Clothing

Life with a fix-a-nator takes a little getting used to. There's lots of changes you have to make to accommodate to this new contraption. Clothing is no exception. Having never sewed anything since my 6th grade Home-Ec class, this was somewhat new to me.

Prior to the surgery I purchased basketball shorts, cut, pinned, and hemmed them down the sides, then sewed in snaps. They came out good considering they were done by hand but the problem is that they take FOREVER to make. I bought a hand held device that 'stamps' the snaps onto the fabric when you press down hard but I noticed that if the fabric is too light (such as cotton) it rips holes in the fabric and if the fabric is too heavy (such as with the basketball shorts) it doesn't go through it well. For this reason I prefer the sew-in snaps as I think they will hold up much better long-term. Of course you can by the pants that have the snaps in them, but they have been almost impossible for me to find. As of now I am looking for a reasonable seamstress that can help me create a bigger wardrobe for Caleb as he has only 3 pairs of shorts and 1 pair of underwear that I'm washing everyday. I should have been sewing his clothing months prior to the surgery but I only got started a week before. So a word of advice.........get started on clothing modifications way in advance to surgery. It's just one less thing to worry about.

Another thing to think about are fixator covers. At the physical therapist's office at the Paley Institute there is a 'treasure box' where people donate modified clothing, new shoes, and fixator covers. I grabbed a fixator cover out of the box so Caleb would at least have one and so I can see how they are made. Caleb has still not gotten used to looking at his fixator and he is really uncomfortable with anyone looking at it besides his Dad and I. So a fixator cover, in my opinion, is a necessary item for day trips and/or when friends are around. Another great thing about them, as I found out yesterday, is that they are great for the pool. We have a community pool rather than one of our own and I was nervous how everyone would respond to the fixator in the pool as all the bandages are off and all the wires and pins are exposed. With the fixator cover, however, no one could see what was under it and  Caleb was able to enjoy an hour at the pool without anyone bothering him.