Tendon transfer surgery

Ankha - posted on 11/15/2012

Hi, how did it go? My daughter just got her cast off after this surgery and wearing the cast for 6 weeks. What can I expect as she refuses to even try and walk on her foot... :( I am so heartbroken and concerned about her well being emotionally and physically. Please tell me how long it takes to get back to normal after this surgery and 6 week casting process?

Crystal - posted on 10/30/2012

My son will be having surgery on November 16th. All together 4 procedures will be done. He just turned 4 and will be in full casts on both legs for 6wks. Where did you guys get the walker and the wheelchair???

Amy - posted on 09/26/2012

My two year old has a brachial plexus injury from birth and we will be having the muscle/tendon surgery as well this Friday and will have her in a cast on her left arm in a turn right position for five weeks. It is scarey to think of how she will be for this five weeks as she is very active. Since your son has now gone through this, can you tell me a little bit about the casting and how your son coped with it? Thanks

Crystal - posted on 07/24/2012

Hello!

My son had a heel cord lengthening at about 5 months old, and at 4 years old he had another heel cord lengthening as well as a tendon transfer. Both surgeries were done at Shriner's hospital. It's been 4 years now, and he is doing very well.
The surgery was successful and my son is as active as can be, and starting soccer in the fall. Having been thru it tho, I know it's nerve wracking & you wonder about the success afterwards. But I just wanted to share my experience & put minds
at ease for those whose children have to have the surgery. :-)

Kelly - posted on 05/05/2012

Joana and all Moms..

Here is an update. I realize its late for some of you but maybe it will help others!!

My son had his first surgery in Jan of 2011 and second in March 2011 on the other foot and all went very well. The roughest night was the first when he was in some pain and didn't understand about why his cast was so big. I wish I would've explained to him more what it was going to be like when he woke up but I guess in some ways I didn't know. We brought gifts and things he loved from home to help. He did stay overnight the first surgery and the second surgery we did outpaitent which went well. We did request a kid walker which by a couple weeks later he was LOVING!! He did well getting around, even at first. We carried him a lot of course and used a wheelchair in the first couple weeks. His is a big child and I could not carry him on my own very well. He loved his wheelchair too but we got him out of that as soon as we could to help build his strength back. Of course his friends at preschool were amazed with his cast. His teachers used a wagon to take him to the playground and he crawled around just fine. The second surgery took place 8 weeks later on the other leg so we all knew what to expect. We were very upfront with him about what to expect rather than keep it from him. It worked well for him but every parent is different. He didn't even use the wheelchair the second time around too much but did the walker. His arms got so strong!! I hope this helps! We used carts at stores. Sometimes I pushed two because I also had a 2 year old! Another thought is he happened to be allergic to the pain medicine so we knew the second time which med to request for the first couple days. Good luck!! A lot of prayer from a lot of people went a long way for him! Over the fall, his right foot which was always the worst, still needed to wear a shoe insert we had custom made. He wears it sometimes. We were told to just wait and see how things go over the years. We were told he may need one more surgery when he is older but it is a rough surgery so we are keeping our fingers crossed he stays the same. Club feet is still a condition that treatments, understanding, and techniques change and we are hoping by the time he would have a need, they might have another option. Our prayer for him when he was born was to run walk and play and he is doing that so our goals for him are met. He may not be the fastest or have the coolest shoes (hard to fit!) but he is a functioning little boy who loves life and can run the bases!
Another thought..... I highly recommend Converse style tennis shoes in 2 different sizes to work with the AFO he did have to wear after his cast came off. I think they were like one size was a 10 and the other a 13 to work with the brace. VANS also are a great shoe but expensive. There are two companies online that specialize in shoes for AFO braces, you may research those. Keeping Pace is one I think but I don't remember the other. Those shoes you can order in their size. They run 80-100 a pair if I remember right but easy shoes to work with! Good luck and God Bless!!

Joanna - posted on 05/05/2012

Thank you for the update Jennifer! I was wondering why no one ever informed us of what happened after! My son is going in for this Tuesday. I certainly will take the time to come back and update as well.

Jennifer - posted on 04/12/2012

Hi. My son had his tendon transfer surgery on March 9th, 2011 at 4 years and 8months old. He had the achilles tendon lengthening and the plantar fascia tendon lenthening as well at the same time. He stayed overnight in the hospital and had a great deal of pain for the entire hospital stay. He used morphine as often as was allowed. He had a good amount of pain for at least another day after we came home. He pretty much wanted me to be with him all the time. Our doctor recommended that he not have any activity level for a whole week so we were sure to stock up on arts and crafts, coloring books, dvds and games that he could play on the couch. This included a lot of carrying to the bathroom and waiting on for meals. After he was given the clearance to move around he adapted very well. He was in a knee length fiberglass cast for 6 weeks which was non- weight bearing. He had a special child sized walker to help him get around, he also got very good at hopping and crawled when appropriate. He was definitely a hit at preschool. All the other kids wanted to help him. After that time, he was in a second shorter cast for 3 weeks that he was allowed to walk on. After the cast came off he wore a plastic brace that went under his foot and up the back of his calf and was held in place by two velcro buckles, all the time. It was a bit of a challenge to find a shoe that would fit properly over top of the brace but we made it work. He wore his brace all the time except for bathing and swimming for 7 months and now only needs to wear it at night and will until his follow up in December 2012. Looking back now that it has been a year, that time went so fast. He had really good results from the surgery and only has a tiny bit of a limp only when tired. His scars are also fading nicely. His foot is nice and flat and we are really glad we went through with it. Best of luck to you and your little girl. Keep me updated.

Jessica - posted on 04/12/2012

HOW COME NO ONE EVER COMES BACK TO SAY HOW IT WENT???????????????? I AM SERIOUSLY FREAKING OUT OVER THIS!

Those were 2011 posts.... please help me. I need to know what i'm looking at, I have an older and younger daughter, plus a husband who works all day. If I need help I want to be prepared.

Jessica - posted on 04/12/2012

Our Madison is going to have the tendon transfer surgery when she's about 3. Her 3rd birthday is July 25th 2012. She has has 3 Achillotenotomies. and none of them have worked. She's had a cast or something else on her leg since she was 3 weeks old. Every time we go anywhere that looks like it might be a doctor she freaks out. And her treatmeant is from Shriners. I just hope this works cause her last 2 surgeries had her in Spica casts (she has a track record of slipping out of casts) staying overnight at the hospital, missing a Giants game. And that was just a tenotomy! Momma is freaking out over this new surgery!

Jessica - posted on 03/19/2011

my son might have to have the tendon transfer surgery I will be finding out soon, I was just cerious was your son born with a club foot, and if so did you use the ponseti presedure.

Sam - posted on 03/15/2011

Hi Kelly i know exactly where your coming from with this question as my 6 year old daughter is due the same surgery very soon and i have no idea what to expect. I wish you good luck and feel free to pass on some tips as you go along x

Lindsey - posted on 03/08/2011

My 4 year old daughter will also be getting a tendon transfer march 28th, i know this surgery is more painful i was just curious is anyone that has is done can help me know what to expect afterwards as far as pain and recovery time and scarring

Lindsey - posted on 03/08/2011

My 4 year old daughter will also be getting a tendon transfer march 28th, i know this surgery is more painful i was just curious is anyone that has is done can help me know what to expect afterwards as far as pain and recovery time and scarring

Cassie - posted on 03/01/2011

We go to Shriners on March 4, 2011 for Gabriel's pre-surgical evaluation.... any hints would be helpful!

Jennifer - posted on 02/03/2011

Hi Kelly,
My name is Jennifer. My 4 year old son, Andrew, will soon be undergoing the surgery as well. How is your son doing? I hope all is well. Is guess he is still in the cast, right? Do you have any words of encouragement or suggestions for me? Thanks for your help!

Sara - posted on 01/31/2011

Sorry, I havent gone thru it yet but my 5 yr old is due to have the tendon transfer surgery in April or May.