4. Speaking of work and time off...

When you return to work depends on a lot of different factors - your type and severity of injury, your self care after the surgery, and of course your work environment and responsibilities. 

Or, if you prefer, how much you can milk your particular system for!  I'll leave that to you, your doctor, your tendon, and your conscience.

You may qualify for short term disability.  Check into this as soon as possible and get the paperwork off to HR as soon as you have a firm surgery date, even if you do not plan to be off work more than two weeks.  You just don't really know how well you will be doing at that two week mark - leave your options open.

I work at a bank, and though it's a "desk job," there's a lot of walking involved, because it's a large bank.  The breakrooms, bathrooms, etc are spread out and pretty far from my office, and even the printer/copier/fax machine is a good thirty feet from my desk.  So before I left, I compiled a list of what I consider to be "reasonable accommodations" for this period of disability.  Your company is required by law to reasonably accommodate your situation, so hold them to it.  They will probably be fair with you - so don't feel like you have to push your physical limitations to please your boss.  They don't want you to re-injure yourself or impede your recovery any more than you do.  They want you to be healthy and agile again as soon as possible.

I requested a printer to be placed IN my office so I don't have to get up and down on crutches.  This would be difficult and would also probably worry my customers unnecessarily.  I made sure that my walkway around my desk was large enough to navigate with the crutches.  I am going to carry a little cooler with me when I get back, and stock it with bottled water, so that I don't have to get up just because I'm thirsty.

Make sure that you are able to elevate your leg often throughout the day.

Make sure that you have everything you need within arm's reach. 

Be sure that you have easy access INTO your business and work area.  If there are a lot of steps, you are going to need to find another entrance if possible.  Steps are difficult to navigate with crutches, and you may be asking for trouble!  I read one blog where a woman returned to work after two weeks, only to fall trying to get up some steps, and she broke her OTHER ankle and ended up in a wheelchair! Augh!

Walking with crutches will make you tired.  You may have to ease back in to your workday - maybe even cut the days short.  Prepare your boss for this possibility.  Stress to them that you absolutely will not compromise your health, and that if you need to adjust your schedule, that's just how it's got to be.  I did some checking into the typical Achilles tendon surgery timeline, and two to three weeks off work (for office work) is pretty much the minimum.  Your doctor may recommend even more time off.  Follow his/her orders first and foremost.

When you get back to work, you will still have follow up appointments, and, very importantly, PHYSICAL THERAPY appointments.  Don't be a "hero."  Take off the time you need in order to keep these appointments, and in order to heal properly.