The last two weeks for Aaron have not been his happiest. We have really been struggling with the change over from casts to braces.
That picture was taken on Monday... I won't show you what it looks like today!
He has a sore on that foot that is just downright painful. The other foot is fine - we can put the brace on and tighten it to the black lines without any issue. In fact he lets us know if it is not on the black lines.
The poor right foot is a different story. It is a bit of a mess, so we let him have long periods of the day without it on.... and when we do put it on we are no longer pulling the straps tight. We'd chuck the braces out the window if we could but we don't want him to lose what he has gained.
On Monday we will be taking Aaron back to Shriner's to adjust the braces. Until then we are trying to keep him as comfortable as we can.
Poor little guy thinks he can't walk without the braces - flat feet are a bit of a mystery to him. Yesterday he wanted us to put the braces back on his feet so he could walk up the stairs. Trying to convince him that flat feet CAN walk up stairs was quite the circus. I had to take my socks and shoes off to demonstrate. After much terror and quite a bit of tears (making the steps slippery which he pointed out as a reason why he could NOT go up on his own) and much convincing (he'll have to stay downstairs forever because no one was going to carry him up), he gingerly navigated up the steps. Oh the Triumph at the Top! He was still marveling at his amazing feat (feet) when I kissed him goodnight last night. "Aaron walked up the stairs in my feet." You gotta love his cute sentence structure!!
And as an important aside....
When Aaron first came home, a childhood friend sent Aaron a gift. A beautiful hand-made blanket covered with construction vehicles on one side and a fun roadway on the other.
Aaron LOVES it. He sleeps with it at night. It has to be part of his covers or he will holler for me to come and fix it. It was a precious gift and has been well-cherished. I've been lax in taking a picture of it mainly due to the fact that Aaron's bed never looks quite this neat!
He helped me make it up so we could take a picture of his favorite blanket!
AND if you look closely you can see his other favorite item given to him by another sweet friend.... A Thomas the Tank Engine pillow case. Pooh Bear thinks it is quite comfortable! AND...the wall hangings were from ANOTHER sweet family.
Me thinks my little one is well-loved!
Me thinks my little one is well-loved!
so happy you are going back on Monday!!! praying Dr vB does not put him back in a cast :(
ReplyDeletehugs!!
OUCH!!!! Poor sweetie!
ReplyDeleteOne of the things you may want to do AFTER his foot heals totally, and he moves on into his "braces life" for a while is: When he gets new braces, walk around in them for at least 2 hours....then return so the orthotics department can see any red marks and relieve the area BEFORE you go all the way home.
Because you are so far away, it may require an overnight stay, but it would be well worth it, to not have to return with awful sores that take forever to heal.
LOVE his blaket. :)
I remember when our Tim had his heel cord surgery at the age of 5, (it was a big surgery) his feet were flat for the first time in casts. You would not believe the drama for the PT to get him to just try to stand. He was trying his best to make his toes work and he couldn't....it terrified him. She looked at me and said, this is very normal...it is scary when things change. :(
After about the 3rd time, he finally did it, and he was thrilled with his feet. ::)
Oh poor baby. That looks like it hurts sooo bad.
ReplyDeleteThe blanket is so cute! I wish I was crafty. :) I have a great weekend!
So sorry the process has been a tough one so far, but so glad Aaron has access to such wonderful medical care now! Thank you for updating all of us on various fundraisers.....I am not always aware of them, and have donated to several after you put them on your blog. It is a joy to have even a tiny part in bringing one more child home.
ReplyDeleteI hope you won't mind me asking, but what is the plan/prognosis for helping Aaron regain more use of his arms and hands?
Praying that all goes well on Monday!
Sweet little boy! I loved seeing these pics of him, and I'll pray for comfort and healing for his foot.
ReplyDeleteAww... poor boy! :( Praying for him!
ReplyDeletepretty much exactly what happened with Ben. GRR. darn club feet!
ReplyDelete