Another entry by Kristin...
Fern saw her podiatrist yesterday and came home with knee-high casts on both feet and legs! It turns out that she does indeed have metatarsus adductus; the surprise was that she has it in both feet, rather than in just her right foot.
As you may recall from an earlier blog entry, metatarsus adductus is a condition in which the forefoot curves inward (if you were to examine Fern's feet, you would see that they are c-shaped). She will undergo "serial casting" treatment for roughly 3 months (which simply means that she will have new casts put on every week), after which we will receive instructions in how to massage her feet to continue encouraging them to straighten out. We really thought that this wouldn't be necessary (and to a certain extent still wonder whether it is)! The good news is that Fern doesn't seem overly bothered by the casts. From our vantage point, it's a bit dramatic, but we're starting to adjust to the sight of them without wincing.
We captured some moments on film---first the casting process itself and then Fern and her casts later in the evening on her changing table where she now regularly "talks" (i.e., coos and gurgles) to her colorful and, evidently, joy-inspiring quilt (it makes us happy too!) made by Grandma Joanie that hangs on the wall.
File Under: : casts, feet
