Saturday, May 16, 2009

Next Phase

IMG_1212 Allie will wear these braces for the next four months. These are called HKAFO's; that is Hip-Knee-Ankle-Foot-Orthosis. We thought maneuvering her in a cast was tough. That was a cake-walk compared to our new setup. Allie weighs much more in this contraption than she did in the cast (she probably weighs more than you did before your last diet). And she still has to wear this thing 24/7.

I have to tell you: we were not expecting this. We were told that Allie would wear braces, but from the knee down. We lost it when we saw Jeff The Braces Guy bring this monstrosity out.

I usually try to be upbeat in these posts, but I am not at all upbeat about this. This is depressing. Enough already.

The good news is we are able to take Allie out of her braces to give her a bath IMG_1214and today I plan on taking her up to the pool for a dip. That should be fun. She can also come out of it at physical therapy when Dancer Joan works her magic on her.

But she has to sleep in this set up and that's hard. She's more comfortable in this than the cast, but she has to constantly be adjusted through the night because she can't roll herself over. So we constantly give her the old heave-ho all night to keep her from cramping up and getting sore. Don't worry; we've gotten use to not sleeping through the night over the past two years.

Allie is doing much better through all this than we are. One thing the medical professionals have continually said is that children are amazingly resilient. It's the parents that panic and freak out most. But these braces conjure up childhood memories of the Dark Side of the Force. I'm pretty convinced that these braces are manufactured by the same evil corporation that assembles uniforms for Darth Vader's Storm Troopers, protectors of the Death Star.

 

stormtrooper

3 comments:

Vicki Small said...

Four months. Wow.

Okay, here's a tough one: With a narrow choice between having Allie in these braces and the serious inconviences to you guys, and not having her in any cast or braces but screaming for several hours a day and night, which would you take?

I know...seriously...neither of the above. I'm so sorry. Lord God, please have mercy on Bryon and Susan and give them what they need to endure this phase, through your awesome presence.

Pastor Pat said...

Bro, I can't tell you how deeply moved I am by the commitment you and Susan have made to love and care for this precious little girl 24/7. It's a huge strain being just a part-time care giver, but you guys are pouring your heart and life and spirit into Allie and as exhausted as you may be, God is beaming, because you are reflecting His Son thru your loving, sacrificial,
character. Press on in His strength and joy! Pat

Unknown said...

Hi my name is Alyce tracy and my son who is 18 mouths old we wear just told yesterday that he had Blount's Disease and has to have the Braces HKAFO this is all new to me i though he just had bowed legs and would grow out of it. it would me nice to talk to you about it if you can email me @ yiskahtracy@gmail.com