Surgery Report

Grady had his first cleft lip surgery this week - this surgery is called a "lip adhesion," and his second surgery in July is the full "lip repair." Technically, he has what is called a complete cleft lip on the left side and an incomplete on the right.This surgery closed the gap on the left side of his face - lip and gum line - to make it more of just a notch like the right side.

This surgery is more structural and less complicated in many ways, so it was only about two hours long. Which was long enough for me! This summer's will be eight hours and is much more detailed and exhaustive. I'm glad we got this as a warm-up.

Our surgeon is Dr. John Mulliken, who happens to be one of the best in the world for cleft-related issues. Everyone refers to him as a"perfectionist." That sounds good to me! We are lucky to live just a mile from Children's Hospital Boston, where he works. People come from all over the world to have him operate on their kids...and we can walk there (and have)! Spending just a little time at Children's is enough to make you count your blessings. While we were so grateful for all the prayers and words of support we received over the past week or two, we are also very aware that most of the people in the hospital this week needed that support probably more than we do! Kids with lifelong disabilities and other serious conditions are everywhere. We feel lucky that Grady's issue is minor in comparison.

Anyway - there isn't much more to report - I spent a night with Grady in the hospital and sent Brett home for his first uninterrupted sleep in two months. He said he still woke up at 3 and 7 (normal feeding times). :) Grady started eating well fairly quickly, and this - along with having pain under control - is the main indicator they are ready to go home. So Grady got to come up a day early! We have a follow-up appt on Monday, but anticipate having at least some recovery to mange for 4-6 weeks. He'll likely keep the Logan Bow - the metal loop on his face - on for a few weeks to protect anything from hitting the wound/incision. He also has little guards on his arms to keep him from bending his elbows. We have to take out his arms a few times a day to keep them moving/exercising.

Here's hoping he continues to heal like a champ! We are looking forward to having him a slightly less delicate state.