PEARL RIVER, La. (Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, 6:44 p.m.) – Mathew and I are back home this evening facing another two weeks in a full leg cast – part of the Ponseti Method our orthopedic specialist prescribed to help avoid surgery to correct our son’s club foot.
Matthew’s new fiberglass cast is, like the last one, a full leg cast. But besides being Rebel Red (the first cast was blue), this one he received today at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans is not bent as severely at the knee and Matthew likely will be able to walk with it.
The cast slightly turns Matthew’s foot to the right and stretches the tendon in his heel. His doctor said results from the first cast were good, possibly enough for Matthew to avoid tendon surgery that is sometimes needed to correct a club foot.
Let me pause for a minute to say this: Pam and I are fortunate that Matthew’s adoption agency in Xingxang, China, were able to send him to Beijing for treatment of his club foot. Without that early intervention, there’s no telling how much more work Matthew would need.
At any rate, Matthew faces two more weeks in a cast.
After that – and assuming there are no more casts – Matthew probably will have a foot brace to wear at night. Our doctor says new braces are available that area easier to wear, more comfortable for children and will make it tougher for them to remove in the middle of the night.
We’ll see how this works out. Meanwhile, below is a slide show of photos from today’s cast removal and new casting. While you won’t hear the blood curdling screams I heard, you will be able to imagine how traumatic something like this is for a 2-year-old.
Copyright 2009 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.
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