Here's the rundown:
So the three pictures below were the 'before's the day before we went into his first casting appointment.
So at his first appointment, the doctor analyzed his left foot and took measurements and notes and then stopped and looked at his right foot for a long time. This worried me significantly because his right foot has looked "normal" in all of his ultrasounds and in person. But it turns out the top half of his foot is clubbed but the back part of his foot is normal with something called a skewed foot. This was hard to hear because both feet would need to be casted and braced now. Luckily his left foot was not significantly clubbed and the doctor was hopeful with his the casting process!
His first 3 casts started with his left foot only and he screamed bloody murder each time with them forcing his bones to bend and turn each time and it was torture to watch the 15 minute process as parents. Absolute torture. He would look into my eyes in an asking way of why would you let them do this to me. He is a gentle soul and so sweet. Why does he have to endure this? It makes him stronger mentally and physically. His first cast was put on at almost 4 weeks old. We needed to have started his casting process at week 2 but it was the holiday weekend and such. I was grateful to have extra time with him not in casts though!
So 1-3 weeks he got a new cast a week which the clubfoot clinic is only operable on Wednesdays then on week 4 they casted both feet because his left foot was progressing so well and was basically already fixed. So they casted both feet for 1 week and both were completely fixed and he put him in maintenance casts for half of a week before his tenotomy surgery on his left ankle where they clipped his Achilles.
The scariest part about his casts up front were the repercussions of something going wrong. The casts are made so high up that they start inside of his diaper at his hip and if pee or poop were to get inside we have to immediately take his casts off to save his skin for issues and we would have to start the entire process over. We of course also can't get it wet and he can't go outside because if he sweats or gets too hot his legs will swell and it could cut off his circulation. Also at each appointment they draw a line where his toes are so we can tell if his casts slip where if they do, we have to take them off immediately and start all over because his feet will move back before that next Wednesday. If we didn't do that when the casts slipped, his bones could seriously distort then we have bigger problems than clubbed feet.
Each week he gets a new cast he is distraught for the day of, that night, and the next day. He is in a lot of pain and Tylenol doesn't even help. Seriously the doctor even said that.
With his casts it is difficult to hold him, maneuver him, nurse him, and he can't wear most of the clothes he got at my baby showers because nothing fits over those casts and it won't be any different when he has the braces. He also can't fit in baby carriers etc, so that makes solo grocery trips and walking around difficult. it will be the same for braces with that as well.
Each cast removal (yes crazily by us) was supposed to take 2 hours a leg. How are you to keep an infant warm for 4 hours total in a bath? Luckily we did our research and came prepared and the first time we took his cast off it only took us 30 minutes!
We are to unwrap the colored part of the casts then soak the plaster part in vinegar until we can cut through it with surgical scissors. We use a turkey baster to get the liquid down in his cast to help us remove it easier. The whole time he is screaming because his leg/legs are sore and we have to keep the vinegar out of his eyes. Then we give him an actual bath because he goes all week not being able to be bathed.
He's so patient with us!
I set the cast removal station up the night before always because it really saves us time.
After vinegar station.
Bathing station.
After the actual bath, station.
The 1 hour a week he is without his casts. He is so small and light and easy to hold, nurse, maneuver. I would wake up with him an extra hour early just to hold him after we took off his casts. I cherish those moments every week so so much.
Sweet little guy!
The one short time a week he can wear all of his cute clothes when his casts are off. I take advantage of every moment.
4 weeks is all it took to fully fix Conner's feet!
So for his surgery at the 5 week mark, they had us take off his casts 2 days early to help the swelling in his legs go down (because his legs swell each time we take his casts off) and those 2 days were magical. He didn't cry once and was so happy. (He always has such a good attitude about everything and ignores the discomfort of the casts mostly).
So he had his left Achilles tendon completely cut in surgery and was immediately put into two casts again to heal for 4 weeks. It was supposed to be an in office procedure where he wasn't put to sleep but they couldn't find the correct blade for the procedure. So he had surgery in the hospital with an overnight stay and surgery went well but it took hours for him to breathe on his own or wake up from the anesthesia which scared us to death. Then once he woke up he screamed bloody murder for 6 hours straight. He wouldn't eat (even after fasting for 12 hours (which is really hard for a breastfeeding mama who doesn't pump too)) and was completely inconsolable. They had to use a spinal block in his surgery too so they wouldn't have to give him as many pain meds. That was scary. In every way he was in so much discomfort and had so many wires on him. He even had an IV in his head.
Cody finally got him to sleep.
Conner had the most room, they only had a couch and it didn't even pull out into a bed. Cody and I had to take turns sleeping, literally.
He left the hospital in good spirits!
Right now we are in the 4 week wait to get his casts off after surgery and he has grown basically out of them so he is so ready for a new set.
At this next appointment he will be fiberglass casted for a mold for the boots and bar brace and they will immediately cut it back off then he will be re-casted like normal for 1-3 weeks to basically hold his feet in place until the braces are made. He will wear the boots and bar brace for 23/7 for 4 months then he will wear it only at night for the next 6 years.
This is definitely a process and it has brought the three of us closer together. We are almost to the other side and I can't believe we have made it! Conner is such the trooper! We love him so much! He can face anything now that should ever come his way!
Love,
Kayla Raborn
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