Boston Brace Check up

Friday was our much delayed brace check up. Normally E would have had it at 4 weeks in brace but that was the hellish week of 3 molars and a double ear infection so we had to wait. Of course it was the hottest day of summer so far so my plan of keeping big sis happy with the playground was a bust. We saw some people try to venture out to it but they left almost immediately. I hope the kids didn't melt their butts to the slide because our car said it was 102F when we pulled in to the hospital. We got someone new at the brace shop and they were VERY busy with a bunch of braces so it was a bit of a wait. I really feel for the teenage girls that were getting fitted for braces. The good news for E is that she won't remember having the brace and no one will pick on her for having it either. The straps were trimmed down and we were given new direction on how tight to make the brace. Apparently I haven't been cranking it down near enough. I thought I was making it tight but it really needed to be tighter. Also Dr. K had them add a pad to it for increased pressure on her ribs. They told us we should expect the brace to last "at least" 6 months which is very confusing to me since casts needed to be changed after 9 weeks and she is still growing. I guess if we suspect it not fitting anymore we will just have to speak up. We expect to get a new brace in the November/December timeframe. Oh and super awesome was that Dr. K wasn't only running on time but he was early! Very unexpected since we typically have had to wait a while past our appointment time but very welcome since by 3pm traffic out of town was already backing up.

Here's some pics of E in the brace shop.

wear and tear...

This is what E's brace is doing to my arm. The straps dig in while I am carrying her and the bottom catches me every now and then as well. We finally have our much delayed brace check this week so stay tuned.

In search of the right knit rite shirt for the Boston brace

I mentioned multiple times now the ridiculous shirt we were given for E to wear under her brace. I finally got the XS knit rite shirts today. NOPCO was supposed to call me when they came in but they failed to do so. This didn't shock me because communication between ortho and NOPCO has been an issue so why not forget to tell me when I can pick up my shirts! We went to Waltham instead of driving in to the main campus since that is closer, parking is free and it is generally less of a PIA. The woman at the desk handed me the shirts and I was like you have got to be KIDDING me. They are short sleeved with the world's most ridiculous turtle neck that folds over twice so it is 4 layers of fabric thick. I can't even begin to imagine why that would be needed for anything but especially not when it is 90F with 3000% humidity outside. They informed me that while knit rite makes tank tops with round necks in size small and up they DO NOT make them in XS. I also asked why they didn't carry XS normally and they said they almost never need them so small. I pointed out they had 3.5 weeks making E's brace where they could have ordered us the proper size since they KNEW she was tiny. I guess my facts and logic were lost of them. I took the shirts and we cut the turtle necks off. I am hoping they hold up in the wash now that I took scissors to them. Below you will see in the pictures the before cutting and after as well as a comparison to the original shirts we were told to make work. I am considering removing the sleeves as well. Most of E's summer clothes are tank tops so that just looks silly and she has to wear a top over the brace because the Velcro and buckles hurt my arms. I have bruise all down my right forearm from carrying her in the brace. This of course would not be a problem if your kid is old enough to walk everywhere (and you won't have the same knit rite shirt issues as well!). So if your kid is tiny I suggest you make sure they order the XS with the brace so they have everything ready at the same time. :)