Achilles Help

_{Disclaimer – I am not a medical expert and this is NOT medical advice. Always follow the instructions from your medical provider. When in doubt, ask your medical provider. As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn commission from qualifying purchases}

Phew. Were you as surprised as I was after learning how long your recovery would be? For my Achilles tendon repair surgery, I quickly shifted to the ‘this is a marathon not a sprint’ mindset focusing on what I could control. I found two-week intervals helpful to latch onto as goal posts and to re-set my mindset once that time period was achieved. Rest assured I still had some meltdowns. No doubt, this is a tough surgery to recover from.

The non-weight bearing (NWB) time period (2 weeks for me) was a time where I really leaned into resting and recuperation. We typically don’t have a tv in our bedroom but we moved ours up. We got a Roku streaming stick to hook up which was incredibly streamlined and helpful. Once I felt okay enough, my kids were allowed to pick out some new shows to watch (even purchase) to view together which felt like bonding time considering it was the only time really saw them. I found some documentaries I enjoyed, watched some sports, and binged some favorite shows guilt free.

I’ve written about the changes I made to my coffee routine and how helpful this switch was. I did at one point try a k-cup variety pack. It was a nice option for my afternoon coffee and gave me something to look forward to during the day (not my only coffee of the day, rest assured, ha. I save flavored coffee for the afternoon).

While I actually slept well during my two-week NWB stage (probably due to meds and my body’s natural awareness it needed to rest), I began to struggle with sleeping as time went on. What I really wanted was to take a nice bath but I wasn’t approved to soak my leg. Instead, Sleepytime tea helped me soothe myself at night and fall asleep a bit more easily. In the mornings, I enjoyed pampering myself with some eye masks to feel a bit more awake and like myself. Finding little touches like these helped me treat and care for myself in this marathon recovery.

It was frustrating to not be able to fall back on my typical self-care options like working out or taking an Epsom salt bath or exercising, so finding something simple that was safe for me to do really made a huge difference for my morale. What little choices can you make to help treat yourself while resting and recovering?