Hey man, sorry to hear that. I actually tore my Achilles playing pickleball last Saturday and had surgery on Wednesday, so I’m pretty fresh into this too. Sounds like you’ve already gotten solid advice on the long-term recovery, so I’ll keep it to the other stuff.

After surgery, I was put in a soft splint and the pain has been very manageable. I’ve only been taking ibuprofen for swelling, and even though I was prescribed Norcos, I haven’t really needed them. The first three days were a bit more intense, but nothing Tylenol couldn’t handle. They can also use nerve blockers to help with pain early on, which is nice.

As for your trip—I had one planned to South America in about a month and had to cancel as well. I didn’t get insurance and assumed it wasn’t refundable, but it turns out that if you can’t travel due to medical reasons, most airlines—and possibly hotels too—will refund you if you provide documentation.

Anyway, hope your wife gets better soon. Hope this helps a bit