Palate Surgery

We just left Nathan as he went into the operating room.  He is having his palate surgery this morning, and we expect him to be in surgery for at least 3 hours.  The surgery is called Palatoplasty.

Palatoplasty is a surgical procedure used to correct or reconstruct the palate in a person with a cleft palate. The basic goals of the procedure are to close the abnormal opening between the nose and mouth, to help the patient develop normal speech, and to aid in swallowing, breathing and normal development of associated structures in the mouth. Any person with any degree of a cleft palate is a candidate for palatoplasty. The procedure is usually performed on infants. The ideal age for the patient is between six and twelve months of age. If the surgery is carried out much beyond three years of age, speech development may not be optimal. 80% of the time, development of the palate and speech is normal after only one procedure.^[1]

1. ^ Pediatric ENT West central Florida  

 

Day One

9:23 AM Just talked with the Doctors and everything is going great!  

10:35 AM Doctors just let us know that Nathan is still doing great and he still has a couple of hours to go.

1:15 PM Nathan is out of surgery and he is doing great!  The surgery was a success as the entire palate was repaired.  Needs to spend a few days in the hospital still, but he is doing great. 

I'm So Proud of Him!!!

Day Two

9:30 AM Nathan is still very sore and swollen today, Bianca had to hold him all last night to get him to fall asleep.  Bianca is a amazing, it doesnt matter how much pain she might be, she will always hold her son.

11:39 AM (GREAT NEWS)  Nathan has drank 2 0z of formula and he needs to drink 16 oz today in order to go home tomorrow!!!

Nathan's 1ST Birthday!!!

On Saturday Nathan turned ONE and he had a wonderful day.  We had a Halloween themed party for him, that included pumpkins, candy, costumes and decorations.  He got a ton of new gifts from our friends and family.

On Tuesday Nathan goes in to finally close his palate.  The surgery will take about 3 hours or more and he will be in the hospital for at least 3 or 4 days.  We're excited for this process to come to an end, because it will help Nathan live a better life.   He will be able to eat, breathe, suck and talk better.  All the things that you want any child to be able to do without any problems.  I will update everyone once the surgery starts.