So yesterday was my 4 week appointment with the surgeon followed by my first post-op appointment with my orthodontist. The appointment with my surgeon Dr. B was full of excitement because he removed my splint! It smelled AWFUL but I was prepared because I had read about that in several blogs. I was able to brush my upper teeth completely and it was so satisfying. So as I was getting ready to leave, my surgeon informed me that he wanted me to see my orthodontist once a week (sheesh) and that he wanted me to come back to see him on Friday (tomorrow). He's very concerned with keeping track of my upper palate, to ensure that it doesn't start to collapse or close back up. This would require another surgery which would be the worst thing ever. The orthodontist was to replace my splint with an appliance (kinda like a retainer) that would support the palate expansion and keep things kosher. Anyway, the last thing he says is, "just as quickly as things can progress, they can go south too". Now, why would you say that?! I know, I know, it's his duty to inform me but what a buzz kill. So I head to the orthodontist (oh just to make things more fun, my nap despising toddler was hysterically fighting his nap for about....oh, 45 minutes) and my appliance didn't fit. It didn't fit! So my ortho, Dr. S, starts to say that I must have had my palate already collapse. So I'm trying to figure it all out in my head, how is it possible for it to collapse when I have literally had the splint wired to my upper jaw? How does my splint still fit when if it collapsed? I started thinking about that pain my tongue and wondering if there was any correlation. Dr S then mentions that maybe the model that was used to make my appliance was off. Anyway, he takes my splint and sands it down to about a fourth of it's size, talks to the surgeon who he had paged and decides that there is no other choice but to stick the altered splint back in to hold the palate open until they can figure something else out. There I am trying not to panic, what if this splint (that after being sanded is not being held on by anything and falls out) doesn't hold my palate open? Did I or did I not have some collapse? What is going on!? Just to add a little more fun to the mix, my ortho was pushing SO hard on my upper mouth (I don't know why) that my entire body would cringe into a ball, my back would arch, and whimpers would come involuntarily out of my mouth. Awful. He did that about, 3-4 times. Nice. So, they can't make another model of my mouth to use to make another appliance because my jaw doesn't open enough to be able to insert the model tray. My mind was reeling, I was trying to figure everything out talking it through with my husband. But I can't figure this out, I don't know why it hurt when the ortho pushed, I don't know why it hurts when I swallow sometimes, I don't know if my palate collapsed and I don't know what will happen. But what I DO know is that God is still in control. Whatever He puts in my path to do, He will enable me to do. He CAN heal me and keep my palate where it needs to be against any and all odds, and His plans are perfect. So, I can still be happy and I can still have peace. I just need to keep my thoughts positive, pray and believe. And that's where I'm at.
Now if anyone has solutions for teaching a toddler to fall asleep alone when he never in his life has done so, share. Haha! That has been our mistake I think, he is at the age where he is fighting naps and asserting independence and we have always put him to sleep in our arms. Eeek. Well actually, since my surgery, he lays alone in his bed but my HH lays on the floor next to him. I guess that's one step in the right direction. Toddlers are a wonderful challenge.
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