What's Next?

Since Drew had his palate surgery, I have had a lot of people ask, "Is that it?" Sounds like an easy enough question to answer, but it is actually very complicated. I found a website that does a good job explaining this "simple" question, so here it is...

Other Operations. For children born with a cleft of the lip and palate, there are additional operations that may be required. Most children with a cleft lip, even if the palate is not affected, require one or more operations to normalize the appearance of the nose. The first of these is often performed at the same time as the lip repair. Subsequent operations are typically scheduled before the child enters mainstream school, and during teenage years.

As for the palate, somewhere around one out of every five children might require a secondary operation to improve speech.

For any child with a cleft that extends through the gum line (as with a complete cleft palate -- which is what Drew had), bone must be placed into this cleft in order for the upper canine tooth to erupt. This operation is typically performed before, or around, 10-years of age. This bone usually comes from the hip.

One of the last operations a child might need is called a LeFort I. This operation brings the upper jaw further forward. Many children, especially those born with a bilateral cleft lip, will show deficient growth of the upper jaw (it does not grow far enough forward). The LeFort I is typically performed when growth is completed (15-years old in girls, and 16 to 17-years old in boys). This operation not only helps the teeth to fit together better, but it also may provide a significant improvement in the child's overall appearance (provided that the lower jaw is not simultaneously set back).

It's me again...we have also been told to be prepared for orthodontics! Some work will be necessary before the bone graft to get his gums ready and then he will need braces afterwards too.

So, the simplest answer to the above question would be, "Drew only has the bone graft surgery left." However, additional surges may be necessary (unfortunately). And don't forget about his ear tubes needing replaced...

See why I would sometimes become agitated when people would say, "That can be fixed," because while true, there are A LOT of steps that going into fixing it. And please don't take this the wrong way. I know that there were far more complicated things that could have been wrong with Drew and I am so thankful that what he did have could be fixed. I just don't think most people understand all of the surgeries (and speech therapy) that can be involved, so hopefully this helps!

One more thing cleft related... Before I discovered these blogs, I ran across the following website, which I thought had some good pictures. I ran across it while looking for information on teeth. It chronicles the life of Miss Stella who is now almost 6!

http://www.pbase.com/stella97king/cleft_lip&page=all

It then continues at the following site:

http://www.pbase.com/stella97king/cleft_lip_five_years_after&page=all