Achilles in the Time of Covid

Missing this run.  That is all.  :(

Yesterday, only hours after posting my previous post, I got out of bed for the first time that day, other than going to the bathroom. My mom made me some lunch which I ate at the table with my foot propped up on a chair. When I was done, I used my rolling scooter to head back to the bedroom to lay down again for the rest of the day, but I stopped at the pantry and instinctively reached up to put something back on a high shelf, returning my weight to the roller but missing it and... landing smack on the ball of my injured foot, bearing full weight on it. I collapsed on the ground crying, not out of pain, but out of concern that I re-ruptured the tendon. Luckily my husband was there within seconds, lifting me up into the wheelchair and brought me back to my bed. While I had felt no pain, heard no pop, and was otherwise fine, I was terrified that I had done more damage and convinced I'd need surgery again, if only because that's how this whole experience has been trending since t...

It's been a week and a day since my surgery, and so far, so good (knock on wood). The first couple of days were the worst in terms of the pain factor, but this was manageable with the meds, elevation, and icing, the latter of which did, in fact, seem to help, in spite of the casted splint serving as a barrier between the ice packs and the wound. I haven't needed the narcotics since day 3 and only took tylenol once this past week for minor pain. I still take the aspirin every day per doctor's orders to help prevent blood clotting, and I also have been taking a women's multivitamin and a Vitamin C pill everyday, which is required for the synthesis of collagen and I've read can help speed the healing process of wounds. But the remainder of the week was the worst in terms of mental/emotional well-being. My body feels sluggish and is craving a workout. I have started to look online at adjustable weights so that I could begin an upper body routine from my bed, but am...

It's Day 3 post-op and also Day 3 since my last shower. I've been awake since 4am (pleasingly not Waterproof leg cover - works wonders! due to pain but rather due to child climbing in bed with a nightmare he couldn't shake...), and I feel gross. I don't have a shower chair yet and our showers aren't conducive to a folding chair that would allow for enough room for me and someone to help me wash up. Luckily, it's a warm morning and we have a fairly private backyard, so I get into my swimsuit, slide the watertight leg covering on over my leg, and hobble out to a lawn chair where my mom is waiting with warm water and shampoo/conditioner.  Thanks to Covid, I haven't had my hair cut in over 6 months so I'm like Rapunzel over here, and my poor mom is trying to scrub out all the gunk that's built up in my hair over the past 3 days. I sponge bathe the rest of myself whilst trying to avoid any water on my casting, and manage to do pretty well. Admi...

A nurse from the hospital had called yesterday to check in on me and remind me to continue taking my meds at least for the next 24 hours because the anesthesia from the hospital will have fully worn off by the nighttime. And wear off it did... I found myself in so much pain overnight that I wanted to tear the splint away from my leg and put ice packs directly up against my achilles. From the pulsating pressure against the casting I was sure that freaky alien baby from Alien was about to burst through my leg, but I piled on the ice packs, popped the Percocet as soon as I was allowed like it was a tic-tac, and tilted the tip of the leg pillow even further up so that the blood would flow away from the wound. When I still couldn't fall asleep, I picked up my Kindle and, from 3-5:30am I read a book (yes, in its entirety). As the sun came up, the pain began to slightly subside, and I was able to doze off. I didn't wake again until close 10am, and only then to have a bathroom b...

I had set my alarm every 4 hours during the night to take the Percocet in order to stay ahead of the pain, and since I've been hydrating like I'm preparing for a marathon (which, in a way, I am, I guess), every time I wake I have to go to the bathroom. Except I'm still kinda shaky and loopy so my husband walks me there each time so that I don't trip or end up bearing any weight on my foot. Needless to say, it was a long night, but I was able to sleep in between the 4 hour intervals as best as can be expected. I will say, sleeping with the leg support pillow is not only much better than regular pillows, it's Elevating & Icing in the Lightease Leg Elevator Pillow actually legit comfortable. Keeping my leg elevated throughout the night has definitely helped reduce swelling, and I've not been as paranoid that my husband will kick it or anything as he lies next to me since the pillow itself serves as a sort of barrier. Speaking of barriers, I'm tol...