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.