|
|
|
Patient Case StudiesRita Fawcett ~ Lisa Chest ~ Susan Oldfield Case Study One:Rita Fawcett from Portland, Oregon - "How the SAFO's have affected my life" Were shall I begin? I walk with a "spring in my step". My gait has improved so much that I cannot remember how difficult it was to walk with the plastic or fibreglass restricting my legs at every step. I walk at least a mile every day, (swim every day without the Safo's) and do Yoga once a week. I leave the Safo's on during Yoga because they support my ankles and help improve my balance. I can walk smartly and even run when I am hurrying to catch a bus. I truly feel blessed that I could afford to go to Ringwood and the Dorset Orthopaedic Clinic and avail myself of their services. Eric Askew was very clear and precise in his approach and he was confident that I could walk with Safo's. He was right and as I wear my Safo's every single day, I feel as free as if I wasn't wearing a device at all. I still have trouble with swelling ankles and feet, but I just figure it is my body saying it is time to rest with your feet up. Economy class on an aeroplane is no joy, but I have been able to work around the discomfort. It was just too hot to wear them when we went to Costa Rica this past December. I walked slowly and not far. I suppose you might want to know if I would recommend Safo's to someone else. I would, wholeheartedly, and would even encourage anyone in the US who could afford it to go to your clinic where the experience and care is excellent. Rita Fawcett Case Study TwoWhere the story of the SAFO began.Lisa Chest was diagnosed with CMT (Charcot-Marie-Tooth) when she was 16. This is an inherited disease, which causes nerve damage that ultimately leads to muscle wastage, particularly at the distal extremities of the body. In Lisa's case her feet were affected most severely. She has drop-foot in both feet, which meant she lacked control of them and had difficulty walking, she also has no pain sensations in her feet so blisters, ulcers and infections were common. 'I was fine until a few years ago when the drop foot started and I began to find it increasingly difficult to walk. I could only wear boots as they provided the support I needed around the ankle. In 1997, I asked my Neurologist, whom I was seeing every six months, what was available to help support my ankles. He told me I would have to wear callipers for the rest of my life. NEVER was my reply. 'There comes a time when you have to accept what is wrong with you and realise that this is the only thing that can help you'. These words rung in my ears, I had always had a NORMAL LIFE, working, going on holiday, going out with friends. I had never given in to this disease and I certainly was not going to start now. As I desperately searched for someone to help me, I read an article in a magazine about Bob Watts at Dorset Orthopaedic and the work he was doing assisting amputees with state of the art limbs that had great function and cosmetic looks. With the words 'Callipers' still ringing in my ears I rang and spoke with Bob and told him my story, asking if there was any way he could help me. When he said he would like to meet and assess me, I felt a slight glimmer of hope'.
I can only say that they have changed my life 100%. I can now walk forever, when I am on holiday I can wear them around the pool, on the beach and in the water, something that would have been impossible before. The SAFO's, are silicone and colour matched to my skin tones, this means that they blend in and I don't appear disabled in any way. They are also easy to pull on and off and fit inside my shoes without difficulty. Because Dorset Orthopaedic are really aware of their clients needs and willing to experiment they were able to change my life and I cannot thank them enough for what they have done for me and now my sister, who also suffers with the same disease as myself. Since 1997 Bob Watts and Dorset Orthopaedic have assisted hundreds of clients in achieving a more active life, ensuring that they can move around with better mobility, comfort and less effort. The SAFO is now available to all who need it either privately or through the NHS.Case Study ThreeSusan Oldfield from Kent "A new pair of feet for Christmas" It's hard to put into words the delight that I have experienced in the last two months since I have been given the SAFOs. It sounds so simple to say I haven't tripped over my feet once since I have been wearing them and that my walking is back to a normal gait and a normal speed, and I do it without thinking about my feet anymore! I remember my son asking me last year what I wanted for Christmas, & I said "a new pair of feet!" and now in effect - I have them! The progress of my disease (HMSN) is so slow that I get used to the continual deterioration in my weakening muscles and adapt almost without realising, but the past two years have brought about a marked decline in my walking and caused people to ask me what was wrong. I had to lift my feet high off the ground to avoid stumbling over my toes, or tripping on uneven surfaces. Teenagers - one in particular - used to mimic me from across the road, and I remember shouting back at her once - "How would you walk if your feet were like pancakes?"! At home it was just as bad and I can't think how I've escaped injuring myself - but fortunately I've caught myself by grabbing a piece of furniture every time I've stumbled over my feet. - the family had got used to hearing me crashing about! In January, this year I counted up how many times this was happening because I had decided to ask the doctor for some help and I knew he'd need "evidence". The average was 6 times a day whether left or right feet - both seemed equally vulnerable! Being 52, I was scared that a broken hip would result in a permanent restriction to my walking and the situation of the whole family would be at risk, since I was at that time the sole carer for my mother-in-law who has dementia. As her only pleasure was in going for long walks, my tripping was a nightmare, and although she held my arm for her comfort, it was she who held me up on many occasions. When the Orthotist offered me rigid plastic splints I was horrified, as I knew I wouldn't feel safe driving in them and the palaver of removing them every time I wanted to drive seemed a ridiculous waste of time. Fortunately, I had already seen the SAFOs in a picture in the Guillain-Barre Society's newsletter and I asked if I could follow up this lead. He and my G.P. agreed. What amazed me was the speed at which Dorset Orthopaedic worked. The SAFOs were ready three weeks after my initial consultation.
Thank you for being so understanding about my needs. Everyone in your team is so friendly and welcoming that it's been like joining a new family, and after years and years of putting up with a disability, to have found a team who have listened, understood and come up with a product that has transformed my life is simply a wonderful experience for me. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH I hope you can all take satisfaction from knowing what a difference your work is making to me and to hundreds of others. Susan Oldfield SAFO - Four Years on.. I’ve been wearing SAFO’s since 2001 and the best result for me is that they’ve prolonged active life! From Day one I could walk more steadily, faster and further than without them. I’ve not tripped over my feet once while wearing them… my most vulnerable time is when I first get out of bed, before putting them on! I can confidently recommend them to anyone suffering from drop feet. Falling over, torn tights and trousers, scuffed shoes, grazed knees and hands are no longer part of daily life. The advantages have been: I can walk safely and securely with a relatively normal gait that people don’t stare at. The disadvantages have been: The summer when it arrives – SAFO’s do not breathe so you have to adjust to wearing them in summer – some days you get hot and sweaty I thank God everytime I put on my SAFO’s for all the people who invented, designed and made them, and I hope they realise how they enable me and all SAFO wearers to continue to enjoy opportunities in life that would otherwise have slipped away from them! Susan Oldfield |
.gif)
Over
the next few months, Bob spent time researching and experimenting with
silicone, until he came up with a design that met my expectations. The
first prototype of the SAFO (silicone ankle foot orthosis) which I took
delivery of in 1997, made me realise I was right in pursuing my goal and
not giving up and accepting what my Neurologist had told me.
They
have been easy to wear, warm, flexible and generally comfortable, though
the first right one did rub on my heel and curt in around my Achilles
tendon, but the replacement for that is a very snug fit. The three flaps
for fastening are much easier for me to use as my fingers are weak, and
having three tabs to adjust gives a better hold than just one long flap.