When the nurse cut the cast off last week, she put a bunch of tape directly on the wound and then covered it with a bandage. Today I decided to yank it off. Now when I walk without the boot, I have a little more movement since the tape prevented my skin from stretching.
I also put on two shoes for the first time since the injury, and that definitely felt weird. My foot is still somewhat swollen even though there isn't any pain. I'm hoping this goes away over time. And the scar is healing well too. I'm hoping that I'm not overdoing it, but my progress feels natural.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Day 19 - The snowstorm
Winter finally arrived in New England. A blizzard started late yesterday and raged all night long. Cars outside are buried. And I'm wondering if I should wrap the Aircast in a trash bag to keep the snow out.
The foot is feeling good, and I'm feeling more confident by the day. Basically I listen to my body and react accordingly. I know that this is not a "no pain no gain" situation, so overdoing it can make matters worse. But I feel ok about walking around on my own two feet. I'm not brave enough to try the stairs yet. Nor will I put on a regular shoe as I don't want it coming in contact with the scar yet.
If I can get the car dug out, I'll head to the gym for the first time in almost 3 weeks. I want to work on the stationary bike, as well as start back doing upper body work. Well, maybe not triceps... I've worked them enough over the last two weeks. It sure would be nice to go snowboarding tomorrow....
The foot is feeling good, and I'm feeling more confident by the day. Basically I listen to my body and react accordingly. I know that this is not a "no pain no gain" situation, so overdoing it can make matters worse. But I feel ok about walking around on my own two feet. I'm not brave enough to try the stairs yet. Nor will I put on a regular shoe as I don't want it coming in contact with the scar yet.
If I can get the car dug out, I'll head to the gym for the first time in almost 3 weeks. I want to work on the stationary bike, as well as start back doing upper body work. Well, maybe not triceps... I've worked them enough over the last two weeks. It sure would be nice to go snowboarding tomorrow....
Day 18 - He walks!
Now that I've been showering normally, I've been testing the limits to see how far I'm progressing. After I got the cast taken off, I've been hopping around in the shower and not putting any weight on the injured leg. Slowly after few days, I've been able to stand on it if I had my foot slightly in front of me so that the foot is plantarflexed. Today, after getting out of the shower, instead of hopping back to the bed to put the Aircast on, I decided to try to walk. I definitely had a noticeable limp, and I was careful not to dorsiflex my foot but I made it. When it came close to flexing acutely, the tendon and calf muscles felt tight.
I'm also sleeping without the Aircast on, and I'm at the point now where I don't feel any pain at all. I think I'll slowly start walking around the house without the cast, and only use it when I leave.
I'm also sleeping without the Aircast on, and I'm at the point now where I don't feel any pain at all. I think I'll slowly start walking around the house without the cast, and only use it when I leave.
Day 16 - The beginning of the blog
After reading all the blogs from others with this injury, I decided to create my own blog. I didn't get around to starting this until 16 days after the surgery, and I don't get current with the blog until day 19. So I still have a few more posts to create before I'm current.
Nothing new today. It's nice being able to walk around without crutches. You never really think about how important having two free hands are when doing your daily routine. The simplest things are challenging. Hopefully that part of the story is behind me now.
Nothing new today. It's nice being able to walk around without crutches. You never really think about how important having two free hands are when doing your daily routine. The simplest things are challenging. Hopefully that part of the story is behind me now.
Day 15 - No more crutches
Today I woke up and put the Aircast on, and I noticed that my heel finally went to the bottom without pain. So I decided to try standing up. To my surprise, I stood up without incident. The next test was to try walking across the room. After a few awkward steps, I was walking around just fine. The boot seems to do a good job of keeping my calf in place, so I felt confident about leaving the crutches behind.
It sure would've been nice to reach this point yesterday for the casino trip.
It sure would've been nice to reach this point yesterday for the casino trip.
Day 14 - Casino trip
I decided to read the instruction manual for the Aircast since it still hurt more than I thought it should. That turned out to be a good idea. The nurse inflated the boot too much, causing the discomfort. I deflated it, and it felt much better.
I decided to join some co-workers on a casino trip. I was nervous at first since I was still on crutches, but the casino offered free wheelchairs, so I decided to go for it. When I got there, I decided to stick with the crutches. That turned out to be a workout as the casino is huge! I was sweating at times from all the work.
At least my efforts weren't in vain, as I won a decent amount of money to take home.
I decided to join some co-workers on a casino trip. I was nervous at first since I was still on crutches, but the casino offered free wheelchairs, so I decided to go for it. When I got there, I decided to stick with the crutches. That turned out to be a workout as the casino is huge! I was sweating at times from all the work.
At least my efforts weren't in vain, as I won a decent amount of money to take home.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Day 13 - The cast comes off
I've been wondering what will happen when the doctor takes the cast off. I've read stories about people that were told that they'd be in a new cast for a few more weeks. But that wasn't the case with me. After the nurse cut the cast off, the doctor remarked about how the wound was healing nicely and ordered me to start wearing the Aircast. The Aircast is a walking boot that has three air cells that you can inflate or deflate using a small tool. Remember those Reeboks that you pumped up? Cross that with a ski boot, and you have the Aircast.
The straps allow the top part to be removed completely, and you place your whole leg inside. It definitely hurt when the nurse put it on me. I think the wound was still tender, so trying to push my foot down to the heel of the boot was torture. I got close, and decided to call it a day at that point. I still had to use my crutches, but the doctor said that I can begin walking on it immediately.
I asked him some questions about the surgery, and he told me that my injury was a complete rupture, but that the tendon should be stronger when fully healed than it was before the injury. I was a little disappointed that he didn't offer up more information, so I'll need to prepare my questions ahead of time and call the office as needed. I see him again on January 18 next year. I'm hoping that he'll have me start PT soon after.
The straps allow the top part to be removed completely, and you place your whole leg inside. It definitely hurt when the nurse put it on me. I think the wound was still tender, so trying to push my foot down to the heel of the boot was torture. I got close, and decided to call it a day at that point. I still had to use my crutches, but the doctor said that I can begin walking on it immediately.
I asked him some questions about the surgery, and he told me that my injury was a complete rupture, but that the tendon should be stronger when fully healed than it was before the injury. I was a little disappointed that he didn't offer up more information, so I'll need to prepare my questions ahead of time and call the office as needed. I see him again on January 18 next year. I'm hoping that he'll have me start PT soon after.
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