Baby Oil - My New Best Friend
After weeks of taping Rylan's lip and dealing with sore cheeks, I've finally found a solution. Baby Oil is the magic liquid! I found out this handy tip from reading some of the message boards and tried it today. The tape came off really easy and didn't scrape up her cheeks at all. Now I will be able to replace the tape more often, which will keep it tighter just like the doctor ordered.
Surgery Date Set
I got a phone call today from the surgeon's office to reserve our spot for Rylan's surgery. Looks like it will be happening first thing in the morning on February 28. We will get a call from the hospital the day before to give us an exact time. I know that there is a slight possibility that when we go to see Dr. Morrissey in a few weeks he will decide that the lip adhesion is not necessary. But for now, I need to be in the mind set that this is happening and start to mentally prepare. Lucky I've got a lot of supportive friends and family who are ready to step in with a helpful hand or a shoulder to cry on.
Change of Plans
Went back to the surgeon yesterday and now we have a new plan of attack to fix Rylan's lip. He took the old tape off her face (rougher than I would have done it) and applied new tape, basically pulling her lips completely together. Even her nose straightened out and both nostrils looked normal. I couldn't believe it! Having seen how much progress the tape was making, he decided that the nasoalveolar mold may not be necessary to fix the nose. He did however say that he thought we were going to need to do a lip adhesion. This is a surgery where he will stitch the two sides of the lips together and once they heal (about two months) he will go in and do the final cosmetic lip repair. He wants to see Rylan again in 3 weeks to make a final decision, but meanwhile we are going to move forward as if the surgery will happen, filling out the appropriate paperwork and such.
I certainly am nervous about Rylan having to have surgery and as always, I wanted to learn more about a lip adhesion. I did a lot of reading online and spoke with other parents through message boards. I feel more calm knowing what to expect immediately after the surgery and knowing how much of a difference this surgery will make in her final appearance.
Look how far her lip has come!
Making an Impression
So Rylan has surprised me yet again and really did well getting the dental impression today. The poor child - not only did we have our appointment at the dentist, but she also had her first round of vaccinations this morning. She really hasn't been herself all day and is running a slight fever. Hopefully the Infant Tylenol will do the trick.
Back to the dental impression - Dr. Morrissey works out of the dental office on Tuesdays so he was there to meet us. He came and said hello and then told me he would be back after the impression was done. The dentist had me sit in the dental chair and lay Rylan on my lap so her head was angled down towards my feet. They stuck the clay-like material in her mouth and molded it around the cleft and gums. She fussed a little and gagged but that was it. While they let the clay harden, Rylan got a little bit fussy and was not too happy when they stuck it back in her mouth with the gel stuff on it. Luckily, the dentist didn't keep the impression mold in Rylan's mouth as long as she normally would. Rylan cried when that was finished and ended falling asleep in my arms while we waited for Dr. Morrissey.
Rylan's First Christmas
Although this has nothing to do with her cleft journey, I just had to share some pictures from Christmas. Even though she didn't have any idea what was going on, it was memorable for me!
Call from Dr. Morrissey
Yesterday I heard back from the surgeon's office. Instead of coming in a few days later to see him, we now have an appointment with the dentist on January 4 to get the impression of her mouth done for the mold. I'm a little nervous about how this will go. I know adults who hate having things done at the dentist (myself included) so I can only imagine how an infant is going to react to it.
Nasoalveolar Mold
On December 8, we went back to Dr. Morrissey for the third time. Once again he was pleased with the progress of the tape and told me to keep pulling her lips as tight as possible. Because of Rylan's cleft, the base of her nose is also crooked and this was the next thing he wanted to focus on. He explained a procedure that would force her to wear a retainer-like device in her mouth, with stints that would go up into her nostrils. A dentist would make an impression of her mouth and then an orthodontist would create the mold. Every week or so, the orthodontist would need to tighten the mold. He told me that he would speak with the dentist and orthodontist he works with and get back to me with a more definite plan for appointments. Meanwhile, we set-up an appointment to come see him again two weeks later.
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