Re: Visitng Iowa

December 6, 2004

Okay, I'll share!

1. On your first visit, how long did Dr. Ponseti take with your child? In

other words, how long were you on the campus? I honestly don't remember how long

we were there the very first time. We've been a total of 7 times now and there

were times that we waited and waited before even seeing Dr. Ponseti, but there

were also times that we were in and out rather quickly. Dr. Ponseti likes to

chat and if he has any visiting docotors (which happens quite often) you could

be looking at a long time. I would say the longest we have been there is 3

hours.

2. Did the time change for subsequent cast change visits? See above!

3. Has anyone driven in, had their appt and then driven home only to turn

around and go back 5 days later? If so, how did it work for you and how long

did you drive? We have so been there done that! It takes us about 12.5 hours to

drive one way. By the time we made the decision to go, I was not on maternity

leave any longer and had to work. We drove out the first time on a Sat/Sun had

her appointment on Monday and drove back Mon/Tues. If you are driving back and

forth any distance, Dr. P will schedule the cast changes for 7 days apart to

give you a little more of a break. There was one time that we had to go back in

5 days because he was going to be out of the office in 7 days. We made the

first 4 weekly trips and have made 3 followup visits.

4. Once you consult with Dr. Ponseti in this manner, how did you deal with your

ortho back home or did you switch all of your follow up care to Dr. Ponseti?

Why and/or why not? We came back to our " local " (I say that because her

previous ortho was still not local to us, but was a good deal closer to home

than Iowa), but we have since come to regret that decision. Livie's local ortho

took her out of the brace to early and she had a relapse. We returned to Iowa

for another corrective cast when she was 2.5 years old and have had 2 follow-up

visits since then. We will be sticking with Dr. Ponseti (or one of the doctor's

in Iowa) from now on. We're scheduled to go back again in May and are looking

at 6 month follow-ups for the next two years.

5. Anything else you want to share about the visit? Just that we regret not

having done it sooner than we did! When we were in Iowa for the symposium in

November one of the docs asked us what we would have done differently in Livie's

treatment had we known then what we know now and my hubby and I both answered

unconditionally brought her to Iowa or a certified doctor immediately.

Good luck and you won't regret it!! Anything else we can help with just ask

away!

Jen & Livie (10-18-01 severe left clubfoot)

Visitng Iowa

We are about to make the decision to head to Iowa and I've got a few

questions.

1. On your first visit, how long did Dr. Ponseti take with your child? In

other words, how long were you on the campus?

2. Did the time change for subsequent cast change visits?

3. Has anyone driven in, had their appt and then driven home only to turn

around and go back 5 days later? If so, how did it work for you and how long

did you drive?

4. Once you consult with Dr. Ponseti in this manner, how did you deal with

your ortho back home or did you switch all of your follow up care to Dr.

Ponseti? Why and/or why not?

5. Anything else you want to share about the visit?

Thanks,

Chris

December 7, 2004

Jen,

Thanks for the info. We'd only be driving 8 each way so I think it's doable in

a one day time frame and I'd rather get it done every 5 days as we have lots of

flexible time as the holidays approach, not to mention the joys of already

meeting our deductible for out of network Dr's! LOL Who did you call to make

the appt? I got an email from Dr. Ponseti yesterday (well, from Joyce ) but

there wasn't a definitive number to call for appt's etc.

Just one further question - did the insurance cover most of it?

Chris

Visitng Iowa

We are about to make the decision to head to Iowa and I've got a few

questions.

1. On your first visit, how long did Dr. Ponseti take with your child? In

other words, how long were you on the campus?

2. Did the time change for subsequent cast change visits?

3. Has anyone driven in, had their appt and then driven home only to turn

around and go back 5 days later? If so, how did it work for you and how long

did you drive?

4. Once you consult with Dr. Ponseti in this manner, how did you deal with

your ortho back home or did you switch all of your follow up care to Dr.

Ponseti? Why and/or why not?

5. Anything else you want to share about the visit?

Thanks,

Chris

December 7, 2004

We talked to Joyce directly to make the first appointment. I believe the number

is . That will at least get you the hospital and then just ask

for Joyce Roller. After that we always worked it out with Dr. Ponseti himself

when the next appointment would be. He wrote us in his little book and then

(I'm assuming) told Joyce who then told the scheduling people because we always

got a letter from the hospital confirming our appoitnment.

I completely understand that deductible part! I wish we could have done every

five days and been over it that much quicker, but 12.5 hours is a little long to

be in the car! Livie's former doctor is actually about 8 hours from us, so I'm

familiar with that distance too!

As to our insurance, we have a Point of Service plan, so we have both in-network

and out-of-network benefits. For our original four appointments I got a

referral from her primary doctor and the insurance company paid it at 100% for

in-network visits even though Dr. Ponseti is not in our network. I am assuming

because at the time there was no in-network doctor using the Ponseti method.

For our three follow-ups since then, they have refused to pay in-network

benefits because there actually is an in-network ortho trying to use the Ponseti

method. They are paying 80% after a deductible from no on. We've decided to

stick with Dr. Ponseti. I'm not sure how successful the in-network doctor has

been in using the Ponseti method, but since Livie is 3 now and has already had

one relapse, we're just much more comfortable seeing the master himself.

Hope that helps you and let me know if I can answer any more questions!

Jen & Livie

Visitng Iowa

We are about to make the decision to head to Iowa and I've got a few

questions.

1. On your first visit, how long did Dr. Ponseti take with your child?

In other words, how long were you on the campus?

2. Did the time change for subsequent cast change visits?

3. Has anyone driven in, had their appt and then driven home only to turn

around and go back 5 days later? If so, how did it work for you and how long

did you drive?

4. Once you consult with Dr. Ponseti in this manner, how did you deal

with your ortho back home or did you switch all of your follow up care to Dr.

Ponseti? Why and/or why not?

5. Anything else you want to share about the visit?

Thanks,

Chris

December 7, 2004

At the time we started in Iowa, we were driving 8-9 hours (took me 10

hours when I drove by myself w/ ) one way to get there.

I don't know how long we spent there at each appointment- maybe 2

hours max. It really varied. We usually got in to see him pretty

fast and the duration of the appointment pended on how many questions

we asked and if there were doctors there with him (training) asking

questions also.

We would drive down on Sunday, have the appointment Monday morning,

then drive back Monday to work on Tuesday. (I, too, was off of

maternity leave so I had to get back to work) We did 4 weekly Monday

morning appointments, the last being the tenotomy and brace fitting.

We removed that last cast at home and put the brace on for the first

time ourselves.

We did most of our follow up appointments in Iowa, though I did take

her to our original ortho for " overview " checks initially, such as

after we took the tenotomy cast off and then again a few weeks

later....just to see if he saw anything unusual and also just so he

could see how great 's foot turned out. This doctor was a

regular orthopaedic surgeon, not a pediatric specialist. He had

previously referred us to a ped specialist 4+ hours away who had

wanted to do the PMR. So for us, it wasn't too awkward because we

were educating this ortho about the P method.

Insurance covered everything in Iowa the same as if we were being

treated in Michigan. We had called prior and got this cleared.

You can call or email Joyce to set up the appointments. Let her know

if you're open to seeing other doctors (Morcuende, Dietz, Weinstein

etc.) or just want to see Dr. P himself. Just use the phone number

on Dr. P's website.

Good luck and keep us posted!

& (3-16-00), left clubfoot

December 7, 2004

We also took Livie's last cast off at home and put her into the brace ourselves.

Since she didn't have a " local " ortho at the time because her previous ortho was

still 8 hours away from us, we kept in contact with Dr. P after she went into

her brace. We emailed him a few times with minor issues and sent him photos the

day the cast came off and 3 weeks later. Her first follow-up with her previous

ortho was three months later.

Re: Visitng Iowa

At the time we started in Iowa, we were driving 8-9 hours (took me 10

hours when I drove by myself w/ ) one way to get there.

I don't know how long we spent there at each appointment- maybe 2

hours max. It really varied. We usually got in to see him pretty

fast and the duration of the appointment pended on how many questions

we asked and if there were doctors there with him (training) asking

questions also.

We would drive down on Sunday, have the appointment Monday morning,

then drive back Monday to work on Tuesday. (I, too, was off of

maternity leave so I had to get back to work) We did 4 weekly Monday

morning appointments, the last being the tenotomy and brace fitting.

We removed that last cast at home and put the brace on for the first

time ourselves.

We did most of our follow up appointments in Iowa, though I did take

her to our original ortho for " overview " checks initially, such as

after we took the tenotomy cast off and then again a few weeks

later....just to see if he saw anything unusual and also just so he

could see how great 's foot turned out. This doctor was a

regular orthopaedic surgeon, not a pediatric specialist. He had

previously referred us to a ped specialist 4+ hours away who had

wanted to do the PMR. So for us, it wasn't too awkward because we

were educating this ortho about the P method.

Insurance covered everything in Iowa the same as if we were being

treated in Michigan. We had called prior and got this cleared.

You can call or email Joyce to set up the appointments. Let her know

if you're open to seeing other doctors (Morcuende, Dietz, Weinstein

etc.) or just want to see Dr. P himself. Just use the phone number

on Dr. P's website.

Good luck and keep us posted!

& (3-16-00), left clubfoot

December 7, 2004

Jen,

has been treated here locally and we've been happy with our Ponseti

trained Dr until last week. I believe her feet aren't fully corrected due to

relapse and he didn't agree. He also stated that she'd HAVE to have the ATT

surgery thing between 2 and 5 'because at least 50% of Ponseti treated kids do'

and that he would order AFO's for her at our next appt for day time wear and we

would still use the FAB's at night. (we are in s due to her VERY

atypical feet). Uh no. LOL

I called my PT and shared our appt outcome as well as the note on this board re

the wedge in the mitchell sandal. She called Dr. Ponseti yesterday afternoon

and he firmly believes she's not fully corrected and wants to see her as it's

hard to treat such atypical feet. So we made the decision last night to go.

I'll let my PT know tomorrow when we see her. She's didn't know much about

clubfeet and nothing about Dr. Ponseti's method until she started treating us.

I wonder what she'll say about him and what he had to say.

Thanks for your help so far. If I have any more questions I'll be sure to ask!

LOL

Chris

Visitng Iowa

We are about to make the decision to head to Iowa and I've got a few

questions.

1. On your first visit, how long did Dr. Ponseti take with your child?

In other words, how long were you on the campus?

2. Did the time change for subsequent cast change visits?

3. Has anyone driven in, had their appt and then driven home only to

turn around and go back 5 days later? If so, how did it work for you and how

long did you drive?

4. Once you consult with Dr. Ponseti in this manner, how did you deal

with your ortho back home or did you switch all of your follow up care to Dr.

Ponseti? Why and/or why not?

5. Anything else you want to share about the visit?

Thanks,

Chris

December 7, 2004

Thanks . I'm wondering by your statement if our insurance would cover more

than the out of network... I see another phone call coming today. My husband

works for our insurance company so he gets to do all of the dirty work. He's

not too hopeful that they'll cover anything. OIY!!!

Chris

Re: Visitng Iowa

At the time we started in Iowa, we were driving 8-9 hours (took me 10

hours when I drove by myself w/ ) one way to get there.

I don't know how long we spent there at each appointment- maybe 2

hours max. It really varied. We usually got in to see him pretty

fast and the duration of the appointment pended on how many questions

we asked and if there were doctors there with him (training) asking

questions also.

We would drive down on Sunday, have the appointment Monday morning,

then drive back Monday to work on Tuesday. (I, too, was off of

maternity leave so I had to get back to work) We did 4 weekly Monday

morning appointments, the last being the tenotomy and brace fitting.

We removed that last cast at home and put the brace on for the first

time ourselves.

We did most of our follow up appointments in Iowa, though I did take

her to our original ortho for " overview " checks initially, such as

after we took the tenotomy cast off and then again a few weeks

later....just to see if he saw anything unusual and also just so he

could see how great 's foot turned out. This doctor was a

regular orthopaedic surgeon, not a pediatric specialist. He had

previously referred us to a ped specialist 4+ hours away who had

wanted to do the PMR. So for us, it wasn't too awkward because we

were educating this ortho about the P method.

Insurance covered everything in Iowa the same as if we were being

treated in Michigan. We had called prior and got this cleared.

You can call or email Joyce to set up the appointments. Let her know

if you're open to seeing other doctors (Morcuende, Dietz, Weinstein

etc.) or just want to see Dr. P himself. Just use the phone number

on Dr. P's website.

Good luck and keep us posted!

& (3-16-00), left clubfoot

December 7, 2004

Thanks . I'm wondering by your statement if our insurance would cover more

than the out of network... I see another phone call coming today. My husband

works for our insurance company so he gets to do all of the dirty work. He's

not too hopeful that they'll cover anything. OIY!!!

Chris

Re: Visitng Iowa

At the time we started in Iowa, we were driving 8-9 hours (took me 10

hours when I drove by myself w/ ) one way to get there.

I don't know how long we spent there at each appointment- maybe 2

hours max. It really varied. We usually got in to see him pretty

fast and the duration of the appointment pended on how many questions

we asked and if there were doctors there with him (training) asking

questions also.

We would drive down on Sunday, have the appointment Monday morning,

then drive back Monday to work on Tuesday. (I, too, was off of

maternity leave so I had to get back to work) We did 4 weekly Monday

morning appointments, the last being the tenotomy and brace fitting.

We removed that last cast at home and put the brace on for the first

time ourselves.

We did most of our follow up appointments in Iowa, though I did take

her to our original ortho for " overview " checks initially, such as

after we took the tenotomy cast off and then again a few weeks

later....just to see if he saw anything unusual and also just so he

could see how great 's foot turned out. This doctor was a

regular orthopaedic surgeon, not a pediatric specialist. He had

previously referred us to a ped specialist 4+ hours away who had

wanted to do the PMR. So for us, it wasn't too awkward because we

were educating this ortho about the P method.

Insurance covered everything in Iowa the same as if we were being

treated in Michigan. We had called prior and got this cleared.

You can call or email Joyce to set up the appointments. Let her know

if you're open to seeing other doctors (Morcuende, Dietz, Weinstein

etc.) or just want to see Dr. P himself. Just use the phone number

on Dr. P's website.

Good luck and keep us posted!

& (3-16-00), left clubfoot

December 7, 2004

We figured that's what we'd do as well. We already have her shoes and he said

she'd just go back in to them for 16 hours a day after a series of 2 or 3 more

casts to recorrect. I'm wondering if he'll know without seeing her if it's

completely corrected at that time???

Chris

Re: Visitng Iowa

At the time we started in Iowa, we were driving 8-9 hours (took me 10

hours when I drove by myself w/ ) one way to get there.

I don't know how long we spent there at each appointment- maybe 2

hours max. It really varied. We usually got in to see him pretty

fast and the duration of the appointment pended on how many questions

we asked and if there were doctors there with him (training) asking

questions also.

We would drive down on Sunday, have the appointment Monday morning,

then drive back Monday to work on Tuesday. (I, too, was off of

maternity leave so I had to get back to work) We did 4 weekly Monday

morning appointments, the last being the tenotomy and brace fitting.

We removed that last cast at home and put the brace on for the first

time ourselves.

We did most of our follow up appointments in Iowa, though I did take

her to our original ortho for " overview " checks initially, such as

after we took the tenotomy cast off and then again a few weeks

later....just to see if he saw anything unusual and also just so he

could see how great 's foot turned out. This doctor was a

regular orthopaedic surgeon, not a pediatric specialist. He had

previously referred us to a ped specialist 4+ hours away who had

wanted to do the PMR. So for us, it wasn't too awkward because we

were educating this ortho about the P method.

Insurance covered everything in Iowa the same as if we were being

treated in Michigan. We had called prior and got this cleared.

You can call or email Joyce to set up the appointments. Let her know

if you're open to seeing other doctors (Morcuende, Dietz, Weinstein

etc.) or just want to see Dr. P himself. Just use the phone number

on Dr. P's website.

Good luck and keep us posted!

& (3-16-00), left clubfoot

December 7, 2004

We figured that's what we'd do as well. We already have her shoes and he said

she'd just go back in to them for 16 hours a day after a series of 2 or 3 more

casts to recorrect. I'm wondering if he'll know without seeing her if it's

completely corrected at that time???

Chris

Re: Visitng Iowa

At the time we started in Iowa, we were driving 8-9 hours (took me 10

hours when I drove by myself w/ ) one way to get there.

I don't know how long we spent there at each appointment- maybe 2

hours max. It really varied. We usually got in to see him pretty

fast and the duration of the appointment pended on how many questions

we asked and if there were doctors there with him (training) asking

questions also.

We would drive down on Sunday, have the appointment Monday morning,

then drive back Monday to work on Tuesday. (I, too, was off of

maternity leave so I had to get back to work) We did 4 weekly Monday

morning appointments, the last being the tenotomy and brace fitting.

We removed that last cast at home and put the brace on for the first

time ourselves.

We did most of our follow up appointments in Iowa, though I did take

her to our original ortho for " overview " checks initially, such as

after we took the tenotomy cast off and then again a few weeks

later....just to see if he saw anything unusual and also just so he

could see how great 's foot turned out. This doctor was a

regular orthopaedic surgeon, not a pediatric specialist. He had

previously referred us to a ped specialist 4+ hours away who had

wanted to do the PMR. So for us, it wasn't too awkward because we

were educating this ortho about the P method.

Insurance covered everything in Iowa the same as if we were being

treated in Michigan. We had called prior and got this cleared.

You can call or email Joyce to set up the appointments. Let her know

if you're open to seeing other doctors (Morcuende, Dietz, Weinstein

etc.) or just want to see Dr. P himself. Just use the phone number

on Dr. P's website.

Good luck and keep us posted!

& (3-16-00), left clubfoot

December 7, 2004

Our first visit took about 45 minutes including the casting time. We

drove 5 ½ hours down and 5 ½ hours back. We did not take our toddler

the first time. The way back was tough because after about 3 hours

Tori started crying and didn't stop no mater what we tried so we

spent the last 2 hours with a screaming baby. That first set of

casts were bad and she cried most of the next 5 days. Then we went

back and stayed overnight the night before our appointment. Mostly

because we had our toddler with us this time and I just didn't think

he could handle all of the driving in one day. Tori had her tenotomy

and slept all the way home and was fine for the next 3 weeks.

We have continued to go though Dr. Ponseti for our follow up visits.

I didn't feel that the doctor here was very happy about us going to

Dr. Ponseti and wasn't sure what our reception would be like if we

continued to go to him. Also he is not very skilled in clubfoot

treatment and Dr. Ponseti didn't seem very excited about what he had

done so far. I e-mail Dr. Ponseti photos and if we are not changing

anything and he thinks ever thing looks good we skip that

appointment. So we don't have to go down so often.

The last time we were down we were only there about 20 minutes. The

first time you also have to go early to get registered and you don't

have to do that on subsequent visits.

HTH,

December 7, 2004

Hi

Due to s age, previous dr problems and severity we opted to stay

in Iowa. Luckily I am a stay at home mom and my own mom was on summer

break from her teaching position so we were able to take both kids and

stay at the ronald mcdonald house. We wanted to do the cast changes

every 5 days because of how much time had already been wasted and I

couldn't see driving 8 hours one way, take two days, and then turn

around 3 days later and do it again.

We were there for about 8 1/2 weeks. Dr. ponseti did cast changes

every five days. Until the last few weeks, they got us in

immediately. Then one of Ponseti's nurses had a family problem and

was gone for a week or two and it somehow seemed to throw everything

off, but normally they got us in right away. Always get either a

first thing int he morning appt or a 12-12:30 appt. Either the first

or the last, but I really recommend the first especially if it's a

more severe case. Get dr. p when he's fresh! hehe.

We are actually praying about going back or working with one of the

orthos here that just came out of retirement and went to a few of dr.

p's seminars. Dr. p is willing to consult with this dr. and she's

willing to consult with him. the wedges that our pt put on are

working, but we didn't get them soon enough and dr. p did not like the

pictures we sent to him. Our PT is fabulous and fighting for ,

it is so nice not to feel alone in this. We are still waiting for the

AFO's that Dr. Ponseti approved as that will help encourage him to

walk during the day. But Dr. P now says we need to get back into casts.

But all in all, it was a wonderful visit. Very stressful and very

hard to be away from hubby and home, but Dr. p was wonderful,

mcdonald house was fabulous and helped make the transition as smooth

as possible. It was so much better than driving every few days for 8

hours one way. Lord bless you in your decisions!!

jason severe aypical bl cf 10-09-03 mitchells 23/7

December 7, 2004

Chris:

Make the decision. GO TO IOWA IF YOU CAN!

Dr. Ponseti takes as much time as it takes with you. He's not in a hurry. In

fact, he keeps this wonderful old rocking chair in his exam room he sits in.

Doesn't sound like a rush-rush man, does it? He'll answer your questions and

speak with you and take his time with your child in a careful manner.

We lived too far away to make the drive each 5 days. I took my Kindergartener's

school work with us and we stayed at the Mc House for three weeks.

Once we switched to Dr. Ponseti we never returned to the previous ortho doc in

our home area.

Anything else to share? Yes, you will never regret going.

s.

Visitng Iowa

We are about to make the decision to head to Iowa and I've got a few questions.

1. On your first visit, how long did Dr. Ponseti take with your child? In

other words, how long were you on the campus?

2. Did the time change for subsequent cast change visits?

3. Has anyone driven in, had their appt and then driven home only to turn

around and go back 5 days later? If so, how did it work for you and how long

did you drive?

4. Once you consult with Dr. Ponseti in this manner, how did you deal with your

ortho back home or did you switch all of your follow up care to Dr. Ponseti?

Why and/or why not?

5. Anything else you want to share about the visit?

Thanks,

Chris

December 7, 2004

I didn't read the other responses - hope I'm not too redundant.

1. On your first visit, how long did Dr. Ponseti take with your

child? In other words, how long were you on the campus? - I think

every situation is probably different. With ours, Zach was only 5

days old - we didn't have a past history with another ortho - so we

were a " clean slate " with a clubfoot that was moderate in severity.

At this first visit Dr. Ponseti looked over the foot very carefully,

his calf, moved it around a lot, and then talked with us in depth.

The actual casting didn't take more than 15 mintues from what I can

remember. (it is all a haze to me)

2. Did the time change for subsequent cast change visits? They had

us soak Zach's cast before coming to our appointment which speeds

the removal process up significantly. We didn't soak it enough the

first time, so (the nurse) added vinegar to some water and had

us soak it for probably an additional 15 minutes once we got there.

Again, the actual casting doesn't take too long, but inevitably

you'll have questions, concerns, and will want to talk with Dr.

Ponseti (especially with your situation).

3. Has anyone driven in, had their appt and then driven home only to

turn around and go back 5 days later? If so, how did it work for you

and how long did you drive? We stayed at the Mc House

(which, if you can make this happen - I highly advise that you do) -

but there was a couple that came with their two children from

Michigan (where we live) and they did the drive there and back

throughout the entire process. Dr. Ponseti is in the office (I think

I'm right on this) MWF - so they would make a Friday appointment so

they would take minimal time off work. MI was a 14 (with stops)

hour drive for them. This worked well for them, although probably

not stress-free.

4. Once you consult with Dr. Ponseti in this manner, how did you

deal with your ortho back home or did you switch all of your follow

up care to Dr. Ponseti? We never had an ortho back home - and were

told we didn't need one. At first this concerned me, but

fortunately in our case, we didn't have any unusual circumstances.

I think most people stick exclusively with Dr. Ponseti and stop

seeing someone local. Dr. Ponseti can do a lot with you and your

child via snail mail pictures, video, or pictures sent through

email. When it was time for a " checkup " we would send pics/video of

our little guy and this was sufficient. We go for more thorough

checkups once a year in the summer (we're both teachers, so this

works great for my husband and I)

5. Anything else you want to share about the visit? All I can say

is you won't regret going to see Dr. Ponseti. The way he works with

the children - he's truly an angel. I'll never forget when he was

manipulating Zach's foot and he started to cry - (he was in my lap

and I was in the famous rocking chair) Dr. Ponseti stopped and

said " pick him up, make him feel better - then we'll start again " . G

Good luck! Keep us posted!

Holly

Zachary 7/27/02

Right C/F Treated by Dr. Ponseti

DBB Nights Only

Due: 1/8 - Straight Feetsies!

December 7, 2004

Holly,

WOW! Pick him up and calm him down??? Our ortho, who I considered a pretty

gentle man (but then our first experience was with a jerk so it wasn't hard to

look better! LOL) caused her to sob almost every time. Then for check ups it's

been fine until last week and he really had to push her legs and feet to get

them dorsiflexed and she just sobbed again...

We've decided to go. We have an appt on Monday the 13th. We won't be staying

though. I've got a 1st grader and a 5th grader so I've got to come home in

between. Can't be helped. It's only an 8 hour drive for us though - it's

doable.

Thanks for sharing,