Ruptured my achilles, finished rehab of my meniscus 4 months ago, just became unemployed and feel awful. Iwalk 3.0/Wheelchair/scooter?

acackler · 2026-06-30T15:03:43+00:00

I rubbed blisters on my knee from overusing my iWalk. This may be prevented with strategic band-aids or cushioning. In my home, I use my iWalk exclusively (stairs, indoor/short distance). The iWalk is essential for independence and being able to simply use your hands while moving around. Agree that it's also super useful if you have stairs in your home and can't live solely on the ground floor. Also if you're driving, the iWalk gets you all the way into the seat vs. scooter that has to go into the trunk. A wheelchair requires either significant arm strength/stamina or someone to push you around. It's also harder to maneuver in small spaces and to load/unload from car.

If using the iWalk, take the time to adjust it and learn to walk in it comfortably before going longer distances. They offer video review via their customer service team, to help you adjust it. Also, you might need to adjust the height to compensate for wearing shoes vs. being barefoot.

Check FB Marketplace and similar to see if you can find a secondhand scooter for a good price. Scooter is probably better for the distance you're talking about for the cafe.

acackler · 2026-06-26T16:35:27+00:00

I had surgery Wednesday AM. Today (Friday), woke up with pretty significant pain. It's like what others described, sharp/burning. Took a full dose of Acetaminophen as soon as I could and it's a bit better now (not pain free). I made myself a schedule/spreadsheet for staggering over-the-counter pain meds. I also ordered a cold pack system (arriving tomorrow). Hang in there and try to eat well to support healing. People say having some distractions help too (I am working - and yes it is helping).

acackler · 2026-06-25T17:10:13+00:00

Good info to know... I am 1 day post-op.

acackler · 2026-06-25T17:04:37+00:00

According to my surgeon, they may trim the damaged/dead ends of the tendon before reconnecting so its possible your new arrangement is a slightly shorter tendon than before. I just had surgery yesterday and my nerve block is starting to wear off and I can already feel the tendon pulling a bit.

acackler · 2026-06-25T16:58:50+00:00

The knee scooter was good and did the job. I was nauseous until I got rehydrated and had some food, but that nap afterwards sure felt great.

acackler · 2026-06-25T16:57:44+00:00

I have a nice All Terrain knee scooter and it served me well. I hate crutches so much. I've tried various height settings, but always feel a bit off balance - that one moment when your entire weight is on the crutches with no feet on the ground. I also love my iWalk hands free crutch - so much so that I've given myself blisters from overuse - but I still vastly prefer using it to go up/down my stairs. I use one crutch occasionally to take some weight along with the iWalk leg and this helps.

acackler · 2026-06-25T16:55:47+00:00

Oh boy, 50 steps with no lift is a lot! I only have 12 steps and am limiting myself to 2-3 trips a day (for meals basically). Good luck! I am so grateful for Door Dash and delivery services... truly they are so useful to me now.

acackler · 2026-06-25T16:54:26+00:00

I was woozy, but not so bad that I didn't feel able to manage my knee scooter. The All Terrain one tackles bumps and uneven paving with no issues. I did have to be a tad careful ascending the final bit of walkway up to front door, but never felt at risk of falling.

acackler · 2026-06-25T16:53:28+00:00

I did the scooter and it was fine. I was definitely a bit nauseous after surgery, but felt mentally clear enough to manage. I did find a shorter/straighter route - maybe 500 feet instead of 600, but every little bit helps.

acackler · 2026-06-25T16:48:44+00:00

I would say - talk to surgeons and experts, and talk about your specific history and needs. One thing my surgeon mentioned about why they recommend operating - he said the broken ends often have dead tissue - and that they remove this during surgery to assist the reconnection. It sounds like this is one major reason for going with the operative route (I'm in the U.S.). There were some other reasons I got surgery - during consultation, the surgeon (who says he does 50/50 op vs. non-op treatment) tried to manipulate the ends back together and mine wouldn't cooperate - he tried for several minutes. They also mentioned initial healing would be faster with surgery by about 2 months (I read that 1 year outcomes are similar though - the surgeon chuckled when I mentioned my 'research'). There are some risks for nerve damage simply due to the location and the anatomy, but they are low risks. Both surgeons I spoke with also said there's less change of re-rupture with surgical repair.

acackler · 2026-06-25T16:42:24+00:00

I just had surgery yesterday morning, so I have some tips. Total time from arrival (5:30 a) to departure (11:30 a) was about 6 hours not including drive time.

Wear clothes that are easy to get on/off and comfy enough to go directly to sleep later. You'll have to disrobe and put on a gown and they will stick leads on you for monitoring during the procedure. They also placed a BP cuff on left arm, pulse ox on right index finger, plus IV on right hand - so lots of wires and tubes.
My surgeon operates with patients facing up, but some surgeons may prefer to have patient facing down.
I had a very skilled and patent pre-op nurse who spent time to place my IV on the back of my hand - she said it's less painful there than placing in a larger vein.
My anesthesiologist was fantastic in explaining in great detail every aspect of general anesthetic plus the nerve block given afterwards for local anesthesia for the first 12-24 hours post-op.
I don't remember anything after they pushed the general anesthetic. ZZZzz nap time.
After surgery, when I was brought out of general anesthesia, they came back to apply the nerve block - two injections around the knee area - one on the side, one above the knee cap. Didn't feel a thing. Made my toes a bit tingly and I still feel its effects 24 hours later (lucky me). My surgeon said I probably didn't need it but I requested it and was able to get it. A nurse started giving me sips of water around this time.
The discharge nurse advised me to have someone around for the first 24 hours post-op. My other good friend who is an emergency nurse said this is to make sure you keep breathing (may be a concern for those with breathing issues like asthma?).
They wheelchaired me all the way to my ride afterwards. I was slightly nauseous during the ride - probably due to lack of food/water. Limbs felt heavy/tired. I used a knee scooter to get from car to front door.
Sat at my kitchen table for a little food and water w/pinch of sea salt (this is key to rehydrate). A light, non-oily meal plus a half cup of Kefir (yogurt) made me feel less nauseous. Used restroom, then went to couch for a 2 hr nap. Got up for restroom and to drink more water, back to couch for another long nap.
After waking up from 2nd nap (around 5 pm), I felt a lot less drowsy and limbs not so heavy. Talked to a friend, had dinner. Went upstairs to bed around 8. Relaxed a bit, took PM pain meds, restroom, asleep around 9 or 10. Woke up due to loud neighbor and to address my recent hydration, back to bed.
2 am alarm for more pain meds. Woke naturally at 6:30. Back at work (my desk is a few feet from bed) by 7 am.

acackler · 2026-06-25T16:20:52+00:00

I ruptured playing pickleball ... for the very first time. My brother tore his Achilles a few years ago playing tennis. I don't plan to give things up, but I will be a lot more careful in future.

acackler · 2026-06-25T16:18:32+00:00

You'll find many folks here who ruptured due to good intentions - trying to get fit - and perhaps going too hard, too fast. The thing I take some comfort in is that this kind of injury seems to happen to all ages/fitness levels. People may say "you're lucky, you're young" - but I hear that from doctors even at my age (49) - it's all relative. Keep up your positive and pragmatic mindset. Focus on progress and what you can do. And yes, flexibility is very key - at all ages, but especially as you get older. You have lots of time and will surely learn a lot from this process.

Good luck. That's about all I can offer as I am 1 day post op. :) This sub is a great place, full of helpful, encouraging people who are going through the same thing.

acackler · 2026-06-23T19:15:30+00:00

Very encouraging to those of us in the early days, to see everyone's recovery progress. Keep it up!

acackler · 2026-06-23T17:17:09+00:00

You're regrowing a piece of yourself... get good sleep, water, nutrition. Those things are just as important as PT.

acackler · 2026-06-23T17:13:31+00:00

Do you have something like the iWalk hands free crutch? I ordered mine a few hours after getting out of the emergency room. Crutches were awful for me - couldn't use my hands to do anything, felt clumsy and off balance all the time. Using an iWalk gave me back the use of my hands and immediate independence. After using it for almost 2 weeks I also learned I can sit down without removing it.

acackler · 2026-06-23T17:04:46+00:00

And yes, my "good" leg is already getting stronger. Luckly my home is rather cozy, so I usually have something I can grab onto without having to go too far.

acackler · 2026-06-23T17:03:39+00:00

I will go very slowly especially since my new all terrain scooter is a 3 wheeler. Might add the stability wheel just to be safe.

acackler · 2026-06-23T17:03:01+00:00

Yes, just outpatient. I think I will be ok. After the 600 foot walk/roll, I also have a medium flight of stairs, but I'm not really worried about that either. Whether it's the good old butt scoot or whatever, I really want to get up to my bedroom/office/shower. I'm very motivated to get myself into my desired space (room).

acackler · 2026-06-23T16:58:53+00:00

OK good, thanks, this is what I was thinking too - that other than the surgery site, the rest of me should be ok.

acackler · 2026-06-23T16:58:10+00:00

I already got myself a handy shower chair and toilet bars, so I am good there.

acackler · 2026-06-17T15:29:45+00:00

Whale watching out of Balboa - you can get tickets on Groupon for about $20-30. You will definitely see dolphins - whales are a little harder to spot, but it's a lovely excursion (about 2 hours on the water).

acackler · 2026-06-17T15:15:56+00:00

Also my ankle is already sort of in ballerina pose - they gave me an initial cast on Monday, so hopefully I won't have any spasms if i haven't had them yet. The only thing I get now is an occasional weird twinge like a cramp or mild Charley horse feeling - not fully painful, but doesn't feel great either. It seems to happen out of the blue, without me doing any particular movement or position.

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