The Good News We've Been Waiting For (Not the Nameless Royal Baby!)

It has been a while since I've written and I realize I have a lot to write about. However, I decided that this blog will focus on the appointment we just had because it was such good news. We finally saw Braeden's orthopaedic surgeon and he looked at Braeden's feet with excitement (Funny what makes people happy!). The doctor said that Braeden's feet look bigger which is a good sign because the tendons are not holding his feet back from growing. He also said that Braeden's feet are at the right flexion (in medical terms - 10 degrees dorsiflexion) in order to walk. Yeah!

The next step is to ensure that Braeden's feet do not go back to their original position. To help prevent relapse from happening, the surgeon has decided to put Braeden in custom-made splints that he wears during his naps and at night until he is 4 years old. I don't know if the surgeon is trying (or experimenting) with my son's situation, but apparently these splints are rare. Most children get the boots and the bar (aka: Mitchell braces) after this type of surgery and have great results, yet the doctor believes that in Braeden's situation the splints will work better. When we were talking with a resident during our appointment, she said that she wasn't aware of any other clinic that uses these custom splints like this.

Looking at the statistics online, atypical clubfeet has a high re-occurrence rate because (as the doctor says) we are fighting against genetics and the feet want to pull back in. Making sure that we stretch his feet twice a day and ensure that the splints are properly used will help to reprogram the tendons and muscles where they are supposed to be. It is interesting watching his feet trying to pull in, especially when Braeden is just sitting on the floor playing or when he is in his jolly jumper. Undeterred by this, Braeden is scooching everywhere and getting into everything like he is supposed to at this age. Also, he is already trying to stand up in his crib and everywhere else he can. I can't believe how resilient babies are! It took Braeden very little time to re-learn scootching on his bum and trying to stand up. Lets face it, as we get older we become wimps! If I had a major surgery like him I'd be the biggest whiner ever.

Medical Miracle

Before heading out to Braeden's appointment yesterday, while waiting to pay for our lunch, an older lady looks at Braeden, then looks at me and says: "My grandson had clubbed feet. After 10 hours of surgery and then casts, he is fine now. It really was a medical miracle!" I look at her, nod and smile. Half believing it, and the other half thinking "We will see with my little guy..."  Braeden's feet have been atypical from the beginning.  Hence, the hesitation.

However, I am glad to say that Braeden's appointment yesterday went "normal-ish." I say "normal-ish" because the doctor that regularly sees Braeden was on holidays so we met one of his colleagues who was just as knowledgeable and just as good a doctor. Our original doctor suggested that Braeden be put into splints instead of boots and bars (aka: Mitchell braces or Ponseti AFO braces) because he believes that his feet will find it harder to regress. As Braeden continues to grow, we will know if the splints are working by whether or not they are keeping his feet where they are supposed to be.

What I found surprising was the drastic change in Braeden's feet when the orthopaedic technician removed Braeden's casts.

Before First Surgery (August 2012)

After Second Surgery (June 2013)

   
Looking at pictures of his feet like the ones above, puts into perspective how much the medical world has progressed. It was only 10-15 years ago that club feet were treated by breaking the bones of the feet and then casting them. Now, serial casting, cutting certain tendons and then re-casting are used to correct the feet. Thankfully, the current treatments can be less invasive and waaayyyy less painful. So really, the lady was right, treating club feet by surgery and casting is a medical miracle.

A Hopeful New Year

Braeden was a star patient today! With little to no crying we were able to have new splints made. I am pretty sure that the orthopaedic technician was excited that he didn’t have to hear Braeden scream during the whole process! Getting a pair of splints made takes about an hour and a half. It all starts with putting a cotton stocking over his leg, which gets covered with a cotton wrap and then another stocking put over that. Essentially a cotton wrap sandwich.  Then the orthopedic technician (aka ortho tech) wraps fibreglass around the cotton wrap sandwich and somehow holds Braeden’s wiggling leg and foot in position for 30 seconds to a minute until the fibreglass dries.  Then the whole process happens again with the second leg. After both legs are finished the ortho tech cuts the casts in half and lines them with a nice soft material for when Braeden’s wearing them (and stylish Velcro straps to hold it all together).

Braeden's splints

Braeden's splints open 

We are also very happy and relieved to report that Braeden’s feet have not regressed. Wahoo!  With the help of the splints being worn at night and the diligent stretching that Kendall and I have been doing, Braeden’s feet are staying where they are supposed to. The doctor said that Braeden’s feet are growing (I was afraid they weren’t) and since all things are going well, we do not have to venture the 5 hour drive to the children’s hospital for another 3 months. Our next appointment will be a pre-op appointment to check on Braeden’s progress and talk about the upcoming surgery in May.    

Assiduous.

It is Tuesday and I'm antsy. One of the reasons for being antsy is I am anticipating the mad rush of traveling somewhere for Braeden's appointment. Before I was pregnant with Braeden, I was a travel studies coordinator at a university where a team of us worked hard to plan 2 month travel terms to Europe and Asia for packs of 20-30 students. The last two weeks of preparation before boarding the plane was an intense whirlwind where I felt I could not relax until take off. These intense feelings seem to have crossed over with leaving for Braeden's appointments. Ever since Braeden has been 3 weeks old, we have driven to appointments in other cities almost every week. However, this week there is nothing, absolutely nothing. I'm not driving in a car for longer than an hour, I'm not frantically rushing around the house washing the dishes, doing the laundry, packing, cleaning, etc., doing whatever I need to do to prepare us for leaving.

I am staying put.

But staying put is weird. It is uncomfortable. So much so that I want to keep myself busy.

Staying put has showed me that this club feet thing is all consuming. Most of my waking hours are dedicated to Braeden's feet. Currently, we are trying to stretch them at least 3-4 times a day for 30 seconds so that there is less chance of regression. Last week was about trying to put the splints on and making sure that they do not pinch his legs. This week is calling the doctor because the braces are too small for him and discussing the next plan to implement. If someone asked me what advice I would give to the busy parent(s) of a club foot baby it would be 4 things: laugh, reflect, give space to think about other things and staying positive. Laughing because it releases so many positive endorphins and because laughing is just great for the soul. Reflecting because it helps you heal and it allows you to clear your head. Giving space to think about other things helps one feel like you are not always engrossed with the subject club feet. Lastly, staying positive because sometimes that silver lining in the cloud is the only thing that keeps you afloat that week.