Day 15...post op. Worker's Comp.

The State of Colorado Worker's Comp Division called and told me my claim has been approved. After several days of deliberation, they decided this was a job related injury. I still get paid, but it's only 66.66% of my base salary. Ouch. At least there is a system that pays worker's hurt on the job. I had forgotten that I will not get a full paycheck until January. As a firefighter, I need to be 100%, and I'm unable to do light duty because the injury is on my driving foot. I have a 1 1/2 hour commute to get to the fire station, so driving could become an issue. Yes...I've heard you can drive with our left foot, but the liability falls on the driver with the boot on their driving leg. So...I'll be on worker's comp until mid-December.

I suggest that...if you can afford it...get short term disability insurance. It will help pay the rest. I had Aflac at one point, but dropped it a few years ago. Man...I wish I still had Aflac! That definitely would of helped. I'm the primary income spouse. My wife is a stay-at-home mom who has now picked up some part time hours in an attempt to cover the remainder of my salary. Grandma and Grandpa take over child care when she's working.

If your a weekend warrior sports type of person...pick up some disability insurance to protect your income and your family. Donations from parents and friends have helped out. Having a support network is tremendous during recovery!

My wife and I had built up an emergency fund in case something like this would happen. We hate tapping into it, but we need to pay the bills. Another word of advise...have an emergency fund! We've used a bit of our home equity, now carry a credit card balance, but the emergency fund will prove useful over the next few months.



August 15th: rupture day
August 15th: surgery day
August 26th: 1st doctor visit and I get the boot
September 16th: 2nd doctor's visit scheduled.

Still no weight bearing, but the boot offers more protection than the splint. My days still consist of trading stocks, studying for a class, watching movies on AMC, Xbox 360 (thanks neighbor), and resting the foot.

Day 14....resources

Here's a list of other websites and blogs about the Achilles tendon:

http://www.emedicine.com/sports/topic1.htm

Achilles Tendon Rupture Blog This blogger gave me the inspiration to write about my own recovery. He has some excellent ideas like the chair at the bathroom sink and the shower seat.

Everything About Achilles Tendons. You guessed it...everything you could possibly want to learn about the Achilles Tendon.

Check out youtube as well. They have several videos, including two that showed the Achilles rupturing. Listen to the pop! Not for the squemish however.
Video 1
Video 2

Day 14 has just started for me. A bit of throbbing pain when I woke up this morning, but I did not take my ibuprofen in the middle of the night. Let's see how the rest of the day progresses.

Day 13 post surgery

Here's a look at the boot that I will wear for the next 8-weeks. It's a Donjoy. Ohh...what a joy! It's similar to casting, but I can take it off to clean my lower leg. If you look at the sides of the boot, there are dials on each side. These dials will slowly take my foot from a 22.6-degree plantar flexion position to 90-degrees for weight bearing. Currently, I have to wait 4-weeks before bearing any weight on the leg. So...I'm either on crutches (upstairs in the house) or using the Roll-a-Bout (downstairs and outside) to get around. I can't wait to start bearing some weight!

I relatively pain free now, and have reduced my ibuprofen intake to 400 mg twice a day. My nerve endings are coming back from the surgery with shooting hot pains around my foot or ankle. I still keep it elevated as the pain increases when the foot is down. I'm not icing as frequently, but will ice it in the evening. The evening hours seem to be the worst. Probably from a long day of Playstation 2, surfing the web, studying for a class, napping, etc.


August 15th: Rupture Day
August 15th: Surgery
August 26th: 1st visit to the doc and I get the boot
September 16th: 2nd visit scheduled.

11-Day Check Up

Day 11, and I had my first visit with the Doc since surgery. He said that everything was O.K. after my little stunt yesterday. I had my soft splint and about 15 staples removed. The staples were surprisingly painless as the tech removed them from the incision site. I figured removing staples would hurt like hell, but no...painless. It felt great to have fresh air on my lower leg, and I was able to massage down to my ankle. God that felt good!

I talked the Doc into letting me wear the boot instead of getting casted. I wear the boot for 4-weeks and then get and adjustment to my foot angle every 2-weeks after that. "Frankenboot" as I've heard other blogs call it, is a rather beastly looking contraption. The best part of the boot is....I can take it off to shower. A clean fresh smelling lower leg and foot?....Yeah Baby!!

The physician assistant ask me if I've ever had any problems with the ankle prior to the rupture; tendonitits, etc. They see 6 to 7 Achilles ruptures a year at their office and they were studying why. I sprained my ankle over 20-years ago, ran a 1/2 marathon in May 2008 (ton of run time prior to the event), but no other problems prior. I wonder if the 200-miles of running starting in January had something to do with it. I never had any Achilles problems, just shin splints. So...it was a freak thing...it just popped when I pushed off on my right foot. He also said the best therapy is walking on it, but I'm several weeks away from that.

I hope to finish the Colfax Marathon in Denver in May. Cross your fingers.


August 15th: rupture day
August 15th: surgery day
August 26th: soft splint off, boot on.

Day 10....setback

I had a bit of a setback today. Whilst riding my roll-a-bout, I lost my concentration and started to fall towards my injured right side. I stuck my foot out to regain my balance and the entire event was like a slow motion movie. I knew I was going to land on my bad foot, but I could not do anything about it! Wham!...I stepped on my injured foot. Ouch!...Ouch!...Ouch! I'm elevating and icing the area, but I'm concerned of a re-rupture. The pain was tremendous, but I did not feel that kick in the back of leg, or the burning sensation in my calf muscle.

The thoughts running through my head are this: Did I re-rupture the tendon? Have I injured something else in the general vicinity? WTF...dude...use your concentration!

I have my first Doctor's visit tomorrow. I presume I'll be placed in a cast for 4 to 5 weeks, but I have no idea what to expect. Hopefully....my Achilles tendon is still in tact and I don't have to go through surgery again. Plus...I hate peeing in that urinal thing!

I've removed my splint several times during my recovery. Either to readjust the position of the splint due to rubbing or just plain old itching! The splint is on when I'm moving around the house, but I take it off occasionally when I'm icing or resting. When I ice the tendon, I find the cold penetrates the splint better with the hard sections removed. Plus, I'm able to move my foot a bit which is very encouraging. I can move the foot in left and right circle patterns and up and down very slowly. I'm not looking forward to a cast. I will not be able to move my foot and scratch an itch, but it's probably for the best.

What do you think? Should I keep the splint on and not move the foot? Or, does moving the foot and massaging the calf muscle lead to a quicker rehab?

Let me know.

Day 9 post injury

Sunday. Sunday's are always good days.

I was in total agony last night. I thought I would ween myself off of the ibuprofen last night and did not take my 800mg pill. Man...what a mistake. I woke up several times in total pain! I snatched up my ibuprofen and took it as directed. Nice...pain free.

I started my Achilles tendon protest beard on rupture day. I figured in Hockey they have playoff beards...so how 'bout an Achilles tendon protest beard! I'll grow the thing until I go back to work. My wife hates it. So, if I want to keep receiving the fantastic care that she gives me, I'll have to rethink my "playoff" beard.

Review:
8/15/08 rupture day
8/26/08 my first appointment with the doc after surgery

August 15, 2008

I'm starting this blog to document my recovery from Achilles tendon surgery. Rupture day happened on August 15th, 2008. I had surgery the same day (7-hours later), and I'm in my 8th day post surgery recovery when I started this project. I'll start with day one, and progress day to day until I am released for full duty at work. This first post will be a bit long as I'm already at Day 9 post op, and I'll get everyone caught up.

Day one. Rupture day.

I'm a fire fighter. During my shift on the morning of the 15th, everything started out routine. I checked in with my crew and checked out with the crew going off duty. I completed my equipment checks and started to wind down a bit waiting for a meeting to start. The fellas were in the apparatus bay tossing a football. I set my cup of coffee down on the back bumper of the Battalion's Chief car and told one of the guys, "Hey, I'll be your running back, hand off the ball on the next snap." He got the ball, I took a step forward to take the hand off, and... Wham! Who in the hell just hit me in the back of the leg!! Did somebody kick me? Did I get shot? Nope, by Achilles tendon ruptured. Wow...what incredible pain. My calf felt like it was on fire, and I thought I sprained my ankle. I kept looking back to see what hit me...but there was nothing there but my cup of coffee on the bumper.

The boys transported me to the ER in the very ambulance that I work on. The doc looked me over and diagnosed a full rupture of the Achilles tendon using the Thompson test. I was stunned. I was in a fair amount of pain, so they gave me a shot of Tordal and told me that I could have surgery that day. You bet! Get me in! Get me fixed! Get me out! Nope...I was told the recovery period could be over 16-weeks. I threw out the 3 W's: Wait!...Whoa!....What?! Just put my boot on Doc...I'll get back to work. When the physical therapist gave me the "how to use crutches exam," That's is when my reality set in.

I'm looking at December or possibly longer to return to working as a fire fighter. Devastating! I guess worker's compensation will help out, but what about bills, my wife, my 2-year-old daughter. Who's going to mow the lawn? I was going aerate yards this fall for extra money....that's out. How long will I be out of work? wow. miserable. I just want to do my job. I love doing what I do.

I was transferred from the ER to the OR. I was met by an Orthopedist from Vail Orthopedic Center. He also ask me questions and performed the Thompson test again. I still have a full tear of the Achilles tendon ( I was secretly hoping the whole thing was a sick joke and I would be climbing aboard a fire engine in a few hours). We are scheduled for surgery at 5 pm. wow.

Surgery

I met with the OR nurse, anesthesiologist, doctor, family, and god. They ask several questions about my medical history, medications, etc. Once nurse distracted me while the other stuck a 20-gage I.V. needle in my arm. The nurse gave me some Verced to, "make me more comfortable," and it made me more comfortable! They rolled me back into the operating room, and the last thing I remember is a green mask being placed over my face and the anesthesiologist saying, "relax....take some deep breaths." Goodnight.

I woke up in the recovery room. Groggy, but I could understand commands and recognize where I was. They say I had some problems coming out of anesthesia, but all I remember is my nurse saying, "take some deep breaths." My leg was now in a "splint." The back and sides are of a hard material, probably fiberglass, but it's surrounded by bandages. It's not bad. The bandages move with swelling and my foot feels secure. I have no pain due to the amount of drugs that are on board. I had the choice of going home or staying the night. I stayed overnight. Good choice.

I was loaded up with pain medications and thoughts of running with both legs. Looking under the blanket at my ankle brought be back to reality. I was in excellent hands at Summit Medical Center in Frisco, CO. The only thing I had problems with--peeing in the urinal they gave me. When I had previous surgeries, I encountered the same situation. With shoulder surgery, I had to try the whole thing with one hand, so I peed allover myself....total humiliation, with a pinch of humor thrown in. So, understandably, I was a bit apprehensive on my first attempt. I could not go....until I was threatened with a catheter being inserted to "make me pee." I peed. I Showed the nurse my half full urinal with a smile.

Day One Post Op

Food...food...food. I was obsessed with food. I had not eaten anything but a donut and cofee at 8:30 am on rupture day. Give me food! I ordered breakfast from the room service menu and chowed down way too fast. Here's a tip: take it slow when you get that first chance to eat. I must of looked like one of the contestants of Survivor on day 28 when they won a food reward challenge.

I was still loaded up on morphine, vallium, tordal...basically a cocktail of drugs, so I had no pain. I felt like it was a bad dream and I could walk out at anytime using both feet. It's still a bad dream. I was discharged around 1pm for my ride back home. My wife stayed the night with me on a pull-out bed. I think reality was starting to set in for her having with having to take care of 2 children now instead of one. But, her love and support have been amazing.

Day 3 post op

Pain! Ouch! It felt like the bones on my ankle were rubbing against the splint. My wife and I were able to remove the bandaging and hard parts of the splint. We kept the bandages on underneath, but the relief I felt was tremendous! We tried putting in padding, but I awoke again with pain. I soon realized that my three days of percocet were wearing off, and the pain was coming from the suture and the Achilles area. Ouch! I tried to ween myself off the fog of oxycotinin and percocet, but I wanted the fog again! Bring it on! I took the padding out, tightened up the bandaging around the splint and drifted off to dreams of running a 1/2 marathon again.

Day 4 post op

I'm getting off the drugs man. I told my wife to hide the percocet and ocycotinin and just give me the 800mg of ibuprofen. I'm a bit sick from the withdrawls, but it's worth it having a clear head. It's only day 4, but how to people deal with the mental aspect of such a long recovery process? It's beginning to sink in as I read other blogs, discussion boards and websites regarding the recovery and rehab process. Hopefully I can return to work in December, but working as a fire fighter is similar to an athlete; you have to be 100% back on your game to be successful. But, successful in the fire fighting world is much different then the sports world; it could mean the difference between life and death.

Worker's comp called. My adjuster asked several questions about my injury, how we workout during the day, our workout records, do I workout on my days off, why do you play football during your downtime, etc. As a firefighter, we spend our day running emergent and non-emrgent calls, cleaning, inspecting, etc. We're required to workout 1-hour a day, and train 1 to 2 hours a day. During downtime or for a workout, we might choose to play basketball, ping pong, or throw a ball around. Our human resources director called and said that Worker's comp is going to deny the claim. Swell. It's off to short term disability, co-pays, and deductibles. I wish I could rewind time.

Day 5 post op

I'm off the drugs and my head is clear. Ibuprofen is now my drug of choice for awhile as it takes away the pain during the night and day. I find myself sweating more...drugs?....mental? Not sure. I'm focusing on keeping my leg elevated and resting so the repair is successful. I'm very lucky though. I have my wife and a tremendous support group helping me through this. My wife has been incredible taking care of a crazy two-year-old and a depressed 43-year-old. Check them out over at coscovils.blogspot.com.

How can I be depressed. I'm going to get better. What about those who are in a hospital for over a year, or for the rest of their lives. wow. My life is good. At then end of this experience, I think I might volunteer to help those in my situation or worse. I'm already empathetic with my patients on the job, but this drives home what their long term care situation might be. I've received several phone calls of support from my brothers at work and friends. I'm a lucky dude.

Day 7 post op

The crutches are a pain in my ribs! There has to a better way...and there is! We rented a "Roll-a-Bout." It's basically a scooter that supports the weight of my bad leg and I push myself around the house. Awesome! My hands are free! I can roll with my daughter to the park! If you find yourself in my situation, buy or rent one of these things. There are several different varieties out there. We found mine on our local Craig's List and rented it from a private dealer. You can rent them directly from the websites as well for about the same cost. We just cut out the delivery time to get one right away.

Day 8 post op

My dad arrived from Illinois to spend a few days with us. When he booked the trip, I was healthy and running around. We had plans to see a Rockies game tomorrow, but that came to a rupturing halt last Friday. They spend some time at our house as I recover and we catch up on life, etc.

My wife showed some signs of frustration as the workload and managing our daughter is starting to sink in. Her Swedish nature keeps her calm and collected though. She had to mow the lawn for the first time in a long time yesterday. God I miss mowing the lawn!

I still check blogs and discussion boards about others experiences. Here's an excellent blog full of information: Achilles Tendon Rupture Blog. I have this glimpse of hope that I will be up and walking about in a few weeks. Nope! Your in for the long haul brother! I spend my days focusing on keeping the leg elevated and resting over the first few weeks. I played a few rounds of golf at the TPC in Scottsdale, Arizona the other day. Ok...it was Tiger Woods 2004 on Playstation, but it occupied a bit of time.