Tag: serial casting

Snug as a bug in a rug

Today’s post is a series of good news stories! I love it when this happens. I have three things that I’m feeling very happy about today!  Go grab a cup of tea and I’ll tell you all about them.

Ready? Okay, let’s get started!

So, on Monday afternoon I went to have my left leg re-potted after I had to get that one removed because my little toe was feeling a bit on the squashed side, so off I trotted to the hospital to get recast. This is where good news story #1 comes in. When they put my first pots on last Friday, they had to cast me lying on my tummy so that they could get my ankle into the right position. When I was a child, I had this done in sitting, but on that day, my ankles were too tight to do this with me sat up, so I had to lay on my front. My left leg always has been the tighter of the two. The right leg has stayed it its cast the whole time.

However, come Monday afternoon, even though I’d only worn the original pot on Lefty Leg for just over 12 hours and had it taken off on the Saturday morning, even by the time Monday rolled around, the people who work in the plaster room to get my foot into the right position to pot me in sitting! I was truly amazed by this. I can’t wait to see the end result on both sides.

When they put the new pot on, they made sure that my left pinky toe had lots of padding so it’s now snug as a bug in a rug, which is the second thing I’m pleased about today.

The third thing that is making me happy is the new pair of joggers that I have invested in. I can’t manage to get my jeans over my casts at the moment so I’ve had to wear shorts and skirts (without tights). Over the last couple of weeks, the weather has turned really cold in the UK, so I have been spending a lot of time wrapped up in blankets when I leave the house.

That won’t be an issue now though because these jogging bottoms are a perfect fit and so hopefully they’ll keep me nice and warm and snugly, just like my little toe.

I think I may need to buy another pair…

The Serial Casting begins

It’s fair to say that the last couple of days have been quite busy, and today is looking set to be the same.

I had my Serial Casting pots put on on Friday as expected. I was quite surprised when they decided to cast me while I was on my tummy this time around because it helped to get my legs in a better position due to how tight they are. I don’t remember them having to do it this way when I was a child. I didn’t really mind it to be honest, although I was a little upset that I couldn’t be nosey.

They decided that instead of only keeping them on for a week, because they’d got my feet into such good positions they would keep them on for a fortnight instead. When these come off, I’ll go straight down to the orthotics department to have my new splints cast too and then go back into another set of pots for probably another two weeks at least.

This time, I didn’t get to  chose what colour I had the casts, but the plaster technicians did offer to put some glitter on them for me. I decided against this so that my family and friends could draw all over them for me instead if they wanted.

Things seemed to be going okay from there. I mastered walking in them pretty fast and my only worry was that my feet were cold, given the time of year.

Later on the evening though, my little toe on my left side started to really hurt. I thought it was mostly because my feet were nice and warm by that point. It got worse during the night so I went to the hospital on Saturday morning just to see if they could trim the pot back a little bit to see if they could release some of the pressure on it. I should point out that my pinky toe was absolutely fine apart from being sore, I just felt that it needed a little more wiggle room in there.

This no reflection on the people who put them on for me whatsoever. These things just happen sometimes and I’m sure the next one they give me will be just fine.

In turned out, that on Saturday morning, someone would be able to help us cut the cast where it needed to be cut, but there would be no one in who could put another one back on until Monday (today).  The nurse tried her best to be able to keep the pot on, but cutting it back just moved the pressure to different parts of my foot, so it was decided that it was for the best to take the whole thing off and start again. The right one is absolutely fine so that one has been left alone and I’m still wearing it.

So this afternoon I’m off back to the hospital to be recast. Even though that one was on for just over 24 hours there’s already a notable difference in my left ankle when you stretch it, so I’m looking forward to getting it back on again and seeing what the result is at the end of the process in a few weeks time.

I tried my water proof shower cover out last night with some help from my mum. We coated my leg in an extra bin bag too just to be safe, and propped my foot up on a stool to prevent it from being exposed to water as much as possible. It was a success.

My next serial casting adventure

Today is Friday and I’m excited because today I’m starting some treatment that it’s hoped will loosen up my ankles and make the new splints that I will be having made very soon rub my feet less.

It’s a process called Serial Casting. I had it done a few times when I was a child to relieve some of the tightness in my ankles and it worked really well. I haven’t had it done since I was about 12, but we’ve been debating doing another round for a while.

Basically, what happens is, my lower legs and feet get put into some light-weight pots. Because they’re so light, I can still do all the things I would normally, I just have to be careful not to get them wet. After a week, the casts come off, the effectiveness so far gets tested, and then another set of casts go on. This process gets repeated for around three or four weeks, depending on how well it goes.

The difference is that this time, I’ll be getting cast for those new ankle splints and spring splints in between the penultimate set coming off me and the final set going on, while we can get my foot into a  (hopefully) improved position when the splints get made.

In the past, it’s fair to say that I’ve had a few problems with splints rubbing me and causing me blisters, but the idea is that making my ankle muscles less tight will help to combat this problem.

I’ve had this done before, and even though I know it’s nothing to be afraid of I’m still a bit nervous. Things should be much easier for me this time around now that we have a walk in shower at home, and I’ve invested in some waterproof cast covers too, neither of which I had as a kid. I haven’t used the latter before so let’s hope they work! I’m told that they work fine in the shower (but maybe I’ll get mum the first time) so I’m hoping that they will also mean that I can go out in light rain too.

Obviously, I’ll keep you all updated throughout the process.

My inner child is still hoping that they’ll let me choose what colour I want. They’ll most probably be getting scribbled on regardless…

Have a good weekend folks.