Medical Update: Happy Feet

First, a little history.

August: This is what Annabelle's feet looked like the week after she was born:

October: Two months after she was born:


July: After 10 weeks of casting, two surgeries and another 8 weeks of casting:

Her feet are still a little swollen which has to do with all they have been through along with circulation issues and the fact that she still has a lot of baby fat on them. The mark nearest her toes is where the pin went in to hold things in place after surgery.

Her right foot had a pin in the same place but it is a little farther along in the healing process:

Here you can see part of the incisions that ran from the arch of her feet, around the heel to the other side. They are healed now but the scarring is pretty significant:

So this is "How we do it". First, calf-length socks:

The Ankle-foot Orthodics (AFO's) are custom made to fit her feet. They are just thin plastic and come in two pieces which are secured by Velcro straps. Super boots!:

The boots go over the socks and strap snugly:

Bootsie!:

Ready to rock!

Generally speaking, the AFO's are going to be a part of life indefinitely. The Ortho doc didn't want to rule out future surgeries but he said they would be "years" down the road if at all.

The folks who made Annie's super boots are the same ones who are going to make her soft body jacket to help with her Kyphosis. Unfortunately, they have not received authorization from our insurance company yet so we are all waiting on that one.

At this point, our calendar is relatively medical-free with the exception of weekly PT and OT appointments.

We have a visit to the Spinal Defects clinic in August which will include a Urodynamic study to determine how Anna-ba-lu's bladder and kidney's are functioning and whether or not we need to start a cathing regimen. We are hoping and praying that cathing won't be necessary while at the same time preparing to accept it if that is the case.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!