Serial Casting

Today we brought Kaitlyn to Boston to begin serial casting. Serial casting is a process in which a joint that is limited in range of motion is immobilized with a plaster and fiberglass cast. The casts are applied and removed on a weekly basis. During the process, the affected joint is gradually set in a more correct alignment until the desired joint range of motion is achieved. Since Kaitlyn's ankles and heel cords are quite tight, we are focusing on them. The hope is that after the casting process, Kaitlyn will have a better range of motion, allowing her to work on improving her gait, getting her heels down when she walks, and getting an overall improvement to the way she stands, walks and runs.

As always, Kaitlyn was an angel during the visit. She enjoyed talking to the doctor and the staff, filling everyone in on everything from her plans for Halloween to what color casts she wants. She tolerated the initial exam well, and didn't complain at all while having her legs set. Much to my surprise, instead of choosing two pink casts, she chose one pink and one red (what a combination!). Although several people tried to talk her out of those two colors, she held strong to her decision, and further explained that red and pink are the colors of hearts so that's why she chose them. Who can argue with that?

Chris took the day off to come with us, which was great. Not only did we have a driver for the day, he also got to help set her legs in the casts. Pretty neat!

Dr. Webster is Kaitlyn's physiatrist, and we really like him. He is well-respected in his field, and we are thrilled to have Kaitlyn under his care. While we were at the hospital, I also tracked down Kaitlyn's orthopedist in the hallway, and I was able to ask some questions concerning the follow-up care for her broken leg. He and I came up with a plan for that, and we'll be seeing him in early 2010 for a check-up. It sure was a productive day!

When we left the hospital we took Kaitlyn out for her favorite meal (spaghetti and meatballs). She is pretty tired this evening, but is otherwise doing just fine. She has a couple of little "boots" to go over each cast which allow her to walk with the use of her walker. Tomorrow she's off to school, so we'll see how she does!

That's it from here. I'll post more next week when we head back for week 2!

Here are some pictures from our day...