how are they going to repair the tendon? They are using scar tissue to heal mine, but sometimes they will suture it back together. It depends on the kind and severity of the tear also. I do not have a facebook account, sorry. You can e-mail me at tschlit12[at]gmail[dot]com.
ReplyDeleteI asked the Dr. And he said they will suture the tendon. Then I had to sign the waiver stating that they may have to suture it to the tendon next to it. I did not know that about the inflammation medication. I wish I had known that. Thanks, good info. I am not worried but I am getting anxious. How are you feeling?
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