|
Introduction
If you are reading this page, it is likely that you have recently had a baby who was diagnosed with clubfoot. If you are anything like me, you had previously heard of the term but didn't really know what it meant. Now, of course, you need to know as much as you can.
When our beautiful daughter was born on 8th March 2011 she entered the world with bilateral clubfeet. After the initial joy of her arrival, my wife and I were quite devastated that we didn't have a perfect baby. That is a natural reaction for all parents.
Since Ellie's birth we have spoken with several doctors and nurses; spoken with friends and relatives (a good friend's daughter was also born with clubfeet back in 1977); read a lot on-line; and watched lots of videos.
As a result we feel a lot better. The condition certainly doesn't mean a life of disability. It is a surprisingly common condition among newborn babies and the success rate for treatment is high. After treatment most kids go on to have perfectly normal lives.
As my friend told me, his daughter went on to be a gymnast and cheerleader as well as doing cartwheels on the lawn behind him as he mowed the grass.
The term 'Clubfoot'
This is one of those antiquated terms for a medical condition that, as well as sounding terrible, gives a complete false impression of what the condition is.
I always thought that a 'clubfoot' was a malformed foot with no toes. The term conjures up an external extremity that looks just like a slab of meat. It's a horrible expression. I read on one Internet forum how a mother had banned this term from being used and I quite agree.
The medical (Latin) name is Congenital Talipes Equinovarus.
A description in layman's terms
Our little girl's feet and toes looked fine but when she was born her feet weren't straight in relation to her legs. Both feet were turned in - one by about 90 degrees and the other by about 100 degrees.
Everything was present inside the foot but the bones, muscles and tendons hadn't formed properly.
Without treatment
In some developing countries babies born with this condition do not get treated. As they grow they learn how to walk on the outside of their feet with a strange gait.
This can cause sores and infections. Having such a disability means they are incapable of doing many normal things and they can end up being isolated and ostracized from society.
Finding the right doctor
Ellie was fortunate enough to have been born at the largest, busiest hospital in southern Thailand. Most children born with clubfoot in southern Thailand end up at the Prince of Songkla hospital (Mor Or) and a couple of doctors have become quite specialised. They see lots of cases and understand the treatment.
During the course of Ellie's treatment we met an older child whose feet had not been treated correctly after birth. Consequently there were still problems several years later.
With the Internet these days, it is easy to do a quick search to determine who is the right person to see. In the UK, for example, Dr Irene van der Ploeg seems to be building an excellent reputation for successfully treating clubfoot.
Unfortunately, there aren't that many doctors specialising in clubfoot. We have met parents who have to travel a considerable distance to the hospital where Ellie is treated, and I have even read of people travelling to the United States for treatment.
Treatment
Once upon a time the favoured treatment was surgery. However, evidence suggests that this is not a good solution. If you've been researching clubfoot then you will already have read about the Ponseti Method.
Developed by Dr Ignacio Ponseti at the University of Iowa in the 1950's, this non-surgical technique seems to be the most effective long-term solution. It involves manipulation of the foot by trained doctors or nurses to get the foot straighter and then a plaster cast is applied to the leg from toe to groin to maintain the position.
Further manipulation and new casts are fitted every 5-7 days. The results are quite noticeable even after the first or second treatment. Our doctor told us this treatment would be repeated once a week for three months but other places seem to be able to complete the treatment sooner.
It is recommended that treatment begins within the first couple of weeks of birth. The soft bones of a newborn baby respond well to treatment but the treatment can even work with older children.
It is non-surgical but our doctor has told us that after this initial stage of treatment she will need to perform some minor surgery under local anaesthetic to lengthen Ellie's Achilles tendons. After this operation another set of plaster casts are applied and worn for three weeks.
Once all this is completed the child will need to wear shoes joined together with a brace in order to maintain the position of the corrected feet. Failure to do so could result in the feet turning inwards again.
The special shoes are worn 23 hours a day for the first three months and after that at night time and during naps. For how long in total depends on each individual case. I have heard and read anything between 1 to 4 years.
The two pictures here are of a five year-old girl we met at the clinic. She was born with exactly the same condition as Ellie and was treated by the same doctor who is treating Ellie using the same (Ponseti) method.
Her feet look quite normal now apart from some scarring from operations to lengthen the tendons. She walks perfectly normally and can do all the other things that kids do.
She was a really sweet kid who just smiled all the time and it was good for Bpom to meet her because it dispelled any worries she had of Ellie having a permanent problem. We are both very confident that the treatment will be successful and effective.
Statistics
Getting accurate global statistics is always difficult and these figures are only to give a general idea. Some may nor correlate because they are from different unrelated sources.
The condition appears to affect one child for every 750-1000 born. Depending who you believe, there are 350,000 to 500,000 babies born every day. Roughly 50% of cases are bilateral (both feet). Twice as many babies born with the condition are male.
Other statistics indicate 200,000 occurrences of clubfoot each year in developing countries and 4,000 to 5,000 each year in the United States. Whatever the actual statistics are, you can see that the condition isn't rare and that you definitely aren't alone.
If your first child is born with the condition, there is an approximately 3% chance that your second child will also have the condition. It can also be hereditary.
Awareness before birth
Apparently, the condition starts to show in the first trimester of pregnancy and should show up on ultrasound scans. My wife had both ultrasound and 4D scans and nothing was said so we had no idea until after Ellie was born.
A father on a video I watched on-line said he and his wife knew before the birth of their child and he thought it was a good thing because they were prepared.
My wife took a different view. She said that if she had known during pregnancy she would only have worried a lot and this wouldn't have been good for the child.
Whether you know or not, there is nothing that can be done while the baby is in the womb. Knowing before the birth can therefore be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the parents' views.
Should you tell anyone?
One mother I watched on a video said that she had decided not to tell anyone. She didn't want everyone to be fixated on the problem with her child's feet.
We have told people. If people visit and hold the baby they soon feel her plaster casts and want to know what the problem is.
There is another advantage with telling people.
After telling only about a dozen people, two of my friends told me that one of their children had the same condition. I had no idea. This isn't something people normally talk about unless there is a reason.
When we first knew about Ellie I had never heard of anyone else having the same problem. However, lots of people do and if you are open they will tell you.
Knowing that other people have had problems which were then treated makes you feel a lot better.
Further complications
I haven't seen a single mention of this on the Internet, but our doctor says that babies born with clubfoot can have hip problems later in life. She told us that the two things are often linked.
Once a clubfoot has been treated it is usually shorter and narrower than a normal foot. In the case of a child having the condition with one foot, it is therefore possible that the child will have slightly different size feet after treatment.
Ellie's Diary
I will add to this as and when treatment is carried out.
|
8th March 2011
|
Born
|
|
11th March 2011
|
First manipulation and casts
|
|
15th March 2011
|
Problem with one of the casts so further manipulation and second set of casts
|
|
21st March 2011
|
Ellie had her casts removed today and will have new ones fitted tomorrow. From what I had read on-line, I thought new casts would be fitted immediately after the old ones were removed but this is what our doctor has recommended.
Her feet were looking a lot straighter in the casts but after removal of the casts they turned inwards quite a lot again. At this age her bones are still very soft and malleable.
|
|
22nd March 2011
|
The third set of casts were fitted today after quite a lot of manipulation of the feet. Her feet have been set almost straight in the casts.
She cried a lot through the procedure so I guess she was experiencing pain. It's upsetting to see a newborn have to go through all this but it seems to be a case of 'no pain, no gain'. Getting her feet straight will not be a completely painless experience.
However, once the casts were fitted there were no signs that she was in any pain.
|
|
29th March 2011
|
Today we paid a deposit on a new house which we will move into next year. We took Ellie as there was no one to take care of her.
When the sales staff saw Ellie's legs in casts most of the wanted to know why. One girl knew already because her seven month old niece was born with the condition in one foot and went through the same procedure.
We've been very open with people about Ellie and I have been amazed at how many people know children who were born with feet like this. It is a far more common condition than I first thought.
|
|
30th March 2011
|
The third set of casts were due to be removed today. To save us a trip to the hospital the nurses had suggested removing them ourselves. However, after trying we abandoned this idea and took her to the hospital.
We first soaks her legs in a bath to soften the plaster but the scissors I tried to use weren't up to the task. It would have taken me a long time and I believed there was a high chance of harming the baby.
The nurse in the fracture clinic - using the correct equipment - removed both casts very quickly.
There has been a tremendous improvement already. After removal of the casts her feet were still turned in a little, but only a fraction compared to when she was born.
At this rate I would estimate that after another two or three manipulation sessions and new casts her feet will be almost perfectly straight. The challenge then will be to ensure that they remain straight in the coming years.
|
|
7th April 2011
|
Up until now Ellie has had her casts removed one day and replaced the next. Today was different. She had her casts removed in the morning and replaced six hours later.
She is obviously feeling more pain now and in order to stop her wriggling around while the casts are fitted it has become necessary to sedate her. She hates taking the medicine but it has the desired effect and makes her sleep.
She seems to be making good progress.
The problem only appears to be with her feet and ankles so today I asked the doctor why it is necessary to apply plaster casts all the way up to her groin. There are two reasons.
Firstly, a full cast is more secure and the plaster is less likely to slip. Secondly, the doctor said the problem is more than her feet and ankles because the tibia of each leg is slightly rotated. Full casts will help to strighten all the bones that are rotated.
|
|
12th April 2011
|
Due to the Songkran festival in Songkran this week the session today is five days after the last one. It is normally seven but I saw a doctor on an Internet video describing how replacing the casts every five days can speed up the treatment.
The doctor spends a long time today manipulating her feet. She says that she can now reduce the joints completely. What she will do is over-correct her feet because they always go back once the casts are removed.
In the casts her feet are completely straight now.
The doctor said that correcting the position of the feet isn't too difficult, but the biggest problem is stopping the feet reverting to how they were after the initial correction.
This is why the shoes she will wear later are so important. Also, because the doctor can't be with the child all the time this is why parental care is so important with fixing this condition.
|
|
13th April 2011
|
We had to make an unexpected visit to the hospital day because one cast had slipped and her toes had disappeared. This can cause further problems so the hospital told us to let them know if it is a problem.
Because of the Thai holiday there were no scheduled appointments today and the doctor had to be called in from her day off. The entire staff have been fantastic.
They all have a genuine affection for children and go to great lengths to see that all the kids in the clinic get the best treatment they are capable of giving.
There was only a noticeable problem with one foot but the doctor replaced both casts. When the casts came off, Ellie's foot were almost straight. There has already been a huge improvement since she was born just over a month ago.
|
|
15th April 2011
|
One of Ellie's plaster casts has slipped again. Our doctor isn't around today but she instructs another doctor over the phone.
The cut the casts in half and just put the back half of the casts on her legs wrapped in bandages. It is just a temporary fix until she can see the correct doctor.
|
|
16th April 2011
|
We went back to the hospital again today but the doctor only manipulated Ellie's feet. One foot was quite swollen so the hospital staff applied an ice-pack but no plaster casts were fitted. New ones will be fitted tomorrow.
|
|
17th April 2011
|
More new casts today. All the staff at the hospital now treat Ellie as if she is an old friend whenever she appears.
Bpom and I both feel a bit awkward because we are causing them a lot more work but they keep telling us it isn't a problem. I cannot give enough praise to the doctors and nurses at the hospital.
|
|
19th April 2011
|
Once again the plaster has slipped and Ellie's toes have started to disappear inside. This keeps happening but the nurses tell us it is a good sign because she is strong. She certainly is.
Also, as her feet have started to become straighter it is easier for the plaster to slip. The reasons why we keep having this problem are good signs but all the visits to the hospital are tiring and inconvenient.
Once again, we have to go in the morning to have the casts removed and then again in the afternoon to have new ones fitted. Other people we have spoken to have been removing the casts themselves but I am still concerned about causing Ellie an injury.
The doctor seems to be very satisfied with the overall progress. She can reduce the joints completely now and she wants to perform the operation to lengthen Ellie's Achilles tendons next week.
She said that it is possible to do this under a local anaesthetic but in Ellie's case she thinks a general anaesthetic will be better because - in her words - Ellie is too powerful.
We met a young girl of four months today who has already had the operation. The keyhole surgery the doctor uses leaves virtually no scar.
|
|
22nd April 2011
|
Another long day at the hospital today but Ellie only had her casts removed and had some manipulation on her feet. The doctor put new casts on but then removed them because she wasn't happy.
The nurses tried cutting the casts in half and just using the rear half secured with elasticated bandages but that idea didn't work either.
The operation to lengthen Ellie's Achilles tendons has been confirmed for this coming Monday and she will now have a few days without having to wear casts. Instead, we will just manipulate her feet at home.
As the photo below shows, her feet are getting straighter all the time.
|
|
24th April 2011
|
Ellie was admitted to hospital today where she will spend the night with her Mum before having the operation to lengthen her Achilles tendons tomorrow. I will stay at home tonight and look after the cats.
My biggest concern is the general anaesthetic. The doctor normally performs this operation under a local anaesthetic but Ellie is strong, difficult to control, and wriggles around a lot. The doctor thinks that knocking her out completely will be better.
This operation is normally performed at the age of three months if the child started having treatment straight away after birth. Ellie will be seven weeks old on Tuesday and it is the first time the doctor has done this operation on a child her age.
The doctor visited today, as did the anaesthetist, as did one of Ellie's regular clinic nurses on her day off. I'm not sure that the hospital staff normally make a point of visiting patients on their day off but quite a few have taken a shine to Ellie and make a fuss of her whenever she goes in for manipulation and new casts.
|
|
25th April 2011
|
Ellie went into the operating theatre around 9am and we got to see her around 11:30am after a very anxious wait. She had big, heavy casts on her legs and ice gel packs on her feet to reduce the swelling.
As parents it is really tough for me and Bpom to see what she is going through but it is the only way. Without treatment she wouldn't be able to lead a normal life and that isn't an option.
She is making good progress and everything is ahead of schedule. Compared to how her feet were when she was first born, they are now in almost the correct position.
Some more manipulation and casting will get them right and then the special shoes with braces will prevent them from turning inwards again. It's not easy for us, her, or the medical staff but it's the only way.
|
|
28th April 2011
|
Ellie's casts were removed today, just a few days after her operation. The difference in her feet now compared to when she was first born is nothing short of remarkable. Her feet are almost normal now. There is some loose skin from where the position of her feet has changed so much but this should disappear as she grows.
The only evidence of her surgery is a tiny mark on each heel. The surgeon used a knife that was only about 2mm wide to perform the keyhole surgery. Under normal circumstances no one will ever notice.
Her feet were already getting straighter and now the lateral position of her feet is a lot better. She has reached this stage in less than two months.
I spoke to one of the doctors today and she told me that Ellie's condition is very mild. Apart from her feet being in the wrong position she didn't have any other problems when she was born. Her muscle tone is excellent - indeed, she has a lot of strength in her legs.
Some children born with clubfeet can have poor muscle tone and other problems which make treatment a lot more difficult.
One theory for Ellie's problem is that Ellie was lazy in the womb and didn't move around enough. During Bpom's pregnancy her stomach was very tight at times and she thinks that maybe it was impossible for Ellie to move. I don't think anyone really knows.
|
|
1st May 2011
|
One of Ellie's casts worked loose again (as seems to happen every time) so we went to the hospital to get it removed. The other cast was left in place.
|
|
2nd May 2011
|
Back to the hospital again for two more new casts. The doctor won't be available now for about a week. Our next appointment is on the 10th but I suspect that one or both casts will work loose before then.
|
|
10th May 2011
|
The casts didn't slip and Ellie's appointment is on schedule. I'm in Bangkok so Bpom is taking care of everything with some friends,
She and a friend removed Ellie's casts this morning. Other parents do this but I don't like to for fear of doing damage to Ellie's legs. Bpom tells me her feet look a lot better.
In the evening new casts are fitted. Bpom says her feet are almost normal. These casts will be worn for two weeks and possibly there will only be one set of casts after this before we go into the special shoe stage.
The doctor told Bpom today that once she is out of casts it is important for us to massage Ellie's feet every day and give her a lot of care otherwise she will need more casts.
Everything continues to progress very well.
|
|
18th May 2011
|
Bpom is getting quite good at removing the plaster casts. She did so again this morning and was delighted that Ellie was able to wear socks. We bought socks before she was born but of course she hasn't been able to wear them. Her feet look almost perfect now.
|
|
19th May 2011
|
More new casts today
|
|
20th May 2011
|
One cast has slipped, yet again, so it is back to the hospital. Our visits to the hospital should be once a week but because this keeps happening we have been going a lot more frequently.
|
|
24th June 2011
|
I've been busy and haven't had a chance to make updates here but Ellie's progress is still going well and she has been wearing the plastic shoes quite a lot recently as opposed to plaster casts.
We visited the hospital again today. Ellie has outgrown her shoes and they need to be adjusted. She also had more casts fitted today as her feet still aren't quite right. They are just short casts, below her knee, and there is a plastic bar connecting both casts. She is due to wear them for a week.
|
|
25th June 2011
|
This morning we found that Ellie had worked one cast loose already. This happens so often. Bpom has become quite adept at removing the casts herself and she does so again today.
|
|
27th June 2011
|
The hospital adjusted Ellie's plastic shoes today. They needed to be wider and they can be adjusted after heat is applied. Ellie is due back at the hospital tomorrow for yet another set of casts.
|
|
28th June 2011
|
The doctor knows that ideally more casts are needed, but she also knows that Ellie will shake them loose in no time.
Some children born with clubfeet have other problems and their muscle tone isn't very strong. Ellie's problem was purely the position of her feet and everything else is fine. She is strong, and at times a little too strong.
Because of the problem we know we will have with casts she will just wear the plastic shoes to keep her feet in place. These will be worn all the time, apart from bath time.
We have also been instructed to massage her feet regularly. Her feet need to be stretched and also bent outwards.
|
|
8th July 2011
|
We went back to the hospital today but was given the same advice. Ellie continues to wear her plastic shoes virtually all the time and we massage her feet frequently.
The tendons and other bits in her feet are quite short, thus causing her to clench her toes. We are attempting to stretch and lengthen her feet into the correct position.
Her feet are very soft and flexible and we hope that wearing the shoes plus frequent manipulation will get her feet into the correct shape eventually.
|
|
7th October 2011
|
Last time we spoke to the doctor she talked about applying soft casts. These are more like bandages, rather than the plaster casts Ellie has worn before.
Today she changed her mind. She said that Ellies feet are soft and soft casts aren't necessary. She simply told us to continue manipulating Ellie's feet and to return in three months time.
She also mentioned that when Ellie was ready to walk she would need a different kind of special shoe. The plastic shoes she wears at night now won't allow her to walk. The other kind will support her feet while allowing her to walk.
|
|
10th October 2011
|
Ellie had new plastic shoes made today. The old ones were modified a couple of times as her feet grew but they couldn't be modified any further.
|
|
5th March 2012
|
This is a long overdue update. After a fairly satisfactory start at the local hospital, it all started to go wrong.
They stopped manipulating Ellie's feet and applying casts before her feet had been corrected. I don't know why. Every time I was expecting them to do more they told us that nothing further was necessary.
They couldn't source the correct Ponseti shoes, which I understand are essential, and were attempting to make shoes at the hospital. They were trying to use these shoes to correct the problem, but shoes are only worn after the problem has been corrected to prevent the problem reoccurring.
I was getting frustrated and worried. My brother in Singapore tracked down a doctor there and I sent him some photos. Here is his response: "She still has residual adduction and supination feet deformities. Use of the splints is not the correct method to achieve forefoot correction"
I was about to take Ellie down to Singapore but thought I would first try to find another doctor in Thailand.
I located Dr. Amnuay Jirasirikul in Bangkok. Some further reading described how he studied under Dr Ponseti and is Thailand's leading doctor for the treatment of club foot.
I found some very positive comments about him online and contacted him via e-mail. He gave me the phone number of another Englishman living in Thailand whose son was born with the same condition.
I called him and he spoke very positively about Dr Amnuay. The doctor works at a couple of private hospitals in Bangkok, as well as a public one. Today we went to see him at Ramathibodi, the public hospital.
He looked at Ellie's feet and told us that she would need up to three more manipulations and castings. He did the first one today and our next appointment is in three weeks.
|
|
26th March 2012
|
Dr Amnuay removed the casts, did more manipulation, and applied further casts today. He told us to make another appointment for three weeks but because of a Thai holiday it will be four weeks.
He also arranged an X-Ray of Ellie's feet today, the first time this has happened. The heel bone in one foot is pointing down, indicating that the heel cord is too short and needs lengthening.
He thinks he will need to operate but will decide on our next visit. He doesn't seem sure at the moment whether to operate on one or both feet.
Ellie's feet are looking straighter but we still have a way to go.
He measured her feet for the Ponseti shoes and agreed to order these himself so that they are ready immediately after her feet have been corrected.
|
Photos
I normally photograph everything but what I don't have are any photos of Ellie's feet just after she was born before treatment started. This is strange.
As parents, both my wife and I were shocked and quite devastated after the birth. All we could think about was getting her to a doctor to start treatment. I think that subconsciously I just wanted to erase the memories of Ellie's twisted feet from my mind and that taking photos would not allow me to do this.
|
8th March 2011
This is the only photo we have of Ellie's feet on the day she was born. It was taken with my wife's mobile phone. The quality isn't good but you can get some idea of how deformed her feet were when she entered the world.
We were both very concerned ... to say the least. One foot was turned in by about 90° and the other by about 100°.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
11th March 2011
Ellie at three days old having the first set of plaster casts fitted. She cried a little but settled down after her Mum fed her.
The first part of the treatment is manipulation of the feet to get them straighter. Casts are then fitted to maintain the position.
The casts are fitted from toe to groin and the knee is set at an angle of about 90 degrees.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
21st March 2011
These are the second set of casts and already there is a big improvement. At birth one foot was turned at 90 degrees and the other 100 degrees. Already, they are nearly straight.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
21st March 2011
The nurses are using an electric plaster cutter to remove the casts. One source I read said that this shouldn't be done because it can cause distress to the child. I found at least one story of a child dying after the removal of a cast: Anxiety reaction in children during removal of their plaster cast with a saw
However, it doesn't seem to cause a problem.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
22nd March 2011
Immediately after removal of the casts her feet were a lot straighter but then they started to turn inwards again. Her natural tendency is to pull her feet in. I think this is normal. Her bones are very soft and it will take several years for her bones to harden and her feet to remain straight.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
30th March 2011
After removing the third set of casts, Ellie's feet were noticeably straighter. In the photo above this one you can see that the angle her feet were to her legs just eight days ago was a lot more pronounced. This is definitely not the case now. It won't be long now until they are straight.
Once the casts are removed she still has a tendency to twist her feet inwards and because her bones are still soft they start to revert to how they were. This is quite normal but it is something that will improve with time.
Her feet don't have much up and down movement which I believe is a result of her Achilles tendons being too short. After three months of manipulation and plaster casts she will have a small operation to lengthen the tendons and this should improve matters.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
13th April 2011
We continue to see big improvements every week, as shown in this series of photos. Her feet can be manipulated so that they are perfectly straight and they remain straight in the plaster casts. When the casts come off they go back, but each time they go back less.
Her feet still have very little up and down movement but the operation coming later to lengthen her Achilles tendons will improve this.
I think her feet will end up being very small but small, cute feet look better than huge, ugly plates of meat so it's not a problem.
At least her feet will be the same size. We have met a number of children at the clinic who have the condition with one foot and the affected foot is noticeably smaller than the normal foot. Ellie shouldn't have any trouble buying shoes later in life, apart from the fact she may not always be able to get shoes small enough.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
19th April 2011
Another child at the clinic had a set of the special shoes that are used after the plaster cast and manipulation stage to prevent the feet from turning in again.
I understand that these are worn for 23 hours a day for the first three months or so and after that just when the child is sleeping and napping.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
19th April 2011
Today there were four newborn babies in the clinic all with clubfeet. One was born an hour or two after Ellie. This condition is far more common than most people probably realise. I had no idea how common it was before our experience with Ellie.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
22nd April 2011
More manipulation today and straighter feet every time.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
25th April 2011
Ellie had the surgery today to lengthen her Achilles tendons. We waited very anxiously outside the operating theatre for a couple of hours while she had the surgery and more casts fitted.
After the Achilles tendons were lengthened, the plaster casts were set to stretch the tendons and put her feet in a more natural up/down position. These casts will be changed every 1-2 weeks and she will wear then for two months.
With her feet now at more of a natural angle to her leg the casts shouldn't slip, as they were doing before.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
25th April 2011
The poor kid has had a rotten start to life. She isn't even seven weeks old yet and she has spent as much time at the hospital as she has at home. She's had her legs bent, stretched and put in plaster. Today she had ice gel packs applied to her feet to reduce the swelling and needles stuck in her arm where they gave her a saline drip and also took blood samples.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
25th April 2011
The doctor who is carrying out Ellie's treatment (and who did the surgery today) came to check up on her in the afternoon. She wasn't all that forthcoming but seems to be satisfied with how the surgery went. She made the comment that it was more difficult today than usual.
She keeps saying that Ellie is very strong. It makes treating her more difficult but I'm sure her strength will also be an advantage.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
25th April 2011
The big operating theatre at the Prince of Songkla Nakarin hospital in Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
28th April 2011
Ellie's feet just after removal of her casts after the tendon lengthening operation. Her feet and legs are a little red but the position of her feet is now almost normal.
We think it will take another two or three casts to get the feet in the right position and then it will just be a case of her wearing the spcial shoes to maintain the position.
We are both very pleased with the progress so far and amazed how quickly the treatment is working.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
10th October 2011
Ellie had new plastic shoes fitted today as she had outgrown the old ones. The hospital technician first measures her feet and then cuts out the basic shape from a flat piece of plastic.
The plastic is softened in hot water until it can be manipulated easily. The two shoes are held together using an aluminium brace. She wears these at night and during daytime naps.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
5th March 2012
Dr Amnuay Jirasirikul fitting more casts at Ramathibodi hospital in Bangkok. If your child is born with clubfeet in Thailand, regardless of where you are, I would recommend seeing this doctor in Bangkok.
The condition is quite treatable, but the doctor needs highly specialised skills. Unfortunately, many doctors in provincial Thailand don't have the required skills or experience.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
5th March 2012
Yet more casts.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
|
26th March 2012
But straighter feet.
Click on photo for a larger image.
|
| 
