Hi Everyone, This may seem like a silly question...
My son has club feet and is being fitted with Ponseti Casts on Thursday. As I understand the casts are full leg casts (up to the top of his thigh?).
He is due for his 6 month immunizations on the following Monday. I know the immunizations usually go in his legs... will he still be able to receive his immunizations? Will they go in his arms or buttocks?
I'm sure its not going to be a problem, just wondering...
Hi Kim,
It's not a silly question. My daughter has a spica cast on for hip displaysia (leg casts that go to the waist) and I wondered the same thing when she had her 6 month immunizations.
The nurse put them in her arm, I think they may be able to go in the buttocks but that area in my DD was quite restricted as well due to the cast. Apart from a little lump where the needles went in (which are still there slightly after a month) there were no issues with them going into the arm.
Monica
Was your little one bothered by the casts much? My fella has pretty bad reflux issues which really affect his feeding and sleeping still. He is losing weight and barely sleeps. They tell me that babies barely blink an eyelid when they're in casts but my fella seems to be irritated by EVERYTHING. Any little thing and he refuses to feed and won't sleep - I'm so scared his weight will plummet further.
To keep track of his weight I guess I'll have to weigh him before and after the casts are applied so I know the difference and therefore the weight of the casts?
Another random question... he has to have day surgery for an endoscopy under general anesthetic in the next month also. I DID remember to ask if the casts would be a problem then, ie. were there any monitors that go on the feet or anything. I just had the registrar and she said she thought it *should* be ok (i.e. I don't think she knew the answer). Don't suppose you've been through that one?
Sorry for all the random questions... we have so many things going on I'm struggling to keep on top of what is going to affect what else!!
Hi Kim,
Hayley was very bothered by her cast at first but she adapted to it after a few days. However she also had bad reflux problems with her when she was very young and we found that when the cast went on she developed it again because she could no longer move (she was 4 months when her cast went on and she was already rolling over prior to that).
The cast did affect her sleeping which our orthopaedic surgeon told us to expect. She got very distressed when we put her down at night and would wake up alot through the night. She has had the cast on now for nearly 3 months and although her night sleeping is better it is not as good as it was before it went on.
We are also having trouble with Hayley feeding since we started her on solids (she is now 7 months) to the point where she now just clamps up and often just gets upset when I try to feed her (only solids, she will still take milk but even then sometimes not alot). I have had her at the clinic nurse twice about it and she is not worried because although she is under the average for weight she is still following the curve. She said that she probably doesn't have as big an appetite as a normal 7 month old because she is unable to move around. However I am still a bit worried and if it doesn't improve in the next couple of weeks I think I might take her to my GP or the paediatrician and get their opinion. Every time she has a new cast put on I weigh her the day before (although they usually do it at the hospital) and then the day after so I know how much the cast weighs and I can keep track of her actual weight.
Sorry I can't help you with the surgery question. Hayley has gone under anestheic when they put the original cast on and then when they replaced it with a new one, but not for any other surgery while the cast was on. Both times however the surgeon and the anasethist came and spoke to us prior to her going into theatre so you could ask them then.
I hope this has been of some help and feel free to ask more questions if you need. I know how you feel it, took me along time to stop my head from swimming when Hayley was first diagnosed. I wish all the best!
Monica
Last edited by MonicaP; February 9th, 2009 at 10:24 AM.
Wow thanks Monica. Scary how similar our situations are. Fingers crossed James won't be *as* bothered by his casts, but I'm preparing for some definite disruption. He's fairly behind with his development, he's six months and not really rolling yet. He was a bit premmie but I s'pose the casts will put him further behind.
Reflux is awful isn't it? Its bad enough on its own but just seems to complicate and be complicated by everything else!
We tried James on solids (because everyone tells you life is SO much easier when you put reflux babies on solids) and it was a nightmare. Three days on a little bit of pumpkin and life was completely out of control - his milk intake dropped by half (and it was only half of what it should've been to start with). I've stopped completely now until we see the paed again, and probably a dietician.
Its so hard to get anyone to take your concerns RE: weight seriously isn't it? Until they start losing that is. I was trying to get help for the last 3 months because I could just see his feeding deteriorate (he developed a bottle aversion - he'd scream at the sight of it). But it wasn't until he started to lose weight that they paid attention to me, despite him gradually dropping through the percentiles.
I wish you heaps of luck with Hayley's feeding, and everything in general. Thank you so much for sharing your story with me!
James is on his 3rd set of casts now (they change them weekly) and while he HATES having them put on he doesn't seem too bothered by them when they're on. They're quite heavey and solid - he actually enjoys lifting his legs in the air and bringing them down with a crash on the ground
He got his immunizations in his legs still, just higher in his thighs. I think they hurt a bit more because it was higher up (also because he is so skinny) but all was well.
Monica, I hope your little one is feeding better and going well.
Hi Kim,
My dd Chloe was born with club feet and has had the ponsetti treatment. She is now 2. She hated having the casts put on and taken off too, but was always fine when they were on during the week. We found tummy time a bit difficult with her because of the way the casts were, and she stopped rolling after she was cast as well, but started again close to her 1st birthday.
Try not to worry about James' development. Chloe had low muscle tone as well as the club feet, and wasn't expected to walk crawl until 18months and walk until 2 1/2. With a bit of physio and some persistence from dh and I and a lot of support from her childcare, she was sitting 7 months, crawling at 1 and walking at 18 months. It took a lot of patience on our part - we were really disappointed at first and frustrated, but we've come to realise that these things happen in their own time and that doesn't make any difference to who she is.
Chloe is now up to the stage of wearing wom-boots every night for bed, which she will have until she is 4. She is sleeping in her own bed now, but finds it hard to get to sleep with sheets on as her shoes get tangled up in them, so we are sticking to a sleeping bag for now. She has now worked out how to climb out of bed and crawl into our room at 5am with her feet anchored together in her shoes! She walks and runs just like anyone else, and we have started toilet training during the day although we can't do the night time one until she's out of the boots. She may get casts for a few weeks on Monday when she goes in for her check-up (fingers crossed that doesn't happen - I don't know how she'd cope!).
Hope things are going well for you, if you have any questions about what to expect later on just ask.
Thanks for sharing, its always nice to hear others experiences and know that these things just slow the little ones down temporarily People see James' casts and stop me in the supermarket to tell me stories of their little ones who had the casts or point out their much older, perfectly mobile children and tell me they went through the same thing. Its amazing how common it is.
We've actually had good news... James' feet responded so well to casting that they were completely corrected in just 3 weeks! The ortho surgeon said this might suggest that it wasn't truly club feet and we might not need the bracing at all. So we're just going to continue physio and watch what happens. This is an amazing result I hadn't even hoped for!!
I hope Chloe doesn't need the plaster, must get harder the older and more mobile they get. Although they adapt so well, I've seen kids in full leg casts at the ortho clinics who are walking and climbing all over the play equipment there - its pretty amazing. Still, it will be nice for all of you to avoid it so GOOD LUCK
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Club Feet, Ponseti Casts & Immunizations
People see James' casts and stop me in the supermarket to tell me stories of their little ones who had the casts or point out their much older, perfectly mobile children and tell me they went through the same thing. Its amazing how common it is.
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