Re: this is all new to me...

January 23, 2002

Dear -

My son n is being treated by Dr. Lehman and Dr. Scher at the

Hosp. for Joint Diseases. They are FABULOUS!! If you have any questions for

me,ask away!!

and n (5/24/01- currently in the DBB 12 hrs a day)

January 23, 2002

,

Welcome and congratulations on your new baby. I can't say that I have

first hand experience with the doctors you listed, but have heard

wonderful things about Dr. Lehman.

Some children do have a rough time for a while after being casted. It

is normal and I wouldn't be concerned unless the casts seem extremely

tight.

As far as the sling goes, I don't have too much experience using a

sling, but I did use mine a few times while my son Jakob was in his

brace (as we called it). The times I used the sling, I would put Jakob

in facing me with his legs hanging down (kinda like sitting on a

swing). I have an email out to a friend of mine who sells slings

through our local La Leche League group, so maybe she can supply me with

some more ideas to pass along.

teaguemama wrote:

> Hello.

>

> I have a 12 week old who was cast for the first time on Monday, and as

>

> you may imagine, I have questions about a lot.

> But first, is there anyone who can tell me anything about Dr. Lehman

> of the Club Foot Clinic, or Dr. Widmann at Hospital for Special

> Surgery in NYC?

>

> We are in Poughkeepsie, NY, and have had two visits with an ortho. who

>

> specializes in the foot, but not specifically club foot... he claims

> to practice the Ponsetti method, however he plans to cast every two

> weeks instead of every week. So I've been doing some research on the

> Web which lead me to the two MDs above.

> Any info would be grand.

>

> My experience in the first 24-36 hours following casting were pretty

> rough going... is that common, and can I expect it to be equally as

> challenging each time my son is cast?

>

> And lastly (for now, anyway) : I have used a sling to cart around my

> other two children, and up until Monday was using one with Desmond...

> I haven't tried it yet, but I suspect it will be near impossible to

> use with the casts, and then the splint. Any ideas?

>

> I look forward to your response(s).

>

January 24, 2002

Welcome to the group! I know it is a whole new world for you right

now. I have two non-clubfoot daughters and was caught off guard when

this happened with my son. He was casted from birth until 3 months

and then nothing until 5 and 1/2 months ( we were waiting for

surgery and then found out about Dr. Ponseti and went to Iowa) At 5

and 1/2 months and his legs being FREE for over 2 months, he was not

a happy camper!!!! After a couple of nights he adjusted and the

other castings were no problem. The only other time he had trouble

was cast #3 because it was rubbing his inner thigh raw and we had

missed it. We bought socks from target (cherrokee girls socks) and

tucked them into the top of the casts to keep the rough edges from

rubbing. We switched to my husbands ankle socks which were thicker

and if I turned them backwards were the heal would go it was purfect

for the bend in the knee! My son also got use to the castings and

would go to sleep. He was casted about every 5-6 days and it took a

total of 6 casts and his were called severe by Dr. Ponseti. I can't

believe he has been out of casts now almost two months!!!

As far as the sling goes, we have the kind the the legs hand down

and we still used ours now and then for short periods of time ane he

did fine. But now in the Brace it is not possible and he's too heavy

now!!! Once you have mastered clothing your baby with the casts on

you will have to learn how to dress him with the BRACE!!! It's

really not too bad, but they don't make enough larger baby clothes

with the snaps.

Hang in there, I know it's not easy, but it does go fast!!! Our

prayers are with you and your baby.

and Caleb 3-31-01

- In nosurgery4clubfoot@y..., " teaguemama " <jenny@t...> wrote:

> Hello.

>

> I have a 12 week old who was cast for the first time on Monday, and

as

> you may imagine, I have questions about a lot.

> But first, is there anyone who can tell me anything about Dr.

Lehman

> of the Club Foot Clinic, or Dr. Widmann at Hospital for Special

> Surgery in NYC?

>

> We are in Poughkeepsie, NY, and have had two visits with an ortho.

who

> specializes in the foot, but not specifically club foot... he

claims

> to practice the Ponsetti method, however he plans to cast every two

> weeks instead of every week. So I've been doing some research on

the

> Web which lead me to the two MDs above.

> Any info would be grand.

>

> My experience in the first 24-36 hours following casting were

pretty

> rough going... is that common, and can I expect it to be equally as

> challenging each time my son is cast?

>

> And lastly (for now, anyway) : I have used a sling to cart around

my

> other two children, and up until Monday was using one with

Desmond...

> I haven't tried it yet, but I suspect it will be near impossible to

> use with the casts, and then the splint. Any ideas?

>

> I look forward to your response(s).

January 24, 2002

Welcome! Here's my 2 cents... Mostly things I have learned from this list...

Is your doctor a PEDIATRIC orthopedist? You do need to be careful because

time is of the essence. You definitely want to make sure you're getting the

correct treatment, because when it's done right, this method is 95%

effective in avoiding surgery.

Our first doctor used a BELOW THE KNEE cast and did not say anthing about

the fact that our daughter would need surgery. By the end of the week, we

were so dissatisfied by his inability to give us useful information, so we

told him we wouldn't be coming to him anymore. He was irate! He lectured us

and called us bad parents and some other things. Luckily, when Zoe was 6

weeks old, we found our current doctor and cast tech who had just returned

from being trained by Dr. Ponseti.

From what I understand, there are some questions you need to ask the doctor,

like how many casts it will take for him to fix the foot. Also, when did he

receive training from Dr. P. and what is his success rate? How many clubfeet

has he treated? What percentage of patients needed a tenotomy? Surgery?

I'm sure there are other questions which people on this list will post. I

know we did not ask enough questions because we didn't know what to ask.

As far as the sling goes, we were able to keep using it while she had casts

on, but not once she was in the brace. We switched to a snugli. At that

point, she could have the shoes off for one hour, so we would put her in the

snugli for that hour and take a walk after dinner.

They do adjust to these different contraptions. It is important to make sure

that the cast isn't rubbing against the skin like someone mentioned

previously.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

Joanne W.

Fairfax VA

Mom to Zoe (3-25-01) in the brace for naps and nighttime only finally!

>

>Reply-To: nosurgery4clubfoot

>To: nosurgery4clubfoot

>Subject: this is all new to me...

>Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 02:33:02 -0000

>

>Hello.

>

>I have a 12 week old who was cast for the first time on Monday, and as

>you may imagine, I have questions about a lot.

>But first, is there anyone who can tell me anything about Dr. Lehman

>of the Club Foot Clinic, or Dr. Widmann at Hospital for Special

>Surgery in NYC?

>

>We are in Poughkeepsie, NY, and have had two visits with an ortho. who

>specializes in the foot, but not specifically club foot... he claims

>to practice the Ponsetti method, however he plans to cast every two

>weeks instead of every week. So I've been doing some research on the

>Web which lead me to the two MDs above.

>Any info would be grand.

>

>My experience in the first 24-36 hours following casting were pretty

>rough going... is that common, and can I expect it to be equally as

>challenging each time my son is cast?

>

>And lastly (for now, anyway) : I have used a sling to cart around my

>other two children, and up until Monday was using one with Desmond...

>I haven't tried it yet, but I suspect it will be near impossible to

>use with the casts, and then the splint. Any ideas?

>

>I look forward to your response(s).

>

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January 25, 2002

Thanks.

We had a consultation with Widmann on Thursday (is that only yesterday?!) and

have decided to go to Scher, based on lots of good feedback about him, and the

Clubfoot Clinic.

I believe our first visit is Thursday next.

I'm a bit confused about how things work there : I don't quite understand the

clinic vs. individual doctors.

Can you fill me in?

Re: this is all new to me...

Dear -

My son n is being treated by Dr. Lehman and Dr. Scher at the

Hosp. for Joint Diseases. They are FABULOUS!! If you have any questions for

me,ask away!!

and n (5/24/01- currently in the DBB 12 hrs a day)

January 25, 2002

Thanks.

We had a consultation with Widmann on Thursday (is that only yesterday?!) and

have decided to go to Scher, based on lots of good feedback about him, and the

Clubfoot Clinic.

I believe our first visit is Thursday next.

I'm a bit confused about how things work there : I don't quite understand the

clinic vs. individual doctors.

Can you fill me in?

Re: this is all new to me...

Dear -

My son n is being treated by Dr. Lehman and Dr. Scher at the

Hosp. for Joint Diseases. They are FABULOUS!! If you have any questions for

me,ask away!!

and n (5/24/01- currently in the DBB 12 hrs a day)

January 25, 2002

Re: this is all new to me...

,

Welcome and congratulations on your new baby. I can't say that I have

first hand experience with the doctors you listed, but have heard

wonderful things about Dr. Lehman.

Thanks. We did have a consult with Widmann, but have chosen to see Dr Scher at

the Clubfoot Clinic in NYC (that's where Lehman is).

Some children do have a rough time for a while after being casted. It

is normal and I wouldn't be concerned unless the casts seem extremely

tight.

No, I don't think it's the casts, I think it's been everything : first it was

sore feet from the manipulation (I presume), and of course the adjustment to

casts... then there's teething, a cold and a severe case of cradle cap! My poor

baby!

His temperment certainly changed, however each day he's a bit more himself

(thankfully!).

As far as the sling goes, I don't have too much experience using a

sling, but I did use mine a few times while my son Jakob was in his

brace (as we called it). The times I used the sling, I would put Jakob

in facing me with his legs hanging down (kinda like sitting on a

swing). I have an email out to a friend of mine who sells slings

through our local La Leche League group, so maybe she can supply me with

some more ideas to pass along.

Again, thanks.

I was actually able to get him in the sling today (it felt so good to have him

close like that again!). Before that I was reluctant to try, as he has been so

easily upset recently (this is a baby who, until Monday has not cried much at

all) and I didn't want to provoke him.

I expect I'll be able to use the sling until he is in the brace full time, and

then afterward...

It's amazing how much I am having to learn all over again (this is my third

baby-- mothering has become second nature by now!).

Regards,

teaguemama wrote:

> Hello.

>

> I have a 12 week old who was cast for the first time on Monday, and as

>

> you may imagine, I have questions about a lot.

> But first, is there anyone who can tell me anything about Dr. Lehman

> of the Club Foot Clinic, or Dr. Widmann at Hospital for Special

> Surgery in NYC?

>

> We are in Poughkeepsie, NY, and have had two visits with an ortho. who

>

> specializes in the foot, but not specifically club foot... he claims

> to practice the Ponsetti method, however he plans to cast every two

> weeks instead of every week. So I've been doing some research on the

> Web which lead me to the two MDs above.

> Any info would be grand.

>

> My experience in the first 24-36 hours following casting were pretty

> rough going... is that common, and can I expect it to be equally as

> challenging each time my son is cast?

>

> And lastly (for now, anyway) : I have used a sling to cart around my

> other two children, and up until Monday was using one with Desmond...

> I haven't tried it yet, but I suspect it will be near impossible to

> use with the casts, and then the splint. Any ideas?

>

> I look forward to your response(s).

>

January 25, 2002

Thanks so much for all the insight-- it's very encouraging.

I find it impossible to believe that your son would sleep during casting (did I

understand you correctly?)-- as Desmond cried like he's never cried before

during manipulation, and nursed as if for survival while being cast.

However, the doctor who performed that procedure is not who we will be seeing

again, as we have found one of Ponseti's " qualified physicians " in New York, and

are scheduled to see him (DR Scher) on Thursday.

I thought that each visit would be as painful and traumatic.

Was that not your experience?

As for the sling, I was able to work it out today-- thanks. It felt so good to

have him close to me like that again.

I suspected that once he was in the brace full time, we wouldn't be able to use

it... I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

And, thanks for the clothing tips!

Kind regards,