Dennis Brown bar and Markell shoes

We've been in the DB bar and white Markell shoes since right before Christmas, when E came out of his post-op casts, so I guess it shouldn't be shocking that in seven months he's grown out of the shoes.  His left (unaffected foot) toes hang way over the edge and the right (affected foot) side isn't too far behind.  I don't think that would actually make too much difference, since the design of the bar prevents him from doing much standing aside from balancing on the screws beneath the shoes and occasionally swinging one foot or the other forward while pivoting and holding on for dear life to the crib bars.  However, the straps look like they are close to splitting, so when we were in St. Louis last month, I asked Dr. Dobbs about replacing the shoes.  I'd always preferred to have the Dobbs bar and AFO's, but if you'll recall from an earlier post, that got shot down by our former surgeon.  I figured that E was used to this set-up, so there was no point in investing in a whole new bar and shoes when all he needed was a new pair of shoes.  We are still in the middle holes, so there's room for E to grow into the bar some more with some new shoes.  I was rather surprised by the orthotist's reaction, although I probably shouldn't have been.  Dobbs apparently thought they still had some of the shoes, so he sent the orthotist in to talk to us.

According to the orthotist, though, most insurance companies have stopped paying for the DB bar and Markell shoes, so they quit carrying them in stock.  We've only been in the stupid things for 7 months, and somewhere in that time frame, the insurance companies decided that they weren't the most effective ones to use (usually why they quit paying for something).  Grrrr.  So, it looks like we'll be getting a Dobbs bar and AFO's after all.  We could probably buy a new pair of Markell's somewhere else, but on the other hand it seems like an opportune time to upgrade to what has always looked to me to be a better system.  We'll be in Florida during the next few days, and one of the first things we plan to do is get in touch with one of the orthotists recommended by Dobbs' office.  I'll be interested to see what the out-of-pocket costs will be compared with just buying a new pair of the shoes, and how much insurance will cover for a new set.