Sunday, November 4, 2012

Freedom Eve?

Remember Remember the 5th of November.....

Tomorrow we have our 6-month follow up appointment at Gillette. Our daughter is just over two years old. I know the average correction time of clubbed feet is 2-4 years. Our son was the same age and we were surprised to go to the appointment to learn we were all done! No more braces! Just follow up appointments for a few years and then maybe some checks when he gets to adolescents with some growth spurts.


Now I have an expectation that tomorrow's appointment will go the same way... and I don't think I'm mentally prepared to hear "6 more months". Mostly because of he says that... what's to say it won't be 2 more years and I'm only halfway? I can't think of any reason why she wouldn't be done... her feet look super over corrected (which is how they are supposed to look). She's been walking for about three months now and has really started to meet more of her peer groups milestones. It was like a dam broke and now she's catching up!

The only real difference between my two kids is size, my daughter is considerably smaller than my son was at the same age. Two years old - Size 2-3 shoes, barely 20 pounds, and 30 inches tall. My son was all that at 12-15 months old! And we thought HE was small! Ha!

I am very grateful that of all the complications that can happen that clubbed feet is what we ended up with. I know there are much more difficult diagnosis and life-long challenges that can come from a birth defect. Clubbed feet are very correctable and not too invasive if you end up with mild forms like we have. No surgeries between the two kids and so far (knock on wood) no relapse with my son. He is now 4 years old and has been brace free for over 2 years. If he tells us 6-more months tomorrow I will of course comply and continue the treatment. Being consistent and constant with the braces is what finishes the job.

So for now I am resisting the purchase of nice warm fleece footed pj's and just keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow starts a new brace-free chapter in our lives.