Tenotomy Procedure

[Guest guest]

In three weeks my son will be having his tenotomy done. They have

decided it would be best to do this at the hospital and put him under.

I am actually relieved as I think this will be less stressful for him.

Can any of you tell me your tenotomy experiences? Good or bad.

Thank you

[Guest guest]

How old is your son? I am just curious why they chose to 'put him under'.

I know they usually do for older babies.

Shook

Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor

Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc.

2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500

Vienna, VA 22182

x374

x374

fax

[Guest guest]

Lynne,

My son's first tenotomy was done with just a local anesthetic. However,

it was done at the hospital's main OR (not in the dr office) because our

dr at the time wanted to have other things available if he needed them.

Because of the " possibility " of needing a general anesthetic, we had to

be careful about when Jake had eaten the last time (I think he was not

supposed to eat within 4 hrs of the procedure). This was kind of a

pain- Jake was to be the first procedure of the day so I had to get up

really early to nurse him that last time. And of course he was hungry

again shortly before he was to go back for the procedure!! Anyways, I

wasn't allowed to stay with him for the procedure, since they did it in

the OR, but he was only away from us for maybe 15-20 min. The actual

procedure is really quick and easy- our dr told us he has a special

scalpel which is teeny-tiny. (the scar looked to be 1/8-1/4 inch! so

very small) They kept him for maybe a half hour afterwards just to

observe him, but I was able to nurse Jake in the recovery room. He was

very sleepy afterwards. He had another full-leg cast on- it stayed on

for 2 wks, and then he had another cast for 2 wks, and then he went to

the shoes with the fab.

The day of Jake's tenotomy was really rough on me. Seth (my husband)

wasn't able to stay home due to some issues going on at his work (he was

there for the tenotomy but had to go to work afterwards), so I was home

alone with Jake. He slept a lot of the day, but he was very very

painful when he was awake. He would start waking up, and then I'd have

about 30 seconds to get him on the breast and nursing before he'd start

shrieking! We were allowed to give him baby tylenol but only every 4

hrs. By that evening, though, he was doing soooo much better. He was

still fussy but wasn't shrieking anymore (of course, he started feeling

better shortly before my husband was due home from work lol). I think

he was fussy for a day or two but after that was just fine. We were

warned that we might see some blood seeping through the cast in the heel

area, and that's ok (depending on the amount of course), but we didn't

see any. When they took the cast off two weeks later, you could barely

see (already!) where the incision was. It was very tiny and now that

Jake's 4 yrs old you can hardly see it.

Your dr's office should give you instructions about the procedure

including how long beforehand he can eat etc. He may also have to stay

longer at the hospital if they use general anesthetic. Be sure to ask

if you'll be able to be with him in the recovery room- most hospitals

are ok with that, especially with babies & children, since their parents

are who the child is going to need afterwards. My best advice, though,

is to make sure there is someone available to help you out afteryou get

home, especially if you've got older kids. I remember that by the

afternoon of the day of Jake's tenotomy I was just about ready to cry!

It would have been much better if Seth had been able to be with me.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions.

Kassia

3/22/01 (Lt clubfoot, ATTT surgery April 2004)

and 11/22/02

[Guest guest]

Livi has had two tenotomies... the first at 4 months old, was just an

in-office procedure - took all of 15 minutes - the longest part is

getting the casts on afterwards. The gave her some emla cream to numb

the area about 2 hours before and we also gave her tylenol.

Her second tenotomy at 1 yr of age was done in the hospital - I think

it's easier on the baby to get real anesthesia if he/she is older.

She wasn't completely knocked out, they called it conscious sedation I

believe. She wwas given some yummy anti-anxiety med before they took

her back, so she was not upset at all when they took her. She acted

drunk which was really funny.

We had enough time to go to the car, get to the cafeteria and sit down

with a plate of breakfast when we were paged back to receive her. It

was that quick. She was crying hysterically - just coming off the

drugs. She cried for about 45 minutes while we held her. It was OK

because the nurses said it was normal... we just comforted her the

best we could, then took her home. Tylenol was given for the pain- we

only had to give it a couple times.

Wasn't too bad at all. THe worst part was the anticipation since I

was worried about the anesthesia. THe docs at Children's were very

good and made us feel much more comfortable.

HTH - Good luck!

Darby

Livi 3/15/04 bi cf

> In three weeks my son will be having his tenotomy done. They have

> decided it would be best to do this at the hospital and put him

under.

> I am actually relieved as I think this will be less stressful for

him.

> Can any of you tell me your tenotomy experiences? Good or bad.

>

> Thank you

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Tori had her Tenotomy done at about 4 months of age. They actually

did it a cast change earlier than expected because of how well her

feet corrected so I didn't have a chance to get overly concerned so

that was kind of nice. She had hers done in IC and it was under

local anesthesia. I got to be in the room with her the whole time.

They put some numbing jell on and she kind of fussed for that and

they said it kind of stings. Then they gave her a couple of shots

for more numbing witch she didn't seem to mind. Then they used a

small scalpel and did the Achilles tendon and then they put the cast

on. She cried a little bit but it wasn't any major screaming like

she was in severe pain just fussing. Then they did the other foot

and we were done. We did have some bleeding through the cast about

the size of a quarter and we could take it off after 2 ½ weeks at

home and went right into her brace. When we took the casts off I

couldn't even tell where they had done it at. Still can't. Over all

it was very easy. She slept a lot the first day and I gave her

Tylenol. I think she cried the most when the nurse accidentally

dropped a toy on her head before we got started. J

HTH

[Guest guest]

my daughter, grace, has had the procedure done twice... once by a non-ponseti

doctor and once by a ponseti trained.. it was a breeze both times... i was so

nervous and cried the first time.. and don't get me wrong.. was nervous the

second time but knew it was not that bad... they put her under both times... but

she was older for both... 8 months for one foot, 12 months for the other foot,

and then 14 months for the second on both feet.. she was not allowed to eat for

4 hours before.. but she had very early appt times.. her surgeries were at 7:00

or 8:00 in the morning.. and she's so nosey and was too busy watching the people

walking around to think about needing to eat... so that was a relief.. they make

a very small incision and cut the tendon.. then cast the leg up to the diaper

for 4 weeks.. with a cast change in there some where.. then they go to the FAB..

the scar is very very tiny... the same if you took a felt tip marker and made a

dot on the back of her leg.. grace has 2 dots

on each heel.. that's it.. she didn't have any pain that i could really tell

after... i gave her tylenol every four hours just in case.. but she was pulling

up and standing on the casts in the crib in the hospital after she got out of

recovery... and was laughing.. so i don't think it was bad... and she walked

around the tables when we got home that evening.. so don't fret too much over

it.. it really is a very simple procedure.. and it really does wonders... hth...

mommy to Grace 12-03-03 BCF Dobb's Brace 16/7

chten mad4madison@...> wrote:

In three weeks my son will be having his tenotomy done. They have

decided it would be best to do this at the hospital and put him under.

I am actually relieved as I think this will be less stressful for him.

Can any of you tell me your tenotomy experiences? Good or bad.

Thank you

[Guest guest]

My son Sammy had the tenotomy done under general anesthesia when he

was about 11 weeks old. We were told that normally it is easier for

the little ones to be put to sleep so that no one has to hold them

still while the doctor does the procedure. They said it is more

common to have general anesthesia at Children's Hospitals because they

are all about making sure the children feel no pain. Sammy was in and

out of the OR in about 40 minutes. I was able to go in and nurse him

in the post-op area. He slept a lot that day and the next but

otherwise was his usual cheerful self.

> In three weeks my son will be having his tenotomy done. They have

> decided it would be best to do this at the hospital and put him under.

> I am actually relieved as I think this will be less stressful for him.

> Can any of you tell me your tenotomy experiences? Good or bad.

>

> Thank you

[Guest guest]

they also gave grace some meds for anxiety before they took her back... and i

tell you... that's the funniest stuff i've seen in a long while.. she was way

drunk acting and even did the " drunk laugh " ... she liked looking at her hands

and tried to hold them in front of her face... and would laugh uncontrollably...

was pretty cute.. i got it all on camcorder but then my house got broken into

and they stole the camcorder... i was sooooo upset... won't get that back... oh

well...

mommy to Grace 12-03-03 BCF Dobb's Brace 16/7

Caroland lcaroland@...> wrote:

my daughter, grace, has had the procedure done twice... once by a non-ponseti

doctor and once by a ponseti trained.. it was a breeze both times... i was so

nervous and cried the first time.. and don't get me wrong.. was nervous the

second time but knew it was not that bad... they put her under both times... but

she was older for both... 8 months for one foot, 12 months for the other foot,

and then 14 months for the second on both feet.. she was not allowed to eat for

4 hours before.. but she had very early appt times.. her surgeries were at 7:00

or 8:00 in the morning.. and she's so nosey and was too busy watching the people

walking around to think about needing to eat... so that was a relief.. they make

a very small incision and cut the tendon.. then cast the leg up to the diaper

for 4 weeks.. with a cast change in there some where.. then they go to the FAB..

the scar is very very tiny... the same if you took a felt tip marker and made a

dot on the back of her leg.. grace has 2 dots

on each heel.. that's it.. she didn't have any pain that i could really tell

after... i gave her tylenol every four hours just in case.. but she was pulling

up and standing on the casts in the crib in the hospital after she got out of

recovery... and was laughing.. so i don't think it was bad... and she walked

around the tables when we got home that evening.. so don't fret too much over

it.. it really is a very simple procedure.. and it really does wonders... hth...

mommy to Grace 12-03-03 BCF Dobb's Brace 16/7

chten mad4madison@...> wrote:

In three weeks my son will be having his tenotomy done. They have

decided it would be best to do this at the hospital and put him under.

I am actually relieved as I think this will be less stressful for him.

Can any of you tell me your tenotomy experiences? Good or bad.

Thank you

[Guest guest]

Kassia,

Thank you for the info. That is exactly what I wanted to know.

Lynn

> Lynne,

>

> My son's first tenotomy was done with just a local anesthetic.

However,

> it was done at the hospital's main OR (not in the dr office)

because our

> dr at the time wanted to have other things available if he needed

them.

> Because of the " possibility " of needing a general anesthetic, we

had to

> be careful about when Jake had eaten the last time (I think he was

not

> supposed to eat within 4 hrs of the procedure). This was kind of a

> pain- Jake was to be the first procedure of the day so I had to get

up

> really early to nurse him that last time. And of course he was

hungry

> again shortly before he was to go back for the procedure!!

Anyways, I

> wasn't allowed to stay with him for the procedure, since they did

it in

> the OR, but he was only away from us for maybe 15-20 min. The

actual

> procedure is really quick and easy- our dr told us he has a special

> scalpel which is teeny-tiny. (the scar looked to be 1/8-1/4 inch!

so

> very small) They kept him for maybe a half hour afterwards just to

> observe him, but I was able to nurse Jake in the recovery room. He

was

> very sleepy afterwards. He had another full-leg cast on- it stayed

on

> for 2 wks, and then he had another cast for 2 wks, and then he went

to

> the shoes with the fab.

>

> The day of Jake's tenotomy was really rough on me. Seth (my

husband)

> wasn't able to stay home due to some issues going on at his work

(he was

> there for the tenotomy but had to go to work afterwards), so I was

home

> alone with Jake. He slept a lot of the day, but he was very very

> painful when he was awake. He would start waking up, and then I'd

have

> about 30 seconds to get him on the breast and nursing before he'd

start

> shrieking! We were allowed to give him baby tylenol but only every

4

> hrs. By that evening, though, he was doing soooo much better. He

was

> still fussy but wasn't shrieking anymore (of course, he started

feeling

> better shortly before my husband was due home from work lol). I

think

> he was fussy for a day or two but after that was just fine. We

were

> warned that we might see some blood seeping through the cast in the

heel

> area, and that's ok (depending on the amount of course), but we

didn't

> see any. When they took the cast off two weeks later, you could

barely

> see (already!) where the incision was. It was very tiny and now

that

> Jake's 4 yrs old you can hardly see it.

>

> Your dr's office should give you instructions about the procedure

> including how long beforehand he can eat etc. He may also have to

stay

> longer at the hospital if they use general anesthetic. Be sure to

ask

> if you'll be able to be with him in the recovery room- most

hospitals

> are ok with that, especially with babies & children, since their

parents

> are who the child is going to need afterwards. My best advice,

though,

> is to make sure there is someone available to help you out afteryou

get

> home, especially if you've got older kids. I remember that by the

> afternoon of the day of Jake's tenotomy I was just about ready to

cry!

> It would have been much better if Seth had been able to be with me.

>

> Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions.

>

> Kassia

> 3/22/01 (Lt clubfoot, ATTT surgery April 2004)

> and 11/22/02

[Guest guest]

Kelsey had the tenotomy done when she was 12 months

old and general snesthesia was used for her. I was

with her right up until before the OR. I walked her

to the door of the OR and handed her to the

anesthesiologist. She was not under the influence of

anything yet as they wanted to make sure she was in a

controlled environment. Kelsey actually handled this

part better than I did. We went to the waiting room

and about 30 minutes later, the surgeon was back out

and it was over. My husband and I were called back

into the recovery room shortly after that. Kelsey was

screaming to beat the band and they wanted us to

assess whether it was pain related or just scared,

upset etc. She calmed down a little bit after that

but was still crying pretty hard which was very much a

pain thing for Kelsey. The recovery nurse called and

got an OK for more IV pain meds and after that, Kelsey

calmed right down. They were giving her juice to

drink and some Tylenol as well. I rocked her and as I

did that, she fell asleep. They then took the IV out

and let us taker her home. On the way home (about an

hour in the car), she did throw up which was not

surprising to me because I also have a difficult time

with anesthesia. But after that, she went to sleep

and I put her straight in her crib when we got home.

She slept for about 5 hours, woke up, ate a little and

then went back to sleep for the night. I continued to

give her Tylenol and after she woke up the next day,

she was fine and no longer even needed that.

Good luck with the procedure but it will be over

before you know it. The hardest part for me was

handing my baby over to these people I had just met

and trusting them with her. As usual, Kelsey handled

everything much better than I did.

Jenni

--- lynnekruchten mad4madison@...> wrote:

> In three weeks my son will be having his tenotomy

> done. They have

> decided it would be best to do this at the hospital

> and put him under.

> I am actually relieved as I think this will be less

> stressful for him.

> Can any of you tell me your tenotomy experiences?

> Good or bad.

>

> Thank you

>

>

>

>

Jenni-

Mom to (10/31/01) and Kelsey (11/7/03)happy girl in DBB nights only for

left clubfoot.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

My son was 6 months when he his tenotomy and he was also under anethesia. Our

doc calls his older babies wildmen. My buddy is definately one of those. He

broke several casts with one kick after the doc was sure the plaster was dry. I

noticed the cast the doc put on after the tenotomy was pretty thick just in

case. We were told no food after midnight and his surgery was scheduled for 7.

He did fine, which surprised me, and was more wide eyed and looking at

everything than fussy. I think the worst part of it was getting him to stop

crying after the procedure. The nurse, who was trying to help, gave him a

bottle of sugar water. He has a very sensitive belly and the sugar water (the

little he would drink cause he won't let a bottle in his mouth most of the time)

combined with the upset routine, combined with the anesthesia made his belly

really upset. It took about a hour to get him to calm down enough to burp.

Then we were fine. He cried if he clunked his cast on the floor good for a day

or so after, but that was all. And thank goodness I have an angel mother who

drove three hours to my house so I could leave my other kids and drive three

hours the other direction. I didn't have to worry about my kids and the

procedure was really quick.

Tenotomy Procedure

In three weeks my son will be having his tenotomy done. They have

decided it would be best to do this at the hospital and put him under.

I am actually relieved as I think this will be less stressful for him.

Can any of you tell me your tenotomy experiences? Good or bad.

Thank you

[Guest guest]

Hi Lynne

Berry had her tenotomy at 11 weeks old, last February. It is standard procedure

in the UK it to be undertaken using general anaesthetic (although some clinics

still don't).

We had to go to hospital the morning before the operation, which in itself was

long and tedious and put Berry out of sorts, I guess it was just a different

environment. She was checked over throughout the day and we were told we

wouldn't be able to feed her after midnight, which I was absolutely dreading,

how do you tell a three month old baby that sorry but mummy's not going to give

you milk tonight! Anyhow that was then changed to no feed after 5am which was

much much better, but still a little bit of a trial.

Berry was taken off for the op at around 9am, and one parent (I nominated

myself) was allowed to stay with her until she was under general anaesthetic.

This was indeed the worst bit, I held her as the surgeon put a mask over her

face, (which she was obviously upset by and struggled with), and she went

floppy. I then had to leave her and my husband and I went for a cup of tea in

the cafe. by the time we reached the ward 30 mins later, they were on their way

to fetch us and we were allowed to fetch Berry from the resussitation (sp?)

area. We were greeted by loud cries but she immediately took by breast for a

drink and she was quiet.

She was a little unsettled for a few days following but had a mild painkiller.

To be honest, all was fine, and it was a much worse experience for my husband

and I than for the baby.

Hope all goes well for you too, please let us all know how you get on.

--- " ph Grush " jngrush@...> wrote:

Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:12:18 -0600

To: nosurgery4clubfoot >

Subject: Re: Tenotomy Procedure

My son was 6 months when he his tenotomy and he was also under

anethesia. Our doc calls his older babies wildmen. My buddy

is definately one of those. He broke several casts with one

kick after the doc was sure the plaster was dry. I noticed the

cast the doc put on after the tenotomy was pretty thick just in

case. We were told no food after midnight and his surgery was

scheduled for 7. He did fine, which surprised me, and was more

wide eyed and looking at everything than fussy. I think the

worst part of it was getting him to stop crying after the

procedure. The nurse, who was trying to help, gave him a

bottle of sugar water. He has a very sensitive belly and the

sugar water (the little he would drink cause he won't let a

bottle in his mouth most of the time) combined with the upset

routine, combined with the anesthesia made his belly really

upset. It took about a hour to get him to calm down enough to

burp. Then we were fine. He cried if he clunked his cast on

the floor good for a day or so after, but that was all. And

thank goodness I have an angel mother who drove three hours to

my house so I could leave my other kids and drive three hours

the other direction. I didn't have to worry about my kids and

the procedure was really quick.

Tenotomy Procedure

In three weeks my son will be having his tenotomy done. They

have

decided it would be best to do this at the hospital and put

him under.

I am actually relieved as I think this will be less stressful

for him.

Can any of you tell me your tenotomy experiences? Good or

bad.

Thank you

[Guest guest]

Depending on age I think. My son Everett was about a month old, they did it in

the office with dh holding him.

s.

Tenotomy Procedure

In three weeks my son will be having his tenotomy done. They have

decided it would be best to do this at the hospital and put him under.

I am actually relieved as I think this will be less stressful for him.

Can any of you tell me your tenotomy experiences? Good or bad.

Thank you

[Guest guest]

My son had his tenotomy 3 weeks ago when he was 8 weeks old. They

also did his under general anesthetic, which made me very nervous. I

stressed about it for 2 weeks.

The day of the surgery, I could not feed him after 2:00 a.m. and was

scheduled to be at the hospital at 6:00 a.m. He was one of the first

surgeries scheduled for that day, which I believe started at 7:30 (I

cannot remember for sure, I had very little sleep the night before).

My mother-in-law went with me the day of the surgery (my family does

not live close by). We went back with him and were there as they got

him ready. I met the anesthesiologist, all of the people that were

going to be in with him, and the doctor went over again what they

were going to do and what to expect. My MIL and I got to stay with

him until they carried him away for surgery (crying, he was

hungry).The doctor came out about 20 minutes later and gave me the

report on how it had gone and that they were moving him to recovery.

A little while later (I'm not sure how much later, I was tired and it

all went so fast) I was allowed to go be with him in recovery. I

could hear him crying as I approached the recovery area. He didn't

really open his eyes, but he was doing well, so they let me nurse

him. He ate for awhile and then fell right back to sleep. They moved

us to another room and allowed my MIL to come back. We sat there

awhile longer while they monitored him and then I was told if I felt

comfortable doing it, he was okay to go home. We left around 9:15. I

did give him a little Tylenol when we got home, but other than being

a little sleepy, he never seemed to be in pain or have any other

noticable reaction to the surgery/anesthesia. He did have the red

spot on his cast from where they did the incision like they said he

probably would, but everything has gone as they predicted.

So far the results have been favorable and he has gained alot more

movement in that foot. Having Tysen put completely out also allowed

the doctor to get a good look at a crease that Tysen had on the outer

portion of the bottom of his foot. Turns out the worst part of the

whole thing was my stress the 2 weeks before!

HTH,

Lorinda and Tysen (lcf - 2/18/05)

> In three weeks my son will be having his tenotomy done. They have

> decided it would be best to do this at the hospital and put him

under.

> I am actually relieved as I think this will be less stressful for

him.

> Can any of you tell me your tenotomy experiences? Good or bad.

>

> Thank you