Ruptured Achilles tendon

Four days ago I managed to achieve an 80% rupture of my Achilles tendon whilst playing football. All it took was a kick to the bottom of my calf at the wrong time, and suddenly my whole leg was as much use as an inflatable dartboard.

I waited a few hours before visiting A&E at sunny Lewisham Hospital. Diagnosis confirmed, I was stuck in a temporary cast overnight and given a few painkillers.

Saw an orthopedic consultant the next day who stuck me on the waiting list for surgery. 24 hours later I was lying in gown in a ward waiting for my turn to go into theatre. I’d only ever been to a hospital once before when I was about two,  had never spent the night in one, never had surgery and had never been under general anesthetic. In short, I was shitting it.

Thankfully, the operation went well, and after I had fully recovered from the double-whammy of general anesthetic and morphine, I was sent home with a new cast on my leg (which I have to keep elevated at all times) and a bunch of exercises to do four times a day.

A new cast is due to follow in two weeks time, and then maybe another one before I get put in some special needs boot. In about 6-8 weeks’ time I can start physio on whatever withered muscle and tendons I have left in my leg.

Here’s what I have learned so far:

• Rupturing your Achilles hurts like shit. Don’t do it.
• Apart from a total lack of organistion post-operation, the NHS treatment I’ve received so far has been excellent
• Moving around on crutches is fun
• Not being able to carry anything (e.g. a drink, plate of food etc.) when moving around on crutches is massively annoying
• I’ve already had to cancel one holiday to visit my Dad, and will also miss out on going to several festivals
• Co-Codamol is an amazing painkiller
• Don’t search for ‘ruptured Achilles’ in Google images before you go in for surgery. It really doesn’t help.

If you’re interested, I’m keeping a record of the next few weeks on Twitter at Achillesrehab