Prelude

Three days after the accident and because my foot did not seem to get better I went limping to have it checked.  The doctor measured my rocky calf and it was one inch larger than the good one and my foot would swell after I limped around for a while.  He took an x-ray and that was normal. Because of the swelling the doctor ordered an ultrasound to check for blockages of my leg arteries which was normal too.  He said to take two days with my feet up and I should be better.  I followed the advise but my foot did not seem to improve. The swelling was not going away plus every time I laid down, I would see stars when trying to get back up because my calf was cramped up.  Since this was getting unbearable I went back to the doctor.  This time a different doctor examined me and he ordered an MRI.  He also told me to wear compression socks which reduced my swelling considerably.  I went for an MRI the next morning and by noon that day the doctor calls me and says that the MRI reveals a total rupture of the Achilles tendon and that he wanted me to see the specialist the following day. Needless is to say that my emotions were running high...somehow I was thinking it could not be that bad.  That evening I called my brother in Argentina who is a medical imaging doctor and MRI specialist.  Without hesitation he said "surgery...the good news is that in general they work great...the bad news is that recovery takes six to eight months".  Then I called my father also a doctor in Argentina and he said the same thing.  Now I knew what to expect...