Guest guest Posted November 6, 2004 Report Share Posted November 6, 2004 Darby, Is there any way that you can arrange to travel to see Dr. Mosca in Seattle for a second opinion within the next 3 months? I know from Kori's past posts that there is some concern about the doctors practicing in Portland. It might be in your best interest to seek out another opinion if you want to avoid surgery for Livi. A capsule release is a fairly invasive procedure I believe, and can probably be avoided if she's treated by a very experienced Ponseti doctor such as Mosca. I don't want to bad-mouth your doctor as I don't know who it is or anything about him, but I want to say that in my own experience, we went to two different doctors in the beginning who also exuded extreme " confidence " and portrayed to us that we had nothing to worry about and they were doing the best things in clubfoot treatment for my daughter. We had no reason to doubt them or what they were saying until they told us that she needed the PMR procedure. Luckily, we decided to go to Iowa before allowing them to operate on my daughter, and Dr. P fixed her foot with just 3 more casts and a tenotomy instead of the PMR. (I had to convince my DH that the trip to Iowa was worth it in the beginning) I will never blindly trust a doctor again. Tell your DH that you're not being paranoid- your mommy instincts are telling you that something isn't right and you want to seek a second opinion before consenting to an invasive surgery. The sooner the better before Livi gets too much older. Once you have that second opinion, you can make your decisions about her treatment with peace of mind. That's just my two cents. Regards, & (3-16-00) left clubfoot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 6, 2004 Report Share Posted November 6, 2004 , Thank you for your response! I'm actually in Seattle - Dr. Schmale and Dr. Mosca work in the same office - I'm not sure why you thought I was in Portland LOL. YOur input means a lot - as I'm sure you know - it all sounds fine and dandy when it comes from the docs mouth.. it's hard to question someone who graduated medical school when I've only made it through some community college. I may just wait until her next appointment and if Dr. Schmale says she needs the surgery, I'll take her to Dr. Mosca before I make the appointment. Thanks! Darby Livi 3/15/04 EDD #2 5/12/05 > > Darby, > Is there any way that you can arrange to travel to see Dr. Mosca in > Seattle for a second opinion within the next 3 months? > I know from Kori's past posts that there is some concern about the > doctors practicing in Portland. It might be in your best interest to > seek out another opinion if you want to avoid surgery for Livi. > A capsule release is a fairly invasive procedure I believe, and can > probably be avoided if she's treated by a very experienced Ponseti > doctor such as Mosca. > I don't want to bad-mouth your doctor as I don't know who it is or > anything about him, but I want to say that in my own experience, we > went to two different doctors in the beginning who also exuded > extreme " confidence " and portrayed to us that we had nothing to worry > about and they were doing the best things in clubfoot treatment for > my daughter. We had no reason to doubt them or what they were saying > until they told us that she needed the PMR procedure. Luckily, we > decided to go to Iowa before allowing them to operate on my daughter, > and Dr. P fixed her foot with just 3 more casts and a tenotomy > instead of the PMR. (I had to convince my DH that the trip to Iowa > was worth it in the beginning) > I will never blindly trust a doctor again. Tell your DH that you're > not being paranoid- your mommy instincts are telling you that > something isn't right and you want to seek a second opinion before > consenting to an invasive surgery. The sooner the better before Livi > gets too much older. Once you have that second opinion, you can make > your decisions about her treatment with peace of mind. That's just > my two cents. > Regards, > & (3-16-00) > left clubfoot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 7, 2004 Report Share Posted November 7, 2004 What do you think of Dr. Schmale? Weston sees him as well. _____ From: Darby Sent: Saturday, November 06, 2004 5:41 PM To: nosurgery4clubfoot Subject: Re: Capsule surgery? , Thank you for your response! I'm actually in Seattle - Dr. Schmale and Dr. Mosca work in the same office - I'm not sure why you thought I was in Portland LOL. YOur input means a lot - as I'm sure you know - it all sounds fine and dandy when it comes from the docs mouth.. it's hard to question someone who graduated medical school when I've only made it through some community college. I may just wait until her next appointment and if Dr. Schmale says she needs the surgery, I'll take her to Dr. Mosca before I make the appointment. Thanks! Darby Livi 3/15/04 EDD #2 5/12/05 > > Darby, > Is there any way that you can arrange to travel to see Dr. Mosca in > Seattle for a second opinion within the next 3 months? > I know from Kori's past posts that there is some concern about the > doctors practicing in Portland. It might be in your best interest to > seek out another opinion if you want to avoid surgery for Livi. > A capsule release is a fairly invasive procedure I believe, and can > probably be avoided if she's treated by a very experienced Ponseti > doctor such as Mosca. > I don't want to bad-mouth your doctor as I don't know who it is or > anything about him, but I want to say that in my own experience, we > went to two different doctors in the beginning who also exuded > extreme " confidence " and portrayed to us that we had nothing to worry > about and they were doing the best things in clubfoot treatment for > my daughter. We had no reason to doubt them or what they were saying > until they told us that she needed the PMR procedure. Luckily, we > decided to go to Iowa before allowing them to operate on my daughter, > and Dr. P fixed her foot with just 3 more casts and a tenotomy > instead of the PMR. (I had to convince my DH that the trip to Iowa > was worth it in the beginning) > I will never blindly trust a doctor again. Tell your DH that you're > not being paranoid- your mommy instincts are telling you that > something isn't right and you want to seek a second opinion before > consenting to an invasive surgery. The sooner the better before Livi > gets too much older. Once you have that second opinion, you can make > your decisions about her treatment with peace of mind. That's just > my two cents. > Regards, > & (3-16-00) > left clubfoot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 7, 2004 Report Share Posted November 7, 2004 Hi Darby, I thought I had posted a response to this, but then couldn't find it...so if this is a repeat, bear with me. My son, , had the capsulectomy and the posterior release surgery at 11 months. Dr. Mercuende performed it under Dr. Ponseti's direction. did very well with the surgery, he's still pretty tight, but Physical therapy is helping with that. The hardest part about the surgery was handing him over to the doctor and then the recovery drugs afterwards. Once he got off the drugs he did just fine. He is slowly but surely learning to put weight on his feet, but it is still very uncomfortable and new for him. He's been in the shoes now I think for a month. I definitely would get a second opinion, maybe have pictures of your baby's feet sent to dr. ponseti and have the doctor you are consulting with, keep in close contact with dr. p. We too have had bad experiences with dr.'s 's first surgery was with a non-ponseti dr. and actually made his feet worse due to the horrible scar tissue. But they took care of that in this last surgery. Keep Dr. Ponseti as informed as you can. He is an amazing man and will be happy to talk with you and your doctor personally. Lord bless you in this decision, 10-09-03 atypical bl cf mitchell's 23/7 > > Livi went to the doctor today - her left foot is still very tight... > he wants to wait about three months, and then see her again to > discuss the possibility of capsule surgery - I'm not sure if that's > the right term - he said he didn't want to mess with the front of > her foot at all, just open up the capsule which will do what the > tenotomy cannot. > > Is this very bad, or might this be ok? Our doctor is a very > reassuring and smart guy who works at the Children's Hospital in > Seattle (which is a great hospital) - the chief orthopedic surgeon > there is a Ponseti doc... > > He is very confident like he knows what he's doing and my husband > says I'm being paranoid. He has treated many patients successfully > for club feet, and our orthotist only has good things to say about > him. > > The good news today is that we can reduce the time in her shoes > since she's starting to walk. Yay! > > Darby > Livi 3/15/04 , bi cf dbb 12/7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2004 Report Share Posted November 8, 2004 Thank you!!! It makes me feel a litle better to hear that your son had the surgery with Dr. Ponseti's approval...I definately will send pics to him and see what he thinks. I was really starting to worry since I haven't received many replies to my question that my doctor was suggesting something unheard of that no one knew how to respond. Thanks! Darby Livi bi cf 3/15/04 dbb 12/7 EDD #2 5/12/05 --- n nosurgery4clubfoot , " Wold " wrote: > > Hi Darby, > > I thought I had posted a response to this, but then couldn't find > it...so if this is a repeat, bear with me. > > My son, , had the capsulectomy and the posterior release surgery > at 11 months. Dr. Mercuende performed it under Dr. Ponseti's > direction. did very well with the surgery, he's still pretty > tight, but Physical therapy is helping with that. The hardest part > about the surgery was handing him over to the doctor and then the > recovery drugs afterwards. Once he got off the drugs he did just > fine. He is slowly but surely learning to put weight on his feet, but > it is still very uncomfortable and new for him. He's been in the > shoes now I think for a month. > > I definitely would get a second opinion, maybe have pictures of your > baby's feet sent to dr. ponseti and have the doctor you are consulting > with, keep in close contact with dr. p. We too have had bad > experiences with dr.'s 's first surgery was with a non-ponseti > dr. and actually made his feet worse due to the horrible scar tissue. > But they took care of that in this last surgery. > > Keep Dr. Ponseti as informed as you can. He is an amazing man and will > be happy to talk with you and your doctor personally. > > Lord bless you in this decision, > > 10-09-03 atypical bl cf mitchell's 23/7 > > > > > > > > > Livi went to the doctor today - her left foot is still very tight... > > he wants to wait about three months, and then see her again to > > discuss the possibility of capsule surgery - I'm not sure if that's > > the right term - he said he didn't want to mess with the front of > > her foot at all, just open up the capsule which will do what the > > tenotomy cannot. > > > > Is this very bad, or might this be ok? Our doctor is a very > > reassuring and smart guy who works at the Children's Hospital in > > Seattle (which is a great hospital) - the chief orthopedic surgeon > > there is a Ponseti doc... > > > > He is very confident like he knows what he's doing and my husband > > says I'm being paranoid. He has treated many patients successfully > > for club feet, and our orthotist only has good things to say about > > him. > > > > The good news today is that we can reduce the time in her shoes > > since she's starting to walk. Yay! > > > > Darby > > Livi 3/15/04 , bi cf dbb 12/7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2004 Report Share Posted November 8, 2004 He is a really nice guy - seems like he takes time to talk to us and doesn't feel rushed. My problem is that I haven't directly asked him if he uses the ponseti method - have you? We started treatment before we knew about it, and at first, everything seemed to go along with the method, so I didn't worry too much. But then I started thinking about little things - like the fact that he uses fiberglass casts instead of plaster ones like Dr. Ponseti... and Dr. Schmale had us take the casts off before each appointment - I've heard that Dr. Ponseti doesn't like to have parents do that because the baby can lose correction when the casts are off. Also, Dr. Schmale tells us to stretch Livi's feet every day - I've heard Dr. Ponseti doesn't have parents do that, because if done incorrectly, it can cause the rocker bottom deformity. So I like him, but I'm starting to have some questions. I have heard wonderful things about him from our pediatrician, as well as the orthotist we get Livi's shoes from. Now he's suggesting this surgery - and I think I'm going to email pics of Livi's feet to Dr. Ponseti and see what he says. That, or make an appointment with Dr. Mosca who is a registered Ponseti doc. What are your thoughts on him so far? Darby Livi 3/15/04 bi cf dbb 12/7 EDD#2 5/12/05 > > > > Darby, > > Is there any way that you can arrange to travel to see Dr. Mosca in > > Seattle for a second opinion within the next 3 months? > > I know from Kori's past posts that there is some concern about the > > doctors practicing in Portland. It might be in your best interest > to > > seek out another opinion if you want to avoid surgery for Livi. > > A capsule release is a fairly invasive procedure I believe, and can > > probably be avoided if she's treated by a very experienced Ponseti > > doctor such as Mosca. > > I don't want to bad-mouth your doctor as I don't know who it is or > > anything about him, but I want to say that in my own experience, we > > went to two different doctors in the beginning who also exuded > > extreme " confidence " and portrayed to us that we had nothing to > worry > > about and they were doing the best things in clubfoot treatment for > > my daughter. We had no reason to doubt them or what they were > saying > > until they told us that she needed the PMR procedure. Luckily, we > > decided to go to Iowa before allowing them to operate on my > daughter, > > and Dr. P fixed her foot with just 3 more casts and a tenotomy > > instead of the PMR. (I had to convince my DH that the trip to Iowa > > was worth it in the beginning) > > I will never blindly trust a doctor again. Tell your DH that > you're > > not being paranoid- your mommy instincts are telling you that > > something isn't right and you want to seek a second opinion before > > consenting to an invasive surgery. The sooner the better before > Livi > > gets too much older. Once you have that second opinion, you can > make > > your decisions about her treatment with peace of mind. That's just > > my two cents. > > Regards, > > & (3-16-00) > > left clubfoot > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2004 Report Share Posted November 8, 2004 I know how you feel. I too had posted a request for info a few months back and there was only one other who had gone through it that answered. It's scary to hand your baby over for surgery, but Dr. P and Dr. M took really good care of him, Dr. P actually redid the casts a few days after the surgery because he didn't like how they were on. It's also very scary when the master of non surgical treatment says your baby needs surgery. but get the opinions, do your research and you'll know what is best to do. I regret the first surgery, yet if we hadn't had that done, who knows if we would have ended up seeing Dr. Ponseti or prolonging it more? So many blessings have come out of this little guy!! Lord bless you!! atypical bl cf mitchell 23/7 > > > > Hi Darby, > > > > I thought I had posted a response to this, but then couldn't find > > it...so if this is a repeat, bear with me. > > > > My son, , had the capsulectomy and the posterior release > surgery > > at 11 months. Dr. Mercuende performed it under Dr. Ponseti's > > direction. did very well with the surgery, he's still pretty > > tight, but Physical therapy is helping with that. The hardest part > > about the surgery was handing him over to the doctor and then the > > recovery drugs afterwards. Once he got off the drugs he did just > > fine. He is slowly but surely learning to put weight on his feet, > but > > it is still very uncomfortable and new for him. He's been in the > > shoes now I think for a month. > > > > I definitely would get a second opinion, maybe have pictures of your > > baby's feet sent to dr. ponseti and have the doctor you are > consulting > > with, keep in close contact with dr. p. We too have had bad > > experiences with dr.'s 's first surgery was with a non-ponseti > > dr. and actually made his feet worse due to the horrible scar > tissue. > > But they took care of that in this last surgery. > > > > Keep Dr. Ponseti as informed as you can. He is an amazing man and > will > > be happy to talk with you and your doctor personally. > > > > Lord bless you in this decision, > > > > 10-09-03 atypical bl cf mitchell's 23/7 > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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