The absolute best thing to do, no matter your feelings, is to follow doctor's orders.

I am 53 and have had surgery on both of my Achilles tendons. In the summer of 2010 I had surgery to repair tears on the right one and last March I had a complete rupture on the other one. Both surgeries I was out of work for 3 month's between healing time and physical therapy. Luckily I have a sit down computer job otherwise I would have been out of work longer. The first surgery took me about 6 month's before the stiffness went away and the one last March I am just getting to the point where I have full mobility again. I have learned with Achilles tendon injuries you don't want to take lightly so listen to your doctor.   

No injury that takes you away from the game is fun.  I've had my own with bicep tears.  A friend blew his achilles, had surgery, and then blew it again.  It is definitely better to just take the time off and watch from the sidelines until you're cleared.

What I used to do is still go down to the lanes when my team was competing, hang out and cheer.  We were able to maintain the camaraderie and stay connected during the time off.