Re: Startting to get scared

[Guest guest]

I'm getting to the point that I

> don't even want to take him in. The poor guy has been through so

much!!

>

> Bri,

> son noah lcf

Bri,

I'm very sorry about your son's possible relapse and that you are

worried. I don't blame you. I urge you, though, to go ahead and get

in to see Dr. Dobbs. He is very skilled and experienced. I can

understand you dreading casts on a child of 4, but if you wait, if

his foot has relapsed, it won't get better on its own, and you'll be

on the path to a surgery, which involves casts plus a whole lot more.

The sooner you deal with it, with a skilled doc, the better.

Of course it's normal that you don't deal well with your child being

put through pain! I want to encourage you, though.. and let you

know .. that Ponseti method casting should NOT hurt. It is markedly

different from the casting that many doctors do for clubfoot.

We saw this with our dauaghter. She endured painful casting until we

switched doctors. Once we did, the castings did not bother her AT

ALL. She was silent throughout, smiling, babbling, just looking

around the room. It was a huge difference. It is a gentle

manipulation, which moves the misplaced pieces of the clubfoot puzzle

into the right order, not a wrenching outward.

Many pediatric orthopedists seeing a relapse in a child of 4 would

jump straight to surgery.. but I think it's a wise course of action

to try casting first. I do not think that you are looking at more

than a few .. nowhere near the original 5 to 7.

I don't have any direct experinece with how casting would go in a

child of 4 .. but I believe that, done right, by a practioner as

skilled as Dr. Dobbs, the casting itself should not be painful. I'm

sure parents of older kids who've been in casts can give you an idea

of the practical matters of having an older kid in casts.

Did Noah wear the brace previously? I think it could be that if they

regain correction with a cast or two he'd need to wear the FAB (foot

abduction brace) at night for a while. It is what keeps the foot from

relapsing. (The Markell shoes you are hearing about are part of the

FAB.. they are the white leather shoes which are attached to a bar.)

The older the child gets, the less chance of relapse, diminishing

greatly after age 5 or 6.

Take a look here, starting on page 17, to learn more about relapses:

http://www.global-help.org/publications/cf-english.pdf

I'm sure you'll hear from other parents .. But please don't be afraid

to take your son in to see Dr. Dobbs as soon as you can!

and Claire

[Guest guest]

Noah wore the brace for about 3 months. Then his doctor said he was doing well

enough and didn't need them anymore.

and Claire wrote:

I'm getting to the point that I

> don't even want to take him in. The poor guy has been through so

much!!

>

> Bri,

> son noah lcf

Bri,

I'm very sorry about your son's possible relapse and that you are

worried. I don't blame you. I urge you, though, to go ahead and get

in to see Dr. Dobbs. He is very skilled and experienced. I can

understand you dreading casts on a child of 4, but if you wait, if

his foot has relapsed, it won't get better on its own, and you'll be

on the path to a surgery, which involves casts plus a whole lot more.

The sooner you deal with it, with a skilled doc, the better.

Of course it's normal that you don't deal well with your child being

put through pain! I want to encourage you, though.. and let you

know .. that Ponseti method casting should NOT hurt. It is markedly

different from the casting that many doctors do for clubfoot.

We saw this with our dauaghter. She endured painful casting until we

switched doctors. Once we did, the castings did not bother her AT

ALL. She was silent throughout, smiling, babbling, just looking

around the room. It was a huge difference. It is a gentle

manipulation, which moves the misplaced pieces of the clubfoot puzzle

into the right order, not a wrenching outward.

Many pediatric orthopedists seeing a relapse in a child of 4 would

jump straight to surgery.. but I think it's a wise course of action

to try casting first. I do not think that you are looking at more

than a few .. nowhere near the original 5 to 7.

I don't have any direct experinece with how casting would go in a

child of 4 .. but I believe that, done right, by a practioner as

skilled as Dr. Dobbs, the casting itself should not be painful. I'm

sure parents of older kids who've been in casts can give you an idea

of the practical matters of having an older kid in casts.

Did Noah wear the brace previously? I think it could be that if they

regain correction with a cast or two he'd need to wear the FAB (foot

abduction brace) at night for a while. It is what keeps the foot from

relapsing. (The Markell shoes you are hearing about are part of the

FAB.. they are the white leather shoes which are attached to a bar.)

The older the child gets, the less chance of relapse, diminishing

greatly after age 5 or 6.

Take a look here, starting on page 17, to learn more about relapses:

http://www.global-help.org/publications/cf-english.pdf

I'm sure you'll hear from other parents .. But please don't be afraid

to take your son in to see Dr. Dobbs as soon as you can!

and Claire

[Guest guest]

Curious, how old was he during those three months?

s.

Re: Re: Startting to get scared

Noah wore the brace for about 3 months. Then his doctor said he was doing well

enough and didn't need them anymore.

and Claire wrote:

I'm getting to the point that I

> don't even want to take him in. The poor guy has been through so

much!!

>

> Bri,

> son noah lcf

Bri,

I'm very sorry about your son's possible relapse and that you are

worried. I don't blame you. I urge you, though, to go ahead and get

in to see Dr. Dobbs. He is very skilled and experienced. I can

understand you dreading casts on a child of 4, but if you wait, if

his foot has relapsed, it won't get better on its own, and you'll be

on the path to a surgery, which involves casts plus a whole lot more.

The sooner you deal with it, with a skilled doc, the better.

Of course it's normal that you don't deal well with your child being

put through pain! I want to encourage you, though.. and let you

know .. that Ponseti method casting should NOT hurt. It is markedly

different from the casting that many doctors do for clubfoot.

We saw this with our dauaghter. She endured painful casting until we

switched doctors. Once we did, the castings did not bother her AT

ALL. She was silent throughout, smiling, babbling, just looking

around the room. It was a huge difference. It is a gentle

manipulation, which moves the misplaced pieces of the clubfoot puzzle

into the right order, not a wrenching outward.

Many pediatric orthopedists seeing a relapse in a child of 4 would

jump straight to surgery.. but I think it's a wise course of action

to try casting first. I do not think that you are looking at more

than a few .. nowhere near the original 5 to 7.

I don't have any direct experinece with how casting would go in a

child of 4 .. but I believe that, done right, by a practioner as

skilled as Dr. Dobbs, the casting itself should not be painful. I'm

sure parents of older kids who've been in casts can give you an idea

of the practical matters of having an older kid in casts.

Did Noah wear the brace previously? I think it could be that if they

regain correction with a cast or two he'd need to wear the FAB (foot

abduction brace) at night for a while. It is what keeps the foot from

relapsing. (The Markell shoes you are hearing about are part of the

FAB.. they are the white leather shoes which are attached to a bar.)

The older the child gets, the less chance of relapse, diminishing

greatly after age 5 or 6.

Take a look here, starting on page 17, to learn more about relapses:

http://www.global-help.org/publications/cf-english.pdf

I'm sure you'll hear from other parents .. But please don't be afraid

to take your son in to see Dr. Dobbs as soon as you can!

and Claire

[Guest guest]

Ooohh that makes me so Mad ! Well at least Noah is going to

see one of the best (Dr. Dobbs), you are lucky to have him so close

=) Please keep us updated!

tc

& Grace

> I'm getting to the point that I

> > don't even want to take him in. The poor guy has been through so

> much!!

> >

> > Bri,

> > son noah lcf

>

>

> Bri,

>

> I'm very sorry about your son's possible relapse and that you are

> worried. I don't blame you. I urge you, though, to go ahead and get

> in to see Dr. Dobbs. He is very skilled and experienced. I can

> understand you dreading casts on a child of 4, but if you wait, if

> his foot has relapsed, it won't get better on its own, and you'll

be

> on the path to a surgery, which involves casts plus a whole lot

more.

> The sooner you deal with it, with a skilled doc, the better.

>

> Of course it's normal that you don't deal well with your child

being

> put through pain! I want to encourage you, though.. and let you

> know .. that Ponseti method casting should NOT hurt. It is markedly

> different from the casting that many doctors do for clubfoot.

>

> We saw this with our dauaghter. She endured painful casting until

we

> switched doctors. Once we did, the castings did not bother her AT

> ALL. She was silent throughout, smiling, babbling, just looking

> around the room. It was a huge difference. It is a gentle

> manipulation, which moves the misplaced pieces of the clubfoot

puzzle

> into the right order, not a wrenching outward.

>

> Many pediatric orthopedists seeing a relapse in a child of 4 would

> jump straight to surgery.. but I think it's a wise course of action

> to try casting first. I do not think that you are looking at more

> than a few .. nowhere near the original 5 to 7.

>

> I don't have any direct experinece with how casting would go in a

> child of 4 .. but I believe that, done right, by a practioner as

> skilled as Dr. Dobbs, the casting itself should not be painful. I'm

> sure parents of older kids who've been in casts can give you an

idea

> of the practical matters of having an older kid in casts.

>

> Did Noah wear the brace previously? I think it could be that if

they

> regain correction with a cast or two he'd need to wear the FAB

(foot

> abduction brace) at night for a while. It is what keeps the foot

from

> relapsing. (The Markell shoes you are hearing about are part of the

> FAB.. they are the white leather shoes which are attached to a

bar.)

> The older the child gets, the less chance of relapse, diminishing

> greatly after age 5 or 6.

>

> Take a look here, starting on page 17, to learn more about relapses:

> http://www.global-help.org/publications/cf-english.pdf

>

> I'm sure you'll hear from other parents .. But please don't be

afraid

> to take your son in to see Dr. Dobbs as soon as you can!

>

> and Claire

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

If I remember right I think he was almost 1

number23 wrote: Curious, how old was he during those

three months?

s.

Re: Re: Startting to get scared

Noah wore the brace for about 3 months. Then his doctor said he was doing well

enough and didn't need them anymore.

and Claire wrote:

I'm getting to the point that I

> don't even want to take him in. The poor guy has been through so

much!!

>

> Bri,

> son noah lcf

Bri,

I'm very sorry about your son's possible relapse and that you are

worried. I don't blame you. I urge you, though, to go ahead and get

in to see Dr. Dobbs. He is very skilled and experienced. I can

understand you dreading casts on a child of 4, but if you wait, if

his foot has relapsed, it won't get better on its own, and you'll be

on the path to a surgery, which involves casts plus a whole lot more.

The sooner you deal with it, with a skilled doc, the better.

Of course it's normal that you don't deal well with your child being

put through pain! I want to encourage you, though.. and let you

know .. that Ponseti method casting should NOT hurt. It is markedly

different from the casting that many doctors do for clubfoot.

We saw this with our dauaghter. She endured painful casting until we

switched doctors. Once we did, the castings did not bother her AT

ALL. She was silent throughout, smiling, babbling, just looking

around the room. It was a huge difference. It is a gentle

manipulation, which moves the misplaced pieces of the clubfoot puzzle

into the right order, not a wrenching outward.

Many pediatric orthopedists seeing a relapse in a child of 4 would

jump straight to surgery.. but I think it's a wise course of action

to try casting first. I do not think that you are looking at more

than a few .. nowhere near the original 5 to 7.

I don't have any direct experinece with how casting would go in a

child of 4 .. but I believe that, done right, by a practioner as

skilled as Dr. Dobbs, the casting itself should not be painful. I'm

sure parents of older kids who've been in casts can give you an idea

of the practical matters of having an older kid in casts.

Did Noah wear the brace previously? I think it could be that if they

regain correction with a cast or two he'd need to wear the FAB (foot

abduction brace) at night for a while. It is what keeps the foot from

relapsing. (The Markell shoes you are hearing about are part of the

FAB.. they are the white leather shoes which are attached to a bar.)

The older the child gets, the less chance of relapse, diminishing

greatly after age 5 or 6.

Take a look here, starting on page 17, to learn more about relapses:

http://www.global-help.org/publications/cf-english.pdf

I'm sure you'll hear from other parents .. But please don't be afraid

to take your son in to see Dr. Dobbs as soon as you can!

and Claire

[Guest guest]

> Noah wore the brace for about 3 months. Then his doctor said he

was doing well enough and didn't need them anymore.

> If I remember right I think he was almost 1

,

Since you've consulted with Dr. Ponseti (by email?) you probably

already are aware of how vital it is to have been using the brace to

prevent relpase, especially in a child as young as 1. Clubfoot is a

condition that stays active for a number of years, with the risk of

relapse diminishing gradually until about age 5 or 6. Even if the

feet are well corrected initially, left unbraced at a young age it is

very likely for a relapse to occur. Here's what it says at the Global

Health booklet, which I gave you a link to earlier:

" Therefore, it is recommended that even the mild feet should be

braced for up to 3 to 4 years... Most children get used to the

bracing, and it becomes part of their life style. ... Below age 2

years, the children and their families must be encouraged to comply

with the bracing protocol at all costs. "

Here is a link to a messageboard post including text about Dr.

Ponseti's 2001 article regarding relapses:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nosurgery4clubfoot/message/13223

Here are some statistics from Dr. Morcuende, a colleague of Dr.

Ponseti's:

" The rate of relapse decreases with age until about 5-6 years of age.

Overall, the odds of relapse if no bracing is used whatsoever is

something like: <12 months = 80-90 %; <2 years: 60-70%; 3-4 years:

20%, 4-6 years; 1%. However, it is not possible to know in which

group a particular patient is in, so you have to treat everyone

cautiously. "

I know you are worried.. but if you get in touch with Dr. Dobbs, Noah

will be in great hands! It's great that you took the step of

contacting Dr. Ponseti and are being proactive.

Take care,

[Guest guest]

Here is a link to a helpful site, with pictures of the brace. If you

click here then scroll down you will see the brace (or FAB) with

Markell shoes attached, as supplied in Iowa:

http://members.tripod.com/ponseti_links-ivil/id9.html

Now there also is another type of FAB, called the brace, which

is still a bar attached to two shoes, but the style is different.

Also.. just fyi.. these are only worn at night (during sleep) after an

initial brief period of full time wear in infants right after

correction.

[Guest guest]

........so he went about 3 years with no brace before he had the relapse?

s.

If I remember right I think he was almost 1

\\Curious, how old was he during those three months?

s.

Re: Re: Startting to get scared

Noah wore the brace for about 3 months. Then his doctor said he was doing

well enough and didn't need them anymore.

and Claire wrote:

I'm getting to the point that I

> don't even want to take him in. The poor guy has been through so

much!!

>

> Bri,

> son noah lcf

Bri,

I'm very sorry about your son's possible relapse and that you are

worried. I don't blame you. I urge you, though, to go ahead and get

in to see Dr. Dobbs. He is very skilled and experienced. I can

understand you dreading casts on a child of 4, but if you wait, if

his foot has relapsed, it won't get better on its own, and you'll be

on the path to a surgery, which involves casts plus a whole lot more.

The sooner you deal with it, with a skilled doc, the better.

Of course it's normal that you don't deal well with your child being

put through pain! I want to encourage you, though.. and let you

know .. that Ponseti method casting should NOT hurt. It is markedly

different from the casting that many doctors do for clubfoot.

We saw this with our dauaghter. She endured painful casting until we

switched doctors. Once we did, the castings did not bother her AT

ALL. She was silent throughout, smiling, babbling, just looking

around the room. It was a huge difference. It is a gentle

manipulation, which moves the misplaced pieces of the clubfoot puzzle

into the right order, not a wrenching outward.

Many pediatric orthopedists seeing a relapse in a child of 4 would

jump straight to surgery.. but I think it's a wise course of action

to try casting first. I do not think that you are looking at more

than a few .. nowhere near the original 5 to 7.

I don't have any direct experinece with how casting would go in a

child of 4 .. but I believe that, done right, by a practioner as

skilled as Dr. Dobbs, the casting itself should not be painful. I'm

sure parents of older kids who've been in casts can give you an idea

of the practical matters of having an older kid in casts.

Did Noah wear the brace previously? I think it could be that if they

regain correction with a cast or two he'd need to wear the FAB (foot

abduction brace) at night for a while. It is what keeps the foot from

relapsing. (The Markell shoes you are hearing about are part of the

FAB.. they are the white leather shoes which are attached to a bar.)

The older the child gets, the less chance of relapse, diminishing

greatly after age 5 or 6.

Take a look here, starting on page 17, to learn more about relapses:

http://www.global-help.org/publications/cf-english.pdf

I'm sure you'll hear from other parents .. But please don't be afraid

to take your son in to see Dr. Dobbs as soon as you can!

and Claire