Saturday, October 25, 2008

Club Feet - Goodbye Casts, Hello Brace

Last Sunday was the chipmunk's (AKA Om) last day with the correcting casts. In this picture the casts are pretty dusty after 3 weeks of wear. I couldn't resist adding a few doodles to the casts.


My little surfer/snowboarder! In the above pic, the casts have been removed. He is wearing a brace (Dennis Brown Bar) that consists of corrective shoes and a metal bar to hold his feet in place. We have to keep the brace on Om 23 hours a day. The extra hour gets divided throughout the day for a bath and stretching of his feet (special stretches that the orthotics folks taught to us) These shoes are not easy to put back on once we've taken them off. They are leathery and stiff, and Om cries each time we squish his feet into them. The bar is heavy so Om needs to re-learn how to kick up his legs.
If we don't follow the prescribed treatment there is a good chance his feet will relapse into the clubbed position. We take Om back for a checkup in 3 months. I'm hoping the doctor will determine his feet are satisfactorily stable such that we can limit the brace to only nighttime. That will be a huge relief from taking off and putting on the brace during the day.
When I hold Om without his brace, I think to myself "This is what it feels like to have a normal baby." Sigh.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to you and the chipmunk! Was thrilled to read this post. I'm sure its just a matter of time before you have to do away with these aids completely.
Hugs to you and Om....sending a prayer your way..:)

Chikki said...

munchkin - Thanks for the prayers! We defn need them.

Mama - Mia said...

:)

hope things are looking up already!

prayers being sent across with all our heart! :)

abha

Danielle said...

I was so glad to get that last cast off Grant! I think it was the most uncomfortable because he was so irritable for those 3 weeks. But I'm already tired of the braces. I can't wait until they are just for naps and night time!