4th casts

We went to Syracuse on the 29th for Piper's 4th set of casts. She was not as freaked out this time by the "saw" to remove them this time. She did cry a little bit, but overall, she did well. Dr. Palomino said that she should be ready for her tenotomy next week!! She asked us if we wanted it done in the office, or at the hospital. We opted for the office. We did not want to put her under general anesthesia at 1 month old. So, they will put Emla cream (it will numb her) on the backs of her legs near her ankles, and then they will perform the procedure right in the office. This will release the heel cord, and allow her foot to dorsiflex (so that she can pull her toes towards her calves). When they position the feet correctly then, she will be placed in casts for 4 weeks (not changed unless she outgrows them in the meantime). Hopefully, that will be the last of her casting. She will then start wearing her braces. At first, the braces will be worn 23 hours per day, then decreased down over time. They measured her for her braces at the appointment. I cannot believe how small they are going to be!

Here is a picture of her before Stacy cut the casts off:

And here is Stacy cutting the casts off:

Here is a picture of Piper's left foot after the 3rd cast came off:

Here is a picture of Piper's right foot:

And a picture of both feet. The doctor said that the bowing is natural (which I knew), but that clubfooted kids are more pronounced with the bowing than "normal" kids. Dr. Palomino said that Piper's bowing should still correct itself by the time she is 3 years old.

So, there has been a lot of improvement in 3 weeks! It's going to be a long road with the bracing, but we'll make it. I have really put things into perspective lately, and things could have been A LOT worse. Bud and I keep saying that. It was a shock, but nothing that we cannot handle.