Feet update

Last week we FINALLY got Anna in to see a specialist from Children's Hospital (they have a great clinic here in Olympia) to see what they thought about her crooked little feet. The doctor we saw was wonderful. He was an older man with a thick accent and bushy eyebrows...enough to scare any young child (Anna wouldn't want Elmo (her favorite) to come too close though, so she's not a very good judge) but he was very knowledgeable and made us feel very informed and confident with our decisions.

A pretty sure-fire way to correct crooked feet is to cast them. The doctor explained what that would look like and consist of...something I was NOT excited about. He also gave us his opinion on casting kids her age, which is that it is not his first choice. He explained that casting a 6 month old is much less invasive because they barely know where their feet are anyways. They aren't walking yet and they don't have that sense of independence. To cast a 20 month old is much different. She would still be able to walk and get around but it would be very limiting. The doctor said that he has seen so many instances that their little personalities are affected by it. They are exploring and learning so intensely at this age, that the restriction really has an effect on them. So why didn't we cast her at 6 months? Because the doctor said that more times than not, it is over diagnosing them that early. So many kids have feet that are turned in when they are babies but most of the time, once they start walking on them for 6 months to a year, they straighten out on their own. No need for casts. However, in Anna's case, she is still really pulling her toes in (especially the big ones) when she walks and we just aren't seeing any improvement.

So the doctor gave us some options: 1. Cast her feet. 2. Do nothing. It would have no effect on her in any other ways, she would just have crooked feet her whole life. 3. (our choice) Orthotic shoes worn 12 hours a day (at night) for 6 months. This is not a 100% sure fire way to correct them, but it's worth a try. So this week we took her in to get fitted for her new shoes (her special shoes...I wonder if they'll make her run fast, like Forrest?) and they are open toed, hard soul shoes that are white and kind of like a little leather high tops. They lace up and have a strap that goes over the tongue to hopefully keep her from pulling them off. The office said many kids can be little Houdini's and find a way to yank them off, so I'm praying we won't struggle with that. The shoes are meant to be worn on the wrong feet so it will force them in the opposite direction of what they are conditioned to go in. We should be getting them by the end of the week or by Monday, so next week we should be able to see how it goes.

I'll keep everyone posted on what we find out. We are to go back and see the doctor after 6 weeks of her wearing the shoes so he can assess how things are going. Wish us good luck!!