In August 2010 I had calcaneal osteotomy, achielles tendon lengthening, fdl tendon transfer, kidner procedure, and ptt repair. It was 16 weeks before I returned to work. These types of surgeries are a big deal, much bigger then I had initially anticipated. It is a long and at times difficult recovery. It really is important to keep toes above nose for at LEAST 10 days. This helps in keeping the swelling down. Another thing to remember is to have your son take the pain pills as scheduled - stay ahead of the pain. There is athread called "tactics for coping while non-weight bearing". Read it - it gives valuable information of things to have prior to surgery to be as prepared as you can be. Your son is young and recovery may be easier for him. Boredom will be tough for him. Will he be staying at the hospital overnight? Good luck with the surgery.
I had a similar surgery 14 weeks ago including an achilles lengthening but did not have the Gastrocnemius Recession. I know the outcomes are different for everyone but at this point I don't think it could have gone any better for me. I was in the hospital for two days and had bad pain during that time. I continued to take my pain meds for three to four days after leaving the hospital although I really didn't have any pain on the third and forth day. I quit taking the meds and haven't had to take one since not even over the counter pain meds. I kept my foot elevated for the first two weeks and didn't move other than going to the bathroom or going to bed. I became more mobile about the third week but did not stay up long periods of time as I could feel my foot swelling when I did. Every time I sat down anywhere I would elevate my foot. I preferred crutches over the scooter because I couldn't rest my knee on the scooter due to my cast being all the way up my calf almost to my knee and I felt like it was easier for me to get around with crutches. I was put in a walking cast after seven weeks, not an air cast but an actual cast again. I continued to use the crutches for a couple of days after that and went to full weight bearing without any assistance. Once again I never experienced any pain through all of this. After 12 weeks I finally got into an air cast that could be removed. For the last couple of weeks I have been able to walk around the house barefooted without any pain. The hardest part for me was sleeping because it was hard to turn on my side and stomach. After about the fourth week I got to where I could turn over in my sleep and it got much better from that point. Everyone's recovery is different and mine may have been much better than I expected due to my age and fitness condition. I'm 35 and have stayed in fairly decent shape and I'm guessing that may have helped. Your 13 year old son should do fine. Just remember to keep the foot elevated anytime he's sitting or laying down. I'm sure he'll do this anyway because he will feel the swelling. Sorry for this being so long but wanted to try and cover everything for you that I have experienced. Hope this helps. Good luck!
I had those exact procedures done on Feb. 22nd. I had to have my foot elevated above my heart for 6 weeks after the surgery. If I had my foot down for more than 10 minutes at a time my foot will turn colors and begin to swell and hurt very badly. I was non weight bearing for 6 weeks and then it took another 4 weeks to get off crutches. I was off of work completely for 10 weeks and then took another 8 weeks before I was able to work full time again. Yesterday was 7 months post op and I still have a ways to go in the recovery process. I started PT three times a week at 6 weeks out and am still going three times a week.
I thought being 25 at the time of the surgery that I would breeze through it and never really imagined that the recovery process would be so tough. Now I can see why the docs say it can take up to a year for full recovery.
I hope that things go well for your son and family! Sending good thoughts your way!
WOW! I knew we were in for a long recovery but the Drs seem to skim over the details of recovery. Thank you SO much for your detailed reply - it's exactly what I was wanted - some realistic info from someone that has been there. Thanks for taking the time to respond
Thanks for responding & have taken your advice & looked at the "tactics for non weight bearing" - this will be a HUGE help. Thank you so much for all your help & I hope you continue to recover well
Not sure who you were asking how long they were in the hospital for. However I had the surgery on a Tuesday morning and was discharged from the hospital late Thursday evening. While I was in the hospital I was on a pain pump.
Thanks April1985 I was directing that question to you Am kind of new to this Can I also ask were you sent home with pain meds or did you just use over the counter pain meds?
I was discharged with the following meds: Oxycotin every 12 hours and Norco 7.5/500mg (2 tablets) every 4 to 6 hours. I took that around the clock for the first two weeks as my doctor wanted me to stay ahead of the pain. At two weeks until about week ten I was taking the Norco 7.5/500mg as needed. My doctor also had me on a blood clot prevention for the 6 weeks that I was non weight bearing. He intitally had me on a shot that I had to give myself every day. I hated it and a week later he switched me to Cumadin which still sucked because I had to get my blood drawn three times a week. At 7 months out he has me taking Naprelan 750mg (antiinflammatory), Flexeril 10mg (muscle relaxer), I also have Ultram (Tramadol) 50mg (for pain) that I take as needed.
Realistic recovery advice needed 
