Cast free, Bracing for walking.

It has been a while since I have posted, family and work life has been stressful but not for hip reasons.

Squeaky is doing really well. The cast came off over four months ago. It was a day that proved to be tough but wonderful. He was very mobile in the cast and had got crawling in it down to a fine art.

We arrived to the clinic and of course there was the x-ray. Then into see Ms Bijlsma. She was very pleased with the position of the hip but the socket is still a little shallow. This meant while we were there Derek the Plaster Technician would be fitting Squeaky for an Abduction Brace to be worn at night (and naps but we agreed that the poor childminders could have a break) for three months.

Ms Bijlsma

Ms Bijlsma added her note to his cast and we went to get the cast off. We had headphones and a phone loaded with “Hey Duggee” music clips and two parents trying to make it as easy as possible. It was not as bad as previous times as the novelty of the having the phone given to him was a difficult thing to ignore. He was still very upset but that first cast free cuddle was wonderful, the weight difference was astounding.


Derek told us that Squeaky would be stiff and his skin would require extra attention for a while. His skin was discoloured and flaky, the likes from the plaster liner clear on his skin. He also was very smelly. As was the cast, which we took home!

Skin after the cast came off.

That evening after a long warm bath with his Dad, Squeaky tried crawling, such a little champion and determined.

We will not miss the plaster; it was the hardest part of this process so far, hard physically and mentally. Best core exercise I have ever done but draining. He has a longish scar to show for it and hopefully that is all!

We began bracing straight away, we have had a couple of nights where he got uncomfortable or it was way too hot to contemplate the long PG trousers
Over the next few days he started to commando crawl and gaining strength to crawl “properly”.
Over the past months he has moved from crawling to standing to confident cruising to toddling with something to push.
 At three months after the cast we had another check up with x-rays. The angles are slowly getting better but Ms Bijlsma wants him in the brace for another three months. She also felt that shoes would be a good idea to help with walking. He is 18 months old now, a little behind his peers but we are not concerned with that, he has moved from complete relearning crawling to cruising in three months.


Walking will put pressure in the hip too and help with the angles and forming the ball of his hip.
We are not out of the woods yet but we are getting there, next solid walking in his new shoes and running for the edge of the woods.

The final stretch

We are over three quarters of the way through this plaster journey.
I will admit to being well over the plaster. It is heavy and awkward; it is taking a physical toll on both Mr Gin and me. Mr Gin’s back is suffering and my hands are painful. The positive notes are Mr Gin’s biceps are bigger and I can do 30 second planks.

Squeaky himself is amazing and very resilient; he is crawling, commando style in the cast and getting into all manner of fun. We have started child proofing our cluttered older parents’ home. Moving all manner of bits and pieces and putting them away from prying and curious fingers. He also has recently learnt to flip himself from his belly to back, so strong!

We have found the whole thing a steep learning curve and were very thankful for those who shared their knowledge with us; we are passing on what worked for us.

Smell and nappies.

Leaks of wee are unavoidable, having a boy I think even more so.  Having use cloth nappies before this I found the waste hard! It took us a while to work out the size of nappy we needed. He was a size 4 and we started with 2s but settled for 3s when the swelling came down. Tip one is don’t buy nappies in bulk until you are sure you have the right size, too small or big both cause leaks.

When we had lots of leaks we were recommended adding extra absorbency through sanitary napkins or incontinence pads. This was not something I was keen to do, more waste and cost! We found we could add our cloth nappy boosters into the disposable nappies. I was thrilled with this as it solved our overnight night leaks along with waking him just before we went to bed for a nappy change and no longer offering bottle at night wake ups.  We also have the cot on a gentle angle at the recommendation of the hospital.

As Squeaky is a lad we discovered that making sure his bits pointed down was vital after a couple of astounding leaks. When you have to push the nappy up into the cast it is easy to drag his bits with it. This leads to weird situations and questions you never though you would ask your beloved when doing two handed nappy changes.

So, you can imagine the spica cast began to stink as we learnt all the tricks; we use febreze and Teatree oil to mask the smells. We have an added issue that Squeaky is scared of a hair dryer so we can’t dry it out like that. We mop up with dry flannels and then spray febreze on the nappies and Teatree on the damp cast. Tea tree oil is antibacterial so helps a lot.

We came home with a second disposable nappy on the outside and I quickly bought second hand cloth nappy wraps that have served us well keeping in the tucked in disposable in place. And of course they get febreze too!

Play and sitting.
We started with beanbags for sitting before Squeaky had his surgery and found them very helpful but difficult for him to play in. We got some lap trays but they are proved to be a little tough for a one year old. We still use the beanbags although we have to be careful of him wiggling out of it and flipping himself!

We have a cot mattress for the floor that makes it easier for him to lie on his tummy and he napped on early in the process but we have not used it that much.

What we have used a lot is a Spica Chair that we hired. Many people have one that family have made, we had a look on eBay for second hand one but there was none. The Royal London had a pamphlet with a link to the Smirthwaite Company who has a hire scheme. They are British owned company who make an astounding range of chairs and stuff for people with special needs. The chair has meant Squeaky can sit and play and  be comfortable (until he tips himself sideways!) It has been a boon since he started crawling as he can be contained for periods. I love to take it in the kitchen while I cook. I put his pots and pans on the table and he is chatty and throws them off when he thinks I’m ignoring him. It wasn’t cheap but it was half the price of buying one.

When we bought a high chair we researched one that would work for the Spica Cast, it is Joie Mimzie and it has worked well for us. Out and about we use a knee. There really are no other options and we cope fine with that.

Sleeping

Squeaky is a tummy sleeper and when he came out of surgery it became clear that we needed to get him comfortable and on his belly meant a lot of propping up with towels and blankets. When home that moved onto an Ikea pillow but it was a bit narrow. We used a variety of different things and it became clear they were all lacking, so I got crafty and made a pillow. A sort of Y shaped one. This has served us very well, it is narrow enough that his legs can hang and his tummy  supported and wide at the top for cuddling the pillow, it is not dissimilar to the way he sleeps on his parents.

I also looked at Sleeping bags for Spica casts and decided it was not a cost I could justify for three months so drafted a pattern and made one myself. Not pretty but it works!
We also have raised his cot to newborn level as he can’t sit to save our backs.

Clothing

We got given some Hip pose Tracksuit pants that are designed for Spica casts, for which I was very grateful for. With help from a friend I made a pattern and made some more exciting ones from cord and Jersey.  (Also I have had to repair the knees from Crawling.) We also have two dresses, dresses are awesome and great for nappy changes and show off his cute nappy covers! We used dresses in his Palvik and we were keen to do it again.
We also tried Marks and Spencer's Palvik trousers but they don’t go big enough for a cast but the high legged body suits are perfect and don’t stretch the legs. We also used body suit extenders on our normal bodysuits.

My only other hints are reach out for support, find people on line, talk to your friends, take your kid out, be prepared to explain the cast but get out. Take photos, I have written a hip journal for Squeaky in his future as my mum cannot remember my journey.   It is hard work, physically and emotionally and Mr Gin are looking forward to the end of it.

Half way there.

Written a week ago...

I'm currently on a London bus with Squeaky and Mr Gin. 

We are off to the Royal London Hospital for the cast change. The end is nigh for our purple cast. It is good it is going. Squeaky is growing fast and it is obviously getting too small. His belly button was hidden when he first went in it. Now it clear of the top of the cast.

It has been a journey. It took two weeks for all of us to settle into a routine with the cast. It was not dissimilar to the first few weeks after he was born, sleepless nights and tears all round.

The shining light through those days was the check up after the operation. Ms Bijlsma was very pleased. So pleased, she waited at the door of her office to tell us it looked good. The x-ray shows the ball in a good position. The socket looks a bit shallow, so there is a possibility of a brace after. Only at night though.

The cast has been a learning experience at a very quick rate. It took a lot of nappies to sort out the right size. The swelling created issues to begin with. We also had a number of leaks. The general advice it to use a hair dryer to dry the cast. That was okay except Squeaky is terrified of noise, hysterical crying and shaking.

This has meant we have had to make do with flannels to soak most of the wee. This lead to smells and a two pronged attack of tea tree oil and a popular fabric deodorising spray. It still smells. So glad to see it go.

Later in the day:

The cast has been changed. Squeaky did well, he has very little reaction to a general anesthetic besides wanting cuddles and sleep. He is such a resilient kid, it makes me so proud. He was much better once he had some snacks.

Annoyingly the opening for his nappy was right over his bits which meant a trip to see the lovely plaster technician, Derek. He made the hole bigger but it is still awkward. Also the cast is white. Meh.

We were finished by lunch and as we had all been awake since 5 am breakfast was long ago so we headed to the restaurant. Squeaky and I shared lunch with him perched on my knee as we ate shepherd's pie. High chairs out just don't work.

We headed home, Squeaky with his pristine cast and Mr Gin and I relieved we are on the downward stretch of this journey.