Mason had surgery two days ago and is feeling much better today. So much better that he's already belly crawling all over the floor, has figured out how to sit himself up despite the mermaid wrap on his legs, and is becoming quite annoyed with my reminders to lay down. One thing he loved this morning was having a picnic breakfast. It worked much better to do this on the floor than on the couch.
He played with playdoh for quite a while and I'm still finding bits of it on the floor. He also played upstairs in the bedroom with some of his siblings but it's harder to belly crawl on the carpet up there.
Today's quandary: How can I protect his toes from the floor when he's on his belly playing and eating? They stick out the ends of the casts and they way the brace holds him they point straight down to the floor. Then he moves with his arms and they are dragged, bent, and scraped along awkwardly. Of course he can't feel it at all, so he doesn't know if he's hurting them or not. I tried putting socks on but really they don't provide much in the way of padding. We'll play around with it. I also have tried rolling up a towel or blanket under his ankles when he's just laying in one general spot eating, drawing, or playing with playdoh. It even slides along with him for a bit on the wood floors, but not at all on the carpets.
Mason is napping right now, which is why I can blog for a bit. He has asked for his wheelchair 8 times so far.
Hi, my name is Mary. I found your blog while trying to learn more about spina bifida. I have a 3 month old foster child with this, T12. Thanks for posting all this valuable information.I have had several other foster children with clubfeet, though, and have used socks A LOT over casts. Could you stuff cotton or another small sock in the bottom of the sock you put on over his cast? would that give the padding you need for toes?
ReplyDeleteCan someone make a padded dolly that is long enough for Mason to lay on and with wheels that are just high enough to keep his feet off the floor while allowing him to push with his hands on the floor? I can remember a child at my church moving on one after hip surgery.
ReplyDeletePlastic yogurt or sour cream containers? Find the right size that leaves toe room and stops at the ankles and tape them on. They should slide pretty well, too. A pillow under his torso might give his elbows a little rest, too. He'll need elbow pads if he's up on them for long.
ReplyDeleteBranching off of Goodie Girl, what about a skateboard with padding?
ReplyDeleteI like the idea with the yogurt containers... This really could work.
ReplyDeleteThough I think Mason might be to active and they may fall off.
I'm thinking of getting my daughter this:
http://www.amazon.com/Floor-Surfer-Roller-Board-Therapy/dp/B009V3G5UQ
Other (cheaper) roller boards don't seem to be save enough for her.
(She fell of one in physiotherapy last week)
As for elbow pads:
My daughter has been moving on her elbows quite a lot for nearly 2 years now and never hurt herself...
Elbow pads would limit her.
If it's in the sensible area it's not that much of a problem...
All the best for Mason
Greetings from Germany
Steffi with Amaya