William Returns to New West

Today, William travelled again by ambulance to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster to have his "club foot" looked at.  I (Dan) planned to travel along, but received a call en route to Surrey Memorial that William was being transported earlier than had been scheduled.  That meant I wouldn't make it in time to hitch a ride.  After a quick stop in Surrey to visit David and Isaac I got back in the car and continued on to New West.  I arrived just in time for William's 2 PM appointment with the pediatric orthopedic specialist and was ushered into a room with the doctor, a nurse, an assistant and a couple of med students...and a baby, who at a glance appeared to be William.  And then everything got weird.  The woman, who I thought was the nurse, began to breastfeed the baby.  After a few awkward moments and the sudden realization that this was not my son, I explained that there must be some misunderstanding and that I was here for William Hoogland's appointment.  With that, the doctor's assistant led me out of the room and down the hall where I was happily reunited with William and the nurse from the NICU at Surrey Memorial.  (Above: William about to be transported back to SMH by ambulance)

Eventually I was brought back into the same room (this time with the right baby).  It was good to be there and to learn a few new things about William's condition.  Contrary to what we've been led to believe, the specialist informed me that in all likehood William's condition was not a result of being squashed in utero but happened during development.  Rather than being positional club foot, it is genetic.  Nonetheless, it sounds like the treatment and the outcome should be the same.  I also learned much more about the treatment William will have to undergo.  He will continue to get a new cast every Monday for the next few weeks.  Each time he gets a new cast his foot will be manipulated a bit closer to the correct position.  Prior to his final cast the doctor will cut the tendon in his heel.  This final cast will stay in place for three weeks to allow for proper healing of the tendon.  Once the final cast is removed William will need to wear straightening bars on his feet.  For the first 2 months after the final cast is removed he will need to wear them day and night.    Then, he will continue to wear the bars to bed every night until he turns 4 years old.   It was good to visit with the specialist, but also a bit of an eye opener to learn of the extent of the treatment that poor William has to endure for the early part of his life.  

The other boys are doing well.  David is doing the best of all three.  Last night, he was the first to successfully nurse his entire feeding without the assistance of the tube.  Isaac is lagging behind the furthest, as a result of his breathing issues at the beginning, but even he is eating partial meals through nursing or bottle feeding.  All in all, we give thanks for the great blessing these little boys have been to us already.  We continue to give thanks to God for the exceptional care they are all receiving.  Right now we feel like we're living in the tension of looking ahead and looking forward to getting back to our home in Smithers, while also knowing that it's likely going to be another 2-3 weeks until the boys are all ready to come home.  (Below: in order from top to bottom--David, Isaac, William)