u/MorningsideAcu

I’m on day two post op after achilles repair surgery. My journey from injury to surgery was a 24 hour whirlwind.

On Tuesday I was treating patients like any other day and telling them how I would be playing soccer after work like any other Tuesday.

By Wednesday afternoon I was at HSS having surgery with Dr. O’Malley, just 23 hours after the injury. Because of the work I do, and having had a prior surgery at HSS, I’ve come to know many doctors and surgeons there, as well as pro sports PTs that have relationships with some of these surgeons.

My injury happened just while running in a soccer game, as my luck would have it I finally felt fully recovered from bilateral hip impingement surgery over 2 years ago and have been running and playing soccer pain free for the past few months for the first time in over a decade.

So when I suddenly felt like someone kicked me as hard as they could in the right achilles - I screamed “who the f@!$ just kicked me?” to the ref and everyone around me on the field. When I looked around and no one was there, I thought I may have just torn my achilles, and then when trying to get up I KNEW i had just torn my achilles.

My friends wheeled me in an equipment cart to my lyft where I went to the NYU orthopedic urgent center. A failed Thompson test, ultrasound (2cm gap) and inability to plantar flex confirmed I had a tear. They told me a surgeons office would reach out tomorrow and they could see me sometime next week.

As someone who works with athletes, I knew that was too long to wait if I wanted to optimize my recovery. As I was waiting to be fitted with my boot I thought of everyone I knew that might be able to help me get in to a good HSS surgeon ASAP. I got at least 5 different surgeon recommendations at HSS. Dr. O’Malley was “the guy” everyone said, and then Dr. Drakos, Elliott, Levine, Ellis, Johnson were also mentioned. I left messages with all of them that night and hoped maybe someone could see me within the next couple days.

The next morning, despite being in a lot of pain (all I got was tylenol and ibuprofen), I was motivated to get in with a surgeon that day for a consult. At 9:01 I called them all again. I left more messages. Dr. Drakos office called me and said to come in right away - I told them I’d be there by 10:30.

On the way to that appointment I got a call from Dr. O’Malley’s office - “did you see Dr. O’Malleys email?”. I hadn’t so frantically looked at my email - It said we can see you today and maybe operate.

I told them I was on the way to Dr. Drakos office and they said to go there first and then come to HSS Westside operating floor and he could see my in between surgeries.

All of a sudden there was a possibility I might have surgery that day, on 2 hours of sleep, in lots of pain. I started looking up how much it would cost - Dr. O’Malley is out of network, and Dr. Drakos was in network. I have pretty good out of network coverage but there would be a significant cost difference.

I saw Dr. Drakos and he said he could operate me tomorrow and that my insurance would cover everything. He works with the Knicks and has operated many athletes. He seems to have similar techniques and rehabs like Dr. O’Malley. My mind was pretty made up that tomorrow I’d have surgery with Dr. Drakos but that I’d still go see Dr. O’Malley to see what he says - and since he’s “the guy” you don’t pass up a chance to see him even if the fee is $600 for the consult.

When I saw Dr. O’Malley he was the most enthusiastic surgeon I’ve ever met, and he surprised me when he asked “do you want to do the surgery right now” He said I was still in the 24 hour window since injury and it’s the optimal time to have surgery. The longer I wait the more your calf muscles will atrophy and affect the rehab process, he said.

He showed me videos of the athletes he’s operated and how they got injured and what their surgeries and rehabs looked like. He lives and breathes achilles tendons. I called my wife and told her I was going to have surgery on the spot, that I found the guy and wanted to get it over with and start rehabbing.

While I was waiting I was texting an acupuncture colleague about a training I am taking next week to tell her I may need some accommodations because I was about to have surgery with Dr. O’Malley. When she said to tell him hi and that she had seen him

on vacation in Morocco last week and that her partner was an anesthesiologist at HSS it felt like the universe was converging and that this was what I was supposed to do.

By the time I woke up Thursday, less than 40 hours after rupturing my achilles, I’d already had surgery with the best surgeon in the world. The shock hadn’t faded yet and even today it seems surreal that 3 days ago I was perfectly fine.

So far this recovery is much easier than having bilateral hip impingement surgery where I literally couldn’t move without pain for a week and getting out of bed required assistance until about 2 weeks out.

I’ll keep everyone posted on my progress, I’m on day 2 of hyperbaric chamber today and mostly just resting otherwise.