Yesterday (Friday, February 15, 2013), Ashley had her routine, every 3 month check-up at The Scottish Rite Hospital. As usual, I'm always a little anxious about these visits, even though her feet look pretty "normal" to us. But, going there is a reminder of where we started, and how far we've come in our journey.
We are very fortunate to have an amazing Doctor and nurses that have cared for her all along the way. They were all there yesterday and were amazed by how much she's grown, and of course how cute our little girl is. :) One of the nurses was watching her walk around the examination room, and she said "what clubfoot??" It was just a comment, but made me SO SO SO happy!
Dr. Richards said that we only have 6 more months of bracing, and we're done! Wow... I'm actually a little bit scared to stop the bracing. I've had it in my mind that we would continue (at least until 3), as long as Ashley was tolerating it, just to make sure that we've done everything possible to avoid a relapse and/or future surgeries.
Dr. Richards said he would support us if we decide to continue bracing past 2 yrs, but the studies don't show that continuing past two significantly affects any potential set-backs/surgeries. Basically, if there are going to be issues after 2, they would likely occur even if bracing is continued.
When we first learned about Ashley's clubfeet, I thought I would be counting down the days until she was free from the braces, but here I am.. 6 months away, and I'm not sure I'm ready...
We have two more visits to TSRHC before we have to make that decision, so for now, I'm still counting our many blessings and hanging onto "what clubfoot"... As my dad always says... "HOW SWEET IT IS"
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| I love this sign! We need one! |
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| Ashley right before getting her last set of casts removed |
