Unh Part II (aka Film Star. h/t to Doohickie)

Ok, here are the promised pics. They're not particularly graphic but a few of them are a little nasty.

A comparison view the day after the injury.

See that gap? Yeah, it's not supposed to look like that.

A couple days in. Nice bruise eh?

The day after surgery and swollen like a politician's head. Vienna sausage anyone?

4 days after surgery and the Doc admires his handiwork. Lu says it's Good enough for a quilt!

"Yes." They made me write this. And yes, apparently it is necessary.

Comparison. About a week post surgery.

A couple of weeks in. Starting to see some improvement.

I'm losing the calf literally by the day.

Just got the stitches out. Beauty scar eh?

About 2 months in and noticeably better. It almost looks like I have an Achilles again!

Nobody warned me about this. Crutches are a pain in the....hands. Those calluses took months to heal.

I'm almost positive I can explain this. See, I was going stir crazy and the bike was brand new and it was just around the block in first gear and....

2006. Yep, I completely lost the calf.

2009. I never did get it all back.

This is the final product. A brilliant surgeon, 45 rehab visits and 33 months of grueling and often painful work later. Not exactly normal but not bad. Not too bad at all.

In all seriousness, this a fairly common injury among athletically inclined old, er....let's just say middle aged men and leave it at that. It's not the career ender it once was. If you blow out your Achilles here are 6 tips.

1. Don't freak out! You can do this.

2. Pick a good surgeon. Do your home work here and ask around. Check him/her out online. I got mine from 2 friends he'd repaired but I still checked him out.

3. Pick a good physical therapist, listen to what they say and do what they tell you.

4. Do the work. I understand my days as a world class squatter, sprinter and marathoner are over (Ok, you can stop snickering now) but I just had to choose new ways to work out. Hint; one of them is shiny, got 2 big wheels and requires gatorade and sweat to make it go. I worked hard, I worked often and I worked when I would really have preferred to just watch some TV.

5. If you wallow in self pity and 'why me' I guarantee you'll end up crippled.

6. Find someone to give you foot rubs. Seriously. It helped immensely post-op and during rehab. It also helps now after a ride. At least that's what I'm telling Lu (and I'd really appreciate it if no one tattled on me).

So that's the story. I'm feeling good. I've got 46 miles in this month. I should make my 100 easy (Ha! Famous last words). I'm still in the gym and lifting. Most importantly I'm still a handsome dog.

eric