Hello! I wanted to give you an update on the doctor's appointments.....
We have had to reschedule his MRI that was schedule for tomorrow (3/19). The hospital called to confirm our appointment and then realized that his lip & palate have not been repaired. So we can not have the MRI done at the outpatient office. We have to go to the hospital. The earliest they could get Ethan in is April 29th at 11 AM. The MRI is not something that needs to be done right away. It's just to check to make sure everything is okay with his spine & head because of the sacral dimple that he has. He's walking (and even running) so we're not too concerned.
We have met with his ENT and Surgeon this week. We had questions concerning the Latham device that they will be inserting into his mouth to move his jaw bone closer together. We were able to have plenty of time today to talk to the surgeon, asking him what the benefits are of doing this vs not doing it etc. He is very nice and we were happy with his answers. He said that this will cut out a few surgeries in the future. He also told us, that the device is not as scary as what we've seen online. That it is metal in the back, but they do not "screw" it tighter. They use rubber bands. He also said that he thinks Ethan's jaw bone will move quickly and hopefully within a few weeks of having the Latham in, we will then be able to repair his lip.
April 9th we are scheduled to go to the hospital at 7:30 AM to have tubes put in his ears and to have the Latham device moulded so they can make it. Then in a week or so after it's made, we will be back to have them insert the Latham into his jaw.
I really like his surgeon. He's very nice and took the time to just sit and listen to our concerns. He explained his answers where we could understand him. I also liked him, because he did not charge us our copay today. (our ENT did charge us the $20). Not sure if they forgot, or if he just did not want it. AND, I like him, because next week he's going to Peru to do lip & palate surgeries on children.
We will keep you updated on all future procedures. We are praying that Ethan will only need 4 total surgeries; lip, bone graph, palate (all this year) and nose repair (that will be when he's about 17 years old).
Ethan is having a wonderful week. Full of smiles & giggles. He has mastered the sign of "more". But we think he thinks that means "eat". LOL He will do "more" and then shake his head yes, like "Yes?" He will raise both hands up when Bill yells "touchdown". He loves to give "high fives". He even gave Bill a real kiss the other night. He loves to go bye-bye. He gets so excited when we put his shoes on. He will copy us if we lift our feet, or stomp our feet. He blinks when we blink. He growls like a dinosaur when he's playing. He even made "car" sounds when he was riding his little toy car. He loves to climb and roll off of things. He has learned to stand on his little car with no hands and balance himself without falling. He's such a little boy! I love it! :-) OH, and he has this fascination with needing to have all the cabinets & drawers in the house closed. If he notices that it's even cracked open, he runs over to close it. Today he turned 17 months. Today also marks 2 months since Gotcha Day. He has grown so much in these 2 months.
Thank you for your prayers & support.
Sounds like your busy! I'm so glad Ethan is doing so well. I'll be praying for you all in the coming weeks.
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