Achilles in the Time of Covid

Stitches removed, hot blue cast on! I'm at the start of week 4 post-op, and things have been going well.  I got the splint and stitches removed last Wednesday.  Dr. M says it looks like I'm on track, and after checking the achilles and maneuvering my foot a bit, he said I'm ready for the cast.  I remembered to bring some hydrating lotion this time, in hopes of avoiding the "dry-skin-under-the-cast-leading-to-itching" scenario, and lathered up before he applied the cast. Wearing the cast gave me some renewed spirits.  While I'm still cautious about my movements, the cast is much more protective than the splint so I'm not as paranoid moving about the house after my previous scare when I fell.  My biggest complaint about the cast is that, in spite of my efforts to prevent it, it's incredibly itchy under there.  Sitting out on my back deck in the summer heat doesn't help, I'm sure, and I've resorted to using some, ahem, *questionable* mea...

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...

Today's the day. I'm up and drinking water while I still can and take yet another shower with the Hibiclens per doctor's orders. We all pile into the car, crutches in tow for the post-op hobble home, and I give my kids and husband kisses and hugs before heading into Day Surgery. I complete the regular Covid-screening at the entry once more, and am checked in fairly quickly. I'm brought to pre-op where I get into my gowns (they are so very haute coutre), and the oh-so-fashionable hospital-issued neon yellow no-skid socks. The nurses take my belongings, with the exception of my phone, to a locker and I'm left to my thoughts for only a few minutes, which is good, because in the short time I've been left alone my mind is already wandering around the possibility of the surgery going wrong. I'm picturing the surgeon on the phone with my husband and in this anxiety-fueled day-dream/nightmare I've created in my head, the words "foot amputation" c...

Covid results came back negative! Surgery is ON.  Ok. I'm ready for this. We clean the house not only in preparation for my parents' arrival but also so that I don't trip over legos and blocks and such while I hobble around the house post-op. I prepare my bag for the hospital, which is basically just my phone, backup charger, Kindle, Covid mask, ID and insurance card. I treat myself to a sushi dinner (my favorite!) and indulge in an 11:30pm bowl of cereal so I get one last meal in before my pre-op fasting begins at midnight. I make the bed with a clean set of sheets, take a shower using the doctor-prescribed Hibiclens antibacterial soap, and it's time for bed.

I decided to look at the glass half full and move forward assuming the surgery is ON for Monday. Since I've accepted the fact that this is what needs to happen, I put on my Type A planning glasses and begin researching the various things I can have prepared and ready for my post-op experience. I already have the crutches from my original accident and a friend is loaning me her late mother's wheelchair, so that's a great start. One of my big concerns isn't so much weight gain (though I'm not thrilled with the Covid-8lbs that I've already gained during quarantine, so I'd love if I can keep the weight off), but rather the lack of exercise affecting my mental well-being. Not being able to go for a run or at the least, cycle, for many months is going to be tough. However, a friend suggested I try to think about what I actually like about running/what I get out of it, and then not to look at what I can't do (i.e. "run") but rather what I CAN do that ...

This morning starts off with the family piling into the car (because I can't drive myself and we can't leave the kids home alone, so this becomes a whole family affair) and heading to the drive-through Covid test. I've finally had time to wrap my head around getting the surgery done and make my peace with the fact that the sooner I get it done, the sooner I can begin the recovery process. Of course, this means that now what I'm panicking about is this test. While I have no reason to suspect I have the virus, my anxiety gets the better of me and I begin stressing that I could be a "carrier" without showing any symptoms. If the test comes back positive and I have to cancel the surgery, then what next? I just want to get this over with... I pull up to the drive-through and there's only one car in front of me. The nurse verifies my info, asks me to pull down my mask, and then without warning shoves a long q-tip the size of Montana up my nostrils until it ba...

Hobbled on into the orthopedic surgeon's office today, and, after being screened for the umpteenth time for Covid symptoms (no, I do not have any new cough, runny nose, upset stomach, diarrhea...yes, I do have bruising and swelling...look at my leg), I was brought in fairly quickly to see Dr. M. He asked me for the breakdown of what had happened over the past few weeks, and, having already looked at my MRI results, told me "well, here's the thing. It's a complete tear, with maybe a MRI Results - 4cm wide laceration strand or two still connected, which might explain why you still had some movement in the foot with the Thompson test. However, given the location of the severed tendon in relation to where you originally cut your ankle, and the fact that it's a completely clean cut instead of a ragged rupture, I'm thinking you actually cut it weeks ago during the original accident." So this is news. I'd been told up until now that the tendon was in...

It's the day after my MRI results, and the day before my consult with an orthopedic surgeon. To say my journey to this day has been unexpected is an understatement, mostly because I connote the word "journey" with exciting adventures like hiking the Inca trail to Macchu Picchu, bungee jumping off bridges in New Zealand, sipping wines on cobblestone streets in Italy, or, at a minimum, hearing the lyrics to "Don't Stop Believin'" replaying in my head. But "journey" is a lot easier to say and shorter to write than "a runner/mom-living-in-a-house-of-testosterone-and-ADHD/woman-living-with-anxiety-in-the-time-of-Covid's nightmarish reality," so let's go with "journey" for now. So, a brief recap of my journey: Sunday, 05/24 (Memorial Day weekend) - sliced the back of my ankle on the door of my shower; drop the kids off at friend/neighbor's house (their first "outing" to anywhere indoors other than...