Joy!
Yesterday was Colin's follow-up appointment with our plastic surgeon. We hadn't seen him in over a year, because he wasn't there the last time we saw the team at the cranio-facial center, so I just made a direct appointment with his office.
Colin wasn't feeling well, as he'd had a high fever the night before, and we were both sleep-deprived as he was up for quite a while between giving him Acetaminophen, a cool bath, and Ibuprofen (the trifecta finally worked and his raging fever abated slightly), but he was a real trooper.
Picture this: a posh plastic surgeon's office. Fancy chairs, plush oriental carpeting over hardwood floors, and a hushed atmosphere that any librarian would envy. Not exactly kid-friendly, especially for a 3-year-old.
On our way in I told Colin he needed to be very quiet, and he clearly took my words to heart. He talked and played very quietly with me, sitting in my lap most of the time. The funniest thing was when he noticed a promotional piece for Botox. It showed a woman with a heavy crease between her eyebrows (before) and a nice smoooth brow (after), but when Colin looked at it all he wanted to know was why the woman on top was so mad. I managed to stifle my laughter, and explained to him that she had been upset, but then she got happy - see the second picture? She's happy there! Thankfully he accepted my flimsy explanation.
Eventually it was our turn. We went in, and the doctor took a couple of minutes to put Colin at ease, then asked if Colin could stand up so he could take a look. Colin complied (hooray) and the doctor said, "OK, well... that's it. I think this looks very good, and I wouldn't recommend any further surgery."
WHAAAT?!?! Really?!???
He said that he was so pleased with the result he simply wouldn't want to do anything further and risk the great result that we currently have. I was so thrilled and relieved I nearly started crying. I didn't know how to react. It was the response I was hoping for, but one I didn't think I would get.
The doctor explained that Colin's upper lip is a little fuller than usual, but with a cleft repair that is actually unusual - normally the upper lip after surgery is extremely thin, and you can't create lip out of nothing. If there is any need to address the thickening of the upper lip where it connects to his gums we could address that at the time when we look into orthodontics (which we've known we'd need since before he was born).
We left his office and I felt like I was floating on air, just so relieved that there's no further surgery in Colin's future. I don't have to explain what's going to happen to him. I don't have to tell him why we're sending him for surgery - as far as he's concerned he's just a regular kid, and I'm happy to keep it that way. I also don't have to worry about the risks involved with surgery (minor, one would hope, but always present). And I don't have to worry and wonder how the surgery will turn out, since there's always a risk that the healing might not be perfect, or that the result might actually end up being worse.
As we walked out I told Colin that we were going for ice cream before we picked up Baby Ryan. We went into the Baskin Robbins, and he promptly ordered a scoop of Wild and Reckless Sherbet (blue and green striped) which instantly stained his lips and face, and I've never been so incredibly happy to watch my son eat total junk food. He ate about 2/3 of the cone then declared himself done, and we headed out to get Ryan and then home for dinner, and a long walk with Sydney.
Hip-hip-hooray for a really wonderful Monday!
Colin wasn't feeling well, as he'd had a high fever the night before, and we were both sleep-deprived as he was up for quite a while between giving him Acetaminophen, a cool bath, and Ibuprofen (the trifecta finally worked and his raging fever abated slightly), but he was a real trooper.
Picture this: a posh plastic surgeon's office. Fancy chairs, plush oriental carpeting over hardwood floors, and a hushed atmosphere that any librarian would envy. Not exactly kid-friendly, especially for a 3-year-old.
On our way in I told Colin he needed to be very quiet, and he clearly took my words to heart. He talked and played very quietly with me, sitting in my lap most of the time. The funniest thing was when he noticed a promotional piece for Botox. It showed a woman with a heavy crease between her eyebrows (before) and a nice smoooth brow (after), but when Colin looked at it all he wanted to know was why the woman on top was so mad. I managed to stifle my laughter, and explained to him that she had been upset, but then she got happy - see the second picture? She's happy there! Thankfully he accepted my flimsy explanation.
Eventually it was our turn. We went in, and the doctor took a couple of minutes to put Colin at ease, then asked if Colin could stand up so he could take a look. Colin complied (hooray) and the doctor said, "OK, well... that's it. I think this looks very good, and I wouldn't recommend any further surgery."
WHAAAT?!?! Really?!???
He said that he was so pleased with the result he simply wouldn't want to do anything further and risk the great result that we currently have. I was so thrilled and relieved I nearly started crying. I didn't know how to react. It was the response I was hoping for, but one I didn't think I would get.
The doctor explained that Colin's upper lip is a little fuller than usual, but with a cleft repair that is actually unusual - normally the upper lip after surgery is extremely thin, and you can't create lip out of nothing. If there is any need to address the thickening of the upper lip where it connects to his gums we could address that at the time when we look into orthodontics (which we've known we'd need since before he was born).
We left his office and I felt like I was floating on air, just so relieved that there's no further surgery in Colin's future. I don't have to explain what's going to happen to him. I don't have to tell him why we're sending him for surgery - as far as he's concerned he's just a regular kid, and I'm happy to keep it that way. I also don't have to worry about the risks involved with surgery (minor, one would hope, but always present). And I don't have to worry and wonder how the surgery will turn out, since there's always a risk that the healing might not be perfect, or that the result might actually end up being worse.
As we walked out I told Colin that we were going for ice cream before we picked up Baby Ryan. We went into the Baskin Robbins, and he promptly ordered a scoop of Wild and Reckless Sherbet (blue and green striped) which instantly stained his lips and face, and I've never been so incredibly happy to watch my son eat total junk food. He ate about 2/3 of the cone then declared himself done, and we headed out to get Ryan and then home for dinner, and a long walk with Sydney.Hip-hip-hooray for a really wonderful Monday!
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