|
|
|
|
| Name: Pauline | Date: Jun 17th, 2007 7:04 PM |
| I am 39 years old and was born with club feet and am in a lot of pain after years of operations does anyone know any painkillers or treatments that may help me or any doctors that can help me? ↑ |
| Name: mrs jennifer bradley | Date: Jun 29th, 2007 9:11 PM |
| my little girs has sev club feet the left is worse. i was told when i was 20 weeks preg and like you was told it could be a sighn of other disorders. my only thing i can say is after 11 surgeries and more to come is she can walk jump of sorts!!!! the only thing she cant do yet is rideher bike but she,s only 3!!!! is take lots of pics of the feet before during and after becouse every time i look at them i see how far we have come! good luck and enjoy your special gift ↑ |
| Name: jdourt | Date: Jun 30th, 2007 6:44 PM |
| (Turnip green production is discussed in Horticultural Information Leaflet No. 16, Greens For Market.) Turnips and rutabagas are among the most commonly grown and widely adapted root crops. They are members of the Cruciferae or mustard family and belong to the genus Brassica. Turnips are (Brassica rapa) and rutabagas are (Brassica napobrassica). The two are similar in plant size and general characteristics. Turnip leaves are usually light green, thin and hairy, while the rutabagas are bluish- green, thick and smooth. The roots of turnips generally have little or no neck and a distinct taproot, while rutabaga roots are often more elongated and have a thick, leafy neck and roots originating from the underside of the edible root as well as from the taproot. Turnips and rutabagas are cool- season crops and will make their best root growth during relatively low (40 to 60 0F) temperature growing conditions. Note: They can be grown as either a spring or fall crop; however, rutabagas require a longer growing season and should be planted as early in the season as possible. These crops are biennials which implies seed production during the second year. However, if an extended period of cool weather occurs after spring-planted turnips or rutabagas are well along in development, they may form seedstalks which renders them unsalable. Soils - A moderately deep, highly fertile soil with pH 6.0 to 6.5 is best for growing turnips and rutabagas. A soil test should be taken and lime added as needed. Varieties - Varieties differ mainly in color and shape of root. There are white- and yellow-fleshed varieties of both crops, although most turnip varieties are white-fleshed and most rutabaga varieties are yellow- fleshed. Turnips Purple Top White Globe - 58 days from seed; bright purple crown, white below the crown, 5 to 6 inches in diameter, globe; leaves dark green and cut. Just Right F1, - 35 to 40 days; white root; 7 to 8 inches in diameter; flattened globe; light green leaves that are deeply cut. Use only as a fall crop. Rutabagas American Purple Top - 90 days; deep purple crown; yellow below the crown; globe-shaped root; 5 to 6 inches in diameter with yellow flesh color; medium size, blue-green, cut leaves. Laurentian - 90 days; purple crown; light yellow below crown; globe- shaped roots 5 to 5 1/2 inches in diameter with yellow flesh; medium blue-green, cut leaves. Fertilization - Fertilizer applications should be based on soil test recommendations. A general recommendation for turnips and rutabagas is 40 to 60 lb nitrogen (N), 40 to 60 lb (P2O5) and 60 to 100 lb K2O per acre. Apply 1 to 2 lb of boron per acre either in the fertilizer or spray solubar. Planting Dates Spring Fall* Coastal Plain February 1 to April 15 August 1 to September 15 Piedmont February 15 to April 30 July 15 to September 15 Mountains March 1 to July 1 August 15 to September 15 *Note: Rutabaga must be seeded roughly 2 1/2 to 3 months before heavy frost. Stand Establishment - Multiple rows on a raised seedbed will increase production efficiency per unit of land. Seedbeds can range from 3 to 5 feet wide depending on planting and cultivating equipment. Seed should be drilled 1/2 inch deep, 4 inches in row, in rows 12 to 15 inches apart, which will result in more uniform growth and greater ease of handling at harvest. Approximately 1 1/2 to 2 lb of seed per acre will be required. Thinning is not normally necessary if the planter is properly adjusted but if needed, plants should be thinned to 3 or 4 inches apart in the row. Pest Management Weeds - If cultivation is used to control weeds that emerge, it should be shallow (less than 2 inches deep). For herbicide recommendations check the latest issue of the NCCVR (North Carolina Commercial Vegetable Recommendations, AG-586) or your county Extension center. Insects - Turnip aphids, flea beetles, root maggots and wireworms are serious pests. Root maggots and wireworms attack the roots and control requires preplant applications of the proper insecticides to the soil. Aphids and flea beetles damage the tops and a spray program may be needed to control them. Diseases - Clubroot, root knot, leaf spot, white rust, white spot, anthracnose and alternaria are several disease problems. Certain insects and diseases can be controlled chemically, while others may require cultural operations. Consult the latest issue of theNCCVR (North Carolina Commercial Vegetable Recommendations, AG-586) or your county Extension center for specific recommendations. Irrigation - Turnips and rutabagas require an abundant supply of moisture to insure a high quality product. Most soils will require 1.5 inches of water every 7 to 10 days. Harvesting - Turnip roots are harvested for bunching when 2 inches in diameter. Turnip roots which will be topped are harvested when 3 inches in diameter. Rutabagas are harvested when roots are 4 or 5 inches in diameter. Turnips with tops are washed and tied in bunches of about four to six plants. Topped turnips and rutabagas for the general market are sold by either volume or weight. Topping is recommended for sales in most wholesale and retail outlets. "Topping" is the removal of the leaves from the fleshy root. The roots are commonly packed in transparent film bags for individual consumers. Storage - Storage requirements are temperatures of 32 to 35 0F and relative humidities of 90 to 95%. Yields - Good average yields of turnips are 300 cwt/acre while rutabagas will yield around 400 cwt/acre. Steps to Successful Production of Turnips and Rutabagas Find a market. (This can be difficult for rutabagas.) Select a friable, moderately deep soil. Soil test for lime, fertilizer and nematicide needs. Lime to pH 6.0 to 6.5. Choose a recommended variety. Plant in time to allow harvest for your market. Irrigate. Harvest before pithiness begins. Store at 32 to 35 0F and high humidity (90 to 95%). * For all pest management recommendations check the latest issue of the NCCVR (North Carolina Commercial Vegetable Recommendations, AG-586) or your county Extension center. ---------------------------- ---------------------------------- ------------------ Recommendation s for the use of chemicals are included in this publication as a convenience to the reader. The use of brand names and any mention or listing of commercial products or services in this publication does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned. Individuals who use chemicals are responsible for ensuring that the intended use complies with current regulations and conforms to the product label. Be sure to obtain current information about usage and examine a current product label before applying any chemical. For assistance, contact an agent of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in your county. ↑ |
| Name: footjopsexs | Date: Jul 1st, 2007 6:54 PM |
| foot ssexs chat ↑ |
| Name: Shawnee | Date: Jul 3rd, 2007 12:02 AM |
| Dear Dreams; I have 3 sons, all 3 were born with bilateral clubfeet. I also have a brother in law and a nephew with clubfeet. I understand your initial fear regarding the idea of having a baby with a birth defect - I felt the same way nine years ago, believe me! The first thing I want to stress is that you do NOT have to start serial casting during those first few days. Your baby will be perfectly fine if you take him home for two to three weeks to grow, recover from birth, bond, photograph and simply love before the treatmetn starts and I highly recommend you do so. You and your baby and your family need this time, so use it, waiting a bit won't hurt a thing. My 2nd started at 2 weeks old, my 3rd started at 3 weeks old and both have beautiful feet as you can see on my website about this. Over the course of years of being a mother of 3 clubfooted children, I have put together what I think is the clubfoot sight for new parents, to answer all those questions we don't even know how to ask when faced with this deformity: what it is, how to treat it, how to cope through treatment, what about cloths and car seats and everything else!?!?! Ah! I have covered all that, and more....you would be a wise mother to deeply investigate your treatment options before you submit to any treatments beginning, as there is a lot of out-dated treatment methods still on the market that can easily do more harm than good (My first son suffered this). Typical treatment has a 50% surgical rate; the Ponseti Method has a 5% surgical rate - but a lot of doctors claim to use the Ponseti method are just cheap immitations, you really have to be careful to get the right treatment to avoid surgery. I hope I can help you find the information you are looking for as I also have links to several other clubfoot related sites for parents to view. Your child has a 95% chance of a complete, non-surgical correction that will give him perfect, normal feet for life if you pick your doctor wisely. (I can lead you to doctors on my site as well, also, questions you should ask, warning signs to avoid, etc. to avoid surgical corrections later on!) clubfoot ain't no thang if you know what to do before some doctor screws it up for you. Best of luck to you and your new baby! shawnee http://six-feet.com ↑ |
| Name: sky | Date: Jul 15th, 2007 5:45 AM |
| help im bored ↑ |
| Name: justin | Date: Jul 21st, 2007 6:19 AM |
| hey ↑ |
| Name: Natica | Date: Jul 27th, 2007 9:01 PM |
| I have a 5 year old daughter who was born with bi-lateral club feet. After her first surgery our doctor who has seen 1000s of cases said on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst she was a 9!!!! There are what we now consider "minor" concerns that we still have like dress shoes, even tennis shoes sometimes hurting her feet, and her feet fall asleep alot. She is a healty, smart beautiful child, who stays in flip flops are barefoot most of the time. She will play soccer this year and she is I must say as fast as her little friends (that will not always be the case!!) All in all she is fine, and just remined yourself over and over that they are perfect. Not what "society" considereds perfect but they are created just the way they were ment to be created. God doesn't mess up and that makes them perfect. I am not saying you wont cry sometimes at night I still do for the challeges she will face, but he will be amazing jsut wait!!!! ↑ |
| Name: Lisa | Date: Aug 24th, 2007 6:38 AM |
| I have a 2 year old daughter that has been treated at Shriner's Hospital since she was 2 weeks old. She had casts and then the Dennis Brown Bar with shoes. They have been heaven sent. I recommend any child born with club foot to be rushed to Shriner's Hospital asap! ↑ |
| Name: talline | Date: Aug 27th, 2007 8:56 PM |
| my little girl just got her first cast on today ↑ |
| Name: Kitty | Date: Aug 28th, 2007 7:16 PM |
| I have a 9 month old that was born with severe club feet. It has been a tough road but i promise you that it will be ok my son has crawled and stood up not to far from normal time so enjoy your baby and dont worry the casts shouldnt bother your child to bad. Mine fussed the first day or two then he didnt even notice them. good luck and god bless my prayers are with you and yours ↑ |
| Name: courtney | Date: Sep 16th, 2007 6:13 AM |
| hello there, i am 21 years old and i was born with severe club feet, it was the shock of a life time for my mother and father because like you said mum and dad had three healthy boys before me. how ever, even though it was a struggle for a long time it was well worth it my last operation was when i was seven years old and i have not had any problems since. the only way you can tell i had it is if you look real close at my feet and see the scars. i can do anything i want! so my advice my friend is not to look at this in a bad way anything that doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. smile and be happy you will still have a perfectly healthy child its just he /she will have slightly different looking feeet. don't b scared cause as my mother said, life is alway throwing these challenges at us so you just gotta throw em right back. ↑ |
| Name: Kim | Date: Oct 17th, 2007 12:00 AM |
| I have a daughter who is about to turn 4 years old in November. Our world was rocked at 19 weeks along when we found out that she had bi-lateral clubbed feet. Fortunately we live in a big city and have great doctors. Within two weeks of her being born they put her in casts from the hips down. The hardest part was the crying and her frustrations but for the most part she did really well with them. At 8 weeks old she had surgery for Achilles heal lengthening. She then went back into casts for another 6 months getting them changed every 4 weeks. She was still a happy child but would get frustrated because she couldn't move around. She did learn to roll and move with the casts on. Nothing stood in her way because she was very determined. When she was 7 months old they put her in the corrective shoes with the metal bar. She stayed in these until she was a year old. She learned to stand with them on and move back and forth along the couch. At a year old she went to wearing them only at night. Within 4 weeks she was walking and perfectly fine. Unless you saw her without her shoes on you wouldn't know she had clubbed feet. She just had another surgery in January of 2007 where they broke her right ankle and reset it with pins. I think it was harder on us than her. Within a week of surgery she was crawling around the house like nothing had ever happen. She stayed in a cast from the hip down for 6 weeks then spent 3 more months in a walking cast. She was a real trooper and I thank her doctor for really understanding this defect and knowing the best way to treat it. It will honestly be harder on the parents than the children but remember they just want cuddled and loved. The more confident you are in them the better they feel about themselves. My daughter can tell anyone at the age of 4 exactly what she as been through in her little life and it doesn’t bother her at all. ↑ |
| Name: lori | Date: Oct 17th, 2007 3:20 AM |
| My daughter Taylor was born 12 years ago with severe bilateral club feet. I was shocked because I had 3 ultrasounds and amnio and it was never picked up. I remember after she was born she needed to be taken to the nursery right away because of breathing problems so we didn't know any thing about her club feet until a few hours later when they finally brought her to us. The first thing we did was unwrap her and count all of her fingers and toes, what a sight! I had never seen any thing like it before and I just wrapped her back up and and cuddled her. The next day when her pediatrician came in I asked her why her feet turned in and she told me that I would need to see a specialist in a week or two to have her feet looked at. Well within an hour the orthopedic doctor was in the nursery casting her feet. I felt confused and scared. I remember all I could do was cry. Everyone wants a perfect baby! I'm kind of glad that I didn't know ahead of time because I would have dwelled on the fact that my baby had a birth defect. After she was born all I could think about was how beautiful she was and besides her feet she looked absolutely perfect. A couple of days after she was born she started to have seizures and was admitted to the nicu for 3 weeks where we later found out she had suffered a stroke. While she was in the hospital we realized that the club feet were minor compared to what was going on at time. Club feet can be fixed and this couldn't. Although she has very minor problems due to the stroke her club feet still remain a problem. She has had 5 surgeries, castings, braces and corrective shoes the problem still presists. She is now in a cast on her left foot and is getting ready to have a major surgery on her right foot. She needs to have her heel put back where it belongs, have a new arch built and have her ankle moved into position. I thought by the time she was this age we would have put all of this behind us but I now realize that this will have to followed until adulthood. She is such a trooper and the doctor is very confident that this surgery will really help. Has anyone ever dealt with the heel moving out of alignment? hers is off by 75 percent. On a happier note she excels in school, plays sports and is a dancer. I just consider this a minor set back. ↑ |
| Name: christine | Date: Oct 18th, 2007 8:18 PM |
| I have a 10 month old baby girl who was born with bilat clubbed feet. she is a very happy baby girl.. .at the begining is it was hard to look at her because i view her differently then a "normal" baby but you know i just had to get over it. and yes you'll get to hold your baby as much as you want if they do the ponseti method... they don't start caseing until the 5-8 day after the baby is born ↑ |
| Name: Bo | Date: Oct 19th, 2007 10:44 PM |
| Club feet is highly correctable. It can be corrected without surgery, by casting and bracing in the first weeks after birth. If this method is unsuccesful, then surgery is the next step. Do research to find a reputable orthopedic surgeon near you. ↑ |
| Name: lil'miss.eva | Date: Oct 25th, 2007 4:37 PM |
| Bieng born with clubbed feet isn't that bad. I was born with a very mild case of clubbed feet, and guess what, it's genetic and theirs a greater chance of boys getting it than girls, even though I'm a girl. my mom was born with a severe case of clubbed feet, and she had to get surgeries, but with today's modern technologies, correcting babies with clubbed feet isn't too hard if its taken care of soon. As soon as I was born, my feet were put in casts, and whan I became a todler, I had to wear corrective shoes with a bar in the middle of the shoes for 10 hours a day. when I turned 3, i got my corrective surgery. Today I'm 18 years old and I still live with problems, but it's not so bad. I hear women are getting abortions because their baby is going to have clubbed feet. In this world today, perfection is wanted, but killing unborn babies is not the answer. Those babies are lucky that they only have clubbed feet and that it's corective. It could be worse, it could be their head. So people whinning and cryieng sayieng that their baby is giong to have clubbed feet, get over it. If the baby has clubbed feet, then that means that the mother is a carrier of the gene, or the father has it. The good thing about having a baby with clubbed feet is that the mother can have more time taking care of the child, which can creat a very special bond between the mom and the child. I know this because it brought me and my mom very close. So don't worry, it's not too bad. ↑ |
| Name: Shannon | Date: Oct 25th, 2007 5:15 PM |
| My son is 14 mos and was born with club feet, I understand what you mean by wanting to have a perfect child but trust me when I tell you that when they hand you that new baby and you hold him in your arms you will not think 2 about his feet. Gage is walking and running and climbing doing everything that the kids his age are doing. He had casts on for about 4 months than we moved to shoes with braces that he had to wear all the time, except for bath time, he now wears them at night only. ↑ |
| Name: Andrea | Date: Oct 26th, 2007 2:42 PM |
| Hope all of those who have posted in the past petrified with the idea of being pregnant with babies with clubbed feet are getting through the ordeal well. In February of 1997 i gave birth to my second child and my first son. I was devastated as they handed him to me all I could cry out was "what's wrong with him." Doc said "hmmmm looks like clubbed feet. Didn't we see anything on the ultrasound?" We hadn't. He went into casts to the hips at a week of age and he screamed bloody murder the entire first week. His little feet were so swollen and bruised when we went in for cast changes. The doc we were seeing seemed uncaring that my son was in pain and that he cried day and night. After several weeks of this I QUIT!!! I left the casts off for a while to check into our options. We found Shriner's hospital in St. Louis which was a 5 hour drive. We went there for a visit and within a week they had him in surgery for a heel cord release surgery after which he went into casts again for 6 weeks. This time he tolerated the casts much better since that tendon was not so tight and his feet weren't being pulled out of what was normal for them. After the casts came off they tried the Dennis Brown shoes with the bar, but he was so strong that no matter how tight I tied them, he pulled them right off. He began walking on his first birthday and then he ran. Nothing slowed this child. At 18 months he had another surgery where they released the tendons throughout his mid feet and the heel. Casts again for 6 weeks and then he went into shoes called straight last shoes. They looked just like little tennis shoes except they were identical and either shoe could go on either foot. He wore these for years. Even not so long ago when we went for a check up and he was complaining of foot pain they put him back into these shoes. The above is about my son Bryce who is soon to turn 11 and is the best running back on his flag football team. He plays sports all the time and is a very fast runner. He does complain of foot and leg pain at times but he functions well for what he went through in his early years. With Shriner's, he has specialists who will take care of his orthopedic needs the rest of his life. In 2000 my second son was born, also with bilateral clubbed feet. When he was born, I just kinda chuckled and shook my head. It was a bitter pill, but not as terrifying as with Bryce. I now knew the routine. It went the same as my older son except Michael would not walk. He tolerated the casting much better then his brother did and he didn't mind the Dennis Brown shoes with the bar. He also had plastic braces shaped to his legs and feet from the hip down that he wore for a period of time. At the time he had his second surgery when he was 18 months old, he still would just pull up and hang on to the furniture to move around. He would not take off and walk. It was 8 weeks after his surgery and 2 weeks after he got out of his casts that he took off walking. His second surgery was our drama. After surgery while still in the hospital he spiked a high temperature. He ran almost 106 for several days and they had to split his cast open due to the swelling in his foot. One foot was swollen the other was not. Several days into this they took him back into surgery and found that he was allergic to the sutures they had used to stitch his feet. They took out the sutures and his temperature resumed to normal. An over night stay in the hospital had turned into 8 days. Another difference between Michael's surgery and Bryce's was that they ran pins through the bones that run along the feet from the big toe down in Michael's feet and they did not do that for Bryce. Michael's feet have a very normal appearance today, whereas Bryce has a huge gap between his big toe and the next toe and he also has very high arches and a large indention right near his ankle bone. I'm not sure if this is due to the lack of pin (which comes out after 6 weeks) or if Bryce has more deformity then Michael. Both boys have a difference in feet sizes. Bryce has one foot that is a size and a half smaller then the other. Michael's are less then a size difference. Anyways, Michael is almost 8 and is the starting wide receiver for his flag football team. He never complains of pain or discomfort. What I can tell you as a mother is that knowing your child is in pain and there is nothing you can do about it is the worst, most helpless feeling in the world. Something else I encountered that I hope none of you have or ever will is ... walking into Wal-Mart and minding my business pushing around my cart with my tiny new born baby sleeping in the car seat with his clean fresh new casts on when a woman walking by stops to admire the baby and instead of ooo's and ahhhh's, I got called terrible names. I remember leaving the grocery store several times in tears because of this. Some people don't think about birth defects and things like that, all they can think is abuse when they see a baby in casts. Instead of asking oh my what happened to the baby, several people automatically assumed that I dropped him or threw him or hurt him. Little did they realize that I did not hurt my child, that I was trying to help him and that I was going through my own pain because of this and that they had just turned an ok day into a nightmare. Other people would just be curious and ask questions, but those who were ignorant enough to call names instead of asking questions and chose to remain ignorant were the ones who I truly felt sorry for. You have to have a tough skin and I learned that quickly. NEVER NEVER NEVER did I stop taking my beautiful boys into public due to this. I was proud of them no matter what. Oh and just a little note to keep in mind. They chances of having a child with clubbed feet is 1 in 500. Once you have one child with this defect the chances are twice as great for having another one. My oldest, my daughter didn't have. I do believe that it is hereditary as my grandmother, after the boys were born, would tell about massaging her baby sister's crooked foot. I hope that a little of OUR story has enlightened you a little or helped prepare you some. It's no fun, but it's definaltely do-able. I have three great kids and they all three can probably run faster then me, psst....Don't tell them that!!!!! ↑ |
| Name: Elyssa | Date: Nov 12th, 2007 4:28 PM |
| Our daughter is two weeks old today, and she was born with clubbed feet. It was not detected on any of our ultrasounds. We did not find out until the delivery. Part of me is glad in a way, becasue the term "clubbed" makes it sound almost freakish, and it is far from that! The feet are just turned in. You will not love that baby any less, but actually more. We started her last thursday with casting, which is called the Ponseti Method, and it is said to be 95% successful. Check out: www.clubfeet.net/video.php Like you, my husband and I were devestated, becasue this was not what we pictured when we planned to have our baby, especially becasue she is our first child. You feel sad, and even angry. But we all have to focus on how it could be worse, and at least this is treatable. Good luck. Please feel free to e-mail me at any time about this:[email protected] ↑ |
| Name: nicole | Date: Nov 19th, 2007 4:06 PM |
| Im 31 weeks pregnant and all of my sonos were normal. until the doctor thought i was measuring small, so she wanted to do another sono to make sure that the baby was growing ok.well .well they esttmated her weight at 4lbs 5 ounces, but had seen that her left foot is clubbed. We were very scared, but ive heard its more common then what people think, and ive talk to people who have had this problem.I look at it as it could be worse, atleast it fixable. no one want to see there kids like that , but i know we will love her just the same.its scary but what can you do.time can only tell. ↑ |
| Name: Madi | Date: Nov 27th, 2007 5:34 PM |
| That is really sad it would be really hard to find out that you baby was going to be born with clubbed feet. ↑ |
| Name: bob | Date: Nov 27th, 2007 5:36 PM |
| hi i love courtney hebdon ↑ |
| Name: shannon | Date: Nov 29th, 2007 5:00 PM |
| I recently also found out that our baby will have bilateral clubbed feet but that it is isolated to only the feet. we hound out at our 20 week ultalsound. My ob referred me to a maternal- fetal medicine specialist and a orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in this. Talking to these specialists and having a more diagnostic sonogram really helped put our minds at ease. Yes, finding this out was scary initially but being that I am 37 and with everything that could go wrong, we do feel fortunate that it something so common and fixable. I guess part of our positive attitude is that we lost a baby at 12 weeks back in March and just felt so fortunate to have gotten pregnant again and been able to make it past the first trimester. So this seems like a smaller challenge to us. Our doctor told us that our initial visit would be for 2-3 days after birth, so you will have time to cuddle your little one before the casts. We have a three year old daughter who is very excited about a new sibling and I choose to take her innocent view of the situation. From what I have been told it is harder on the parents than the baby. Good luck to anyone in this same situation and try to stay positive and not dwell on the negative. A baby is a gift and gifts aren't always what you expect them to be but that doesn't make them any less precious. ↑ |
| Name: Sissy | Date: Dec 11th, 2007 6:07 PM |
| My daughter was born with bilateral clubfeet. She is now 12 years old. She began serial casting when she was 5 days old. She had her corrections on both feet when she was 4 1/2 months old. She has a great outlook and is so very easy going. I credit it to all she had to go thru when she was an infant. She worn cast or braces up to almost age two. She began walking when she was 15months old. She suprised everyone. Despite the braces on her leg/feet she walked and was still able to turn her feet inward. She had another surgery when she was 5 years old to correct her left foot by breaking the leg and pinning it to turn out. She does have some difficulty walking straight up and runs with a forward lean. She is just as active as her 10 year old sister who does not have any problems. We have difficulty with the regular "little girl" shoes that she would like to wear but we just keep on until we find some that she likes and fit her wide but short foot. ↑ |
| Name: Matt Lombardo | Date: Dec 15th, 2007 10:33 PM |
| I was born 38 years ago with severe clubbed foot deformity in both feet. After five surgeries, multiple braces, and corrective shoes, I am happy to report a very happy and fulfiled life. I played Lacrosse, wrestled, and served 8 very successful years in the United States Marine Corps. I did take alot of ridicule during my very early school years, but I have to say it really helped to toughen me up!! I have a beautiful 17 year old daughter with normal feet. My suggestion to anyone faced with the reality of a child with this condition is, never limit their desires to do ANYTHING. It's better to try and fail at physical challenges, than never to be allowed to try at all. I thank my parents for always encouraging my dreams. ↑ |
| Name: Zina | Date: Dec 23rd, 2007 6:48 PM |
| We found out the day our baby was born that she had club feet. Be thankful you have some lead time to do research! Our daughter is now 18 months and cruising around like a marathon runner. The first weeks are a challenge with casting (etc.) . It makes it hard to snuggle with them and eventually the bar & shoes that are needed are also difficult, but you find a way to cuddle. Although it is difficult to do, my only suggestion is to be thankful your child is born with a birth defect that is correctable. Things could be much, much, much worse. ↑ |
| Name: Stephanie | Date: Jan 2nd, 2008 3:46 AM |
| Hi, my daughter is 18 mo now and was born with severe clubbed feet...both feet were affected. She was first casted at 5 days old and she never really minded the casts that much. We recasted every week only for about 4 weeks and the Orthopaedic said her feet for so tight (they determine severity by tightness, not how they are turned) that he was afraid if he kept on pulling her feet farther and farther around, it would damage her cartilage. And he had no doubt that even if we did do the casting, we would still end up doing the full surgery of releasing the ligaments & lengthening the tendons. So we opted to stop the casting until she was 6 months old & she had the surgery. (Just a note: Our Orthopaedic said that boys are more likely to have club feet than girls but girls feet were normally more severe/tigher and harder to correct than girls.) She had splints for 3 weeks & full legs casts for 6 weeks, which during this time, with 1 lb casts on EACH leg, she learned to crawl! By 14 mo she was walking & amazing everyone and now she is running all the time. She is doing great, although we are really watching the way she is sitting. Club feet children should not sit on their feet, it is the worst thing they could do to cause their feet to try to turn back in and pull downward again. She sits on her feet ALL THE TIME and many children do. There is a 5% chance of a 2nd surgery, which we're still watching and praying she doesn't need. Our Orthopaedic surgeon is wonderful & has been real informative for us. Your children are a blessing from God & although we were devastated at our 20 wk sonogram when we found out, we were so thankful that this is correctable and she was HEALTHY! ↑ |
| Name: Amber | Date: Jan 4th, 2008 1:05 AM |
| I know exactly how you are feeling! I also found out during my ultra sound that my son would be born with clubbed feet. At the time, it felt like my dreams of having my first baby had been shattered. Especially since they say that he could have other health problems with it. All of my test came back negative wich made us happy. I must say that the castings were difficult because you feel so bad for them. But you have to remember that they dont know any different. A tip for bathing is to put plastic wrap over the casts and then large socks. my son is now 6 months old and can have his ponseti shoes off for 6-8 hrs a day and crawling earlier than expected. And he is the most perfect baby ever... Just to warn you, you may get funny looks from people when his casts are on. People are very ignorant!! Hang in there. It will be fine. Its a long process, but so worth it!! ↑ |
| Name: Janet S. | Date: Jan 15th, 2008 11:56 PM |
| I was born with bi-lateral clubbed feet in 1958. The standard of care at that time is still the same today. Casts on both legs up to the hips. Then shoes with a straight bar across which is attached at the bottom of the soles of the shoes. I had casts for 6 months, I had to wear the shoes for 3 years. My mother had to hold my feet straight forward for 1 hour a day everyday for the first year after the casts were off. She also had to remove the casts little by little each week where the doctor drew a line on them to show her where she had to wet the casts to peel them off. I will say this, now that I am 50 years old, my left foot has curving inward like it was at birth. I do have unbearable pain when I put weight on it sometimes. The doctor says I now have arthritis in both feet. Probably because of the disorder. I wish you lots of patience with this situation, but when you hold your new baby, all that will seem secondary. ↑ |
| Name: kristy | Date: Jan 22nd, 2008 5:53 PM |
| My daughter is turning 2 in a few months, she was born with both feet clubbed, her feet were about as severe as they could get. I did cry when they put the casts on, I felt like my cuddly baby was taken away, and all she did was cry because of the pain. I imagine its like having someone bend your finger backwards and then cast it in place. Anyway this wen ton for 4 or more months, then for 5 more months she wore the dennis bar brace, now she only wears them at night. In fact whenever she is tired she goes into her room and retrieves her brace and hands it to me. It is a hard road, but I promise it gets much better! My little girl is so active, in fact her little legs and tummy muscles are so strong from wearing the brace that she is more agile then most kids, she runs and climbs EVERYTHING! Good luck! ↑ |
