Update on Luca's foot

Some of you might be wondering....how is Luca's foot? That surgery, weeks of casts, new AFO's and everything! How is that foot healing up?
The short answer is his foot is better positioned for walking and is straighter. Below is the long answer. On Monday I took Luca to the Dr. to confirm that things were healing well since his left foot is still swollen and somewhat painful especially when barefoot.

Questions: Is it normal for Luca's foot to still be swollen? How long will it be swollen?

Dr. Mosca said it is very normal for AMC feet to stay swollen a long time. The muscle isn't there to pump the blood out of it and so it will stay swollen much longer than a "normal" foot. He could not give me anytime frame except to say eventually the swelling will disappear.

Is it normal for Luca to experience pain in his foot still? How long?

Dr. Mosca said again this is normal. Lots of work was done on his foot. And parts of his foot are in contact with his AFO or the ground that have not been in years or ever. This will contribute to heighten sensitively and nerve feelings in his foot. Give it time...no time frame suggested by Dr. Mosca. When I said 2 or 3 months he said sure, maybe.

Is it normal for Luca to still be limping? Esp. when barefoot

Yes, it is. He foot has been repositioned and it will take time for him to get use to walking with his new "shape" of foot. Also, Luca doesn't have the foot muscles to pull the front of the foot up when he walk so it flops down, which contributes to the limp. When he is wearing his AFO this is not noticed or experienced since that holds his foot at 90 degrees. The current pain that should go away in a while also contributes to his current limping.

Dr. Mosca told me the way his foot is now is the best we can expect. (the heel still doesn't really hit the floor when he walks barefoot) As he gets older they can do something to have the growth plates in the front of the foot grow faster than the back and maybe the foot will lay flatter on the floor. Dr. Mosca is very happy with the results of the surgery. He feels that his foot is in a wildly better position. I was glad to hear him say that. I can tell a difference for sure but I guess it isn't what I expected. Luca's right foot is still much straighter than his left, for example. But I am thankful the good work has been done and the healing is happening.

Thanks again for all your support through this journey. I am so so glad Luca is not in a cast over the summer. We have already gotten to enjoy many barefoot play times at the Lincoln Park and Alki Beach with Luca's bare feet in the sand and water. We extremely grateful for Luca's mobility! Also needing to be mentioned Luca and Juliette played by themselves happily for 45 mins. on the trampoline last evening after supper! This was the longest and happiest playtime to date. We are hoping for many more of these magical moments to come!