And Then There Was Audrey!

We have lost track of how many casts Audrey has had to have to try to correct her talipes equinovarus (I use the technical term here because whenever we say "club foot" people automatically assume we mean "pigeon toed", which we do not.)

Her first casts were tiny little plaster things that went from toe to thigh on both legs when she was but a week old. We had to go to Bangor every week to have them soaked off and then the foot manipulated into another position and the casts reapplied. Then after several weeks she had surgery on both feet to stretch the tendons so that her feet could move out like they needed to, and then more casts to keep them there. Once she started to want to crawl the casts were no longer an option as to not impede her natural development, but she had to wear a brace across both of feet, first all of the time, and then just at night.

In time she outgrew the shoes that attach to the brace and before a refitting her doctor, Doctor Turi, assessed her and decided her left foot needed to be manipulated some more and again be in a cast. Again this would be a weekly procedure, he felt as though three times would be sufficient, plus a new kind of leg brace and new shoes for her feet brace.

When Audrey was a baby she didn't know any different and having her legs in casts was sad for us, but it didn't matter much to her. Now that she is one, we were more concerned with how she would take to having that toe to thigh cast, and now they need to be fibreglass for durability... we prepared for the worst.

Well... her first cast was hot pink and she slept through the entire process of it's application. The next week during it's removal was not so pleasant for anyone involved, but she left with a fancy flower colored cast. The week after was highlighter yellow* and it was supposed to be the last one- however doctor Turi decided one more week would not hurt so she now has a purple cast picked about by Travis, the technician that puts them on and takes them off. (He picked purple in honor of my hair! I also need to add that Travis is wonderful- when she had the pink cast taken off I forgot to take it with me and he realized it, bagged it, wrote our name on it and remembered to give it to us the next week (: )

Anyway... Audrey has not slowed down because of the casts. She misses her playtime in the tub but other than that she pays no attention to the cast. She gets around as well as she ever did and I really applaud her for that. I am pretty sure if it were me........ I would not be so pleasant! Hopefully this Friday the purple cast will come off and allegedly no more will go on- Doctor Turi promised we would be castless by the time we left for Disney World so if he did chose to do one more- so be it, but hopefully not.

Moving on to my * about the highlighter yellow cast.... for the most part, Audreys cast is not especially noticeable. It's winter, she wears pants over it, all that shows is her foot and most of the time people just overlook it. That changed when she got the highlighter yellow cast though. People stared. Some asked what happened to her but most tried awkwardly to act like they never saw it. Little kids tugged on their parents and pointed and the parents acted mortified. Some little kids came right up and asked and the parents apologized. One pathetic woman in a restaurant gave Audrey and her mom the stink eye like she just KNEW that Audrey had been abused... I almost got up and said something to her but didn't want to make a scene... so the point is this, well two actually- I don't recommend the highlighter yellow cast on a child, and if you see a child in a cast or a brace or a wheelchair and you find it impossible not to gawk or sneer, than at least ask the parent what happened if you feel it is your business. Don't jump to a conclusion that the child has been abused... and if your little kids are tugging at you and pointing, it's OK to let them ask what happened. None of us have been insulted over that- we are insulted over the unwarranted, incorrect and pompous presumptions that are made by the uncouth.

I wanted to make a video of Audrey and for her too, cause she will never remember this time in her life- and how delightful she is, and how well adjusted she is to her situation- So this is for you Audball, your perseverance is to be commended and in 17 days... we will be at Disney and your leg will be free to play, and swim, and whatever else your tough little spirit wants it to do! You are much loved.