Club Foot Update

**Note** Liam was born with a club foot and has been dealing with treatments since he was 6 days old. First was a series of six casts over six weeks, then a tendon elongation followed by a final cast for 3 weeks. Then came the really fun stuff . . . Denis Brown boots and bar . . . Liam had to wear these shoes 23 hours a day for 3 months and now continues to wear them at night.

Last week, Liam had his annual appointment with his orthopedist, Dr. Jarvis, at CHEO to have his club foot checked.  And we can finally say that the end of treatment is in sight.

At the end of February after: 2 months of casts, a tendon elongation procedure, 3 months of wearing his Denis Brown boots and bar for 23 hours a day and 2 years and 9 months of wearing them every night, Liam will be finished with his "sleepy shoes".

He will still need follow up appointments at CHEO to make sure his foot stays straight as he continues to grow.  We will still have to watch him as he plays to ensure that he is sitting on his bottom, not on his knees.  But other than that, everything looks good.  Dr. Jarvis was very happy with the progress Liam has made and so are we.

When we watch our little boy run around and play it is hard to believe that there was ever a problem, a problem that caused us so much concern, a problem that we have dealt with every day of Liam's life.  

In five months, the "sleepy shoes" will be a memory in the closet to show him when he is older.  We will no longer have that daily reminder of how scared we were when they told us, at just minutes old that there was something wrong with his foot.

Tonight, as I took Liam upstairs and lay him in his crib, he looked at me and said, "I need my sleep shoes because it is bedtime."  I look forward to the night when I can finally tell him that he doesn't need to wear them anymore.

Club Foot Update

**Note** Liam was born with a club foot and has been dealing with treatments since he was 6 days old. First was a series of six casts over six weeks, then a tendon elongation followed by a final cast for 3 weeks. Then came the really fun stuff . . . Denis Brown boots and bar . . . Liam had to wear these shoes 23 hours a day for 3 months and now continues to wear them at night until he is four.

I took the day off work to take Liam to an appointment with Dr. Jarvis, his orthopedist at CHEO.  And I am thrilled that everything is progressing as planned.  Dr. Jarvis was very pleased with the range of motion of Liam's foot and his walking.  And Liam was very eager to show Dr. Jarvis his cars!

Of course, we are still dealing with the Denis Brown Boots and Bar every night, however the doctor did say today that protocol for this is to continue for 3 years.  I am not going to get too excited about the duration being shortened by a year yet.  Since we started the process we have been told 2 years, then 4 years and now 3 years.  As far as I am concerned, we'll wear then until the doctor tells us to stop wearing them.  Fortunately since my last club foot post, he has gotten much better about wearing the shoes.  We still have the occasional night that is a struggle, but most nights, he sits nicely while I put them on, sometimes even giving them to me so that I will put them on.

Things have come a long way since the nurse in the special care nursery told us that our tiny little premature baby had something wrong with his foot and that he would probably need surgery.  I am glad that she really didn't know what she was talking about!  

Fifteen Months Ago . . .

Where were you 15 months ago today?  Do you remember December 31, 2008?  

I do, I remember it like it was yesterday.  

I was at CHEO (Children's Hospital Of Eastern Ontario) with my one week old, tiny, little baby boy who had been born a month early on Christmas Day.  

It should have been a simple trip to the orthopedics clinic to get the first cast on his little club foot.  And that in itself was traumatic enough for me - nobody wants their to be anything wrong with their newborns, even something as minor as Liam's club foot.  After that, we were to make a quick stop in Emergency for blood work as Liam's pediatrician thought that Liam might be "a little jaundiced".

Unfortunately, that quick stop abruptly turned into a three day stay as Liam's bilirubin levels were VERY high and was indeed jaundiced.

So, 15 months ago tonight, I was alone at CHEO, staring at my poor little baby, in "Bili-Bassinet."  I couldn't even hold or cuddle him except when he needed to nurse.  Henry had to come home and take care of the pets and my cell phone battery was dead, so I was really truly alone.  It was one of the worst nights of my life.  And a New Year's Eve that I will always remember.

Liam in the Bili-Bassinet at CHEO, December 31, 2008

But despite his bout of jaundice and being re-admitted to CHEO four days later with a urinary tract infection that required five days of IV antibiotics, my teeny, tiny, born a month early baby is now a full of energy, happy, smart, playful 15 month old little boy!  You would never know that he had such a rough start.  He is my pride and joy.  I can't imagine life without him.  I can hardly remember what it was like not to have him around.  He grows and changes every day.  And although sometimes I think that he is growing far to fast, I love watching him learn new things and develop more personality.  Only time will tell what kind of person he will grow into as the days, weeks, months and years go on but I am going to do everything I can to enjoy every minute of it.

Liam, playing at home, March 2010