Re: Learn a lessson from us

[Guest guest]

I thought at age 3 you stop the shoes... what if you notice after wearing them

again that his feet turn in again. Does he have to wear the shoes forever? I

don't get it. I was looking forward to stopping at age 3!

2/9/04

BLCF DBB 23/7

Seth Gersten ssmsz@...> wrote:

I am the parent of Zevi Gersten now 3 1/2. He was a Ponseti baby

starting at week 2. He had a very extreme case of club feet. But

the good Dr. was able to help him with 5 casts. We were very

diligent parents. In his first 3 years of life we missed putting on

the shoes 3-4 nights. Well at age 3 1/4 we started getting sloppy.

After all we were past 3 years and his feet looked perfect. 1 1/2

months later we notice his feet turning in ever so slightly. We

started to put the shoes back on. So today we were back at the Dr.'s

office. He said the turning is for 2 reasons, one because his case

was so severe and 2 because we took the shoes off early. Now we are

looking at at least another 6 months in the shoes.

So learn from us please. No matter how straight his feet look do not

get sloppy. Do not miss one night and keep putting those shoes on

till the DR. says it is okay to stop.

Frustrated and resolute parent

Seth Gersten

[Guest guest]

Hi

Each child is individual but it seems that yes the first 3 months is

full-time. My son did 23 hours for 3 months. He then wore the shoes for

roughly 16/18 hours per day until he started walking. He now wears them for

12/14 hours a day (he is 15 months). A friend of mine just emailed Dr

Ponseti some pictures of her son who is nearly 2 and he confirmed 12 hours

should be enough. I think the average age now to wear the shoes is around

the age of 4, depending on severity/tightness etc.

Hope this helps

Rach, Steve & Connor b/l c/f

-- Re: Learn a lessson from us

Hi Can anybody clarify the following things reagarding wearing of shoes

1. Initial 3 months 24 hours ( This is thumb rule i guess)

2. After 3 months upto age of 3 years 12 hours ( is it true)

3. Or upto 1 year 12 hours gradually decrease the hours ???

4. How many years we have to wear the shoes ?

Please clarify the above 3 questions .

Tichauer ntichauer@...> wrote:

I thought at age 3 you stop the shoes... what if you notice after wearing

them again that his feet turn in again. Does he have to wear the shoes

forever? I don't get it. I was looking forward to stopping at age 3!

2/9/04

BLCF DBB 23/7

Seth Gersten ssmsz@...> wrote:

I am the parent of Zevi Gersten now 3 1/2. He was a Ponseti baby

starting at week 2. He had a very extreme case of club feet. But

the good Dr. was able to help him with 5 casts. We were very

diligent parents. In his first 3 years of life we missed putting on

the shoes 3-4 nights. Well at age 3 1/4 we started getting sloppy.

After all we were past 3 years and his feet looked perfect. 1 1/2

months later we notice his feet turning in ever so slightly. We

started to put the shoes back on. So today we were back at the Dr.'s

office. He said the turning is for 2 reasons, one because his case

was so severe and 2 because we took the shoes off early. Now we are

looking at at least another 6 months in the shoes.

So learn from us please. No matter how straight his feet look do not

get sloppy. Do not miss one night and keep putting those shoes on

till the DR. says it is okay to stop.

Frustrated and resolute parent

Seth Gersten

[Guest guest]

You bring up a point I've sort of wondered about in the back of my mind ......

is missing a session here and there really going to hurt anything? The baby

has grand parents here who think he's suffering terribly and " why not give him a

night free once in a while so he can be comfortable the poor little thing! "

and admittedly with the line of work we're in (taxidermists), when I have a

project pushing the dead line and need to work but I can't put him down in the

shop wearing his boots (the concrete floor damages them) I think " An hour early

won't matter " ........ I guess the moral of your story was yes it does matter,

huh.

s.

Learn a lessson from us

I am the parent of Zevi Gersten now 3 1/2. He was a Ponseti baby

starting at week 2. He had a very extreme case of club feet. But

the good Dr. was able to help him with 5 casts. We were very

diligent parents. In his first 3 years of life we missed putting on

the shoes 3-4 nights. Well at age 3 1/4 we started getting sloppy.

After all we were past 3 years and his feet looked perfect. 1 1/2

months later we notice his feet turning in ever so slightly. We

started to put the shoes back on. So today we were back at the Dr.'s

office. He said the turning is for 2 reasons, one because his case

was so severe and 2 because we took the shoes off early. Now we are

looking at at least another 6 months in the shoes.

So learn from us please. No matter how straight his feet look do not

get sloppy. Do not miss one night and keep putting those shoes on

till the DR. says it is okay to stop.

Frustrated and resolute parent

Seth Gersten

[Guest guest]

,

The doctors are still learning about relapses, what the odds are, and

how to determine when it is safe for a child to stop wearing the

brace. This is information I have from Dr. Morcuende from

earlier this year based on current studies:

The rate of relapse decreases with age until about 5-6 years of age.

Overall, the odds of relapse if no bracing is used whatsoever is

something like: <12 months = 80-90 %; <2 years: 60-70%; 3-4 years:

20%, 4-6 years; 1%. However, it is not possible to know in which

group a particular patient is in, so you have to treat everyone

cautiously. We are working on determining criteria that will help

indicate odds of relapse, but we have not found any reliable at this

time.

He was presenting this information at a POSNA conference. Basically,

the longer the child wears the brace, the lower the odds of relapse.

Most doctors will have the child wear the brace as long as they will

tolerate it in the interest of " insurance " against relapse. I hope

this information helps.

Thanks, Seth (& Seema), for the post- we hope Zevi is back on track

soon!

& (3-16-00)

> I am the parent of Zevi Gersten now 3 1/2. He was a Ponseti baby

> starting at week 2. He had a very extreme case of club feet. But

> the good Dr. was able to help him with 5 casts. We were very

> diligent parents. In his first 3 years of life we missed putting

on

> the shoes 3-4 nights. Well at age 3 1/4 we started getting

sloppy.

> After all we were past 3 years and his feet looked perfect. 1 1/2

> months later we notice his feet turning in ever so slightly. We

> started to put the shoes back on. So today we were back at the

Dr.'s

> office. He said the turning is for 2 reasons, one because his case

> was so severe and 2 because we took the shoes off early. Now we

are

> looking at at least another 6 months in the shoes.

>

> So learn from us please. No matter how straight his feet look do

not

> get sloppy. Do not miss one night and keep putting those shoes on

> till the DR. says it is okay to stop.

>

> Frustrated and resolute parent

>

> Seth Gersten

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

When I think about how big and active my older son was at ages 3 and 4 I totally

dread still using the brace on the baby at those ages. How are these older

kids reacting to it when they have a big vocabulary to complain with and fingers

that know how to un-do the buckle to get it off? And what about

potty-training? I guess they can get themselves to the potty when they need to

go even if they are wearing the bar.

s.

Re: Learn a lessson from us

Seth,

I am glad you caught it early enough to be able to put him back in

the shoes and have it work! I don't think you were sloppy. From what

I have read it has been indicated 3-4 years and you don't know what

will happen until you stop using the FAB.

Thanks for your input. Funny enough, our doctor says 2.5 years, but

I was going to go by Dr. P and do the 3-4 anyway.

Louisa

6-27-99

Zoe 2-22-04 Right Unilateral Clubfoot FAB 18/7

> I am the parent of Zevi Gersten now 3 1/2. He was a Ponseti baby

> starting at week 2. He had a very extreme case of club feet. But

> the good Dr. was able to help him with 5 casts. We were very

> diligent parents. In his first 3 years of life we missed putting

on

> the shoes 3-4 nights. Well at age 3 1/4 we started getting

sloppy.

> After all we were past 3 years and his feet looked perfect. 1 1/2

> months later we notice his feet turning in ever so slightly. We

> started to put the shoes back on. So today we were back at the

Dr.'s

> office. He said the turning is for 2 reasons, one because his case

> was so severe and 2 because we took the shoes off early. Now we

are

> looking at at least another 6 months in the shoes.

>

> So learn from us please. No matter how straight his feet look do

not

> get sloppy. Do not miss one night and keep putting those shoes on

> till the DR. says it is okay to stop.

>

> Frustrated and resolute parent

>

> Seth Gersten

[Guest guest]

Seth,

I am glad you caught it early enough to be able to put him back in

the shoes and have it work! I don't think you were sloppy. From what

I have read it has been indicated 3-4 years and you don't know what

will happen until you stop using the FAB.

Thanks for your input. Funny enough, our doctor says 2.5 years, but

I was going to go by Dr. P and do the 3-4 anyway.

Louisa

6-27-99

Zoe 2-22-04 Right Unilateral Clubfoot FAB 18/7

> I am the parent of Zevi Gersten now 3 1/2. He was a Ponseti baby

> starting at week 2. He had a very extreme case of club feet. But

> the good Dr. was able to help him with 5 casts. We were very

> diligent parents. In his first 3 years of life we missed putting

on

> the shoes 3-4 nights. Well at age 3 1/4 we started getting

sloppy.

> After all we were past 3 years and his feet looked perfect. 1 1/2

> months later we notice his feet turning in ever so slightly. We

> started to put the shoes back on. So today we were back at the

Dr.'s

> office. He said the turning is for 2 reasons, one because his case

> was so severe and 2 because we took the shoes off early. Now we

are

> looking at at least another 6 months in the shoes.

>

> So learn from us please. No matter how straight his feet look do

not

> get sloppy. Do not miss one night and keep putting those shoes on

> till the DR. says it is okay to stop.

>

> Frustrated and resolute parent

>

> Seth Gersten

[Guest guest]

Seth,

I am glad you caught it early enough to be able to put him back in

the shoes and have it work! I don't think you were sloppy. From what

I have read it has been indicated 3-4 years and you don't know what

will happen until you stop using the FAB.

Thanks for your input. Funny enough, our doctor says 2.5 years, but

I was going to go by Dr. P and do the 3-4 anyway.

Louisa

6-27-99

Zoe 2-22-04 Right Unilateral Clubfoot FAB 18/7

> I am the parent of Zevi Gersten now 3 1/2. He was a Ponseti baby

> starting at week 2. He had a very extreme case of club feet. But

> the good Dr. was able to help him with 5 casts. We were very

> diligent parents. In his first 3 years of life we missed putting

on

> the shoes 3-4 nights. Well at age 3 1/4 we started getting

sloppy.

> After all we were past 3 years and his feet looked perfect. 1 1/2

> months later we notice his feet turning in ever so slightly. We

> started to put the shoes back on. So today we were back at the

Dr.'s

> office. He said the turning is for 2 reasons, one because his case

> was so severe and 2 because we took the shoes off early. Now we

are

> looking at at least another 6 months in the shoes.

>

> So learn from us please. No matter how straight his feet look do

not

> get sloppy. Do not miss one night and keep putting those shoes on

> till the DR. says it is okay to stop.

>

> Frustrated and resolute parent

>

> Seth Gersten

[Guest guest]

My 4 yr old is still in the brace at night. It's not as bad as it

sounds. She only wears the brace during sleep; so it's a nonissue the

rest of the time. She might complain sometimes, but she also

complains about getting buckled in her car seat, not running free

across a busy parking lot, and numerous other things that are non-

negotiable! Lately I've taken to putting it on after she falls

asleep. But she knows it is what she has to do, to keep her foot

straight. That's an advantage with an older child; you can explain it.

The brace didn't get in the way of potty training for us. We

accomplished that around age 2 1/2. She is my youngest, and none of

my kids ever much got up at night, from a sound sleep, to go to the

potty by themselves.. All wore pullups for a while after having

mastered the potty, for insurance, during sleep only. With my child

with clubfoot, I just take the shoes off first thing in the morning,

and send her into the bathroom.

I'm sure it's hard to imagine, but just like almost everything else

about this process for us.. it has been easier/better than we

feared/imagined/wondered. I thought the adjustment to the brace would

be a tough: it wasn't. I thought she'd get blisters and we'd have

sleepless nights; she didn't and we didn't have a one. I thought she

couldn't possibly crawl, pull up to a stand, walk at a normal time,

etc.; but she did.

Her foot was " difficult " , not mild. Her initial treatment, which

lasted for quite a few months, with her first doctor, did not work.

Facing the prospect of the full major surgery, we went halfway across

the country to Iowa and Dr. Ponseti.

The results have been worth any inconvenience there might have been.

She was, after all, born with a condition that needed intervention.

The bottom line for me is she has great function and flexibility and

her foot looks beautiful. It's almost impossible to see the

difference between it and her normal foot.

I have put together a few pictures at the Yahoo album site, showing

my daughter's progress. I have views of her at initial correction,

and then every summer thereafter, up till now.. She has left cf..

I'll give the link if anyone's interested.

If anyone has any other questions, for an " old timer " parent, I'd be

glad to help!

and Claire, now 4

> When I think about how big and active my older son was at ages 3

and 4 I totally dread still using the brace on the baby at those

ages. How are these older kids reacting to it when they have a big

vocabulary to complain with and fingers that know how to un-do the

buckle to get it off? And what about potty-training? I guess they

can get themselves to the potty when they need to go even if they

are wearing the bar.

> s.

>

>