Benched

Well, we have had our first set-back in our walking situation.  A little over a week ago, her teachers at daycare alerted me to a funny bump on her right foot.  It did look a little odd, just on the outside of the foot, on the bone.  We got in the next day to see Dr. Marker.  He had a couple X-rays taken, which thankfully showed that her foot wasn't broken, but sadly, he thought it was from her foot rubbing on her braces.  He ordered her off the braces until we could get fitted for new ones.  NOOOOOO!!  The process to get new braces is long and kind of a pain in the you-know-what.  I was pretty frustrated and sad.  This meant that she couldn't do any walking at school or at home.  Just when she was getting so good too! 

I can understand how this happened.  She went from spending very little time standing up to being in it for hours each day.  It's her primary and preferred way of getting around at school, and she loves walking at home.  Just the weekend before, she had been running around the backyard for 2 hours.  So, we followed the doctor's orders and kept her out of the braces.  Instead, she wheeled at school, which wasn't ideal, for either of us.  Wheeling isn't as fun, nor is it as tiring. 

Getting new braces is a long affair.  First we have to get an appointment, then they have to cast the mold, make the braces, and we have to have them fitted and adjusted.  That adjustment alone is 3-4 hours, on top of the month plus that it took to make them.  We'd be looking at mid-May to get something new.  So, we've improvised a bit.  Ty was able to bend the foot brace out slightly to take pressure off the foot, and I got athletic tape to wrap her foot.  We are also limiting her time in the braces, and only having her in them at home so we can closely monitor her feet.  It's not ideal, but for a little girl who constantly wants to walk, it's what we felt was right. 

It's again another reminder of the constant vigilance over her legs and feet, and how we're different.  But Dr. Marker told us that feet sores is a big reason older kids wind up in the hospital.  They don't pay attention to their feet and legs, and things like this get left unnoticed.  A good reminder to us to practice good maintenance.  Luckily, her feet don't have sores or blisters, but this little bump is a little concerning.  It's going down, which makes me think that it probably does have something to do with her braces.  For now, we'll keep watching, and trying to figure out the best balance between keeping her healthy while still promoting independence and pushing ahead in her walking journey.  In the grand scheme of things, though, this is a small step back.  Lots and lots of steps ahead in the last 2 months to still make us very proud.