Playing Catch Up (again)

So I think we have established that I am a poor blogger! Here is a rundown of what has happened the last three months :)

Wyatt got his AFOs in the beginning of September. They fit so perfectly from the start and I have been very thankful for this. I read a lot of horror stories about the orthotics not fitting properly and causing sores, bruises, and blisters. We have been lucky enough to steer clear of all those problems. His AFOs are super cute. They are blue and have cars, planes, and traffic signs on them. Very boyish ;)

New AFOs!

Three months later, Wyatt is doing wonderful with his braces! It took him a few days of practice, but he quickly mastered walking with them on and realized he can walk to much better when he is wearing them. He is so patient every morning when we put them on. I am sure he understands that they are a good thing. Wyatt's feet are looking so much better as well! His right foot looks like a normal foot (yay!) and while his left foot (the worse one) still angles out and up a little, it has made a huge improvement as well.

Right now out plan is to keep Wyatt in this pair of AFOs until he outgrows them and hopefully by then his feet will be fully corrected. He goes in for a checkup in February (6 months of wearing the AFOs) with both his orthotist and orthopedic surgeon to see how his feet are improving. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. His left foot has me so worried because I know it isn't responding as well as his right. Wyatt hasn't been held back by any of this though. He is 15 months old and he walks, runs, spins in circles, and can climb like a monkey. He is truly amazing!

Bare legs! Not a sight I see too often anymore.

Wyatt showing off his braces in his 1st Birthday pics.

AFO Fitting

I just realized I totally forgot to post about Wyatt's AFO fitting!

Wyatt met with a specialist the other day to get the molds made for his AFOs (Ankle Foot Orthotics). Wyatt was all smiles until Paul (the specialist) touched his feet. Wyatt doesn't like strangers toughing his feet and I can't say I don't blame him. Instantly the glaring eyes were whipped out! The molds were relatively easy to make and very similar to the casting process. Wyatt was very mad about the whole thing and I think he was worried that he was getting casts put on again. Once the molds were cut off he was happy again (although still glaring at Paul). We were told that it usually takes at least 2 weeks to get the AFO's. Not what this anxious mommy was wanting to hear! Wyatt is dying to stand and I am dying to let him. Now time to research socks and shoes for his AFO's. I want to be all ready when they are ;)

No More Casts!

Hey! I remember these things!

Wyatt's last set of casts came off today! We are all so excited and hopeful. His doctor is pleased with how his feet are looking right now. He said that there is no way of knowing if we are in the clear of not having to do any more surgeries and that only time will tell. Dr. S commented on how much the treatment plan has changes and that just 10 years ago Wyatt would have had major surgery right away to completely reconstruct his feet and that they would always be stiff and sore. It made me all the more thankful for recent medical advances.

I need to call and make an appointment tomorrow for him to get fit for custom AFOs. I have no idea how long it will take to get them, but hopefully not too long because Dr. S doesn't want Wyatt standing until he has them on. He wants Wyatt to wear them all the time except bath time, bedtime, and the occasional airing out ;) Wyatt will just be excited to finally start walking! He was having so much fun tonight rolling around and moving his legs into all these new positions. It made us so happy to see him so happy!

Wyatt and Daddy coming home without casts!

Goodbye casts and on to the next adventure of AFOs!

Fourth of July fun

A little late...I hope everyone else had a great holiday.

Cast Change and Pin Removal

This was not a fun appointment :( I think this was the first time that I have been upset with the treatment we have received by Dr. S and his staff.

The day before Wyatt's scheduled cast change I noticed something metal starting to stick out of his right cast. His pin had started to work loose! It was a lot of work trying to keep Wyatt from playing with it, but thankfully he had his appointment the next day.

We arrived right on time like always and they were running 30 minutes behind like always. Once we got in there we showed Dr. S what we thought was Wyatt's pin coming out. We were right. He was hoping they would have stayed in for another 2 weeks, but no luck. He left the room and his assistant started removing Wyatt's casts. Wyatt hates this and was screaming as is his normal routine. This was the first time we have seen his feet since his surgeries. The incisions were a lot larger than we had expected and ran almost 2/3 the length of his feet. The pins sticking out were a big shock too. Darren and I were each holding a leg and trying to keep him laying down and calm. The whole time Wyatt kept screaming. And we sat there alone like that for 5 minutes. To me, that was inexcusable to leave two nervous parents alone with a thrashing baby with pins sticking out of his feet. I was seething when Dr. S finally returned, but I am so passive I didn't say anything. I was just relieved to finally be getting somewhere. He quickly removed the pins. I don't think Wyatt even noticed him removing the one that had already come loose, but the second one bothered him. He was quickly recast and all the while he was still screaming. All in all he laid there crying for half an hour. When I was finally able to pick him up he was soaked in sweat, but the crying had stopped.

These casts will be on for 2 weeks. We asked if these were going to be has last set of casts and he said he honestly didn't know. He wants Wyatt walking on his feet, but is worried that if we stop the casts too soon Wyatt will relapse. I am trying not to get my hopes up, but Dr. S said that he is 90% sure this set will be his last. Fingers crossed!

Second (and hopefully last) Surgery

Back to the hospital we go. Ugh! Only 9 days after Wyatt's first surgery we find ourselves back again. And this time at a very ungodly hour of 6am! We couldn't find anyone to watch Bella at 5:00 in the morning (imagine that...lol) so she came with us this time. Not a big deal, they have more toys than Bella could dream of and this time we shouldn't be there so long. The plan is that Wyatt will be put under general anesthesia again, Dr. S. will remove the casts, manipulate Wyatt's feet into a better position, and then re-cast. This will be the easiest cast change they have ever done on Wyatt...no kicking and screaming.

Why are we here again?

Wyatt was definitely not happy to find himself back in the hospital again. He was very hungry and had no interest in the toys or any distractions. Thankfully everything was running on time this week and we got put through the paces quickly. It was no easier watching Wyatt walk off with the nurses this week than it was last week. At least Bella broke my sad mood by yelling 'Bye Wyatt'.

About 45 minutes in I am called to the front desk for a phone call. They just assumed it was the Dr. wanting to know what cast color we chose. I go up front and Dr. S is explaining to me that the heel cord on Wyatt's left foot is extremely tight and needs to be released. We knew this was a possibility, but we just weren't expecting it to happen today. Since Wyatt was already under I told him to go ahead with the procedure.

Everything went smoothly and soon we were back to see Wyatt in recovery. I could hear him screaming before we were even close. That boy was awake and pissed. As we were walking into his room the nurse had just finished giving him something to calm him down. Apparently coming out of anesthesia fir the second time in less than 10 days didn't agree with Wyatt. I cuddled him in all of his cords and he was soon back asleep. He just wanted his Mommy :) We have new casts on for the next two weeks and then we will be back at the office again to switch them out for hopefully his last pair. Fingers crossed! The end is in sight!

Big sister had fun playing doctor.

Little miss Isabella made out like a bandit at the hospital. Every time we turned around someone was giving her free stuff. Stickers, notepads, candy, and a book. What a spoiled princess! We also decided that it was time to trim Wyatt's hair again because he was called a 'pretty girl' 3 different times!

Post-Surgery

It wasn't long before Wyatt was smiling again :)

I could tell the moment Wyatt's caudal wore off. He started crying and nothing would come even close to comforting him. Thankfully we had a prescription strength pain reliever. We gave him a dose and 20 minutes later he was out. Wyatt slept practically the next 24 hours. When he awoke he was back to his mischievous self. You never would have thought he had foot surgery 2 days ago. He was dying to get down and crawl, but we were told to keep him as still as possible. It was rough. You try telling a 9 month old he can only sit and not crawl! It got to the point that not being mobile was bothering him more than the surgery. We we also exhausted from trying to wrangle him. Finally we decided to call Dr. S and beg him to let Wyatt crawl. Dr. S agreed that a happy baby will heal better so he can crawl, just no attempts to pull up onto his feet. Yay! I don't know who was happier, us or Wyatt? Things went back to normal pretty quickly. Wyatt is accustomed to the leg casts so he went back to his normal cast-crawl quickly. He is a little annoyed about not being able to stand anymore though.

In 9 days Wyatt goes back to the hospital to change out his casts. Since his feet will still be tender from the surgery they will do it with him under general anesthesia again. I am dreading the whole no-eating routine again and this time we have to be at the hospital at a lovely 6am. Ugh...