FAQ's About Liam

Q:  Why is Liam in casts. 

A:  Liam was originally in casts to straighten his clubbed. They would stretch his feet weekly and put on a new set of casts on to keep his ankles/feet in the position they were satisfied with.  This was done for several months.  Then September 14, 2012 Liam had surgery to put his feet in the final position.  You can read about that HERE

Q:  What does Liam have.

A:  Liam was born with a rare disorder called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita in his lower extremities.  Arthrogryposis or AMC for short.  Clubbed feet that was finally corrected on Sept. 14th 2012.  And finally bilateral (both sides) Hip Dysplasia. 

You can read about AMC HERE and HERE

You can read about Clubbed Feet Here

You can read about Hip Dysplasia HERE

Q:Will Liam be able to crawl? 

A:   Dr. Albanese (orthopedist) is concerned that he might not be able to crawl due to his dislocated hips.  Liam will be 10 months October 29th 2012 and still show no signs of crawling or scooting.  So far it's not looking like he will... yet.  Only time will tell.

(Liam has overcome odds and he now can army crawl, sit up on his own, get down to his stomach from the sitting up position and he also plays with getting up onto his knees.  He can't crawl on his hands and knees yet through.)

Q:  Will Liam be able to walk?

A:   That is still all up in the air.  It all depends on how well Liam's hip surgery(s?) go.  If they go well we talk about straightening his legs with the Ilizarov method.  Liam also has neurological issues and muscle weakness which will play a part in whether or not he will be able to walk.

You can read about the Ilizarov method HERE 

Q:  Does his dislocated hips hurt him?

A:  No.  He shows no pain from his hips being dislocated.

Q:  Is Liam in any pain?

A:  Liam is a happy little pain free kid.  The only time he shows any type of pain is when his joints get tweeked in a 'weird' way. Or if he's teething LOL

Q:  How many more surgeries does he have?

A:  We are not 100% sure yet. Sometimes with dislocated hips it requires more than one surgery.  If his hip surgery goes well we go on to another surgery to correct the AMC in his knees.  If the hip surgery(s) don't go well we wont bother straightening his knees.  It all really depends on his hips.

Q: What is a Pelvic Harness?

A:  Liam was born with 2 broken femurs and now a days they don't put newborns in casts because it is so rough on their skin.  The Pelvic Harness is more gentle on their skin. 

To see what a Pelvic Harness looks like go HERE

Q:  How have you and Andrew managed to get through this?

A:  It hasn't been easy, if it wasn't for God and our wonderful friends, family and church family we wouldn't of been able to get through this.  So many people are praying for our son and it helps us to get through this knowing he is well prayed for.

Q: When will Liam have surgery on his hips?

A:  He will have surgery when he is about a year and a half to two years old.  Since it's such an invasive they want to wait until he is a little older to perform the surgery.
(We're currently not sure.  Dr. Albanese is concerned that if he has his hips corrected that one would become dislocated again and he'll be worse off than if they both were dislocated.)

Q:  What is a Spica Cast?
A:  A Spica Cast is a cast used after the surgery that starts at the ankles and goes all the way up to the chest.  To see what a Spica cast looks like you can go HERE (actual video of them putting one on)