Posted , 5 users are following.
I would be grateful if anyone could share their recovery journey after surgery.
I am now at 8 weeks and have found it so frustrating and emotional.
I fell from a tram platform and had surgery 2 days later
Sharing and supporting each other would be really helpful
thank you so much
0 likes, 12 replies
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Gah6000 salli91609
Posted
There's nothing fun about it. I ruptured mine playing basketball and had surgery a week later. The recovery is long and hard.. but it gets better. I'm three years out and feeling great. I was walking without crutches or a boot about 2.5 months after surgery. Start PT early and be diligent about your exercise, rest and ice. it's a long recovery but every month it gets better. the hardest part was the initial mental challenge which I imagine you are going through now. the only thing to focus on now is the little things that help get you better. there's light at the end of the tunnel.. I promise.
salli91609 Gah6000
Posted
Gah6000... Thank you for replying. I was extremely depressed at first, as the hospital and other people were telling me it could take a year to heal. VERY encouraging to hear from you that you could walk without crutches after 2.5 months. I do feel more hopeful now the plaster has been removed (not given a boot, as expected), and have begun physio.
I can't bear the loss of independence!! How long did it take to be able to drive?
I am using ice packs a lot, as my foot and lower leg swells after 10-15 minutes on crutches. But I thank you again for responding. It can also seem a lonely journey at times!
Gah6000 salli91609
Posted
definitely a long journey. mine took a year to heal.. and probably 1.5 - 2 years to feel really good. but you're not down and out that whole time. soon you'll be walking with a boot and then slowly but surely walking solo. I can't exactly remember about driving.. I drove to PT (it was very close ) left footed. Maybe 4 months? total guess though I didnt drive much at the time bc I didnt have too so I took it slow. I felt good enough to walk to the train (about 3 min away) and train it to work around 2.5 months.
salli91609 Gah6000
Posted
I am just grateful I am not a sport fanatic desperate to getting back !!
I am due to go on holiday in 4 weeks time and hope I can improve a bit more before the flight. You must be soooo grateful it is behind you now. Thank you for taking the time to reply. Keep dancing
WmBlake salli91609
Posted
I'm recovering after a 2nd surgery on my peroneal tendon. (The 1st surgery resulted in a rupture, which had to be repaired).
Activities that have bolstered me both times are:
Please appreciate today though. You may even one day look back on your mending days fondly!
salli91609
Posted
WOW... Wm.... your positivity could become infectious. The thought of re-rupture scares the hell out of me, which is why I am trying not to rush recovery.
I'm a very social bunny and staying at home feels like a prison sentence.
I am surprised that I am not in too much pain, but immobile grrrrrr.
Thank you for all your suggestions. THANK GOD FOR NETFLIX
I truly wish you well
I'm thrilled to have had a few replies. We are never alone when sharing
WmBlake salli91609
Posted
You are not alone Salli...I was just thinking this morning about some people who were in prison (maybe they felt isolated too) and what they did:
John Bunyan (wrote Pilgrim's Progress)
Gandhi
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Desmond Tutu
St. Paul
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
...the list goes on and on.
I guess they were able to use that time of solitude to draw on deep reservoirs of life. You sound young and vibrant. This "detour" from "social bunnyhood" is just an opportunity to rest and explore deep waters!
salli91609 WmBlake
Posted
I "like" that I sound young and vibrant aged 63. I am a young 63 at heart and think this is another reason why I' ve been so low. A sign of losing my independence in the years to come.
I am great advocate of meditation.... but without being able to get out, the days are VERY long.
I know this will heal but patience is not one of my virtues!
Really appreciate your sharing and wish you well
WmBlake salli91609
Posted
I'm a spry 69- year old myself! Yes, being homebound (at least 5 more weeks for me) is challenging. I've learned to "miniaturize" my adventures. Little trips (e.g. to the BR, den, kitchen, porch...) are travelling too.
Have you ever "prayed the paper". Read the paper in a sober, serious way. Pray for instance: for the health of the 500 Pakistani children who became HIV positive because their healthcare workers used dirty syringes; for the victims of drought in India; for Ebola patients; for sex trafficked women and men...
It sounds depressing, but it's not really. You will be instantly delivered from the prison of the four walls of your dwelling. Depending on your faith, you might doing good. You will be in the mainstream of human life.
That is what happening in the real "outside" world. It is different from millenials taking selfies of themselves on vacations.
You are not alone, my friend!
sanjeewa97871 salli91609
Posted
Hi Salli91609
I underwent Heel surgery about 14 months ago. It was referred to as Calcaneal Osteectomy including Busectomy and Achillis Tenoplasty / Repair. Sorry it sounds very technical but i used to be in severe heel pain for several years that impacted my ability to walk any distance. I used to limp a lot. In basic terms the point where the achilles tendon inserted to the heel bone was significantly calcified and the tendon was damaged but not ruptured. The surgeon had to cut away the excess bone and repair the damaged area of the tendon. Post surgery for 3 weeks no weight bearing. Wore a Cam Boot for nearly 8 weeks and was on crutches for 8 weeks as well. Was tough!. I kept the swelling to a minimum by elevating my leg. This was done for the 8 weeks. Once i started going to work after 4 weeks it used to swell a lot during the day as my job as a CFO was desk bound. However, used a stool to elevate and then when i returned home ice and elevating. I was 59 years old when i underwent surgery. Was in some degree of pain for nearly 12 months post surgery and my toes on the operated leg was numb for several hours a day. I retired from work (planned retirement) about 6 weeks after surgery. So i was able to go to the Gym on a regular basis. Did mostly cardio and resistance training. I have managed to lose some weight and am at the lowest weight since i was about 25 years. I have come to terms with retirement from a very high pressure job and i am happy. I travelled to Vietnam and Cambodia for a 2 week vacation and did a fair bit of walking whilst sight seeing. I have travelled to Australia a couple of times in the last 12 months as well. BTW i live in Sri Lanka. A very warm country. Things will improve with time. Be positive. At times you feel frustrated but it gets better with time. I would say after 14 months i am now 85% ok. All the best and keep your chin up.
melissa91009 salli91609
Posted
Hi. I had a Z lengthening of Achilles Tendon for a plantar flexion deformity at the end end of November 2018. (I was 36, now 37). I know it's different from your but it was hell. I have sciatic nerve damage from two open sciatic nerve release surgeries, 2013 and 2017, for scar tissue causing sciatic nerve adhesions to muscle and bone. My pain was so excruciating, pre-op (18 months of it), we decided to put an infusion block in for a week after surgery, which pumps local anesthetic to the sciatic nerve every 30 minutes, a PCA of morphine and endone. I was screaming and trying to rip the back slab cast off on day 2. Day 3, I was rating my pain 20/10. It was hell, literally, partly because they put the nerve infusion at the wrong spot. Should have been in my spine, above the damaged nerve so my whole leg would be blocked but they did the wrong thing and put it in my thigh. I had terrible cramping, spasms and pain. Pain will settle. I have full body dystonia too mainly caused by pain so I suffered with them 3-4 times a day for hours. I was wetting the bed due to the pain...
The way I got through the pain and frustration was (I literally wanted to die), to remember and tell myself that bodies heal. I was in ICU for a week and struggled on the ward. I had to stay in hospital for the next cast which they did under general anesthestic.
I came home on Christmas Day and the surgeon cut my cast off in early February. I'm still in a moon boot a) because my brain dystonia causes my ankle to get pushed out of its range of motion b) my surgeon also did a capsular repair and re aligned my ankle bones c) I'm very weak due to 2 years of being bed bound d) I've just found out my entire foot has osteoporosis and almost all of it has arthritis e) when I put weight through I cry due to the pain f) my tibia and fibula have shrunk and bowed (gracile bone) causing it to be at such a high fracture risk, my surgeon says I have to kept to boot on indefinitely. Sorry for my rant, it's just nice to talk to someone whose had similar surgery.
So, I'm 7 months post op and still have alot of pain. I've had multiple left ankle surgeries so I suspect my pain might be scar tissue getting caught. It's so frustrating as my surgeon refuses to help me as he doesn't know what to do. My neurologist is getting another dr to freeze my sciatic nerve so I no longer have pain and less brain dystonia but it will cause the loss of use of most of the use of my leg. I can't stand the pain anymore so just waiting for admission to hospital. I completely understand the frustration. I'm STILL in the boot. I've tried to stand without the boot but the pain is horrid.
I really hope you improve soon. Melissa x
melissa91009 salli91609
Posted
Sorry about my typos 😯