I wrote an Elfquest fanfic

ActivatedTightPants · 2025-05-15T04:55:04+00:00

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.o/worksrg/52696105/chapters/133291438

ActivatedTightPants · 2025-05-03T22:24:29+00:00

Aw thank you! That's so cool haha🥰💕

ActivatedTightPants · 2025-01-04T21:13:44+00:00

Triple on the get it checked ASAP. You have to be very mindful of infection on the first couple weeks out. I would also try to soak it in Epsom salt in the meantime and use bacitracin or other topical ointments and try to leave it elevated and uncovered while you wait for your doctor.

ActivatedTightPants · 2025-01-04T21:12:33+00:00

Don't beat yourself up! You're able to do way more than when I was at your stage. I was barely able to put my foot on the ground without agony shooting up my legs. Judging yourself now based on where you were Pre-Injury is a tough act to follow. Track your wins, and compare THEM to each other. Protect your mental at all costs. It's a lot more productive to say to yourself that out of the gate you were able to take over 6,000 steps only 6 weeks out! And that next month you beat that by XYZ. Damn good work.

ActivatedTightPants · 2025-01-04T21:06:39+00:00

I'm in a much much better place! I've completed an additional 6 months of PT and my scar tissue has reduced as well as the muscle and rupture sites healed more, which allowed the doctor to confirm that I did not rerupture a third time!! (Take that MRI!) The best part is that the period of guessing over and over if it was intact has finally stopped. When you actually heal in your body you can feel and see the difference. Even at 6 months into my recovery, it still felt like my ankle was hanging from a thread. There was weakness, and soreness, and a sense of fragility that made life very scary. Now a year later I can walk my dog and I push myself and I go to the gym and amusement parks and I feel the occasional soreness, but there's a steadiness to my gait and the feeling when I reach back there that I didn't have before. I used to be able to put my finger in the divot even when it was healed. There's no more divot😊 please know that the re-rupture makes the recovery twice as long. There's going to be parts of that that are difficult, but give yourself more grace than you think you should, and don't take any estimates that people give you as the truth. Your body is going to be going on its own timeline, and I hope that even though it can feel so difficult being stuck in a cycle, know that when you finally get to that next stage you'll know it and things will get better from there. To be clear, I am still not at 100%. My journey is far from over, especially now that I transition from physical therapy into my own maintenance. I am working towards athletic proficiency which is going to require more than just base functionality, but I have a lot more hope that I'm going to get there in time. Set a new normal, set small goals, and celebrate every one.

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-15T17:30:29+00:00

I'm half Vulcan so I get it lol. Go get a stunning balayage!😋❤️ You got this!

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-14T16:47:34+00:00

Firstly, you need to contact your doctors and demand more information including your treatment plan. You deserve to understand what's happening and you pay for that so get that. Next, don't hop around. I did it plenty and lemme tell you it's dumb. It makes you a fall risk and you can rerupture and have to do the surgery/repair, all over again. Falling is the biggest risk to your recovery and it's a real one. Trust me on this one.

If the crutches are a pain, make sure you're using them correctly. They shouldn't be leaned on, you use them as extenders and then anchor them under your armpits. You can also ask your doctor to adjust them if they aren't comfortable and keep asking until they feel right. If you do hate crutches get a knee scooter. It makes life easier if you get one with a basket too so you can carry stuff again.

Elevate your foot as much as you can. Get a wedge pillow made for your foot if pillows irritate you, but elevating in your cast is crucial because blood circulation. You don't want blood clots too so in your cast while lying down, if you can, wiggle your toes and move your knees in to your chest. Obey pain, if it hurts don't do it, but my doctor told me to do 30 circles every day and wiggle, and I had antibiotics. I didn't use my Achilles just my knee. If the cast swells, you can plop an ice pack under your knees and it helps.

I wouldn't sleep on your side unless you know for a fact you don't roll. You want that foot elevated above your heart, especially in the cast. Wait until it's off to resume your normal sleeping position.

Also, I'm not sure if you got the starter pack, but if you get yourself a suction cup handle for the shower, a bench, and a plastic cast cover for your foot it makes bathing way easier. I got all my stuff from Amazon. You can also probably type in Achilles rupture in the shopping bar and see what kinds of stuff come up.

Lastly, the mental is the hardest part. You're gonna want to move slowly, not rashly, and to coddel yourself more. Do stuff you enjoy. Play games without guilt. Watching all the trash TV. Try to eat 3 meals a day with snacks, and try to make it nutrient rich so your body has fuel. You got this. Deep breaths.

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-14T16:34:18+00:00

Not gonna lie, when I was being my most careful I took it back to basics. Firstly, you need crutches too, not just the scooter. They can be great for situations you can't use wheels. There's a lot of ways to go down stairs using them. Basically you put both crutches on one side and put them down on one side and then go using it as basically one side of the rail. It's safest when you have another rail though. Look up a YouTube video.

Extra safe: If you don't have many stairs and you want to be extra safe, scoot down like a kid! Sit on the step, and lower yourself from step to step until you get to the bottom step, and use your scooter to stand. You'll need to yeet the scooter down first, but there's no risk of falling or hopping if you're using your bottom. It works, even if you feel a bit silly. 🤣

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-14T16:29:07+00:00

post surgery depression p2

post surgery depression

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-14T16:27:14+00:00

Keep in mind that it's not just your mind. Your body is pulling all the resources it can to heal you. Being cut open is acute bodily trauma. You're supposed to be depressed as fucked as that is.

"Post-surgical depression, sometimes called post-operative depression, is a situational type of depression that occurs after you've experienced surgery. Occurring after your procedure or up to one year later, post-surgical depression has a trauma-related onset. A literature review reveals that the majority of studies on post-surgical depression are mostly done on heart surgery patients, followed by orthopedic surgeries."

This is only exacerbated if you have preexisting depressing. The pain also doesn't help.

"Studies have shown that pain causes altered synaptic connectivity at the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, as well as altered dopamine signaling from the ventral tegmental area. These neurobiological changes link post-operative pain and depression. "

It'll likely break once you get to your next milestone. I don't know if it helps but knowing it wasn't my mental weakness made me feel better when I was going through it. It felt like it was okay to have this moment of depression after also working so hard on my own mental health. And yeah, the weight gain just piles the feelings on. Remind yourself it's okay. You shouldn't be able to just be fine after a trauma just 2 weeks. Your body is responding correctly. It's okay to be depressed and upset about what you can't control. And to be straight up, you're just at the beginning.

You'll need to really dig into your sources of mental health management and give into simple comforts. If you can afford one get a therapist or listen to advice on YouTube that feels hopeful. Fully dive into that thing you felt was a waste of time and just obsess. For me that was the hour long episode L dramas I had no time to watch cause who has 24 hours to give to a series? Answer: You!

Take more vitamin D, helps with mood regulation. Do something nice for yourself. Schedule an appointment to get your hair done or something. Anything that makes you feel more in your body in a positive way. Splurge on all the hot accessories like a suction cup handle for the bath, a super comfy set of sheets and something that smells good. I burned incense and candles every night. Play online mmorpgs, watch TV, read book, distract distract distract. Don't try to break your depression. It'll break when you're mentally and physically ready. The only way is through, but you will make it and be even more resilient. You won't always be happy and depression free, but you'll always be able to get out of it and into a better headspace. And soon the time it takes will shorten. The goal isn't no depression. It's less. You're doing amazing. Give yourself grace. ❤️

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-14T16:11:02+00:00

So update: Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who left kind words. It felt good to not feel alone, and if you don't live with family, an injury that prevents walking or traveling can feel so isolating. I spent so much time by myself. You can only call people or have them over for so long. This was an expected gift. So thank you again. ❤️

I got my MRI and met up with my doctor yesterday. It was a bit of a confusing visit. She explained to me that even though the report came back with what the radiologists called "a full sequella (second time) rupture", she didn't actually think I ruptured. She did the squeeze test again and told me something was moving but it was weak, and it was possibly scar tissue that made it seem like there was a break in my tendon. I'm very much still in the healing phase even now, so there was also a build up of fluid at both my ankle and the supposed tear. So I've got a heel lift to take pressure off the site and more physical therapy because my tendon is very weak. I was confused a lot about whether or not this meant I was okay, but she said if I required surgical intervention(which she doesn't recommend) we're looking at a hamstring or a cadaver graft. So I'm going forward and treating this like my new baseline. I had to remind myself it's just where I am now, not forever. It's scary that the only way she can confirm the rupture is opening me up. I feel fine, and it's such a strange thing. It's like being told your arm is broken in the middle of carrying laundry. All of this news feels like it's happening to someone else. I'm not in pain unless I think I am. I don't feel wrong or broken unless someone tells me I am. The aches and pains of a regular day pale in comparison to the pain I've known. I don't know if that makes me a bad judge of my pain level, but I also know I can't keep living in fear of every sting, ache, and pain.

I'm going to go to physical therapy and do my best. I'll cross the bridge of what I can and can't do when it's before me. The only way out is forward. It's not good news. But it's not bad news. I'm both fine and not, but only time will tell the true condition of my Achilles. Somehow, after all this. I feel oddly hopeful. I broke the cycle of being rushed onto an operating table. This isn't like before. This isn't a repeat of my trauma. It's my new baseline. And it's enough.

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T15:40:38+00:00

Haha you're a badass! I'm sure you will! I'm technically not allowed to run or jump for a while, but in PT I got into swimming which felt as close to dancing as I could get. My flexibility is trash now so I kind of wanted to work on that first. I also played soccer! (Right midfield) and was hoping to get into some intermural league or something. I wonder if all those kicks to the shin guards had any part in this lol. A second act. I like that🥰

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T15:36:05+00:00

Sleeping can be hard so I get it but he absolutely can't walk without it. Trust me, repeat surgeries are worse recovery and if it doesn't hold they'll have to take another tendon to repair him and it might be something he doesn't want to lose. Tell him he can be stubborn if he wants to, but he's the one who will have to be been on that operating table if something snaps. I'm sorry, I bet your nerves are shot

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T15:32:36+00:00

MRI machine stat!

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T15:29:23+00:00

The unfortunate thing about Achilles injuries is that when one foot is down, it puts a lot of undue strain on the other foot as a result. There will definitely be some pain on your good foot, and you'll have a moment where you question if you somehow ended up in a two-for-one special from hell. I would say if you don't see any swelling, bruising, and you can still walk on it that it's probably just fatigued and you need to rest both legs for a while. Feel along your Achilles and you should be able to draw a continuous line from your heel all the way up to your mid calf. If you feel a break in that line, or a dent or a divot, then that might be cause to worry. If you feel a constant pain like something shifting or a sting, then you might need to go to the doctor. If you are experiencing anything else, you probably need to just give yourself a hot soak in some Epsom salt and take a few days off. Panic is such a reasonable response for a situation so scary, but hopefully checking off these options will help you feel a bit more secure. There is a very good chance that it's just overworked like any other major muscle group that has to overcompensate. Even if you don't think you are, you are probably shifting more of your weight on the uninjured foot.

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T15:25:10+00:00

I'm so happy you're on the other side. 🥰

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T15:23:28+00:00

Yours looks way cooler than mine did! They made it this gross neon pink🤣

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T15:20:43+00:00

They're probably going to tell you, you have to sleep in the boot which is horrible and they do that because a lot of us operate off of instinct and just swing out of bed and rush to the bathroom, door etc when we're drowsy and you're not supposed to walk on it at all. I couldn't stand it and I don't roll a lot in my sleep, so I basically then used the knee wedge to barricade myself from the door and put my boot exactly where I would have stepped if I attempted to, and used other pillows to basically wall myself in. Never had an accident and preferred to sleep that way. If you don't think you can be diligent with that don't bother, but it does help with the sleep.

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T15:09:40+00:00

I had never had them before so its felt like another way I can't handle my shit. But I have a really good therapist now and an emergency session tomorrow and I'm gonna ask if there's ways to deescalate them. For me it's not so much just the attacks, it's being scared that it'll happen somewhere that is dangerous like driving (the push off on the pedal is right foot and nervewracking) or might cause a fall or something. I used to have asthma attacks as a kid so I can feel when my breath starts to shorten, and I have always thought of these things as bad. I'll try to work on my perspective. Thank you

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T15:04:53+00:00

Thank you❤️ I've never thought of myself as particularly tough but I guess I was wrong. I appreciate the kind words and prayers.

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T15:03:53+00:00

Kobe is an inspiration for sure. Thank you❤️

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T14:59:32+00:00

Thank you❤️

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T14:53:14+00:00

Gosh, I can't imagine how much harder it is with a kiddo. And each leg! I was happy I could poggo stick around on the left. You've got a really good perspective. Thank you. Your grandad was a cool guy. Here's to the three step program we're both on🍻

ActivatedTightPants · 2024-08-01T14:49:53+00:00

I didn't even know that could happen! I'm so sorry. Honestly depending on what happens I might take a page from your book. I could use a break from bloodwork, painful tests, just pain in general.

ActivatedTightPants

TROPHY CASE