This week was my last week of medical leave, and I’ll be starting work again on Tuesday; I’m definitely nervous about how it’s going to go. I get a lot of pain and some swelling in my right foot when I’m on my feet for shopping trips, but I’m hoping after a week or two working, my body will be used to it again. Some of the weird swelling from before surgery is starting to come back, so that has me troubled. I really wish I didn’t have such a physical job. I’m afraid I’m going to mess up my Achilles tendon again, and I went through too much to deal with all of this a second time. Luckily my boss was agreeable to just put me on three days next week, and possibly a short week the week after, so it should help ease me in. He told me he’d give me a day off between shifts next week to let my foot rest up. I’m certainly going to miss having unlimited time for reading (and iced coffee)!

It’s hard to believe it’s been three months since my surgery. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long at all. Things are going well. Like I said above, I get pain with prolonged weight bearing, but I was able to take one of the one inch lifts out of my boot, so it’s easier to walk now. With my foot lifted only an inch now instead of two inches, it’s in a more natural position, so I’m hoping that will help with the pain as well. I still get sore where the screws in my heel are, but that’s been improving. The scar in that area is still raised, so I’m hoping it won’t rub too much with the increased walking. Both scars still have quite a bit of thickened tissue surrounding them. It’s less than when I first started physical therapy, but it’s unlikely to decrease too much until I can go back in three weeks and continue. It’d be really nice if the health insurance company wasn’t so stingy with benefits. I can’t believe they won’t allow any extensions for physical therapy, even with proper documentation. They pay out only $27 per session; how do they not realize that improper recovery after surgery could potentially lead to another surgery, which would cost them tens of thousands of dollars? I think the tiny extra cost of more therapy sessions would be an obvious choice, but when has anything in the American health care system made sense?  Sorry for the rant, but it’s nice to get it out of my system. I’m hoping that maybe if I need more therapy, I can do cash pay for a reasonable rate. I could need up to a year of therapy, so I’m hoping an arrangement can be worked out.

I don’t have another follow-up appointment with my surgeon until the end of the month, at which point I’m hoping to be in regular shoes again. The plan is to have a half inch lift fitted into my right shoe, which I’ll be wearing for a long, long time. I think I should be able to start driving next week; I’m going to have someone take me out to a dead parking lot and make sure I can make my foot work properly. I feel like such an inconvenience because I can transport myself anywhere. By the end of the month, I’m hoping to be fully mobile in terms of driving. Most of all, I should get medical clearance to start trying to bike again! I think my surgeon will probably defer it to my physical therapist like he did with driving, but I’m okay with that as long as it will minimize my re-injury risk. Life will soon be so much more exciting! I can’t wait to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, the breeze through my hair, and that feeling of flying that only biking can give me 🙂