Cast 2.0!
Two months flew by and Salem got her second cast Wednesday. As a reminder, her doctor is trying out a new waterproof material that you can read more about here on my post about her first cast.
With my due date quickly approaching for baby #2 and a lot of my leave already exhausted, I had decided a while back that I would not attend this casting. The plan was for Brandon and his mom to take Salem. They wouldn't have to stay the night this time so it was expected to be a quick trip, as we are only about 2 hours from Children's Hospital in New Orleans.
I was thankful that his mom was going for added support, and my 12-year-old niece ended up going as well. However, I was still sad about not going. I had her diaper bag packed with anything I thought she would need or be comforted by. I woke up the night before at a quarter to midnight, the latest she could have food, to give her a fruit pouch. By the time 3:00am rolled around, I was up again with everyone as they prepared to leave, as arrival time at the hospital was 5:30am.
Of course I knew Salem would be just fine with Brandon there and that he would also address everything we had planned to ask this time around. But I still gave him a list of questions - partially because I am a little bit of a control freak and partially because of my crazy pregnancy emotions. I wanted to know if the manufacturer of the material showed any interest in making bigger sizes, if he would taper the top more, if they needed to flare the bottom after the procedure, if I could get the X-ray, etc. I just wanted to make sure.
Turns out, they have used this new waterproof material on a few other kids after Salem's first cast, and she was only the second with it at that time. This is good news for them of course but also good news for us because the team has since found a few better ways to work with the material. Her procedure was a little quicker than last time, and her second cast came with upgrades! Practice makes perfect right?
Here are some details on the new specs:
(see pics of the first cast at the very bottom)
I had forgotten that Dr. Accousti had said last time that he actually doubled the material and wanted to try just one layer this time (it's like a sleeve). So as a result, it's a little slimmer. Also, this allowed him to taper the top more, making her look less bulky, but I can still stick my fingertips inside. She's a little lighter, and I think she can tell too, judging from how fast she flies around the hallway corner with her push toy now.
The waterproof liner now folds over the top and the bottom. Last time, the bottom was wrapped in hy-tape, we applied moleskin over that right by her belly and it had to be flared out a bit. That area did get irritated a little, and we had changed the moleskin a few times over the two months. However, her chest and under her arms where the liner touched her skin were never irritated. So I think this will be better. Speaking of her skin, the doctor told my husband that her skin underneath the cast was in great condition. Also, the bottom looks like it doesn't push inward like the last one, so there was no need to flare it away from her tummy. All good news!
Other than that, there's still a little hollowed out space for her tummy. They want us to come back in two months, which is good because I don't think she'll make it to three. They were able to manipulate her spine to under 10 degrees, see all the X-rays below. I didn't get an exact number but it looks great!
Lastly, I asked how communication with the cast material manufacturer was going. If you remember, they were only making these to fit arms and legs at the time, and we wanted to put this new opportunity on their radar in hopes they would begin to make larger sizes. The doctor said they are still talking with them but that they are currently making hip casts that extend from the legs up into the torso. So he plans on cutting the extra material used for the legs and just using the torso material in castings like Salem's for now. I feel like it's moving in the right direction, but I will also be following up again soon with this.
Thanks again everyone for your prayers and encouragement! Salem is still as happy as can be, her spine is growing straighter in there and we couldn't be happier. Hope to update again soon, enjoy the pics below!
p.s.- kudos to Brandon for being an awesome hubby and daddy :)
Jenny
With my due date quickly approaching for baby #2 and a lot of my leave already exhausted, I had decided a while back that I would not attend this casting. The plan was for Brandon and his mom to take Salem. They wouldn't have to stay the night this time so it was expected to be a quick trip, as we are only about 2 hours from Children's Hospital in New Orleans.
I was thankful that his mom was going for added support, and my 12-year-old niece ended up going as well. However, I was still sad about not going. I had her diaper bag packed with anything I thought she would need or be comforted by. I woke up the night before at a quarter to midnight, the latest she could have food, to give her a fruit pouch. By the time 3:00am rolled around, I was up again with everyone as they prepared to leave, as arrival time at the hospital was 5:30am.
Of course I knew Salem would be just fine with Brandon there and that he would also address everything we had planned to ask this time around. But I still gave him a list of questions - partially because I am a little bit of a control freak and partially because of my crazy pregnancy emotions. I wanted to know if the manufacturer of the material showed any interest in making bigger sizes, if he would taper the top more, if they needed to flare the bottom after the procedure, if I could get the X-ray, etc. I just wanted to make sure.
Turns out, they have used this new waterproof material on a few other kids after Salem's first cast, and she was only the second with it at that time. This is good news for them of course but also good news for us because the team has since found a few better ways to work with the material. Her procedure was a little quicker than last time, and her second cast came with upgrades! Practice makes perfect right?
Here are some details on the new specs:
(see pics of the first cast at the very bottom)
I had forgotten that Dr. Accousti had said last time that he actually doubled the material and wanted to try just one layer this time (it's like a sleeve). So as a result, it's a little slimmer. Also, this allowed him to taper the top more, making her look less bulky, but I can still stick my fingertips inside. She's a little lighter, and I think she can tell too, judging from how fast she flies around the hallway corner with her push toy now.
The waterproof liner now folds over the top and the bottom. Last time, the bottom was wrapped in hy-tape, we applied moleskin over that right by her belly and it had to be flared out a bit. That area did get irritated a little, and we had changed the moleskin a few times over the two months. However, her chest and under her arms where the liner touched her skin were never irritated. So I think this will be better. Speaking of her skin, the doctor told my husband that her skin underneath the cast was in great condition. Also, the bottom looks like it doesn't push inward like the last one, so there was no need to flare it away from her tummy. All good news!
Other than that, there's still a little hollowed out space for her tummy. They want us to come back in two months, which is good because I don't think she'll make it to three. They were able to manipulate her spine to under 10 degrees, see all the X-rays below. I didn't get an exact number but it looks great!
Lastly, I asked how communication with the cast material manufacturer was going. If you remember, they were only making these to fit arms and legs at the time, and we wanted to put this new opportunity on their radar in hopes they would begin to make larger sizes. The doctor said they are still talking with them but that they are currently making hip casts that extend from the legs up into the torso. So he plans on cutting the extra material used for the legs and just using the torso material in castings like Salem's for now. I feel like it's moving in the right direction, but I will also be following up again soon with this.
Thanks again everyone for your prayers and encouragement! Salem is still as happy as can be, her spine is growing straighter in there and we couldn't be happier. Hope to update again soon, enjoy the pics below!
p.s.- kudos to Brandon for being an awesome hubby and daddy :)
Jenny
Her first X-ray before casts
X-ray in first cast
X-ray in second cast
(They look pretty similar to me)
At the hospital with daddy
Sitting at a restaurant that night. I can tell it's less bulky up top.
Playing the next day
The top has some padding with that liner, it looks closer to her chin than it really is.
Filling the first bath with her new cast
They sent the first cast home! You can see that the liner covers the entire inside, that there's a small space for the tummy and some of the differences between the two casts.
Great job love!
ReplyDeleteHi my name is Lindsay G my son anthony also has progressive infantile scoliosis and we've been on this journey for 2 years and 3 months now and anthony just had cast #10 applied. We also see dr Accousti at Childrens. His first waterproof cast was applied yesterday. Back then we didn't have that option. Would you mind emailing me it's nice to have others close by going through the same journey. Thanks lindsayf77@yahoo.com
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