Weekly Training Update (Sept 29 - Oct 5th)

Monday - 20 min elliptical

Tues - 30 min aquajog

Wed - 20 min elliptical

Thurs - 15 min elliptical

Fri - 35 min aquajog (25 with belt, 10 without)

Sat - 25 min elliptical, 5 min aquajog, 5 min swim.  Also did a lot of walking at the XC meet (first meet without wearing a boot)

Sun -Off

Same Old - Same Old

Not a whole lot to report.  The medial side pain is still bothering me.  I've backed off the PT a little bit, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.  Starting next week (tomorrow), I am going to start to log my training.

Third Post-Op Doctors Appointment & PT Session (3 month)

Even though I won't hit the 3 month post-op date until next week, Il had my appointment scheduled for this week.  It was pretty early in the morning, so I ended up having to take the day off of work.

When I got there, Doc examined the wound/scar and seemed to think everything looked good (there is still a small scab, but it doesn't seem to be a concern).  He measured by dorsiflexion and recorded the measurements for both feet.  He had me walk around a little bit and do some heel raises.  According to him, everything seems to be going well, and that I should continue to elliptical, and do more of the physical therapy stuff (more on that later).  As for running, it appears that it is still several weeks away.  He said that once I can elliptical for 50 min (5x days a week), I can start to ease into running.

I did talk with him about the new pain on the medial side of the foot.  He did not seem overly concerned about it.  He explained that pain there is somewhat common, and that it will take time before it goes away.  According to his explanation, when they detach the Achilles from the base of the heel, they do not detach the entire Achilles.  The portion that's hurting was likely not detached.  Because it was not detached, and the rest was, things are a little out of sync.  I believe it has something to do with the tightness of the Achilles.  Hopefully in time, things will sync back up and the pain will go away.

After the appointment with Porter (lasted about 15-20 min) I went to PT.  The PT went well.  I ellipticaled for 10 min and then talked with her about moving forward.  She gave me a program to gradually increase my ellipticalling to 50 min (5x per week).  After some calculating, I'm guessing I'll be there sometime around Mid-November.  I am also allowed to start calf stretching against the wall.  This will be my first time doing any type of PT that has involved dosiflexing my foot since the surgery.  I can also start to increase my balancing on 1 foot.  I am going to start standing on a pillow/air-cushion.  I can also continue to use the thera-band.

For the immediate future, the PT lady suggested that I back off from the 1 legged heel raises because it tends to make the new pain I am having increase in intensity.  I will plan to follow this advice, for the next few days, and then slowly get back into it.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with the visit.  I'm glad I was able to get my questions answered (mainly about my pain on the medial side).  It sounds like I am on the right track.  I just need to continue to be patient and trust that in time things will improve.  On a side note, I did ask about skiing this winter.  To my surprise, Porter seemed to be OK with the idea...as long I was able to run.  Based on my calculations, this may be very much a possibility...I'm just trying to not get my hopes up too much.

First Time in the Pool...New Pain Still Bothering Me

It's been an eventful couple of days.  I've been able to get on the elliptical for 3 days (10 min each time) (wed, thurs, and fri), and everything felt good.  Yesterday, was the New Prairie Invite.  It was a long day, and a lot of walking around.  I wore my boot, and I'm glad I did.  Today I went to the Y and aqua jogged for 10 min.  This was my first time since the surgery, and it felt good.  It felt the same as my other foot.

I am a little concerned that the inside (left) part of my heel is still bothering me.  The pain seems to have transferred to that area.  It's been about a week now.  The pain is more towards the base of the heel (I'm guessing it's were the Achilles attaches to the base of the heel, but towards the inside part of the heel.  I have notice that after walking around or doing the PT, it the pain moves north to just below/on insertional point (but on the inside/left).  The pain feels similar to the pain I had on the other side.  For what it's worth, the part of the Achilles that used to hurt feels great.

Last School Day in the Boot (fingers crossed)

I am hoping that today marks the last day of the wearing my boot to school.  I've been alternating days for the past 2 weeks, and I due to be done wearing it.  I got in 10 min on the Elliptical.  I really don't like the elliptical, but it's one step closer to running.

Elliptical - Take 1

I did the elliptical for the first time today.  It was only 10 min, but it felt good.

New Pain Starting to Develop (2 steps forward, 1 step backward)

Overall, things seem to be going well, however, I am having some pain on the other side of my foot.  It is sore towards the inside part of the foot, below the ankle, towards the back by the Achilles.  (See last 2 pics).  It feels similar to the pain I was having prior to the surgery, but on the other side.  I'm not overly concerned right not, but I do want to make sure to monitor it.  I'm hoping it'll get better as I continue to strengthen it, and get used to walking in shoes again.

Feeling More and More Normal (XC Meet & Cutting Grass)

Not much to report, other than things seem to be going well.  The scab is still there.  I am still focusing on the PT, and hopefully it'll continue to improve.  The desensitization is improving as well.  This weekend I have an xc meet, and I also plan to cut the grass (first time since the surgery). 

First Full Day in Shoes!

Today was a bit of a milestone for me.  I went to work in shoes, and it went well!  I noticed that it felt the best after it loosened/warmed up.  If I was sitting for a while, it would be more sore when I would get up to walk around.  I'm still walking pretty slowly, and I'm not too fluid.  I'm sure it'll get better over the next couple of days/weeks/months.  I will wean off the boot every other day for the next 1 to 2 weeks.

Wedding Reception & XC Meet

Today was really busy day, and I was expecting to not hold up as well as I did.  In the morning I had to go to Lansing, IL for the Rich Dust XC meet.  It was really wet and sloppy, so I wore my bad boot.  After the meet, I spent some time setting up the reception hall for the Jodi and I's reception.  I then went over to Ryan's place to grab some food and relax.  I then went to the reception.  I wore the boot because I didn't want to risk anything.  By the end of the day, I was pretty worn out.  The next day, I was expecting to have some swelling around my ankle.  However, it ended up being fine.

Shoes In the Evenings & Scab is Reforming

I'm still weaning off the boot with shoes in the evening.  It's feeling pretty good.  I have noticed that the scab has started to reform (still very early stages).  If you look closely at the picture where the scab used to be, it wasn't fully healed.  Still doing standing heel raises, thera-band work, and self massages.

The Remaining Scab is Gone

It's official, the wound appears to be healed.  Last night the remaining scab came off.  While getting comfortable in bed, my heel brushed against the sheets, and it came off.  I could feel a slight pinch when it happened.  I immediately turned on the light, and took a look.  It seems to have healed nicely, however, there is almost a divot or dent where the last part of the scab used to be.  I'm not sure if this is normal, or if it will eventually heal more.  In the morning, I decided to still put a band-aid on it, just in case I was missing something (I still think I'm paranoid about it becoming infected).  I'll see how it adjusts over the next couple of days.

2 Month Post-Op Overview

It's been a bit of a whirlwind these past 2 months.  The jury is still out as to the ultimate success (or failure) of the surgery, but I am getting more confident as the days pass.  These past couple of days have gone well, and for the first time in 2 months, I'm starting to feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  I know I still have a long way to go, but having some of the little successes along the way really make a difference.  Hopefully things continue to improve, and I'm able to get a little bit better each day.