One change we have made to the casting routine is that I now take it off on Sunday so that J can have a swim. We've done this twice now with varying success, but I think it'll get better as we get back into the habit of swimming.
A bit of background: from 6-12 months, J had swimming lessons every week (brilliant class called Little Splashers with Jo) and he used to particularly enjoy jumping in and being "swooshed" round quickly in circles in the water. However during the past 6 months he's only had one swim while on holiday, so he's now completely out of practice.
Admittedly, the fact that 2 weeks ago I had to wake him up from his afternoon nap to take him for his swim was never going to help matters (he just clung to me like a baby monkey the whole time and wouldn't let go).
This last Sunday, he had just woken up (the pool is only open at certain times which is a right pain) so it was better, although he was still a bit fragile. We managed to do some of the old things from our Little Splashers days: piggy back rides while I swam; "riding" a woggle like a horse and bobbing up and down to the song horsey horsey; lying on his back kicking with his head on my shoulder while I lay on my back and swam; singing "twinkle twinkle traffic light, on the corner burning bright, green for GO, amber for slow, red for stop and change direction" - to which he was swooshed in a circle at different speeds. He grins broadly at "GO" (I go as fast as I possibly can).
Swimming will help strengthen his back the plasterer said - that's good. Does that mean when he is in cast that his muscles don't develop to be as strong as they would be without the cast? He's very, very active with it, eg doing wheelbarrows where he walks with his hands while I hold his legs, so I would actually say he's very strong even with the cast!
Also, I really did *not* want him to get negative about going in the water (as a keen swimmer myself, I'd like him to enjoy it).
We tried getting his appointments to be on Mondays, but that doesn't fit in with the plaster room's timetable (they have the serious operations on a Monday morning and the consultants don't want to be kept waiting when they're ready for the patients to be cast after operating). I put in a query to the consultant about leaving J without a cast for about 48 hours and was told it's ok and won't have a negative effect on the curve. I have a niggling doubt about that - but I have to take his word for it. The plasterer also said that some children have lots of problems with breathing as well as scoliosis and their casts need to be removed for long periods if they get chest infections etc- but it's considered fine for them and makes 48 hours pale into insignificance.
From a personal point of view, it's BRILLIANT news - we get two baths and a swim and lots and lots of squishy hugs every two weeks...
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