Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Adventures with Serial Casting

Brennen had botox injections a couple of weeks ago, which I wrote about HERE.

The botox helped to reduce the tone and muscle tightness in his left leg, which had become a bit of an issue and was causing his legs to pull to one side, putting his hip at risk of dislocating (once again). 

Since then, he has been undergoing serial casting to hold and stretch the muscles in his leg, and to correct a turn in his foot that had become quite pronounced. The casts hold his foot and leg in a position where the muscle has a slight amount of tension, causing it to adjust and become longer and more flexible. With serial casting, a new cast is applied each week, with the angle being changed slightly to stretch the muscles and move the joint a little closer to the correct position.

We know that Brennen will never walk or bear weight through his legs, but we want to do everything we can to promote his highest level of function. Serial casting will improve his passive range of motion, and will decrease the risk of him needing further corrective surgeries down the road.


He had one week with the purple cast (that he picked out himself!), then a second week with a shiny green cast. Other than scratching up his 'free' leg, the casts don't seem to bother him at all! We have been out on the go and Brennen has been quite happy!


We took a walk around Quidi Vidi the other day, and just had to stop for lunch at the new QVFC - Quidi Vidi Fish and Chips truck! 
Oh my God, you guys. The "Iceberg Beer Battered Cod" is to die for!!


So, we are pretty sure this will be the last week of casting. Brennen will get his cast off on Wednesday, and have a new AFO made to hold his foot in an aligned position, and to keep the flexibility that was gained by serial casting. We also have a fancy new hip abduction pillow that he uses at night to keep his legs apart. Fun stuff.

I have to say that even with all of the appointments and casts and botox and seizures, and everything else that comes along with having a child with a complex disability, we have been enjoying the summer, and making the most of the time we have to spend together before Brennen goes back to school in a couple of weeks! It's been nice to relax a little bit these past few days. We get so caught up in the craziness of our lives - the constant pressures, the demands of our children, and the accumulation of many little stresses that can make things start to seem really hard and out of control, it's easy to forget that much of life is actually not so hard! It's days like this one, spent enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures and a leisurely stroll around the most beautiful neighbourhood that brings us a welcome reminder of that balance - the good and the ugly, the hard and the easy. It's a complicated mix, and the weight of everything in life is constantly shifting. We are in constant motion, tipping the scales and readjusting, but the love we feel for our family is an overpowering force and things always have a way of balancing out in the end.

There are so many fulfilling moments in between the madness, and here is the truth: I love my life because it has an abundance of both.

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