Back to the Drawing Board...

Before you question this post know that we are taking control and we are doing what we feel will benefit Audrey the most.
I think after she was born, I accepted all of the neonatologists recommendations for her doctors because he's a doctor, right? He should know what's best... WRONG! I'm her mother, I know what's best.
After 4 months of never really knowing the importance of Audrey's Hydrocephalus, I finally figured out that I needed to fire her neurologist (but we are doing Office Space style... we feel it's best not to make a big ordeal about it and just move on). He never explained to me what it was, symptoms I needed to look for, what it meant for her future. Maybe that's my fault too, because I never asked and I didn't research it on the internet. I did google image Hydrocephalus when she was born and it scared me to see the photos of severe cases. I do blame the doctor though for not giving me a correct answer when I asked him if this is something I needed to worry about... he said no...
I finally had had enough at her last appointment with him when he was really vague about how Hydrocephalus was managed... he made it seem like there were several options but when I researched in on the internet... I found one - a shunt! After seeing Audrey's neurosurgeon and getting a better idea of what we were dealing with I asked her office for a recommendation. So, Audrey is seeing her new neurologist on Friday morning, Dr. Elterman and he offices at Medical City. I've already made a promise to myself that I will be more assertive with this doctor and will tell him my list of complaints with her previous doctor so he's aware of what I expect out of him.

I thought our clubfoot issues were handled but as I researched it more and more, I finally realized that Dr. Sackett may not be following the Ponseti Method he said he follows. The Ponsetti Method is a completely non-surgical approach to correcting clubfeet. It was started by Dr. Ignacio Ponseti in the 1950's and is becoming recognized as the best approach world-wide. The method does include a MINOR procedure, performed in the doctor's office of barely clipping the Achilles tendon. I do not feel that Audrey's partial heel release was anything MINOR... She went completely under anesthesia, was in recovery for 3 hours and took 3 days to fully recover at home.
I contacted a doctor in the Dallas area that claims to be the "clubfoot doctor". I also went on the Ponseti International Association website and Dr. Ignacio Ponseti personally recommends Dr. Steven Lund. Dr. Lund worked side by side with Dr. Ponseti in Iowa and goes to the University of Iowa Medical Center every couple of years for refresher courses. I emailed him last Thursday and he emailed me back that night. Email is below:
It was good to hear your story. I do not know of Dr Sackett and I have not seen any of his patients.
I am led to believe that both feet had surgery. It sounds like the right looks better than the left. As a general rule syndromic and feet seen with arthrogryphosis are very difficult to correct.
I would recommend that you avoid surgery. I would like to see her feet and give you some recommendations. If her left foot is slipping already I don’t see that this plan will work.
Feel free to call my cell phone this weekend if you wish.
I made an appointment the following day for next Friday. I have a couple of theories of how he will treat Audrey... He will probably put her back in casts for at least 2-3 castings. And, he will hopefully put her back in the braces she's in but he will do several adjustments to them. He will probably change the angle, she's currently at a 42 degree angle and normally Ponseti patients are set a 70 degree angle. This will mean that she will be very fussy for the first couple of days. He will increase the width of the bar and possibly change the shoe itself. But, if this is one less surgery she has to go through we are proceeding. You can say what you want, but I truly feel that I'm doing this in the best interest of my daughter! So, it may be back to sponge baths :) which I am going to miss giving her a bath. She's been showering with me lately and I think she really enjoys it. She gets this little grin on her face when the water sprinkles her face. I can really tell how much she trusts me when I shower with her because she stares straight into my eyes almost telling me she feels safe in my arms.

You may all be saying to yourself, what a know-it-all... So, I'm just going to take that as a compliment and thank you for recognizing that I'm doing the best thing for my daughter.