Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Kori, first and foremost, welcome to the group and CONGRATULATIONS on your precious baby girl! I can relate somewhat to your feelings as Owen is my last baby and also our first boy. Most of the outfits I have do NOT have snaps all the way down the legs and all of the cute shoes/boots that I was in line to have inherited from my sil's son are out. BUT, my precious boy is beautiful and healthy and such a happy little guy. After " getting to know him " for the past 8 weeks and seeing his smile and his little personality, the fact that he has a clubfoot now seems so insignificant. So, I think your feelings are perfectly normal...and it DOES get better. I'm not as informed as most in this group but thought I'd jump in! Owen's doctor (not a *qualified* Ponseti method specialist) also used fibergass casting because it was what he was most comfortable using. Also, he was using short leg casts until I found this website (after the 4th casting) and became informed enough to start asking specific questions about his treatment - up until that point, I wasn't even aware that there were various methods for treating clubfoot! Since then, Owen's casts have all been long leg casts and the final cast (post tenotomy) is a long leg PLASTER cast. Owen's casting schedule has been the same as proposed for your daughter. I was able to unwrap each of his casts the night prior to our next appointment to give him a bath. Owen is scheduled to have his last cast removed April 22nd and after that, we'll be getting his DBB. By the way, where are you located? Daiga and Owen (02/04/03) Unilateral (left) CF Dartmouth, Nova Scotia > Hello Wise People, > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent through > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and again that > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to normal with > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position and it is > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at all. My > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches but I > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge exam he > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly after > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. Says > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for 2 > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's because > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of these when > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with club > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a faculty > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more information > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let them > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make any > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it sooner. We > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was Wednesday, two > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after we did > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this group or > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the first > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method although I > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated that > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then for > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). I > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time per day > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to be a > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be having the > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the air > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll find out > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the recommendations > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree angle at > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. It is > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other places > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than it does > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster one. Said > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would work just > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here seem to > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to unwrap them > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a bath. I > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are qualified > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street from the > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message there asking > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do this tx > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After reading a > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the AFO. I have > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I think I > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. Could > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the two? > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's a mama > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I had > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would wear and > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's still > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. Our first > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working through > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. I do > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, I > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her first > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't know > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > Kori > Mamma of > Kenton 6/18/98 > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Kori, first and foremost, welcome to the group and CONGRATULATIONS on your precious baby girl! I can relate somewhat to your feelings as Owen is my last baby and also our first boy. Most of the outfits I have do NOT have snaps all the way down the legs and all of the cute shoes/boots that I was in line to have inherited from my sil's son are out. BUT, my precious boy is beautiful and healthy and such a happy little guy. After " getting to know him " for the past 8 weeks and seeing his smile and his little personality, the fact that he has a clubfoot now seems so insignificant. So, I think your feelings are perfectly normal...and it DOES get better. I'm not as informed as most in this group but thought I'd jump in! Owen's doctor (not a *qualified* Ponseti method specialist) also used fibergass casting because it was what he was most comfortable using. Also, he was using short leg casts until I found this website (after the 4th casting) and became informed enough to start asking specific questions about his treatment - up until that point, I wasn't even aware that there were various methods for treating clubfoot! Since then, Owen's casts have all been long leg casts and the final cast (post tenotomy) is a long leg PLASTER cast. Owen's casting schedule has been the same as proposed for your daughter. I was able to unwrap each of his casts the night prior to our next appointment to give him a bath. Owen is scheduled to have his last cast removed April 22nd and after that, we'll be getting his DBB. By the way, where are you located? Daiga and Owen (02/04/03) Unilateral (left) CF Dartmouth, Nova Scotia > Hello Wise People, > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent through > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and again that > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to normal with > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position and it is > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at all. My > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches but I > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge exam he > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly after > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. Says > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for 2 > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's because > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of these when > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with club > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a faculty > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more information > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let them > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make any > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it sooner. We > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was Wednesday, two > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after we did > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this group or > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the first > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method although I > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated that > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then for > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). I > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time per day > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to be a > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be having the > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the air > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll find out > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the recommendations > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree angle at > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. It is > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other places > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than it does > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster one. Said > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would work just > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here seem to > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to unwrap them > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a bath. I > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are qualified > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street from the > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message there asking > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do this tx > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After reading a > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the AFO. I have > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I think I > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. Could > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the two? > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's a mama > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I had > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would wear and > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's still > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. Our first > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working through > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. I do > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, I > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her first > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't know > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > Kori > Mamma of > Kenton 6/18/98 > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Kori, first and foremost, welcome to the group and CONGRATULATIONS on your precious baby girl! I can relate somewhat to your feelings as Owen is my last baby and also our first boy. Most of the outfits I have do NOT have snaps all the way down the legs and all of the cute shoes/boots that I was in line to have inherited from my sil's son are out. BUT, my precious boy is beautiful and healthy and such a happy little guy. After " getting to know him " for the past 8 weeks and seeing his smile and his little personality, the fact that he has a clubfoot now seems so insignificant. So, I think your feelings are perfectly normal...and it DOES get better. I'm not as informed as most in this group but thought I'd jump in! Owen's doctor (not a *qualified* Ponseti method specialist) also used fibergass casting because it was what he was most comfortable using. Also, he was using short leg casts until I found this website (after the 4th casting) and became informed enough to start asking specific questions about his treatment - up until that point, I wasn't even aware that there were various methods for treating clubfoot! Since then, Owen's casts have all been long leg casts and the final cast (post tenotomy) is a long leg PLASTER cast. Owen's casting schedule has been the same as proposed for your daughter. I was able to unwrap each of his casts the night prior to our next appointment to give him a bath. Owen is scheduled to have his last cast removed April 22nd and after that, we'll be getting his DBB. By the way, where are you located? Daiga and Owen (02/04/03) Unilateral (left) CF Dartmouth, Nova Scotia > Hello Wise People, > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent through > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and again that > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to normal with > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position and it is > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at all. My > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches but I > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge exam he > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly after > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. Says > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for 2 > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's because > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of these when > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with club > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a faculty > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more information > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let them > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make any > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it sooner. We > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was Wednesday, two > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after we did > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this group or > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the first > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method although I > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated that > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then for > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). I > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time per day > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to be a > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be having the > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the air > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll find out > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the recommendations > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree angle at > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. It is > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other places > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than it does > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster one. Said > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would work just > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here seem to > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to unwrap them > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a bath. I > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are qualified > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street from the > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message there asking > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do this tx > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After reading a > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the AFO. I have > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I think I > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. Could > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the two? > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's a mama > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I had > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would wear and > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's still > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. Our first > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working through > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. I do > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, I > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her first > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't know > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > Kori > Mamma of > Kenton 6/18/98 > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 TIA, Congrags to you new little girl. welcome to this group. There is alot of great people here that will help answer question or help with advice. My son zachary was born with a right club foot. in now is almost 9 months and his only in his DBB ( denis browne Bar) for 12 to 16 hours a day. He has been through to different method. When he was born they just did a short leg plaster cast for 4 months than decide to put in made braces to him. but his foot relapes. My huband and I moved back to our hometown of kingston ontario canada. and found a wonderful dr that did the ponseti method. she sometimes get on his website and helps with the question. I know this seem overwhelming. But you do have a beautiful healthy baby girl. and everything will be fine. We thought the same with our son. and i was like u at first. but now he foot looks great a normal. it is a little hard. but u do get used doing a little different thing with her. but i find that it makes them different and special. I do have a website for him if u like to see http://monicahadlington.tripod.com. they do have pics for his foot as of jan 03 after the long leg cast. he now is crawling around and standing. so we know he is going to walk. so there is a beautiful light after a dark tunnel. the feelings and emotion u have are totally normal. in time u will find. God bless u and your family. monica and zachary (07/09/02 right club foot in DBB 12- 16 hours day > Hello Wise People, > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent through > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and again that > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to normal with > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position and it is > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at all. My > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches but I > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge exam he > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly after > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. Says > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for 2 > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's because > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of these when > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with club > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a faculty > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more information > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let them > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make any > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it sooner. We > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was Wednesday, two > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after we did > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this group or > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the first > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method although I > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated that > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then for > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). I > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time per day > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to be a > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be having the > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the air > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll find out > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the recommendations > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree angle at > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. It is > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other places > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than it does > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster one. Said > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would work just > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here seem to > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to unwrap them > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a bath. I > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are qualified > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street from the > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message there asking > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do this tx > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After reading a > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the AFO. I have > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I think I > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. Could > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the two? > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's a mama > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I had > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would wear and > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's still > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. Our first > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working through > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. I do > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, I > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her first > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't know > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > Kori > Mamma of > Kenton 6/18/98 > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 TIA, Congrags to you new little girl. welcome to this group. There is alot of great people here that will help answer question or help with advice. My son zachary was born with a right club foot. in now is almost 9 months and his only in his DBB ( denis browne Bar) for 12 to 16 hours a day. He has been through to different method. When he was born they just did a short leg plaster cast for 4 months than decide to put in made braces to him. but his foot relapes. My huband and I moved back to our hometown of kingston ontario canada. and found a wonderful dr that did the ponseti method. she sometimes get on his website and helps with the question. I know this seem overwhelming. But you do have a beautiful healthy baby girl. and everything will be fine. We thought the same with our son. and i was like u at first. but now he foot looks great a normal. it is a little hard. but u do get used doing a little different thing with her. but i find that it makes them different and special. I do have a website for him if u like to see http://monicahadlington.tripod.com. they do have pics for his foot as of jan 03 after the long leg cast. he now is crawling around and standing. so we know he is going to walk. so there is a beautiful light after a dark tunnel. the feelings and emotion u have are totally normal. in time u will find. God bless u and your family. monica and zachary (07/09/02 right club foot in DBB 12- 16 hours day > Hello Wise People, > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent through > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and again that > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to normal with > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position and it is > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at all. My > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches but I > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge exam he > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly after > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. Says > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for 2 > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's because > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of these when > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with club > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a faculty > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more information > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let them > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make any > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it sooner. We > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was Wednesday, two > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after we did > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this group or > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the first > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method although I > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated that > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then for > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). I > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time per day > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to be a > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be having the > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the air > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll find out > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the recommendations > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree angle at > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. It is > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other places > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than it does > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster one. Said > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would work just > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here seem to > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to unwrap them > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a bath. I > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are qualified > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street from the > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message there asking > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do this tx > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After reading a > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the AFO. I have > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I think I > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. Could > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the two? > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's a mama > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I had > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would wear and > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's still > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. Our first > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working through > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. I do > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, I > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her first > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't know > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > Kori > Mamma of > Kenton 6/18/98 > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 TIA, Congrags to you new little girl. welcome to this group. There is alot of great people here that will help answer question or help with advice. My son zachary was born with a right club foot. in now is almost 9 months and his only in his DBB ( denis browne Bar) for 12 to 16 hours a day. He has been through to different method. When he was born they just did a short leg plaster cast for 4 months than decide to put in made braces to him. but his foot relapes. My huband and I moved back to our hometown of kingston ontario canada. and found a wonderful dr that did the ponseti method. she sometimes get on his website and helps with the question. I know this seem overwhelming. But you do have a beautiful healthy baby girl. and everything will be fine. We thought the same with our son. and i was like u at first. but now he foot looks great a normal. it is a little hard. but u do get used doing a little different thing with her. but i find that it makes them different and special. I do have a website for him if u like to see http://monicahadlington.tripod.com. they do have pics for his foot as of jan 03 after the long leg cast. he now is crawling around and standing. so we know he is going to walk. so there is a beautiful light after a dark tunnel. the feelings and emotion u have are totally normal. in time u will find. God bless u and your family. monica and zachary (07/09/02 right club foot in DBB 12- 16 hours day > Hello Wise People, > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent through > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and again that > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to normal with > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position and it is > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at all. My > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches but I > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge exam he > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly after > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. Says > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for 2 > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's because > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of these when > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with club > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a faculty > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more information > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let them > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make any > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it sooner. We > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was Wednesday, two > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after we did > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this group or > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the first > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method although I > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated that > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then for > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). I > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time per day > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to be a > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be having the > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the air > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll find out > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the recommendations > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree angle at > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. It is > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other places > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than it does > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster one. Said > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would work just > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here seem to > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to unwrap them > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a bath. I > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are qualified > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street from the > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message there asking > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do this tx > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After reading a > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the AFO. I have > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I think I > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. Could > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the two? > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's a mama > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I had > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would wear and > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's still > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. Our first > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working through > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. I do > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, I > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her first > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't know > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > Kori > Mamma of > Kenton 6/18/98 > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Hello Kori, Welcome. I had noticed your message at Parentsplace, Clubfoot and here at Nosurgery4clubfoot. You mentioned that it appears that your doctor is doing some Ponseti like things but that he is using fiberglass instead of plaster. Dr. Ponseti feels that plaster is a better moulding material which he feels helps to maintain the manipulation better. But there are at least one or two other very good Ponseti method doctors who also appear to use fiberglass as well. At the U of Iowa, they take the casts off at the clinic to minimize the time the foot is out of the casts. If you take the casts off the night before your doctors appointment, you will notice that the feet will have at least a slight tendancy to start moving back. Our original (non-Ponseti) doctor had us take the casts off at home before coming into his office. Usually it was about an hour between the time we got them off and when he would put on the new ones. At one appointment, he was late by 3 hours because of an emergency and as we waited we noticed how the foot had moved back a bit during the extra 3 hours. In doctor Ponseti's book no page 99, he relates the story of a 7- month old premature baby whose feet were corrected in one month with 4 plaster cast changes. When the last casts had been removed, there had not been small enough shoes for the baby to where so they asked the parents to come back in one week when they would have the shoes in. Dr. Ponseti states, " To my surprise, the deformtiy had recurred to almost the same degree as it was originally. This time the clubfeet were corrected with manipulation and three plaster casts.... " There have been parents on the internet who have been to the Portland Shriners doctors for the Ponseti method, but I am not aware of any specifically from the Oregon Health Sciences University. At Yahoo's Clubfoot site, Penny and Ethan had just switched over to the Portland Shriners Hospital in mid February. Here are some messages relating to their experience so far. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clubfoot/message/13115 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clubfoot/message/13331 and (3-17-99) > Hello Wise People, > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent through > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and again that > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to normal with > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position and it is > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at all. My > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches but I > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge exam he > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly after > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. Says > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for 2 > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's because > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of these when > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with club > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a faculty > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more information > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let them > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make any > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it sooner. We > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was Wednesday, two > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after we did > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this group or > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the first > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method although I > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated that > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then for > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). I > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time per day > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to be a > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be having the > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the air > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll find out > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the recommendations > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree angle at > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. It is > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other places > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than it does > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster one. Said > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would work just > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here seem to > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to unwrap them > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a bath. I > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are qualified > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street from the > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message there asking > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do this tx > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After reading a > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the AFO. I have > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I think I > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. Could > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the two? > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's a mama > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I had > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would wear and > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's still > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. Our first > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working through > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. I do > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, I > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her first > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't know > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > Kori > Mamma of > Kenton 6/18/98 > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Hello Kori, Welcome. I had noticed your message at Parentsplace, Clubfoot and here at Nosurgery4clubfoot. You mentioned that it appears that your doctor is doing some Ponseti like things but that he is using fiberglass instead of plaster. Dr. Ponseti feels that plaster is a better moulding material which he feels helps to maintain the manipulation better. But there are at least one or two other very good Ponseti method doctors who also appear to use fiberglass as well. At the U of Iowa, they take the casts off at the clinic to minimize the time the foot is out of the casts. If you take the casts off the night before your doctors appointment, you will notice that the feet will have at least a slight tendancy to start moving back. Our original (non-Ponseti) doctor had us take the casts off at home before coming into his office. Usually it was about an hour between the time we got them off and when he would put on the new ones. At one appointment, he was late by 3 hours because of an emergency and as we waited we noticed how the foot had moved back a bit during the extra 3 hours. In doctor Ponseti's book no page 99, he relates the story of a 7- month old premature baby whose feet were corrected in one month with 4 plaster cast changes. When the last casts had been removed, there had not been small enough shoes for the baby to where so they asked the parents to come back in one week when they would have the shoes in. Dr. Ponseti states, " To my surprise, the deformtiy had recurred to almost the same degree as it was originally. This time the clubfeet were corrected with manipulation and three plaster casts.... " There have been parents on the internet who have been to the Portland Shriners doctors for the Ponseti method, but I am not aware of any specifically from the Oregon Health Sciences University. At Yahoo's Clubfoot site, Penny and Ethan had just switched over to the Portland Shriners Hospital in mid February. Here are some messages relating to their experience so far. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clubfoot/message/13115 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clubfoot/message/13331 and (3-17-99) > Hello Wise People, > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent through > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and again that > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to normal with > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position and it is > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at all. My > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches but I > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge exam he > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly after > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. Says > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for 2 > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's because > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of these when > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with club > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a faculty > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more information > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let them > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make any > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it sooner. We > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was Wednesday, two > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after we did > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this group or > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the first > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method although I > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated that > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then for > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). I > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time per day > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to be a > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be having the > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the air > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll find out > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the recommendations > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree angle at > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. It is > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other places > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than it does > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster one. Said > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would work just > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here seem to > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to unwrap them > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a bath. I > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are qualified > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street from the > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message there asking > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do this tx > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After reading a > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the AFO. I have > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I think I > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. Could > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the two? > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's a mama > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I had > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would wear and > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's still > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. Our first > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working through > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. I do > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, I > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her first > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't know > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > Kori > Mamma of > Kenton 6/18/98 > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Hello Kori, Welcome. I had noticed your message at Parentsplace, Clubfoot and here at Nosurgery4clubfoot. You mentioned that it appears that your doctor is doing some Ponseti like things but that he is using fiberglass instead of plaster. Dr. Ponseti feels that plaster is a better moulding material which he feels helps to maintain the manipulation better. But there are at least one or two other very good Ponseti method doctors who also appear to use fiberglass as well. At the U of Iowa, they take the casts off at the clinic to minimize the time the foot is out of the casts. If you take the casts off the night before your doctors appointment, you will notice that the feet will have at least a slight tendancy to start moving back. Our original (non-Ponseti) doctor had us take the casts off at home before coming into his office. Usually it was about an hour between the time we got them off and when he would put on the new ones. At one appointment, he was late by 3 hours because of an emergency and as we waited we noticed how the foot had moved back a bit during the extra 3 hours. In doctor Ponseti's book no page 99, he relates the story of a 7- month old premature baby whose feet were corrected in one month with 4 plaster cast changes. When the last casts had been removed, there had not been small enough shoes for the baby to where so they asked the parents to come back in one week when they would have the shoes in. Dr. Ponseti states, " To my surprise, the deformtiy had recurred to almost the same degree as it was originally. This time the clubfeet were corrected with manipulation and three plaster casts.... " There have been parents on the internet who have been to the Portland Shriners doctors for the Ponseti method, but I am not aware of any specifically from the Oregon Health Sciences University. At Yahoo's Clubfoot site, Penny and Ethan had just switched over to the Portland Shriners Hospital in mid February. Here are some messages relating to their experience so far. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clubfoot/message/13115 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clubfoot/message/13331 and (3-17-99) > Hello Wise People, > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent through > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and again that > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to normal with > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position and it is > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at all. My > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches but I > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge exam he > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly after > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. Says > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for 2 > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's because > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of these when > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with club > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a faculty > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more information > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let them > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make any > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it sooner. We > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was Wednesday, two > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after we did > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this group or > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the first > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method although I > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated that > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then for > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). I > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time per day > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to be a > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be having the > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the air > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll find out > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the recommendations > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree angle at > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. It is > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other places > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than it does > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster one. Said > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would work just > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here seem to > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to unwrap them > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a bath. I > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are qualified > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street from the > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message there asking > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do this tx > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After reading a > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the AFO. I have > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I think I > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. Could > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the two? > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's a mama > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I had > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would wear and > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's still > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. Our first > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working through > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. I do > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, I > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her first > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't know > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > Kori > Mamma of > Kenton 6/18/98 > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Welcome, Kori! So glad you've found this and the other clubfoot boards for support. When I had my little girl, 3 years ago, they also told us that her foot was " positional " initially. It could be moved to almost " neutral " easily and without pain. The ortho was called for a consult and told us that she had clubfoot. It was the first I'd ever heard of the term- but in the past 3 years I have learned *so* much about it. We spent 3.5 months with the first ortho casting weekly (long leg casts, but not Ponseti method) and then in AFO's. Her foot started to develop rocker bottom, so he sent us to a " specialist " who wanted to do a PMR when she was 5-6 months old. At that point I turned to the internet for support for her pending surgery and found out about the Ponseti method. We went to Iowa for the first time when she was 4 months old. Dr. P fixed her foot with 3 casts and then a tenotomy (4 casts total). So that " mild, positional " foot turned into a real adventure to get corrected. I am so grateful to have found out about the P method and to have had the opportunity to have Dr. P himself correct my daughter's foot. As I said before, she's 3 now, and her foot is perfect. We are very blessed. I would like to encourage you to continue educating yourself so that you can make informed decisions about your daughter's treatment. You've learned a lot in a short amount of time and I give you so much credit- I have a 12 week old baby, and I know that getting time to research is very difficult. Feel free to ask lots of questions (we're here to help) and vent anytime you need to. It sounds to me like your doctor is *not* using the Ponseti method (as explained in his post). I, personally, am not impressed with the fact that you're having to remove the casts the night before. (Our first doctor had us do this also) So much correction can be lost in those few hours spent out of the cast! About your question about the AFO vs. DBB/FAB (foot abduction brace is the correct term for the dbb): The AFO is a custom molded plastic splint usually held on by velcro. The doctors at the U of Iowa (where the P method was developed) tried using AFO's for a while, but found the rate of regression to be higher than their history with the FAB. The rate of regression for using the FAB is 7% when parents use it as prescribed versus over 70% if they discard it early according to the studies at the U of Iowa. Dr. Ponseti and colleagues usually have the child wear the brace for 23 hours/day for the first 2-3 months after correction and then just at night and nap time for 2-3 years. Each case is unique, so there isn't one standard protocol. Usually it is somewhere between 12-18 hours depending on the child and the physician. Hope this helps some- Regards, & (3-16-00) left clubfoot, switched to Ponseti method at 4 months old http://ponseticlubfoot.freeservers.com/ > Hello Wise People, > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent through > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and again that > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to normal with > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position and it is > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at all. My > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches but I > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge exam he > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly after > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. Says > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for 2 > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's because > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of these when > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with club > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a faculty > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more information > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let them > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make any > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it sooner. We > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was Wednesday, two > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after we did > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this group or > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the first > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method although I > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated that > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then for > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). I > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time per day > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to be a > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be having the > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the air > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll find out > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the recommendations > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree angle at > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. It is > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other places > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than it does > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster one. Said > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would work just > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here seem to > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to unwrap them > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a bath. I > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are qualified > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street from the > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message there asking > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do this tx > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After reading a > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the AFO. I have > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I think I > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. Could > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the two? > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's a mama > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I had > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would wear and > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's still > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. Our first > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working through > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. I do > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, I > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her first > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't know > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > Kori > Mamma of > Kenton 6/18/98 > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Welcome, Kori! So glad you've found this and the other clubfoot boards for support. When I had my little girl, 3 years ago, they also told us that her foot was " positional " initially. It could be moved to almost " neutral " easily and without pain. The ortho was called for a consult and told us that she had clubfoot. It was the first I'd ever heard of the term- but in the past 3 years I have learned *so* much about it. We spent 3.5 months with the first ortho casting weekly (long leg casts, but not Ponseti method) and then in AFO's. Her foot started to develop rocker bottom, so he sent us to a " specialist " who wanted to do a PMR when she was 5-6 months old. At that point I turned to the internet for support for her pending surgery and found out about the Ponseti method. We went to Iowa for the first time when she was 4 months old. Dr. P fixed her foot with 3 casts and then a tenotomy (4 casts total). So that " mild, positional " foot turned into a real adventure to get corrected. I am so grateful to have found out about the P method and to have had the opportunity to have Dr. P himself correct my daughter's foot. As I said before, she's 3 now, and her foot is perfect. We are very blessed. I would like to encourage you to continue educating yourself so that you can make informed decisions about your daughter's treatment. You've learned a lot in a short amount of time and I give you so much credit- I have a 12 week old baby, and I know that getting time to research is very difficult. Feel free to ask lots of questions (we're here to help) and vent anytime you need to. It sounds to me like your doctor is *not* using the Ponseti method (as explained in his post). I, personally, am not impressed with the fact that you're having to remove the casts the night before. (Our first doctor had us do this also) So much correction can be lost in those few hours spent out of the cast! About your question about the AFO vs. DBB/FAB (foot abduction brace is the correct term for the dbb): The AFO is a custom molded plastic splint usually held on by velcro. The doctors at the U of Iowa (where the P method was developed) tried using AFO's for a while, but found the rate of regression to be higher than their history with the FAB. The rate of regression for using the FAB is 7% when parents use it as prescribed versus over 70% if they discard it early according to the studies at the U of Iowa. Dr. Ponseti and colleagues usually have the child wear the brace for 23 hours/day for the first 2-3 months after correction and then just at night and nap time for 2-3 years. Each case is unique, so there isn't one standard protocol. Usually it is somewhere between 12-18 hours depending on the child and the physician. Hope this helps some- Regards, & (3-16-00) left clubfoot, switched to Ponseti method at 4 months old http://ponseticlubfoot.freeservers.com/ > Hello Wise People, > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent through > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and again that > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to normal with > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position and it is > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at all. My > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches but I > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge exam he > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly after > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. Says > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for 2 > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's because > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of these when > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with club > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a faculty > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more information > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let them > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make any > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it sooner. We > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was Wednesday, two > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after we did > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this group or > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the first > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method although I > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated that > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then for > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). I > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time per day > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to be a > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be having the > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the air > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll find out > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the recommendations > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree angle at > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. It is > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other places > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than it does > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster one. Said > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would work just > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here seem to > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to unwrap them > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a bath. I > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are qualified > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street from the > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message there asking > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do this tx > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After reading a > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the AFO. I have > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I think I > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. Could > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the two? > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's a mama > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I had > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would wear and > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's still > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. Our first > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working through > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. I do > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, I > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her first > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't know > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > Kori > Mamma of > Kenton 6/18/98 > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Welcome, Kori! So glad you've found this and the other clubfoot boards for support. When I had my little girl, 3 years ago, they also told us that her foot was " positional " initially. It could be moved to almost " neutral " easily and without pain. The ortho was called for a consult and told us that she had clubfoot. It was the first I'd ever heard of the term- but in the past 3 years I have learned *so* much about it. We spent 3.5 months with the first ortho casting weekly (long leg casts, but not Ponseti method) and then in AFO's. Her foot started to develop rocker bottom, so he sent us to a " specialist " who wanted to do a PMR when she was 5-6 months old. At that point I turned to the internet for support for her pending surgery and found out about the Ponseti method. We went to Iowa for the first time when she was 4 months old. Dr. P fixed her foot with 3 casts and then a tenotomy (4 casts total). So that " mild, positional " foot turned into a real adventure to get corrected. I am so grateful to have found out about the P method and to have had the opportunity to have Dr. P himself correct my daughter's foot. As I said before, she's 3 now, and her foot is perfect. We are very blessed. I would like to encourage you to continue educating yourself so that you can make informed decisions about your daughter's treatment. You've learned a lot in a short amount of time and I give you so much credit- I have a 12 week old baby, and I know that getting time to research is very difficult. Feel free to ask lots of questions (we're here to help) and vent anytime you need to. It sounds to me like your doctor is *not* using the Ponseti method (as explained in his post). I, personally, am not impressed with the fact that you're having to remove the casts the night before. (Our first doctor had us do this also) So much correction can be lost in those few hours spent out of the cast! About your question about the AFO vs. DBB/FAB (foot abduction brace is the correct term for the dbb): The AFO is a custom molded plastic splint usually held on by velcro. The doctors at the U of Iowa (where the P method was developed) tried using AFO's for a while, but found the rate of regression to be higher than their history with the FAB. The rate of regression for using the FAB is 7% when parents use it as prescribed versus over 70% if they discard it early according to the studies at the U of Iowa. Dr. Ponseti and colleagues usually have the child wear the brace for 23 hours/day for the first 2-3 months after correction and then just at night and nap time for 2-3 years. Each case is unique, so there isn't one standard protocol. Usually it is somewhere between 12-18 hours depending on the child and the physician. Hope this helps some- Regards, & (3-16-00) left clubfoot, switched to Ponseti method at 4 months old http://ponseticlubfoot.freeservers.com/ > Hello Wise People, > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent through > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and again that > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to normal with > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position and it is > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at all. My > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches but I > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge exam he > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly after > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. Says > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for 2 > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's because > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of these when > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with club > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a faculty > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more information > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let them > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make any > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it sooner. We > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was Wednesday, two > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after we did > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this group or > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the first > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method although I > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated that > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then for > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). I > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time per day > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to be a > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be having the > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the air > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll find out > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the recommendations > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree angle at > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. It is > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other places > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than it does > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster one. Said > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would work just > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here seem to > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to unwrap them > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a bath. I > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are qualified > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street from the > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message there asking > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do this tx > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After reading a > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the AFO. I have > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I think I > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. Could > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the two? > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's a mama > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I had > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would wear and > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's still > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. Our first > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working through > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. I do > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, I > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her first > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't know > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > Kori > Mamma of > Kenton 6/18/98 > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Kori, Our doctor, Dr Mosca at Seattle Children's, uses fiberglass soft casts, but they very specifically told us to NOT remove the cast the night before, that is was ONLY to be removed the morning of the cast change. Dr Mosca is considered to be one of the leading authorities, and fervent believers, in Ponseti method, and from what I have seen, his only deviation from the method it the use of fiberglass. My son's foot appeared to be fully corrected after the last cast, and any problems you see here on our part I believe are due to the shoes being far too big for Kai's foot. While we chose to go to Seattle Children's rather than Portland Shriners, the only deciding factor between the two was that my brother lives in Seattle, so we had a place to stay there. Portland Shriners has two doctors on Ponseti's list, and one doctor (not sure if it is one of the " list " docs or not) that specializes in arthrogryposis, which also involves clubfoot. My father's girlfriend's daughter has a son with arthrogryposis, and she has had nothing but good experiences with Portland Shriners. From the OHSU web site, I cant find any information about their treatment of clubfoot, but that does not necessarily mean anything. Being in that area anyway, you could always ask for a second opinion from the doctors at Shriners if you feel uncomfortable with any part of the treatment. Your doctor may have only told you " 18 - 24 hours " in his description to give you a brief idea. It may well be that when the time comes, he will tell you 23/7 for the first 3 months THEN 18/7 until walking. You should always feel free to ask any question you have of your doctor - and he should be willing to answer any questions - so you could always ask him for the exact specifics. All that aside, congrats on your new little girl and welcome here! My sone is my 3rd child, and only boy, so I can relate (in a reverse way) to your feelings. Angel & Kai > > Hello Wise People, > > > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent > through > > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and > again that > > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to > normal with > > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position > and it is > > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at > all. My > > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches > but I > > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge > exam he > > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly > after > > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. > Says > > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for > 2 > > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's > because > > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of > these when > > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with > club > > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a > faculty > > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more > information > > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let > them > > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make > any > > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it > sooner. We > > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was > Wednesday, two > > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after > we did > > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this > group or > > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the > first > > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method > although I > > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated > that > > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then > for > > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). > I > > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time > per day > > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to > be a > > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be > having the > > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the > air > > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll > find out > > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the > recommendations > > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree > angle at > > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. > It is > > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other > places > > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than > it does > > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster > one. Said > > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would > work just > > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here > seem to > > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to > unwrap them > > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a > bath. I > > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are > qualified > > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street > from the > > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message > there asking > > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do > this tx > > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After > reading a > > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the > AFO. I have > > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I > think I > > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. > Could > > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the > two? > > > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's > a mama > > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I > had > > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would > wear and > > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's > still > > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. > Our first > > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working > through > > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. > I do > > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, > I > > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her > first > > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't > know > > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > > > > Kori > > Mamma of > > Kenton 6/18/98 > > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Kori, Our doctor, Dr Mosca at Seattle Children's, uses fiberglass soft casts, but they very specifically told us to NOT remove the cast the night before, that is was ONLY to be removed the morning of the cast change. Dr Mosca is considered to be one of the leading authorities, and fervent believers, in Ponseti method, and from what I have seen, his only deviation from the method it the use of fiberglass. My son's foot appeared to be fully corrected after the last cast, and any problems you see here on our part I believe are due to the shoes being far too big for Kai's foot. While we chose to go to Seattle Children's rather than Portland Shriners, the only deciding factor between the two was that my brother lives in Seattle, so we had a place to stay there. Portland Shriners has two doctors on Ponseti's list, and one doctor (not sure if it is one of the " list " docs or not) that specializes in arthrogryposis, which also involves clubfoot. My father's girlfriend's daughter has a son with arthrogryposis, and she has had nothing but good experiences with Portland Shriners. From the OHSU web site, I cant find any information about their treatment of clubfoot, but that does not necessarily mean anything. Being in that area anyway, you could always ask for a second opinion from the doctors at Shriners if you feel uncomfortable with any part of the treatment. Your doctor may have only told you " 18 - 24 hours " in his description to give you a brief idea. It may well be that when the time comes, he will tell you 23/7 for the first 3 months THEN 18/7 until walking. You should always feel free to ask any question you have of your doctor - and he should be willing to answer any questions - so you could always ask him for the exact specifics. All that aside, congrats on your new little girl and welcome here! My sone is my 3rd child, and only boy, so I can relate (in a reverse way) to your feelings. Angel & Kai > > Hello Wise People, > > > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent > through > > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and > again that > > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to > normal with > > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position > and it is > > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at > all. My > > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches > but I > > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge > exam he > > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly > after > > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. > Says > > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for > 2 > > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's > because > > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of > these when > > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with > club > > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a > faculty > > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more > information > > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let > them > > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make > any > > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it > sooner. We > > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was > Wednesday, two > > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after > we did > > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this > group or > > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the > first > > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method > although I > > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated > that > > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then > for > > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). > I > > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time > per day > > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to > be a > > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be > having the > > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the > air > > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll > find out > > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the > recommendations > > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree > angle at > > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. > It is > > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other > places > > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than > it does > > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster > one. Said > > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would > work just > > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here > seem to > > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to > unwrap them > > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a > bath. I > > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are > qualified > > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street > from the > > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message > there asking > > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do > this tx > > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After > reading a > > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the > AFO. I have > > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I > think I > > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. > Could > > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the > two? > > > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's > a mama > > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I > had > > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would > wear and > > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's > still > > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. > Our first > > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working > through > > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. > I do > > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, > I > > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her > first > > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't > know > > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > > > > Kori > > Mamma of > > Kenton 6/18/98 > > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Kori, Our doctor, Dr Mosca at Seattle Children's, uses fiberglass soft casts, but they very specifically told us to NOT remove the cast the night before, that is was ONLY to be removed the morning of the cast change. Dr Mosca is considered to be one of the leading authorities, and fervent believers, in Ponseti method, and from what I have seen, his only deviation from the method it the use of fiberglass. My son's foot appeared to be fully corrected after the last cast, and any problems you see here on our part I believe are due to the shoes being far too big for Kai's foot. While we chose to go to Seattle Children's rather than Portland Shriners, the only deciding factor between the two was that my brother lives in Seattle, so we had a place to stay there. Portland Shriners has two doctors on Ponseti's list, and one doctor (not sure if it is one of the " list " docs or not) that specializes in arthrogryposis, which also involves clubfoot. My father's girlfriend's daughter has a son with arthrogryposis, and she has had nothing but good experiences with Portland Shriners. From the OHSU web site, I cant find any information about their treatment of clubfoot, but that does not necessarily mean anything. Being in that area anyway, you could always ask for a second opinion from the doctors at Shriners if you feel uncomfortable with any part of the treatment. Your doctor may have only told you " 18 - 24 hours " in his description to give you a brief idea. It may well be that when the time comes, he will tell you 23/7 for the first 3 months THEN 18/7 until walking. You should always feel free to ask any question you have of your doctor - and he should be willing to answer any questions - so you could always ask him for the exact specifics. All that aside, congrats on your new little girl and welcome here! My sone is my 3rd child, and only boy, so I can relate (in a reverse way) to your feelings. Angel & Kai > > Hello Wise People, > > > > Our daughter was born on March 28th. I had a section so we spent > through > > the 1st in the hospital. Up till that day we were told time and > again that > > her strangely bent foot was positional and would come back to > normal with > > time. We can easily rotate her foot to an almost normal position > and it is > > very flexible. She does not cry when we mess with her foot at > all. My > > mother says that she points them normal herself when she stretches > but I > > hadn't noticed it. Upon seeing a faculty Ped for her discharge > exam he > > said he wanted an Orthopaedic Surgeon to look at her foot. Shortly > after > > that the Ortho came and announces that she has a *mild* club foot. > Says > > she's going to need casting and then this shoe thing with a bar for > 2 > > years. OK.... kind of shocking after being told for 4 days it's > because > > of her positioning in me... but ok... My cousin wore one of > these when > > she was little but neither my mom or I remember her being dx with > club > > foot. Shortly after the first Ortho left he comes back with a > faculty > > Ortho (teaching hospital) to look at her and we get into more > information > > about what we need to do and when. He told us that he usually lets > > families go home for a week or so before starting casting to let > them > > recover/regroup. I told him I didn't need to and if it would make > any > > difference for use to do it sooner than later then we'd do it > sooner. We > > scheduled the first casting for the next morning. That was > Wednesday, two > > days ago. I didn't have time to do much research online till after > we did > > the cast, I'm still recovering from surgery so I didn't find this > group or > > the information about the Ponseti method till Wed. night after the > first > > cast. So far, I think we've got a Dr. who is using this method > although I > > don't know if he's doing any modifications. His description of the > > treatment parallels the descriptions online except he has indicated > that > > she wear the brace 18-24 hours a day till she's pulling up and then > for > > naps and nights after that for 2 years (IIRC... it's all so new). > I > > thought the Ponseti tx has the child wear the brace for less time > per day > > in the beginning although I might be wrong. There doesn't seem to > be a > > whole lot of info out there on this. We do not know if we'll be > having the > > heel cord release procedure yet, apparently that one's up in the > air > > still. Weekly casting is set for approximately 6 weeks and we'll > find out > > more then. It appears that he is casting according to the > recommendations > > with a high cast and what looks to me to be an almost 90 degree > angle at > > the knee but the cast seems to allow for some flexion of her knee. > It is > > not *quite* as high as the casts I see here in the pics and other > places > > online but when I look at the pic of her cast it looks higher than > it does > > IRL. Also, he gave her a soft fiberglass cast, not the plaster > one. Said > > they are lighter and he prefers them. It seems that they would > work just > > as well as plaster, they hold her in place well but since most here > seem to > > be getting plaster I wanted to check on that. I am supposed to > unwrap them > > the night before we go in for the next casting so she can have a > bath. I > > will take a picture of her cast in case someone wants to check it > > out. There are two Dr's listed on Dr. Ponseti's website who are > qualified > > in this tx and the Shriner's hospital is right across the street > from the > > hospital we're currently being seen at. I have left a message > there asking > > for information about our Dr. (who just happens to be an Associate > > Professor in Pediatric Orthopaedics) and if he is qualified to do > this tx > > but I doubt I'll hear back till next week. > > > > I also had a question about the shoe/brace/bar thingie. After > reading a > > few posts here I see that there are two kinds, the DBB and the > AFO. I have > > looked at some of the pics in the yahoogroups photo section and I > think I > > know the difference physically now but I'm still not 100% sure. > Could > > someone please explain the differences and pros vs cons between the > two? > > > > Right now I'm having difficulty with some things with this but it's > a mama > > thing I'm sure. This is my last baby and she's my first girl. I > had > > visions of all the fun clothes and little booties/shoes she would > wear and > > now it seems like that's all gone. I know it's petty but it's > still > > affecting me like that so I need to get through/past it somehow. > Our first > > years are changed and it's going to be fine, but I'm still working > through > > it. Any suggestions or smacks in the noggin will be appreciated. > I do > > know it could be worse and I've been blessed with healthy children, > I > > should feel very lucky and I do. I don't know if this group allows > > attachments but I've got some of her feet and will take one of her > first > > cast in case anyone wants to look and comment on them. > > > > Sorry for the cross posting, I hope it's not a problem. I don't > know > > exactly which group is best to ask this question. TIA > > > > > > Kori > > Mamma of > > Kenton 6/18/98 > > Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 > > Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2003 Report Share Posted April 6, 2003 At 03:41 AM 4/6/2003 +0000, you wrote: >Welcome, Kori! So glad you've found this and the other clubfoot >boards for support. When I had my little girl, 3 years ago, they >also told us that her foot was " positional " initially. This kind of irritated my dh because he was sure from the beginning it wasn't normal. He is still somewhat irritated because he feels that treatment should have started earlier than it did (day 5). But... I take some of the blame since being told this so many times by the peds who came to see her daily when *our* ped stopped in to my room to see her (he's faculty and has taken a promotion, very hard to get to and only works in the clinic one morning a week. we are lucky to see him at all anymore) I didn't want to bother him with another stupid question about her foot. But I'm sure he would have had us seen by the ortho sooner if I'd pointed it out to him at that time. Boy won't he be surprised what's going on with her tomorrow when we go in to see him for her well baby checkup and weigh in! > As I >said before, she's 3 now, and her foot is perfect. did she wear the DBB or AFO still? And how long did she wear it for? So much correction >can be lost in those few hours spent out of the cast! lol, like I remarked to , I've decided not to do that. Especially since this time her appointment isn't till the afternoon. I may not remove it at all if I'm feeling cocky... her umbilical stump still hasn't fallen off so she can't have a bath anyway. It's not like she's dirty hehe! Thank you for your response . I really appreciate it. My mom has been giving me greif about my research into this. She asks me tonight if I find out that this Dr. isn't doing things *the way I like* if I'm going to tell him how to do his job or take her to another Dr. Basically telling me that I should trust blindly and that the information I receive online can't possibly be true. Unfortunately I've been online for a long time now and have great faith in mom/parent email lists like these and trust the experiences of other parents a lot more than one Dr. anywhere. So I'll do as I please. Today dh remarked after I told him I emailed Dr. Ponseti directly (and sent pics, i noticed they didn't show up on the lists) that he was sure Darbi will appreciate all the research I'm putting into this. THAT really made me feel good about doing this and quite honestly, what he thinks matters more than my mom anyway right? I do feel strange questioning this Dr. I know he means well and it's quite possible that we're going to be fine staying with him. He's overbooking us to do the casting and seems very caring. I'd be really happy just to stay with him and have it all turn out perfectly. Kori Mamma of Kenton 6/18/98 Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2003 Report Share Posted April 6, 2003 At 03:41 AM 4/6/2003 +0000, you wrote: >Welcome, Kori! So glad you've found this and the other clubfoot >boards for support. When I had my little girl, 3 years ago, they >also told us that her foot was " positional " initially. This kind of irritated my dh because he was sure from the beginning it wasn't normal. He is still somewhat irritated because he feels that treatment should have started earlier than it did (day 5). But... I take some of the blame since being told this so many times by the peds who came to see her daily when *our* ped stopped in to my room to see her (he's faculty and has taken a promotion, very hard to get to and only works in the clinic one morning a week. we are lucky to see him at all anymore) I didn't want to bother him with another stupid question about her foot. But I'm sure he would have had us seen by the ortho sooner if I'd pointed it out to him at that time. Boy won't he be surprised what's going on with her tomorrow when we go in to see him for her well baby checkup and weigh in! > As I >said before, she's 3 now, and her foot is perfect. did she wear the DBB or AFO still? And how long did she wear it for? So much correction >can be lost in those few hours spent out of the cast! lol, like I remarked to , I've decided not to do that. Especially since this time her appointment isn't till the afternoon. I may not remove it at all if I'm feeling cocky... her umbilical stump still hasn't fallen off so she can't have a bath anyway. It's not like she's dirty hehe! Thank you for your response . I really appreciate it. My mom has been giving me greif about my research into this. She asks me tonight if I find out that this Dr. isn't doing things *the way I like* if I'm going to tell him how to do his job or take her to another Dr. Basically telling me that I should trust blindly and that the information I receive online can't possibly be true. Unfortunately I've been online for a long time now and have great faith in mom/parent email lists like these and trust the experiences of other parents a lot more than one Dr. anywhere. So I'll do as I please. Today dh remarked after I told him I emailed Dr. Ponseti directly (and sent pics, i noticed they didn't show up on the lists) that he was sure Darbi will appreciate all the research I'm putting into this. THAT really made me feel good about doing this and quite honestly, what he thinks matters more than my mom anyway right? I do feel strange questioning this Dr. I know he means well and it's quite possible that we're going to be fine staying with him. He's overbooking us to do the casting and seems very caring. I'd be really happy just to stay with him and have it all turn out perfectly. Kori Mamma of Kenton 6/18/98 Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2003 Report Share Posted April 6, 2003 >My son's foot appeared to be fully corrected after the last cast, and >any problems you see here on our part I believe are due to the shoes >being far too big for Kai's foot. I love the name Kai. How many casts did you do? We're being told 6. >While we chose to go to Seattle Children's rather than Portland >Shriners, the only deciding factor between the two was that my >brother lives in Seattle, so we had a place to stay there. Portland >Shriners has two doctors on Ponseti's list, So you live somewhere between Portland and Seattle? We're in Portland so it's really easy for us to go to either Shriner's or OHSU. They're also on the same campus but apparently not connected in any other way. I hope to talk to someone there tomorrow. >Your doctor may have only told you " 18 - 24 hours " in his description >to give you a brief idea. Quite honestly I don't know for sure what he said. I came out of there thinking she was going to have to wear it for 18-24 hours for 2 years and my mom had to correct me saying it was only till she started to pull up and then at naps and bedtime after that for 2 years. For some reason I didn't hear him well and had myself a little cry after he left us in the room. I hadn't even known her dx for 24 hours at the time and seeing her little self in the cast there was overwhelming and I was a little messed up. It still seems too long and I just don't want her to be restrained like that. I remember my little cousin being in this thing and I always felt it was cruel, even as a child. I know I'll do what's best for her but it's difficult for me to think of it. Give me time... I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm still loopy on painkillers too, or maybe I'm just loopy in general :~} >All that aside, congrats on your new little girl and welcome here! >My sone is my 3rd child, and only boy, so I can relate (in a reverse >way) to your feelings. Thank you Angel. I've been so bad with shoes for my boys, I have way too many (but getting better as they get older). They're so cute and such fun ones can be found resale. Maybe I'll save some money on this little girl huh? Kori Mamma of Kenton 6/18/98 Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2003 Report Share Posted April 6, 2003 >My son's foot appeared to be fully corrected after the last cast, and >any problems you see here on our part I believe are due to the shoes >being far too big for Kai's foot. I love the name Kai. How many casts did you do? We're being told 6. >While we chose to go to Seattle Children's rather than Portland >Shriners, the only deciding factor between the two was that my >brother lives in Seattle, so we had a place to stay there. Portland >Shriners has two doctors on Ponseti's list, So you live somewhere between Portland and Seattle? We're in Portland so it's really easy for us to go to either Shriner's or OHSU. They're also on the same campus but apparently not connected in any other way. I hope to talk to someone there tomorrow. >Your doctor may have only told you " 18 - 24 hours " in his description >to give you a brief idea. Quite honestly I don't know for sure what he said. I came out of there thinking she was going to have to wear it for 18-24 hours for 2 years and my mom had to correct me saying it was only till she started to pull up and then at naps and bedtime after that for 2 years. For some reason I didn't hear him well and had myself a little cry after he left us in the room. I hadn't even known her dx for 24 hours at the time and seeing her little self in the cast there was overwhelming and I was a little messed up. It still seems too long and I just don't want her to be restrained like that. I remember my little cousin being in this thing and I always felt it was cruel, even as a child. I know I'll do what's best for her but it's difficult for me to think of it. Give me time... I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm still loopy on painkillers too, or maybe I'm just loopy in general :~} >All that aside, congrats on your new little girl and welcome here! >My sone is my 3rd child, and only boy, so I can relate (in a reverse >way) to your feelings. Thank you Angel. I've been so bad with shoes for my boys, I have way too many (but getting better as they get older). They're so cute and such fun ones can be found resale. Maybe I'll save some money on this little girl huh? Kori Mamma of Kenton 6/18/98 Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2003 Report Share Posted April 6, 2003 >Kori, first and foremost, welcome to the group and CONGRATULATIONS on >your precious baby girl! Thank you :~} > Most of the outfits I have do NOT have snaps all >the way down the legs Is it terribly difficult to take the shoe off for diaper changes? I will have to see the reality of being mom of three and how that goes but can you manage diaper changes by taking one shoe out of the brace? So, I think your feelings are perfectly >normal...and it DOES get better. Thanks, I can't wait. She's perfect as far as I can tell. I can't imagine life without her already. And I really wasn't sure how I would handle three kidlets when I first got pg (even if we did do it on purpose) >Owen's casting schedule has been the same as proposed for your >daughter. I was able to unwrap each of his casts the night prior to >our next appointment to give him a bath. dh's name is Owen (as is his father's which is why he goes by Dirk, his middle name). Great name! I do have one question though, did his foot go back at all before the next casting or not? I would love to have time to kiss her little baby feet for a little while before getting another cast. Of course I won't know till I try it one way or the other for myself, I do know this. >By the way, where are you located? Portland, Oregon. On the other side of the world from NS :~} Kori Mamma of Kenton 6/18/98 Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2003 Report Share Posted April 6, 2003 >Congrags to you new little girl. welcome to this group. Thank you. >But you do have a beautiful healthy baby girl. and everything will >be fine. We thought the same with our son. and i was like u at >first. It IS nice to know I'm not alone and that it'll get better. I knew it would but it sure is nice getting validation for my feelings. >. I do have a website >for him if u like to >see <http://monicahadlington.tripod.com.>http://monicahadlington.tripod.com. I can't see the pics, they only show as a graphic saying " imaging hosted by tripod " . Weird. thanks for your kind words . LMK if I can do something different to see your pics on the website. Kori Mamma of Kenton 6/18/98 Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2003 Report Share Posted April 6, 2003 >Congrags to you new little girl. welcome to this group. Thank you. >But you do have a beautiful healthy baby girl. and everything will >be fine. We thought the same with our son. and i was like u at >first. It IS nice to know I'm not alone and that it'll get better. I knew it would but it sure is nice getting validation for my feelings. >. I do have a website >for him if u like to >see <http://monicahadlington.tripod.com.>http://monicahadlington.tripod.com. I can't see the pics, they only show as a graphic saying " imaging hosted by tripod " . Weird. thanks for your kind words . LMK if I can do something different to see your pics on the website. Kori Mamma of Kenton 6/18/98 Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2003 Report Share Posted April 6, 2003 >Congrags to you new little girl. welcome to this group. Thank you. >But you do have a beautiful healthy baby girl. and everything will >be fine. We thought the same with our son. and i was like u at >first. It IS nice to know I'm not alone and that it'll get better. I knew it would but it sure is nice getting validation for my feelings. >. I do have a website >for him if u like to >see <http://monicahadlington.tripod.com.>http://monicahadlington.tripod.com. I can't see the pics, they only show as a graphic saying " imaging hosted by tripod " . Weird. thanks for your kind words . LMK if I can do something different to see your pics on the website. Kori Mamma of Kenton 6/18/98 Merek (Maki) 3/5/00 Darbi Ruth 3/28/03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2003 Report Share Posted April 7, 2003 Kori, your moms reaction to your internet research is the same that I got from my DH - he basically said the same thing about me going in a talking to Owen's doctor. He didn't want me telling the doctor 'how to do his job' or insinuating that I knew more about clubfoot or 'this Ponseti method' than the doctor did based on what I learned from the internet. I was so frustrated with him (dh)! Anyway, thanks for the compliments on his name - it took us forever to pick a name (read: agree) and we finally did a few minutes before his birth! LOL! > Is it terribly difficult to take the shoe off for diaper changes? I will > have to see the reality of being mom of three and how that goes but can you > manage diaper changes by taking one shoe out of the brace? We're not quite at that point yet. Owen is still in his last cast. To be quite honest, I'd much rather not have to remove his shoes for a diaper change. My 21 month old daughter is at an age where she's into everything and the extra time it would take to remove Owen's shoe and then put it back on could spell disaster where she is concerned. I spent the better part of yesterday morning scouring crayon and pen ink off of the walls of our freshly painted kitchen and living room - my 6 year old had missed a few 'strays' underneath the dining room table! The 'damage' was done in about 45 seconds! > I do have one question though, did his foot go back at all before the next casting or not? I would love to have time to > kiss her little baby feet for a little while before getting another > cast. Of course I won't know till I try it one way or the other for > myself, I do know this. Yes, his foot did appear to go back a little between castings but never to the original position of the previous casting. The last cast (6th) before the tenotomy made the most dramatic difference in the appearance of his foot as it was overcorrected to an outward position. I removed his cast the night prior to our appointment to bathe him and when I took him for his appointment the following morning, the relaxed foot appeared to be in a neutral (normal) position. His doctor was pleased with it and performed the tenotomy and then applied his last cast which he'll be in for a little over 4 weeks. Daiga and Owen (02/04/03) Unilateral (left) CF Dartmouth, NS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2003 Report Share Posted April 7, 2003 Kori, your moms reaction to your internet research is the same that I got from my DH - he basically said the same thing about me going in a talking to Owen's doctor. He didn't want me telling the doctor 'how to do his job' or insinuating that I knew more about clubfoot or 'this Ponseti method' than the doctor did based on what I learned from the internet. I was so frustrated with him (dh)! Anyway, thanks for the compliments on his name - it took us forever to pick a name (read: agree) and we finally did a few minutes before his birth! LOL! > Is it terribly difficult to take the shoe off for diaper changes? I will > have to see the reality of being mom of three and how that goes but can you > manage diaper changes by taking one shoe out of the brace? We're not quite at that point yet. Owen is still in his last cast. To be quite honest, I'd much rather not have to remove his shoes for a diaper change. My 21 month old daughter is at an age where she's into everything and the extra time it would take to remove Owen's shoe and then put it back on could spell disaster where she is concerned. I spent the better part of yesterday morning scouring crayon and pen ink off of the walls of our freshly painted kitchen and living room - my 6 year old had missed a few 'strays' underneath the dining room table! The 'damage' was done in about 45 seconds! > I do have one question though, did his foot go back at all before the next casting or not? I would love to have time to > kiss her little baby feet for a little while before getting another > cast. Of course I won't know till I try it one way or the other for > myself, I do know this. Yes, his foot did appear to go back a little between castings but never to the original position of the previous casting. The last cast (6th) before the tenotomy made the most dramatic difference in the appearance of his foot as it was overcorrected to an outward position. I removed his cast the night prior to our appointment to bathe him and when I took him for his appointment the following morning, the relaxed foot appeared to be in a neutral (normal) position. His doctor was pleased with it and performed the tenotomy and then applied his last cast which he'll be in for a little over 4 weeks. Daiga and Owen (02/04/03) Unilateral (left) CF Dartmouth, NS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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