Casting-Week 1
“With this new day comes new strength and new thoughts”
The Monday after the snowpocalypse, the orthopedic team made us a priority for an appointment. We were scheduled for both physical therapy and casting immediately. When the appointments were made, I was anxious and uneasy. I would have much preferred time to prepare both Elliott and me for whatever change was coming our way.
However, casting is scheduled for two weeks post-Botox. This is when the Botox is most effective, the muscles are loose, and the leg is most malleable. At this point, we were three weeks past Botox, and I was nervous we were going to have to start the process all over again.
So I felt a mix of emotions:
1) Like we were getting thrown into the lion’s den, after a previously insane week.
2) Grateful that we didn't have to wait longer and have even more delays.
The yin and yang of emotions continue, constantly.
At his PT appointment, the physical therapist measured the flexibility of his foot. At his appointment right after Botox, she could only get his foot to a neutral position. At this appointment, she was able to get him 10 degrees past neutral — this was great news & the Botox had done its job!!
Whew! On to casting...
We left her office and headed straight to the orthopedist. I did my usual prep talk with Elliott in the car, though, truthfully, I had no clue what to expect. I was mostly trying to get him really pumped for the color of the cast and told him that he wouldn't be able to take it off.
He had said in the car that he wanted his favorite color, orange. Once in the doctor’s office, he threw me for a complete loop and changed his mind to the color purple. He was VERY excited about it. Power purple it is.
The casting process was fairly simple. Elliott sat on my lap while the doctor held his foot in the position he wanted it. The tech took a sock and put it on his right leg, up to just under his knee. He wrapped a thick layer of cotton padding around the sock before putting on the cast. The whole process took about 10 minutes, and Elliott was more fascinated than anything. He didn't move much, and we both just sat and watched as the casting material hardened in a matter of seconds.
When they were done, they gave him a little shoe for his casted foot, and I kid you not, Elliott got off my lap and started walking like nothing had changed.
The doctor even said,
"Man, this kid is pretty like-able, huh?"
To which I responded,
"Impossible not to love."
We all started laughing as Elliott marched his cute little butt right out the office.
I must have had an undeniable look on my face that the doctor was used to seeing in these situations, because he turned to me and said,
"He will get used to this much quicker than you will, Momma, but you've got this."
He was right.
It took Elliott a solid 35 seconds to get used to this new normal. Both Nathan and I adjusted faster than we thought we would, although some days I feel like I am still working on it, and other days feel like a breeze. Seeing his resilience, though, gives me so much strength.
It is mind-boggling to me how adaptable kids are to their surroundings. Even more mind-boggling to me is how much joy Elliott continues to have in his life, no matter the circumstance.
Sticking with the fun traditions throughout this journey, we thought it would be fun to have him color his cast and have friends sign it. He was thrilled with the idea, and we will keep that going with each new cast.
Moving forward, the plan is to get fitted for a new cast every week. This means new colors and a way for me to keep this as interesting as possible for him! ;)
At these weekly appointments, the doctor will check on his progress and move and stretch his leg. It's all a fluid timeline at this point, and we just keep watching how quickly Elliott's body adapts to the measures we are taking. For now, we plan about four weeks of casting, followed by an AFO brace. The brace will be removable, but he will wear it daily.
The journey of our lil warrior continues, and he, of course, lives up to every last bit of that nickname.
