Surgical Consult at Gillette's

Now that I'm home from China, I feel like I need to use the remaining two months of leave to make up for any healthcare my children have not received before now.  That said, they definitely weren't neglected and when they got sick, I'm confident they were treated.  Kiera's foster mother kept her home from preschool when kids at the orphanage got sick with measles.  Matteo's surgery on his lip was excellent, which even those without a medical background can see.  And I've written here about the excellent care he received before, during and after thanks to the healing home.  All this I'm extremely thankful for.  And thus I feel guilty for feeling like this isn't enough.  Kiera and Matteo are my children and didn't deserve anything less than the medical care Oliver and Soren had. 

Our making up for lost time started with a consult with a surgeon at Gillette Children's Hospital in St. Paul.  Going off the recommendation of a mom of two kids adopted from China with cleft lip and palate, we met with Dr. Wood, a craniofacial and plastic surgeon.  He explained that kids born with cleft palate in the United States have their surgeries by nine months of age and that kids who have the surgery after 18 months have an 80% chance of needing a follow-up surgery.  (Compared with 20% of kids who have the surgery before 18 months.) The doctor went on to explain that kids with cleft palate often need ear tubes because fluid tends to get stuck behind their ears, which can cause hearing loss, which impacts their speech.  

Dr. Wood asked me when I wanted to schedule the surgery.  I told him when I go back to work and that if he should have had this surgery at age nine months, I wanted it as soon as possible.  I was honestly upset thinking about how Matteo has had to wait for a surgery he should have had long ago.  Dr. Wood agreed as soon as possible is a good plan and said someone will be in contact to schedule the surgery.

One of the wonderful things about Gillette's, at least for a child with cleft lip and palate, is that all the care is integrated and doctors, specialists and therapists work as a team.  Whereas I just thought we were going to meet with Dr. Wood, we ended up meeting with an audiologist for a hearing test and an orthodontist.  The audiologist forwarded the results of the hearing test to an ENT, who then I called later in the afternoon to schedule a separate appointment, since he is the only doctor on the team not at Gillette's St. Paul location.  The orthodontist recommended Matteo see a dentist as soon as possible since the enamel on the teeth of kids with cleft palate isn't as strong.  Gillette's has a dentist who sees many patients with cleft lip and palate. 

All these appointments made for a very long morning.  I was happy I had asked my mother-in-law to come and help out with Kiera and the two of them explored all the fun places to play and things to look at in the hospital.  I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but it seems like Gillette's tries to make visiting the hospital as comfortable as possible.  Matteo didn't completely miss out.  I found the corral of wagons and pulled him down the halls of the hospital in a red Radio Flyer as we went from appointment to appointment.