Saturday, March 26, 2011

Braces and More

I will never look at a child wearing braces with eyes of indifference again after this week. 


I will instead recognize that those braces probably came at great cost.



And the carefree smiles that burst forth from this child's face...



I will not take them for granted either.

Hearing our son begging us not to hurt him... tightening straps on braces that we know are for his benefit but cause so much pain... trying to comfort him and at the same time refusing to release those straps....listening to him cry... watching him rock back and forth....seeing the tears gushing down his face...

It has been a very hard week.

We are struggling with the braces.  The one foot fits neatly into the brace without trouble and causes him only minimal pain at this point.  The other brace is tighter and Aaron's foot is not fitting neatly down into it without causing great discomfort.  We took him to Aaron's Dr. here and he gave us advice on how to care for the sores on that foot that are being caused by the tightness.  We are trying to decide if we should take him back to Philly to get Dr. VanBosse to look at it.  Since we are novices in the brace department - it is hard to know what exactly is 'normal.'

Thank you to whoever sent Aaron the bulldozer.  What a wonderful surprise for our little guy!  He was absolutely delighted with his present.  It was just what the doctor ordered!  Thank you!

Please keep spreading the word about Kirill.... Please - Tesney heard from their Russian facilitator in Moscow and all the posts yesterday were starting to be heard OVER THERE!  That is vital for their appeal!  Please don't stop.  Keep spreading the word!!!  The Davis link is HERE.  Please feel free to just keep sharing Kirill's story on FB and on your  blogs - contact anyone you know... news media etc!  It may seem redundant but every single pebble into the ocean is making a difference....

For those who are wondering about sweet Carrington - The most recent update is HERE.  The little princess is doing better but still has a long ways to go so please keep praying!


Last but not least.... Earlier this week I posted about the Beamish family.  They are leaving TOMORROW!  On Monday they were still short by 16,000.00 dollars.  As of this morning - They are short 2,500.00. 

Yep - You read those numbers correctly.  The church has stepped up to the plate to surround this family.  Let's finish the job!  The Beamish's have been doing an iPad Giveway and my dear friend, Adeye, yesterday decided to increase the Giveaway by donating a Kindle! 

They leave tomorrow.  How precious a gift to them if they were able to step onto their airplane fully funded.  What a statement of God's grace and mercy to this family as they embark on an adventure to rescue a little one who has already been transferred.




Go HERE if you would like to make a donation!

11 comments:

  1. Julia, I would definitely take him back to get the brace adjusted. They can relieve the pressure areas. If he is getting a sore spot, that can complicate things....
    We have done both braces and prosthetics. In both cases, our dr's do not want red marks to show up that last more than a few minutes after removal. It sounds like a trip to Philly is warranted. They can heat relieve the areas in question.
    Poor sweetie guy. POOR Mom! :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't know what type of braces Aaron has on, but our daughter wears AFOs on both feet for CP and the doctor told us that if red marks last more than 30 minutes after she takes them off, then they need to be adjusted. We've never had sores. Poor guy :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am so happy that news of Kirill's plight is spreading. I posted on FB, contacted Fox News, & am in the process of contacting my local media outlets.....One of which has an anchorwoman whose little girl happens to have DS. Praying for all of the little children you have mentioned, yours included!

    ReplyDelete
  4. send an email to VB with photos of his foot out of the brace. the one that is giving him trouble.
    this is Tam. not anonymous

    ReplyDelete
  5. Can you call over to the Dr that placed the braces? I would not think they would want tissue damage, maybe they do need to be adjusted?

    ReplyDelete
  6. my vote is that is the orthotic is causing skin shear to the point of brakedown or wound that he should definitely be seen again by the original doc.... luv PT liz

    ReplyDelete
  7. We have two kids with braces. I don't think any Dr. would want braces to be worn that are creating sores. Sores are very serious as far as infection. Have you tried mole skin over the sores?

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am so sorry for each of you in this process. My older sister had many surgeries and wore many different types of braces over the years. I can remember waking to her cries and moans. I remember my Dad kneeling next to her bed while he rubbed linament into her aching leg and back. I remember the helpless feeling and the fear of pain in the night. Praying for all of you!
    Oh- I would call the doctor about the sores. My sister ended up in the hospital on IV antibiotics several times because of infected pressure sores.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm glad Aaron liked the bulldozer! I sent it BTW. I guess I forgot to message you and let you know! I hope he can push the buttons!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I do hope Aaron's brace can be adjusted - it surely sounds as if the fit isn't right, as it causes him such pain and obvious injury to his skin. Might lambswool padding make a difference?? There are otc ointments and liniments which can both sooth and strengthen the skin. They're designed to combat bedsores, but might work well for Aaron, too - your pharmacist might be able to suggest some. Also, increasing protein in the diet helps strengthen skin and speed healing. However, it does sound like removing or adjusting the source of the excessive pressure is very much called-for as well. I hope you all can find some good answers soon - this is so hard on everyone, especially Aaron himself.

    That cool bulldozer sounds like just the ticket for happy distraction and imaginative play - how thoughtful of Tracey S. to send it to Aaron!

    Take good care - sending prayers and good wishes for rapid improvement all-around!

    Susan in Ky
    Cousin to Two from U.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi-I agree with all the comments on the braces. From the pictures it looks like he has AFOs like our daughter had. We went through the same thing when she first got them and we were brace novices. They should not hurt and they definitely shouldn't be causing red spots that last more than 30 minutes or blisters. I would go back to Philly or to the shop that fit the braces and have them adjusted. We sometimes had to go back to AI DuPont 3 or 4 times to get one foot to fit correctly each time she got a new brace. You might also find that as his feet and legs change a brace that was fitting well may have to be readjusted.

    ReplyDelete

Loving words from kind people make our hearts glad!