# Chateau de la Tobler

## Thursday, October 09, 2008

### Gideon's gimpy foot

I took Gideon into PCMC to see his orthopedic doctor. His therapists think he is ready to get his own walker, and also perhaps crutches. He has grown out of his Denis-Browne bar (that brace thingie he wears at night), and also his DAFOs (the plastic braces he wears during the day). So we needed a bunch of prescriptions and advice from his doctor.
I was expecting a low-key (if ultimately expensive) visit. I wasn't expecting Dr. Stotts to immediately zero in on Gideon's left foot--that's the one that had the cast for so long 18 months ago. His foot continues to turn in, and his ankle is tight and not moving as it should. And that means surgery.
Bummer. It is usually an outpatient surgery, although there is a possiblity that he will have to stay overnight. He has to go all the way under, too. But as Bradley reminded me, Gideon's an old pro at anesthesia--this will be his third time! (Which, frankly, is three more times than I have. So there you go.) He'll be in a cast for eight weeks following the operation (two four-week casts, more casts for me to decorate, a silver lining). This will put a little crimp on his walking, because of the cast, but long-term it will help him a ton with stability and mobility. Hopefully.
We've scheduled the operation for Wednesday, October 22--the soonest availability for the doctor. (Yes, just three weeks before Baby Awesome is due. Better before than after, right?) I'm not looking forward to it--our first real surgery since Gideon was three weeks old--but it is very much par for the course, and pretty darn low-key, too.
Oh, and we got our prescriptions for the crutches and walker, but not the other things, because we have to wait until after the cast is off to get new braces.

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