![Picture](/uploads/9/0/4/7/9047278/8611504.jpg?394)
Hello all,
We just got back from Gracie's follow- up appointment with our ENT and, not surprisingly, there is still a pinhole opening in her neck. I say "not surprisingly" because just the other day she was being silly and showed me how she could blow air out of her stoma....begging the newly coined phrase, "Oh, just go blow it out your trach hole!" Hahaha ;) Oh boy......
Anyway, the scoop is that Gracie will have an outpatient surgery on October 24th at 9am at Phoenix Children's. Apparently the doctor himself will be there to intubate as Gracie is not your typical intubation. He assured me that it is a matter of using the correct instrument and it really isn't that huge of a deal. I would be more nervous about this, but he is definitely the right person to have in the room. Then he will do a "hole punch" type of cut to remove the excess scar tissue. He told me that at first, her stoma will look really big, but that after this procedure it will heal completely and very quickly. Like, in about three days. He will not put any stitches in because it doesn't heal as well due to coughing, etc. So the bad news is that we have to go through another procedure, but the good news is that this is the last one! And then the hole is closed and we are DONE. He said that her scar will also look much better after this and there won't be this big indentation in her neck anymore. Now, don't ask me how we are going to manage three days or so with a huge hole in a toddlers neck, but we have overcome greater challenges ;) So Ramsey and I are appropriately freaked out, but thankful for a means to and end. We seriously owe this fairy princess a trip to Disneyland.....
But there is more good news: I was asking the doctor about traveling with Gracie in the near future. He told me that after she heals, we are good to go. He said, "Her airway is behaving normally at this point, it's just hard to expose. Go live your life! She's a normal, healthy kid. And she's going to get sick at some point and she will be fine." How about that for music to my ears? NORMAL. HEALTHY. What a relief! So we'll get through this last adventure and then move on to more fun with friends and family! Stay tune :)
We just got back from Gracie's follow- up appointment with our ENT and, not surprisingly, there is still a pinhole opening in her neck. I say "not surprisingly" because just the other day she was being silly and showed me how she could blow air out of her stoma....begging the newly coined phrase, "Oh, just go blow it out your trach hole!" Hahaha ;) Oh boy......
Anyway, the scoop is that Gracie will have an outpatient surgery on October 24th at 9am at Phoenix Children's. Apparently the doctor himself will be there to intubate as Gracie is not your typical intubation. He assured me that it is a matter of using the correct instrument and it really isn't that huge of a deal. I would be more nervous about this, but he is definitely the right person to have in the room. Then he will do a "hole punch" type of cut to remove the excess scar tissue. He told me that at first, her stoma will look really big, but that after this procedure it will heal completely and very quickly. Like, in about three days. He will not put any stitches in because it doesn't heal as well due to coughing, etc. So the bad news is that we have to go through another procedure, but the good news is that this is the last one! And then the hole is closed and we are DONE. He said that her scar will also look much better after this and there won't be this big indentation in her neck anymore. Now, don't ask me how we are going to manage three days or so with a huge hole in a toddlers neck, but we have overcome greater challenges ;) So Ramsey and I are appropriately freaked out, but thankful for a means to and end. We seriously owe this fairy princess a trip to Disneyland.....
But there is more good news: I was asking the doctor about traveling with Gracie in the near future. He told me that after she heals, we are good to go. He said, "Her airway is behaving normally at this point, it's just hard to expose. Go live your life! She's a normal, healthy kid. And she's going to get sick at some point and she will be fine." How about that for music to my ears? NORMAL. HEALTHY. What a relief! So we'll get through this last adventure and then move on to more fun with friends and family! Stay tune :)