Re: Introducing myself and question

[Guest guest]

,

My son is 2. He was also born with left clubfoot. We live in New Jersey

but travel to Baltimore to see Dr. Herzenberg.

I am sorry to hear you are having so many problems. Who is your doctor? Is

he certified in the Ponseti Method?

This board is full of wonderful, supportive people whose advice you will

find priceless in the treatment of clubfoot.

Mommy to (12/17/98) and

Christian (1/30/04) LCF

_____

From: nosurgery4clubfoot

[mailto:nosurgery4clubfoot ] On Behalf Of fyrgrl460

Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 10:39 AM

To: nosurgery4clubfoot

Subject: Introducing myself and question

Good morning,

My name is and I am in Virginia. I gave birth to my first son

January 12, 2006. He was born with unilateral left clubfoot. We

went through the casting process and after 5 casts he went through

his tendon release and received his DBB last thursday. However we

are regressing and I feel as though I am partly to blame.

After two days of slipping in and out of the shoes my son formed a

blood blister and his pediatrician told me not to put him back in

the shoes because it would cause infection. So we have to go back

to his orthopedic doctor tomorrow. However in just the past two

days without the shoes I have seen a major regression in the

position of his foot. My husband and I feel as though we were

between a rock and a hard place about treatment.

If you got this far I appreciate it. It's been a stressful road and

I feel as if we are back tracking.

I look forward to reading the posts and learning from every one else.

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

- do not blame yourself - this has happened to many of us in different

circumstances. My son regressed because the doctor we were seeing tried to put

him in the shoes before he was ready. My friend (who you will get to

know on this forum) reassured me that while the correction is important,

getting the proper care for your baby and making sure he/she is alright is more

important. She was right - Hayden's feet were corrected much quicker by the

new doctor and he is doing great. I know that on more than one occasion I

felt like it was never going to end, and here we are about to come out of the

brace full time and it seems like it went so quickly! Take heart, your little

guy will never remember any of this (although I claim that I will need therapy

for the rest of my life, ha ha!) and will thank you for taking whatever steps

were necessary to keep him comfortable and happy in addition to having his

feet corrected.

All the best,

fyrgrl460 wrote: Good morning,

My name is and I am in Virginia. I gave birth to my first son

January 12, 2006. He was born with unilateral left clubfoot. We

went through the casting process and after 5 casts he went through

his tendon release and received his DBB last thursday. However we

are regressing and I feel as though I am partly to blame.

After two days of slipping in and out of the shoes my son formed a

blood blister and his pediatrician told me not to put him back in

the shoes because it would cause infection. So we have to go back

to his orthopedic doctor tomorrow. However in just the past two

days without the shoes I have seen a major regression in the

position of his foot. My husband and I feel as though we were

between a rock and a hard place about treatment.

If you got this far I appreciate it. It's been a stressful road and

I feel as if we are back tracking.

I look forward to reading the posts and learning from every one else.

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

,

Hello and welcome to the group! Please don't blame yourself, many of

us have been in just such a position with problems with the shoes and

not knowing any good alternative to keeping them on when baby has a

sore.

If his foot has truly relapsed it is okay. It can be fixed again.

Here's what should happen: your ortho should re-cast him to regain the

correction that has been lost (this will also allow time for

blisters/sores to heal), then while he is in the cast we help you

troubleshoot to figure out what went wrong with the shoes in the first

place. Then when the cast comes off we can help you keep those shoes

on and make sure this doesn't happen again.

Just for starters, check out the tips document that can be found here:

http://members.tripod.com/ponseti_links-ivil/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles\

/fab_tips_10_05_05.pdf

There are usually only a few reasons that the brace slips off and

causes sores:

1. Feet that are not fully corrected

2. User error

3. The brace is not set up right

If you want to share a bit more information about your situation we

can probably help you figure out what the problem pretty quickly. The

things it would help for us to know are: who is your son's doctor?, is

the foot now fully flexible with about 70 degrees of outward rotation

(abduction) and 10-15 degrees of dorsiflexion (pushing up on bottom of

foot with your palm, how far will his foot flex upwards towards the

shin)? What kind of sore was it, you said a blood blister - was it

actually a raised fluid filled blister, or a deep purple mark under

the skin? Is the brace set up with the shoes set shoulder width

apart (Heel to heel)?

I hope you will try not to let yourself get down about this, it is

just a tiny setback and can be rectified. You've made a great step by

finding this group - we can definitely help you get back on track!

Hope this helps,

Mom to Jenna (4/7/01) & Sammy (9/25/04, RCF, Dobbs' brace, 14hrs/day)

>

> Good morning,

>

> My name is and I am in Virginia. I gave birth to my first son

> January 12, 2006. He was born with unilateral left clubfoot. We

> went through the casting process and after 5 casts he went through

> his tendon release and received his DBB last thursday. However we

> are regressing and I feel as though I am partly to blame.

>

> After two days of slipping in and out of the shoes my son formed a

> blood blister and his pediatrician told me not to put him back in

> the shoes because it would cause infection. So we have to go back

> to his orthopedic doctor tomorrow. However in just the past two

> days without the shoes I have seen a major regression in the

> position of his foot. My husband and I feel as though we were

> between a rock and a hard place about treatment.

>

> If you got this far I appreciate it. It's been a stressful road and

> I feel as if we are back tracking.

>

> I look forward to reading the posts and learning from every one else.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

[Guest guest]

My doctor is Dr. Tutten with Richmond Children's Hospital. He is

not one of the doctor's on the list, but practices the Ponsetti

method. We haven't been disappointed with the treatment, just upset

about the setbacks.

Thanks for the response.

>

> ,

>

>

>

> My son is 2. He was also born with left clubfoot. We live in New

Jersey

> but travel to Baltimore to see Dr. Herzenberg.

>

>

>

> I am sorry to hear you are having so many problems. Who is your

doctor? Is

> he certified in the Ponseti Method?

>

>

>

> This board is full of wonderful, supportive people whose advice

you will

> find priceless in the treatment of clubfoot.

>

>

>

>

>

> Mommy to (12/17/98) and

>

> Christian (1/30/04) LCF

>

> _____

>

> From: nosurgery4clubfoot

> [mailto:nosurgery4clubfoot ] On Behalf Of fyrgrl460

> Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 10:39 AM

> To: nosurgery4clubfoot

> Subject: Introducing myself and question

>

>

>

> Good morning,

>

> My name is and I am in Virginia. I gave birth to my first

son

> January 12, 2006. He was born with unilateral left clubfoot. We

> went through the casting process and after 5 casts he went through

> his tendon release and received his DBB last thursday. However we

> are regressing and I feel as though I am partly to blame.

>

> After two days of slipping in and out of the shoes my son formed a

> blood blister and his pediatrician told me not to put him back in

> the shoes because it would cause infection. So we have to go back

> to his orthopedic doctor tomorrow. However in just the past two

> days without the shoes I have seen a major regression in the

> position of his foot. My husband and I feel as though we were

> between a rock and a hard place about treatment.

>

> If you got this far I appreciate it. It's been a stressful road

and

> I feel as if we are back tracking.

>

> I look forward to reading the posts and learning from every one

else.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I just wanted to welcome you to the group and mirror what ,

and have said...this has happened to so many parents -

just know that this is a totally fixable situation!

As outlined there are definate causes for the blister forming

and we just need to figure out why your guy was so uncomfy in the

shoes and got the blister in the first place and go from there. Don't

beat yourself up over this minor setback!

Also, it is totally normal for the foot to regress quickly with no

cast/brace on at this stage...this is why we are wondering who is

treating him, as a good Ponseti doctor would most likely have had

your son in a healing cast so that no correction was lost while the

sore/blister healed.

It is really important to make sure that his foot has been fully

corrected before you go back into the brace. How did his foot look

before the regression started (refering to 's specific

questions about the outward angle and dorsiflexion). Once we are sure

that his foot is in good hands and is going to be fully corrected

properly, then we can concentrate on making sure that his brace is

set up properly and that you are getting the shoes on correctly.

There is a great 'tips & tricks' doc. under the files section on this

board which I read about 20 times when we first went into the brace

lol.

Anyway, glad you are here and we are all here to help you get this

figured out.

Smiles,

& Grace 19mos

unilateral right cf FAB 13hrs

>

> Good morning,

>

> My name is and I am in Virginia. I gave birth to my first

son

> January 12, 2006. He was born with unilateral left clubfoot. We

> went through the casting process and after 5 casts he went through

> his tendon release and received his DBB last thursday. However we

> are regressing and I feel as though I am partly to blame.

>

> After two days of slipping in and out of the shoes my son formed a

> blood blister and his pediatrician told me not to put him back in

> the shoes because it would cause infection. So we have to go back

> to his orthopedic doctor tomorrow. However in just the past two

> days without the shoes I have seen a major regression in the

> position of his foot. My husband and I feel as though we were

> between a rock and a hard place about treatment.

>

> If you got this far I appreciate it. It's been a stressful road

and

> I feel as if we are back tracking.

>

> I look forward to reading the posts and learning from every one

else.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

Thank you for the information and words of encouragement. We are

prepared for recasting, which at this point would be better than the

pain he was in putting the shoes on.

His heel first had a raised blister AND the purple/red collection

under the skin. The raised blister has since popped and he only has

the coloring and some scabbing. Rotation of his foot is still good

(both out and up).

In terms of the shoes, my concern is that it's not seated right, but

of course I can't tell. I am able to put it on the 6th hole but he

can still pull out. My first thought is that the residual swelling

didn't allow for it to sit on any good part of the shoe.

I'm keeping an open mind and hoping that once the blister is healed

things will be easier. I look forward to gaining knowledge and

insight from the group.

> >

> > Good morning,

> >

> > My name is and I am in Virginia. I gave birth to my first

son

> > January 12, 2006. He was born with unilateral left clubfoot.

We

> > went through the casting process and after 5 casts he went

through

> > his tendon release and received his DBB last thursday. However

we

> > are regressing and I feel as though I am partly to blame.

> >

> > After two days of slipping in and out of the shoes my son formed

a

> > blood blister and his pediatrician told me not to put him back

in

> > the shoes because it would cause infection. So we have to go

back

> > to his orthopedic doctor tomorrow. However in just the past two

> > days without the shoes I have seen a major regression in the

> > position of his foot. My husband and I feel as though we were

> > between a rock and a hard place about treatment.

> >

> > If you got this far I appreciate it. It's been a stressful road

and

> > I feel as if we are back tracking.

> >

> > I look forward to reading the posts and learning from every one

else.

> >

> > Thanks,

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hello .

I used to live in Northern Virginia, but we recently moved to Charlotte, NC.

I am sorry you are having trouble with your sons foot, but please don't blame

yourself(ves). These little ones are so tender and fragile at this stage. A

blister is like a major ordeal! Blisters happen frequently in the Markell shoes

because they are very difficult to get on correctly. Then, keeping them on

after that is also difficult because the babes haven't developed heels yet on

their feet. It makes it really easy to slip out of the shoe.

The only thing I am concerned about when reading your story is the ortho

doctor should have recasted your sons foot while waiting for the blisters to

heal. As you noticed, regression happens very quickly at your sons stage, so

even 3-4 hours is risky to be without FAB or casts. There is a tricks and tips

of the FAB document you can read to help you understand the best way to get your

childs foot in the boots. It can be found in the files section of this site.

Also, please keep in mind, your sons foot has to be ready for the shoes.

Meaning, full correction of the foot. At this point, if you think your sons

foot regressed slightly, he needs to be casted again to get the full correction

before continueing with the FAB. The FAB can only hold the correction, not

continue to correct it (if that makes sense). Also, if his foot isn't corrected

fully, trying to put him in the FAB can be very painful for him. We experienced

that with our first doctor. We ended up switching to Dr.

Herzenberg in Baltimore because he is the best on the whole East coast. I am

not familiar with your doctor, but if you have questions and treatment isn't

going the way you expect, please ask questions. Most of us on this site have

had a bad experience with an initial doctor before switching to a qualified

Ponseti doctor. Also, just another heads up, they all say they are qualified in

the Ponseti method. Don't be discouraged to challenge your doctor with

questions. For example, why didn't he recast your sons foot while the blisters

were healing?

Good luck and congratulations on your baby!

and 3-2-04, bcf, P/M's 14 hours

fyrgrl460 wrote:

Good morning,

My name is and I am in Virginia. I gave birth to my first son

January 12, 2006. He was born with unilateral left clubfoot. We

went through the casting process and after 5 casts he went through

his tendon release and received his DBB last thursday. However we

are regressing and I feel as though I am partly to blame.

After two days of slipping in and out of the shoes my son formed a

blood blister and his pediatrician told me not to put him back in

the shoes because it would cause infection. So we have to go back

to his orthopedic doctor tomorrow. However in just the past two

days without the shoes I have seen a major regression in the

position of his foot. My husband and I feel as though we were

between a rock and a hard place about treatment.

If you got this far I appreciate it. It's been a stressful road and

I feel as if we are back tracking.

I look forward to reading the posts and learning from every one else.

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

One of the biggest culprits in a baby being able to pull their foot

out of the shoes is the length of the bar. Many, many doctors and

orthotists prescribe a bar that is too short. If you hold the shoes

and bar up to the back of his shoulders you can see if the heels of

the shoes are the same width as the outside of his shoulders. There's

a picture in the tips document in the link I sent you earlier. Some

babies are comfortable with a bolt-to-bolt measurement equaling

shoulder width, but it seems that more often than not, a bit wider is

better.

Secondly, as far as being able to see if the heel is down, this is a

tricky one, but the easiest solution is to cut a small peek hole in

the back of the shoe. There's a picture here:

http://health.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/nosurgery4clubfoot/photos/browse/4f0e

I did mine with a drill and a large bit, some people do it with a

utility knife, but truly, if you ask, the orthotist should be able to

do this for you. Then you can peek in that hole and see if his foot

is all the way down.

With the sores you describe it sounds like you have both slipping and

pressure. The feet not all the way in the shoes will definitely cause

these types of pressure sores on the heels when they are strapped

tightly but in the wrong position. The tips document, particularly

the section called " Kori's Tips for putting the FAB on a wiggly baby

without causing pain or sores " will help you understand how to get the

foot all the way down in the shoe. Also important is the fit of the

shoe. If you take the tongue out of the shoe and lay the foot in

there with the heel down and back, how far from the edge are his toes?

If they are more than 1/4 " or so they are likely too big. What size

is he in? Some orthotists don't know it but the shoes actually come

as small as a 0000.

Now one other thing I wanted to ask you about was that you mentioned

that his foot still has good rotation and dorsiflexion, but you also

said you are seeing regression - can you explain more?

Okay, I think I've gone on enough for now, just keep asking questions

and we'll help you get through this, okay?

> > >

> > > Good morning,

> > >

> > > My name is and I am in Virginia. I gave birth to my first

> son

> > > January 12, 2006. He was born with unilateral left clubfoot.

> We

> > > went through the casting process and after 5 casts he went

> through

> > > his tendon release and received his DBB last thursday. However

> we

> > > are regressing and I feel as though I am partly to blame.

> > >

> > > After two days of slipping in and out of the shoes my son formed

> a

> > > blood blister and his pediatrician told me not to put him back

> in

> > > the shoes because it would cause infection. So we have to go

> back

> > > to his orthopedic doctor tomorrow. However in just the past two

> > > days without the shoes I have seen a major regression in the

> > > position of his foot. My husband and I feel as though we were

> > > between a rock and a hard place about treatment.

> > >

> > > If you got this far I appreciate it. It's been a stressful road

> and

> > > I feel as if we are back tracking.

> > >

> > > I look forward to reading the posts and learning from every one

> else.

> > >

> > > Thanks,

> > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I feel your pain and frustration. Try not to be too discouraged or place too

much blame on

yourselves. We changed doctors after our first set of casts. Finding the right

doctor is so

important...they will be with you and your child for a while. We had a lot of

problems with

blisters in the beginning. There is a product that you can order from a

pharmacy called

" Tegaderm " . It is almost like an adhesive Saran Wrap. We used to cover our

daughter's

entire heel with it every time that we put on her shoes. It can be cut to any

shape or size

and it provides a second layer of skin that will help protect his tender skin.

is right in her advice about making sure that the correction is complete

before

moving to the shoes. I know that the idea of one more second of having to deal

with casts

seems awful, but it will be over soon. Also, in our experience, the first ten

days of the

shoes (between blisters and our daughter's obvious frustration with not being

able to

move) were the worst. All of a sudden, on day eleven, it was something that we

could all

deal with. It will get easier.

-

andra 12-28-03 bcf twelve hours at night

> Good morning,

>

> My name is and I am in Virginia. I gave birth to my first son

> January 12, 2006. He was born with unilateral left clubfoot. We

> went through the casting process and after 5 casts he went through

> his tendon release and received his DBB last thursday. However we

> are regressing and I feel as though I am partly to blame.

>

> After two days of slipping in and out of the shoes my son formed a

> blood blister and his pediatrician told me not to put him back in

> the shoes because it would cause infection. So we have to go back

> to his orthopedic doctor tomorrow. However in just the past two

> days without the shoes I have seen a major regression in the

> position of his foot. My husband and I feel as though we were

> between a rock and a hard place about treatment.

>

> If you got this far I appreciate it. It's been a stressful road and

> I feel as if we are back tracking.

>

> I look forward to reading the posts and learning from every one else.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>