a boy and his funny foot

When Henry was born, Sam brought him to me in recovery, showed me our beautiful son, and a few minutes later said "There's something about his foot.". Told in a way not to alarm me or to cause me anguish or fear but simply to tell me. I loved Sam for how he told me and because of that, Henry's funny foot was never a big deal to us. Henry's left foot was born a club foot, turned sharply inward toward the other and looking not quite the matching pair they should be! {You can see Henry's foot quite clearly in the bath photo in my previous post Henry in the Hospital.}

Yesterday we started the process of correcting his foot, traveling up to Saskatoon to get an assessment from an Orthopedic Surgeon and to start the series of castings. Really, this should have started shortly after birth but both our Family Doctor and our Pediatrician dropped the ball on the referral, each thinking the other would do it. Still we're told that it's no great detriment to be starting instead at 6 weeks old and I'm glad in a way as there was enough to deal with and adjust to in these first 6 weeks as it was.

Our surgeon will be using the very successful Ponseti Method which starts with a series of full leg casts to adjust and reposition the foot in order to grow correctly. This will most likely be around 6 weeks in duration and I'll be heading back to Saskatoon each week for Henry to be re-casted and his foot manipulated in small increments. He was so good when they put on his first cast yesterday, just lay there happily sucking his soother, feeling no pain or discomfort in what they were doing.

Later, after casting, Henry will have to wear boots and a brace, with his feet solidly attached to each other with a metal bar, for 3 months full time and then afterwards only during the night til he's 4 years old, as reoccurrence can happen in the early growing years. I had my little cry yesterday on the way home, thinking on what it will be like for him - and for me - to experience life while having to wear this brace. Wishing that we didn't have to deal with this and wishing for everything to be "normal". But then I am reminded how thankful I am. Thankful that only his one foot is affected. Thankful that he's never been bothered by it anyways, nor by the cast so far. And thankful, so thankful, that this is a rather minor and fixable problem, seeing children who truly have heartbreaking, lifelong deformities and challenges.

So Henry, just a few months of inconvenience and we'll fix your funny monkey foot. You'll be playing soccer with your Dad soon enough!