This week little Benjamin turned 1 month old, and he also received his 3rd set of casts. So far, his progress has been very good, so good in fact that the orthopedic surgeon decided we were far enough along today to perform the TAL procedure. One of the many complications that comes with clubfoot is that the heel of the foot is pulled upward and, if left alone, would cause him to walk around on his toes all his life. So, during the last phase of casts they cut the Achilles tendon to allow it to stretch to a normal length and the foot to lie flat. We were required to leave the room for this "minor" procedure, and from the looks of him afterward he didn't enjoy it very much. Now, he really does look like his feet are on backwards.
I guess I should be amazed that they can do such a procedure in such a short amount of time without general anesthesia or an operating room, but for some reason it all still seems a little caveman to me. Is that were we are with medical science these days? Cut it and hope it grows back? I'm sure I will feel differently months from now when his feet are straight and flat and he is trying to pull himself up onto his corrected little feet, but right now I'm just worn out, and, frankly, I'm kinda glad little Benjamin can't tell me how he feels about the whole situation.
