Get some calf strength already!

16 weeks, 3 days post-op

Today was a rough one at PT. Apparently I'm not as far as I should be with regards to calf strength. I need to push the calf raises harder, to exhaustion, and not let my beefy right leg do all the work. It was especially frustrating because I feel like I've gotten a lot stronger in the past week - I've been biking more, walking and not getting tired, etc. My flexibility is really good, so that made me feel better. Doing the gastroc stretch I'm at 30, which is about normal. With my knee bent I'm at 30, and 35 is normal. I've improved since last time, and I'd tell you how much but I forgot! I have 3 more PT sessions before they set me loose, so go calf muscle go!

I have been biking for about 40 minutes at a time, in higher and higher gears (I keep it low enough so my injured leg can contribute equally). I've been walking more - I no longer need to analyze the amount of walking in a given activity to decide whether I should do it or not.

A friend from college was in town - Angela and her boyfriend. It was fun to hang out with them, we went to Grand Ole Creamery and walked up and down Grand (see previous comment about walking).

I went to my first sand volleyball tournament this weekend. It was a lot of fun to see my friends and to catch up. It was a little weird to be there and not be playing. I realized one good thing about being injured and not playing sand volleyball: my toenails stay painted a lot longer. I think I'd rather play :) I fielded the question, "Why aren't you playing today?" a couple of times, to which I replied with a showing of my scar.

My handicap pass expired. Not that I really need it anymore, but it was convenient for meter parking downtown.

We did not close on the house. The seller was trying to back out of the deal so we gave him 30 more days and offered a little more on the closing costs. We'll see what happens.

When I need a good laugh, I can always look at the pictures below - taken on my husband's cell phone in the pre-op room. I look like an old lady!

Shoe Dilemma Solved (for now)

13 weeks, 6 days post-op

Well, I got it all figured out. After buying and returning about 5 pairs of shoes and annoying the crap out of my husband...



The Sofft ballet flats are the first ones I bought: right after my doctor's appointment I went straight to Marshalls (he said wear what's comfortable - although these gave me a huge blister... see below...). For walking, I found some New Balance slip on shoes at Kohl's. For walking sandals, I ordered the Chaco Wrapsody from Zappos (instant gratification - I ordered them on Saturday and they arrived on Monday - free shipping!). I kept the Chaco flip flops because my physical therapist said they'd be ok to wear - not for a lot of walking though - and because I love flip flops. And, I wear my Crocs too. None of the shoes are really "dressy" but I don't really need to dress up and they are all comfortable for walking and don't rub against my scar. Success! Finally. It looks like a lot of shoes... but that's all I can wear!



Here's how red my left foot gets after standing on it for a while.

I am doing well according to my physical therapist. She gave me the ok to start riding a real bike, not a stationary one! I haven't tried it yet because today was cold and rainy yet again. But maybe tomorrow. I am focusing on strengthening exercises: calf raises (I'm at about 50-60% weight on the injured leg, and the goal is to get to 100%), sidesteps (my husband thinks this one is funny), gastroc stretch, step down (I stand on a book with my injured leg and tap my right heel on the ground), and balancing on one leg. The step down is strengthening my leg so I can, among other things, go down stairs like a normal person. Lately I have been alternating feet as I'm going down stairs, holding on to the railing for extra support.



I still have an adhesion at the stop of the scar. My PT says it will go away eventually. I gave all my medical equipment back to my sister to take back to Goodwill. The last thing to go was the shower stool, which I didn't actually use in the shower but used in the bathroom to rest my leg on. I have been going for walks for fun and to continue to strengthen my weak leg. I got rid of my foot rest at work so I'm not elevating my leg anymore during the day.

I've been thinking back on how far I've come and how nice it is to be able to walk. There's still a long way to go though. There have been a couple of times when I've been walking with people and they forget I can't run and start darting through traffic to cross the street. I was thinking what I'd do if a car was heading for me - run to get out of the way and risk going through the Achilles rehab again, or just take the hit. I think I'd just take the hit.



I've gotten addicted to watching the Today Show in the morning... I used to get so tired from just getting ready in the morning that I'd have to lay on the couch for a while before going to work. Now I have a lot more energy, but it's really fun to watch TV in the morning! Oh well...

I also cut 6 inches off my hair. I had gotten my hair cut two days before I tore my Achilles. After I realized how difficult it was to bathe, I wished I had chopped it!

Oh, and the biggest news of all - I almost forgot - we are in the process of buying a house. My injury had put a damper on looking for houses. Once I could walk, we started looking again and found one we both love! Photos coming soon...