Achilles Rupture Recovery

An easy transition at a Christmas market

(Dec 8th-14th – 19mins read)

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Monday: The walk to my partner’s flat in the morning got longer with her move … it took me about 18 mins this morning to walk the not quite 1km – with about 12kg on my back, I’m using both crutches to get me to work and back via her place for a coffee and a lift to the train station; the rain almost got me calling for a pick-up, but only almost. I mean, she’ll pick me up at the drop of a hat, I know, buuut I also need the movement first thing (think: thrombosis prevention).

Work was (actually pleasant but) uneventful, cardio at the physio is mentioned below, so we can skip to a few visuals of the Achilles Rebuild exercises (ankle mobility unit daily + lower body strength 2-3 times a week) which consumed a good 1 1/2 hours this evening … nah, more like 2 hours plus another 30mins to give him feedback and send a few short videos when I think about it; ‘stats’ below in the ‘milestones’:

Positive Moment(s): At the risk of boringly repeating myself … I really do love the 15mins or so at the bakery in the morning on the way to work … a pleasant ‘bubble’ away from the office / physio exercises / general hubbub & life stress, a short period of time just for thoughts to myself whilst chilling in a pleasant atmosphere … and I STILL really appreciate that I can leave my rucksack and crutches at a corner table, walk back to where one of the friendly ladies is getting my coffee ready without crutches, and then carry the tray with coffee and a bite to eat back to the table without spilling anything. Little things. Little things.

Although I’ve temporarily returned to using 2 crutches for the longer stretches (today, returning from the train station in my home town to the physio place to do some cardio), I took pleasure in about 2.000 slow but steady and (relatively) even steps, without pain, through the town centre on a mild, dry day (no jacket necessary – it’s almost cardio just walking 😅). No time pressure. Time to concentrate on my walking (including my ‘lazy’ left hip), but also to simply take in the details of the well-known high street.

Cardio: I would say normally boring as shit, the stationary bike … but it was only 30mins zone 1 done whilst watching some Netflix (Stranger Things series 4 still), occasionally looking around me, appreciating the partially old-fashioned, relatively small but empty (except for an old lady for about 10mins) fitness area, plenty of big green plants, ice rink and trees to look at out of the window. I’m enjoying getting to know this part of the physio practice!

Last but not least: after the cardio session I spent a couple of really pleasant hours chilling with my partner at her new apartment before she drove me home (ended up being 7.250 steps today on my iPhone … so probs more like 8-8.5k total, not chasing numbers, she saved me another 1200 by driving me). Meant I got to see our little doggo again too 😍.

Tuesday: Today has been a really good day – wrt one aspect, the weather, here’s a point of reference: I went to physio this afternoon at 4pm … in shorts. I’m English and any day with temperature in double-digit centigrade is fair game for shorts in my book but today we had a high of 16°C / 61°F. Lucky for you, no pics 😅. 3 x 10 Seated calf raises with 5kg / 11lbs in the morning too 👏 💪 🙌.

Start of the day was mostly same old, same old (but good) apart from that; off to the boulder gym like pretty much every Tuesday morning … definitely a highlight of the week. Still had sore muscles from the little bit I did on Sunday, which just shows how much I need to do some upper body work … so did some hanging from various holds at chest-/head-height (no ACTUAL bouldering though, of course!). Good talks, as always, also with the lady who runs the gym, together with her husband – they’re just such a nice couple; she also drove me over to the train station at lunchtime so I could get the train back home.

Various calls for work, emails, nothing special apart from a good 1:1 with my manager … he really seems to appreciate what I do wrt team building, looking after our crew at work – am jointly responsible for our location, so organise e.g. the Christmas event and it seems this does not go unnoticed / unappreciated.

Physio was good too … yet another (for me) new PT, he was great 🙏! He seemed happy with my tendon and what I’m doing, listened to me talking for ages (so deserves a medal for that already 😅). Then another 30mins of cardio were on the cards, I’d decided … so, more Netflix and getting sweaty … feels GREAT 💪 🥳 🕺!

Positive Moment(s): Pretty much EVERYTHING today! Aaaand … my middle son made dinner and brought my plateful to me in bed 👏 🥳 🕺 😍 … greasy, crispy, vegan samosas and spring rolls with my son’s homemade dip 🤤 … not the healthiest, but I’ve had nothing but healthy food today so far, so screw it 😜 !!

Milestone(s): First time hanging on the boulder wall since my injury … NOT bouldering, rather, 40-60% hanging/gripping exercises on holds at chest to head height (so no danger of falling) – gotta say, am at least a bit stoked regarding the climb at Christmas!!

Wednesday: Forgot to finish my mobility unit yesterday (Netflix during and after dinner until I went to sleep); forgot the thrombosis injection too for the first time (was not at home when my alarm went, due to physio/cardio, set a timer, when it went off later at home, couldn’t remember what I’d set it for … 🤣 🙈); missed my 8:11 train this morning (having for the first time actually finished the entire mobility unit first thing). Luuurve it when a plan comes together 🙄.

And that was just the beginning of ‘one of those days’: discovered a big fail in design work from my team and myself in the afternoon, schedule got shot to pieces. Did at least finish my mobility drills, if late in the evening (leading me to push the lower body strength again 🙄). Gutted that I’m missing the work Christmas event taking place tomorrow, which a colleague and I organised: we have two locations 500km apart, this time it’s at ‘the other place’ -> 5 hours in the car, plus a several hours event … just not doable for me, unfortunately, so will be missing it for the first time in something like 20 years … buuut, “It is what it is!” 😅.

Positive Moment(s): We had a visit at work from a couple of great guys from a local supplier – they actually flew with a colleague and myself to see our remote USA colleagues in California this summer … THAT was a great trip! This time was much more low key with us just giving them a tour of our new offices plus providing them with a kind of typical Bavarian breakfast speciality “Weißwurstfrühstück” (often available up to noon). Many laughs were had … some of them at my expense, but thaaat’s ok … ‘cos I can give as good as I get 😎 – our humour is kind of ‘take no prisoners’ kinda thing 😁.

In that scheme of things, it came to be talked about that a real witch of a neighbour I have (think: “Wicked Witch of the West”, not “Good Witch of the South”!) has been seen with exactly the same boot on as I have. I had wondered why I hadn’t seen her in so long. Now, I wouldn’t wish this injury on my worst enemy … but I have to say just a leeeettle bit of me thinks that in her case it might just be karma – as a point of reference, one of many possible examples, I heard her shouting at her little 2yr old grandchild the German equivalent of, “Shut your face, you little git!”. At any rate, I didn’t push her down the stairs. I promise 😁 😎.

Milestone(s): Remembered my thrombosis injection today … yay … only to see I had been given a different type; was too distracted to think, hmm, maybe I should read the instructions again, ‘cos maybe it needs to be done differently. At least, until about 5 mins after I’d already done it 😬 🤦‍♂️. Lived to tell the tale, though … but I REALLY would recommend a) getting the same ones (the doc’s prescription obviously left the choice of medication to the chemist), and b) if you can’t, at least read the instructions first!

Thursday: Gonna kick off with what’s actually a ‘milestone’, because I still can’t really believe it … I opened up the VACOped this evening to 10°, expecting the worst, and then it was actually pretty easy … kind of ‘too easy’, compared to the move to 15° … which had me worrying about elongation 😬 (although I know, in my head, that I’m fine at the moment for sure). Did 250 steps per foot right off the bat, then put it back to 15° for tonight and tomorrow (going to work, possibly long walks, certainly train rides, don’t want to take unnecessary risks); if it’s this easy tomorrow afternoon, though, I shall leave it at 10° already.

Getting into the swing of things with the newer mobility exercises: 5kg / 11lbs weighted seated calf raises are almost comfortable already (will up the weight tomorrow again, I guess); banded eversion / inversion / plantar flexion seem to be dialled down. A bit of a bummer: ran out of time again with the lower body strength unit … so moved it back a day AGAIN 🙄.

Positive Moment(s): Coffee with my partner and our dog first thing; scrambled eggs on toast with coffee for brunch with my middle son made by me; a delicious parma ham sandwich plus a beer for a 4:30pm ‘afternoon tea’ at the local bakery after physio / cardio 😜; an amazing beef, bacon and lentil stew for a late dinner made by my middle son. Yes, you can get to me via my tummy … so sue me 😁 😎 !

Walked the 800m to physio without using crutches, felt fine in the sun, with 9°C / 48°F … so much so I put on shorts again (primarily thinking of doing the cardio direct after physio without having to change); actually enjoyed not just the physio (and chat during the session) but also the cardio … normally, I’d have said that a stationary bike is dreadfully boring, buuut having Netflix Stranger Things 4 running really makes it more than bearable … plus, my pulse was low and relatively steady today after a good night’s sleep, in contrast to the last 2 sessions (one has to realise occasionally I shift my position, twice I’ve knocked my mobile onto the floor, etc. which lead to fluctuations in the pulse, not to mention concentration on the RPM drifting a little here and there due to Netflix … buuut it was principally the same load: 30 mins @ 100W @ 75rpm -> ’10km’):

Milestone(s): First 250 steps on my affected foot with the boot set to 10°.

Friday: Managed at least the intro of the ankle mobility (massage, ankle pump, inversion/eversion) plus the seated calf raises plus banded inversion / eversion exercises this morning before leaving for the train. Again and again it gets me how long pretty much EVERYTHING takes. You think, well, it’s just like 3 exercises … and it sort of is … but it’s getting on for 20mins, even if it’s theoretically maybe only about 10. Nevertheless, needs to be done, gotta get these in twice a day; really, I need to include the banded plantar flexion as well: although these and the calf raises both target the calf, the seated calf raises load the soleus more, the straight-legged the gastroc. Time for a little calf / foot anatomy tomorrow, I think …

Positive Moment(s): My youngest son (15) went with my eldest daughter (30) to see the cats at a local cat hospice where she is a sponsor of a couple of the cats; on his return this evening he came in to see me, I interupted my exercises and we actually talked for a while; the funny bit: he caught me taking pics of my feet and so on as I did my exercises … and asked me if I was generating new content for my “OnlyFans” page 😂 ; my middle son put quite a bit of effort into cleaning up the apartment today during school / work time.

Milestone(s): Walked the 900m from the train station to the office in the morning and from the office back to the station in the afternoon for the first time since the injury; Stranger Things series 4 finished 😎 … almost time for series 5! Dozed this afternoon for an hour without the boot on already for the first time 💪.

Saturday: A beautiful, crisp-cold, sunny day with blue sky greeted me as I woke, refreshed, without an alarm. A brief look at the Reddit app … “I can write answers to new comments and chats at my partner’s,” I think, getting myself dressed and ready to single-crutch over to her new place. On the way, I notice the usual Saturday market is missing, replaced with a flurry of action as the Christmas market is organised and brought up to speed … indeed, the Bavarian Christmas markets in December can be a real pleasure; of course they revolve around food and drink – what else! – but there is always lots to do / look at, frequently live music and generally friends to meet, a Christmas atmosphere to enjoy … particularly when the weather is as promising as it is this morning!

Had a nice talk with my eldest son – we don’t take advantage enough of the fact that he lives next door; was gobsmacked that he almost did a perfect pistol squat the first time he’s ever tried (he’d never heard of them).

Milestone(s): boot dialled in to 10° without any problems – a handful of 300-500 steps in the apartment on the new setting, each time it get’s a little easier to move from 2 crutches to – in the meantime – crutchless steps!

Sunday: Am loading the ROM plantar exercises with about 5kg now … still feels solid as a rock. These, plus the weighted seated calf raises are what I need to really nail the preparation for ‘proper’ calf raises … but they’re a-coming, no doubt about it 👏 💪 🙌 🙏 !

Taking it relatively easy yesterday (with lots of time out of the boot) has definitely done my little right toe a favour: it’s still hurting a bit, but it’s gone down a fair bit compared to yesterday; a good night’s sleep (10 hours or so) definitely also helped – surprise 🤪 !

Reddit: A few interesting interactions today:
– Elongation: “Was there some recent studies about elongation when going the non-op route?”
– Aggressive PT: “Is my PT too agressive? “SKIPPING” at 11 weeks??“
– Sleeping out of the boot: not so much an individual current post, but a thought that is going through my head.

Positive Moment(s): Spoiled again with breakfast in bed by my partner 🙏 🥰 ; appreciating the local Christmas market food and drinks, first with my partner, then 3 of my kids and my eldest son’s girlfriend joined us (which is actually pretty much a milestone wrt my youngest son and my partner … a story for another day). A Glühwein and Raclette-on-Baguette just before 12pm …

Instagram … like so many things, a blessing and a curse at the same time. This morning my feed presented me an amazing story about a positive mindset in the climbing world: Angelino Zeller had a hanggliding accident in 2017; paralysed from the waist down, he has become one of the world’s leading paraclimbers. You may think your calves have shrunk 🥹, but some of the legs in this video 😵‍💫 … so, let’s concentrate on the good stuff: this guy gets on the treadmill sitting in a wheelchair; he (lead) climbs outdoor rocks … yes, clipping without being able to use his legs for anything other than a bit of momentum as he moves; he’s out there in beautiful scenery doing some amazing climbing, or taking part in competitions … without the use of his legs – absolutely amazing!

Milestone(s): Did my ankle mobility exercises at my partner’s for the first time – an odd milestone, one might think, but it involved me consciously taking some gear with me, finding the right positions in a new environment. So I’m counting it as a milestone 😜.

10° is here to stay – took the first few steps outside still on the 15° setting, then swapped, used two crutches for a while … by the time I’d wandered around the Christmas market for a bit, I was down to one crutch (the other like a ninja sword stuck between my back and the rucksack 🥷 😎); before I got home I was taking crutchless steps with zero problem 💪 🥳🕺 !

Think the next change needs to be done a) on a day where I’ve slept well, b) after a few hundred steps pre-change setting to ‘warm up’, and then c) multiple times a good lot of steps on the new setting all in the apartment. Reckon that will seal the change in a day with less drama than the 15° change. Nobody tells you this, though – the prototcols just say, “change the boot setting to xx° ” 🙄.

Oh yeah … cracked the 7k ‘average steps per day’ this week for the first time (recorded by the iPhone, which I don’t always have with me 😬). Also had what I think was the first tiny warning sign from my injury site as I took the last ‘stroll’ outside this evening … 🙈. I thought I’d taken it easier this weekend.

Future-Sol’s reflections (date: xx.xx.20xx): < to come at some point in the future >

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