Tina Staley's Story
my son daughter has club feet30 weeks pregnant I found out that our little girl, Marleigh was thought to have bilateral club feet. She was casted at 11 hrs old and we started going to Shriners, St Louis Missouri weekly. At 2 months Marleigh had the Heel-Cord Tenotomy and after healing went in the Dobbs brace. Starting exercises was hard on me...watching her cry but we did 6 sets every day. 5 years, 5 surgeries later her feet are still messed up. She has such a free spirit about her and it doesn't get her down. This summer though we found out she will have another surgery Jan. 2011. Dr. Dobbs says she is just in the stubborn group and her feet are harder to fix.
It really bothered me this summer when she asked for flip flops...so on our way home from St. Louis Children's we went to Target. She tried on over 20 pairs of sandals, liking none of them. She didn't care that they didn't fit her good, she was fine. It was hard on me :(
This is Marleigh's 2nd free summer (out of casts) and we are going to enjoy it. She wears AFO's in her tennis shoes and still walks on the outside of her feet. They have calloused but she don't mind. What she does mind now that she's older is people looking at her feet, she says they are ugly. I want so bad for her to NOT be self conscious about it.
It is very frustrating as a parent, I feel like if I would have just done more exercises or something else she would be okay now. In the beginning I was devastated for the day about her club feet, then after meeting with the staff at Shriners I was very hopeful that by the age of 4 her feet would be fixed...now I am devastated again....we are at the age of 5 and I feel like we are starting over!!
If it weren't for Dr. Dobbs and Kristina Porter I would be crazier than I am.
Added on 04 Jun 2010
Comments
All times are in GMT +00:00Comment added by Melissa Waters on the Sat 31 July 2010 a 06:42pm
My 7yr old was born with the same thing. everything you are describing feels like my son's life. from nothing working to him wanting so badly to wear sandals. he has had 4 surgeries and still doesnt walk any better. i am so fusterated. he trips alot and his feet are starting to hurt when he walks more or tries to play harder. he wants to do all the sports and i feel so bad because i dont want him to get hurt.
Comment added by S Lyons on the Wed 28 July 2010 a 04:07pm
Hi Tina, we have an 11 week old daughter named Molly who has the same condition, she is curently in boots and bars after having casts on for 6 weeks. she also had the Tenotomy, i was just wondering if your daughter also had the boots and bars on and for how long, we are so confused as there seems to be be so much information and we are scared that the treatment she is having isnt going to work. Many thanks Simone Lyons