Othotics Dept f*** up AGAIN. (rant)

[Blu]

We have been waiting for a pair of orthotic sandals for DS for MONTHS. They have f**d up the order at least twice. They told us to buy ordinary sandals in the meantime, and they would put a raise on one. This was impossible because one of DS's feet is in the baby range of styles, the other pre-school. DS was crying by the time we tried the last shop.
So off we went again this afternoon - and they had two pairs waiting - over £400-worth of NHS expenditure - on both the sizing is all wrong, and on one the way thay have done the sole is no use. Yet again, DS sobbing in disappointment - though, having been let down so often before, I had warned him that we would just be looking at them today - but when he saw them go back in the box, it was too much for him.

We are going to Mauritius at the beginning of Oct to visit the ILs for a month. the sandals wil be ready when we get back. They will call us in then to do a fitting for new boots which will be ready mid Dec! so from the beginning of Nov until mid-dec, DS is supposed to manage with a pair of open-toed sandals!

Luckily the physio was in the room with us, and went mad. Said DS must always have 2 pairs, that they would make sure the sandals were ready for Mauritius - she would go on the train to the workshop - and they would take fittings now so that he has new boots for Nov! She was FAB.

FFS - the consultant has told us not to let him go for more than 1 hour a day without his shoes, and we cannot buy any high st footwear at all. We managed all last winter with one pair of boots. he can't wear wellies, and if his shoes are wet, he has none others to wear.

It's really upset me.

Nothing to say really.

WTF???

Blu, I am so sorry. That is HORRIBLE. Poor little Blubabe. Thank god for the physio,but I'm so so sorry.
xxxxxxxxxxxx

Blu - they really are crap aren't they. Sympathies to you and your little one, its horrid when they can't have the shoes they want (or in his case ANY shoes that fit!) Dd had to have her school shoes bought at the very beginning of the holidays because the raise takes so long to do. They used to have an on-site workshop and they were done in a few days but now they send everything away......so much for progress. She'll have grown out of them by half term.

Luckymum: sorry, I didn't realise you also grapple with orthotics.
Thanks, MN-ers - of course it isn't just about shoes - it's just shoes that set me off. DS was so excited when he tried them on, and everyone was encouraging him to walk round the room - and he was heartboken when they went back in the box. But hoefully they can be sorted out and we can finally pick them up in a couple of weeks.

Thankfully Blu I don't have too much to do with them at the moment. The appointment system here is useless but as dd is having regular CT's to check her leg length, I just leave her shoes and they take the raise measurement from the scan. I rang them in May for an August fitting appointment and the earliest they could offer was first week in October!! Needless to say, I gave up.

Hope your ds get his shoes soon and enjoy your holiday!! Mauritius -

Which hospital are you with, luckymum? Does your dd have any otherr associated foot/leg conditions? DS's leg is short due to the lack of a fibula, and he has a ray of his foot missing, too. In fact it is the 'split size' shoes that have caused all the problems this time around.
I'm concerned that the orthotics folk get it right because the consultant warned us that if he doesn't get enough suport she will have to operate again in order to maintain the flexibility of his ankle, and his foot flat to the floor (it was in talipes position at birth).

Good grief- my friend had a similar experience when getting boots for her ds1. I thought she was just unlucky- seems to be routine.

god! that's horrendous

we have ALWAYS had problems

on your behalf

and our old othotics dept were always 'oh the boots are in Walsall'

YES AND? we are talking 15 miles down the road not warsaw

Blu - We're in N.Staffs, her consultant surgeon is excellent but the clinics are so busy. That said we've also been to clinic at Birmingham Children's at thats even worse

Dd has a shortening resulting from a clot in her femoral artery. It was surgically removed but the damage means she doesn't have a full arterial blood supply to the lower leg - no pulses in the knee or foot.

They are thinking of doing a procedure where they stop the longer leg from growing by electively damaging the growth plate (I think we spoke about this before?) so she's having the scans pending this as the timing is very specific.

Is your ds's length difference increasing or does it remain stable with his condition? Thankfully dd's seems to be remaining the same. I hope that you can avoid further surgery.

i could add my own tales of woe but it would just depress everyone even more.......glad to see it's not just c**p for my dd.......

Sorry to hear of the c**p service you are getting.
It's bloody awful they have to wait sooo long AND still get it wrong .
I'm keeping everything crossed that the arrive for your hols.

My ds had his very 1st review appointment at orthotics 'cancelled' because they 'thought he didn't need it'. He should have gone last week. It's looking as though he needs 'something extra' as well as his boots as he's still having problems. I have phoned all this week to try and get another review appointment - but they are 'just so busy'. Now I have been promised one in the post for next week - but ds will be in hospital on the clinic days!! Ho Hum.

Hope everyone who is having trouble with their orthotics departments gets things sorted really soon

Luckymum - at the moment DS's length discrepancy changes quite a bit due to growth spurts, but overall, I am concerned that the percentage is increasing - which will make lengthening a more daunting procedure. I'm also really upset about this orthotics mess-up because the consultant was concerned at the last appointment that his foot may revert if he doesn't get sufficient orthotic support. There seems to be no consciousness of that sort of thing from the orthotists side!

Slightlymad - serves me right for thinking we'd solved everything by moving to the community-based clinic - and bucking the system by having the temerity to ask for sandals indtead of boots for the summer!

DP is furious and upset about the whole thing and is going to write a letter explaining the ramifications of all this - and get us transferred back to Kings.

Poor little boy! I know how much he was looking forward to his sandals. What shockingly bad provision this seems to be. And poor you too. The double upset of seeing your lovely boy crying and worrying about his leg and surgery. He's such a fantastic, resilient boy though, and that's a total credit to you and dh.

Aww, thanks Aloha. he got his revenge - all the othotists and physios were cooing at him, but when we left, and they said 'goodbye', he looked at me and said 'I don't want to speak to those people Mummy' because he was so disappointed.

he was oK by the time I got back home to him last night. He told DP that his sandals were being made tighter, and then we'd go and get them...

I had taken him home a treat- a funny foot ice cream - aaaargh, how did I do that!

Oh Blu that's so miserable . Swines. Hope you get the sandals in time.

Well, ice cream is ice cream! Very funny though - in a Little Britain kind of way. Just hold onto the picture of him running about in his sandals in the sunshine in October. If you feel like giving him a treat and you are even in East Dulwich, take him to the new Harry Potter-esque sweetshop in Northcross Road, next to the Blue Mountain cafe, for sweets and ice-cream. It's FANTASTIC, and ds was absolutely mesmerised.

Grrr to the foolish fools and wretched wretches in the orthotics department. Upsetting the blufamily is a sure sign of really shit practice and they should all be shot, IMO.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend to make up for it, blu.