Who knew that these ears were going to start such a whirlwind of phone calls?!?
I called our ENT's office this morning to let him know about the ear tubes and ask if there would be any way to fix them during next week's g-tube revision. In his wonderful way, Dr. T. called me back himself in less than an hour (seriously, I love this doctor! He is only second to Dr. S., her pediatrician!). We talked a lot about Abby's rib surgery and recovery, and he was concerned about her need for post-operative oxygen, since she had never needed it before. His feeling was that she needed more time to recover before putting her under again. He emailed her surgeon and I gave the office a call as well.
Again, within an hour, a third surgeon joined in on the conversation. This time, it was the jaw surgeon who works closely with Dr. T. Dr. T. had called him because he was wondering if the oxygen requirement proved that Abby needed the jaw surgery sooner rather than later. After speaking with the plastic surgeon doing the g-tube revision, all 3 agreed that the jaw surgery needed to be done in November rather than waiting until the summer like we had hoped.
So...the jaw distraction will be November 5th. Titanium plates will be inserted after he jaw is broken on each side. Her ear tubes and g-tube revision will be done at the same time so that she'll only have to be under anesthesia once. Abby will be inpatient for roughly 10 days and intubated for around 5 days to give the swelling time to go down. External screws will be turned daily for several weeks, then the screws will be cut off during an outpatient procedure. The plates will stay in until late February or March to encourage additional jaw growth. She will most likely be back in the hospital for a few days when they are removed.
I have no idea how all of this will affect her eating. Don't even get me started. UGH!!!!
But, if Dr. T. thinks this is a good idea, then we are on board. I trust him whole-heartedly. It's a bonus for all 3 surgeons to be on the exact same page. That rarely happens!
Surgery #9 in exactly 2 months. She will have just turned 4. She's been under anesthesia more than the rest of her family put together. I have such a brave little girl.
Can I just say how thankful I am today for modern medicine?!? It has kept my little girl alive and thriving!! Choose joy!!!
I called our ENT's office this morning to let him know about the ear tubes and ask if there would be any way to fix them during next week's g-tube revision. In his wonderful way, Dr. T. called me back himself in less than an hour (seriously, I love this doctor! He is only second to Dr. S., her pediatrician!). We talked a lot about Abby's rib surgery and recovery, and he was concerned about her need for post-operative oxygen, since she had never needed it before. His feeling was that she needed more time to recover before putting her under again. He emailed her surgeon and I gave the office a call as well.
Again, within an hour, a third surgeon joined in on the conversation. This time, it was the jaw surgeon who works closely with Dr. T. Dr. T. had called him because he was wondering if the oxygen requirement proved that Abby needed the jaw surgery sooner rather than later. After speaking with the plastic surgeon doing the g-tube revision, all 3 agreed that the jaw surgery needed to be done in November rather than waiting until the summer like we had hoped.
So...the jaw distraction will be November 5th. Titanium plates will be inserted after he jaw is broken on each side. Her ear tubes and g-tube revision will be done at the same time so that she'll only have to be under anesthesia once. Abby will be inpatient for roughly 10 days and intubated for around 5 days to give the swelling time to go down. External screws will be turned daily for several weeks, then the screws will be cut off during an outpatient procedure. The plates will stay in until late February or March to encourage additional jaw growth. She will most likely be back in the hospital for a few days when they are removed.
I have no idea how all of this will affect her eating. Don't even get me started. UGH!!!!
But, if Dr. T. thinks this is a good idea, then we are on board. I trust him whole-heartedly. It's a bonus for all 3 surgeons to be on the exact same page. That rarely happens!
Surgery #9 in exactly 2 months. She will have just turned 4. She's been under anesthesia more than the rest of her family put together. I have such a brave little girl.
Can I just say how thankful I am today for modern medicine?!? It has kept my little girl alive and thriving!! Choose joy!!!
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