Parker's Next Surgery

we love to rip the paper on the table at Dr. Painter's office

We have been spending a lot of time at doctor's offices lately.  Monday, September 10th is the day of Parker's second surgery- his palate repair.  I keep getting asked how nervous I am, or am I really anxious about it?  Of course, ask me on Monday and you will get a different answer, but to tell you the truth, I really have a peace about it all.  Parker has to have his palate repaired, it's inevitable.  If I am anxious, it's only just for the day to get here and have it behind us.

I have to work hard to keep him on the table now

At Parker's 6 month appointment with Dr. Painter (pediatrician), he found pus behind both ears.  Parker was really happy, has never had a fever, and never made us think a thing was wrong.  Round 1 antibiotics.  We followed up a month later to see how he looked.  Fluid behind both ears.  Again- asymptomatic, happy little man.  Round 2 antibiotics.  Dr. Painter talked with Dr. Chen (surgeon) and decided we needed to see an ENT.

We went to see Dr. Garner (ENT) 2 weeks ago, and I really really liked him a lot.  He is actually from Arkansas, and we hit it off really well.  Parker loved being held by him (he's really tall) and was entertained by his deep voice and stethescope.  Dr. Garner said "hands down" Parker needs tubes placed.  I knew from my research a long time ago that it is extremely common for cleft palate babies to require tubes at their 2nd surgery.  I just didn't understand why.

I know I am oversimplifying this, but basically Dr. Garner explained that for the normal person- we use our palate muscles to drain fluid from our ears, especially with swallowing.  Clearly, Parker's anatomy and musculature is different and therefore insufficient at this.  The way to correct it is to have palate surgery but it takes at least 6-12 months for the muscles to then work properly to drain his ears.  This is why Parker has a high risk of ear infections, hearing problems, and even hearing loss.  Therefore- tubes are essential.  End of story.  At least he can do it at the same time as Parker's other surgery!

waiting to see Dr. Chen

He also wanted to be proactive and have us do a formal hearing test so that we have a baseline for him in case we run into hearing issues in the future.  We did the test this week, and apparently everything looked like he was doing well, but he definitely has fluid behind both ears still.  His eardrums move with vibration, but not as much as they would like.  We'll get more feedback on this later.

We also saw Dr. Chen for a follow-up before surgery.  He actually said the opening in his palate has narrowed, and that can happen sometimes as babies grow.  What a blessing!  The surgery will start around 7:30am, probably last about 2 hours and we should expect to be in the hospital for about 4 days.  Our biggest concern will be pain control, and for Parker to start taking clear liquids.  Apparently he won't want anything in his mouth for a while because of pain.  He'll be on IV fluids for a few days, followed by a week or two of clear liquids as his mouth heals.

So, now we are just preparing for our next step in this journey.  Parker has exceeded all of our expectations from day one.  I know he will handle this surgery well, and I just pray for great pain management, fast healing, and no complications from the procedure.  I also pray that we can be rested, give him plenty of comfort and support, and meet his needs.    Thanks for your prayers and thoughts for our sweet boy.