(Well, we don't actually live on a ranch...just thought that sounded good....)
As we were digging into the delicious yellow stuff tonight at dinner, Shea lost a bottom tooth!
"Look, Mom! My tooth! I pulled it out! The corn. It helped."
"Oops, I dropped it..."
"Whew, found it!"
We were all rather surprised. To say the least. I mean, I knew her tooth was loose. I just didn't realize it was that loose.
This is the third tooth Shea has lost.
It is kinda bittersweet.
Let me explain:
As most of you know, Shea was born with a cleft palate and lip. And quite a cleft palate, I must say.
So far, she has had four surgeries in the almost five years she has been home with us.
We have had a lull....like no surgeries these past two years. (yay!)
Her next major surgery will probably be the bone graft one. This is where a tiny piece of bone is removed from one of her hips to be grafted into her gum line so that eventually she can have implants put in. Yeah, kinda intense.
This usually happens after the bottom four teeth have fallen out. Yep, we are on number three. Only one more tooth needs to fall out, and then I get to call her pediatric orthodontist at Children's hospital....*sigh*
To get the ball rollin'....
The surgery ball rollin'....
Bittersweet.
Shea is so excited her tooth fell out. :)
Shea also knows this is one step closer to surgery.
Bittersweet.
The surgery that is so needed.
The surgery that will help her in so many ways.
The surgery that I am so grateful she can receive.
Because, I know that they are so many kids all over the world who need this kind of surgery and will NEVER get it! *deep sigh*
So tonight, we celebrate all the good things, and all the little things, which we are blessed with!
Tonight, I celebrate!
I have a healthy, happy six year old who lives in a country where this kind of surgery happens.
Tonight, we had some really good corn-on-the-cob! Really good!
Tonight the tooth fairy comes.
Tonight is a good night!
Praying for your sweet Shea!!
ReplyDeleteOh Chris!! How bittersweet that must be! Kids get so excited about loosing their teeth but your sweet Shea knows what that means for her, yet she is still smiling and still excited. She is a strong, brave, wonderful child and I have a feeling that when the time comes, she will come through the surgery just fine!!
ReplyDeleteWooo!!!!! Ill bet she cant wait for her third visit from the tooth fairy!!
ReplyDeleteLook at that proud smile:-) Bittersweet indeed:) You have a beautiful family!:-)
ReplyDeleteI found your blog through NiHaoY'All and was reading this post when I saw that the doctors plan to take bone from your daughters hip to help with the cleft palate. When they do this, ask about pain management. The hip will hurt for about a week (my son has had two surgeries where they took bone from his hip. When they took it from the back of his hip, I *think* it was less painful)
ReplyDeleteBoth times they gave him a coddle (sort of like an epidural) before he woke up. Both times he woke up happy and pain free. BUT, once the coddle wears off, the worst pain ever with any movement at all, even going wet potty hurts when you get up to go and all.
While in the hospital he was given morphine which is great but after a day of getting that medicine he started having some very MINOR breathing problems and some very MINOR heart problems. As soon as they stopped giving him morphine he was 100% back to normal on breathing and heart stuff.
He was sent home with a choice of Loratab or Oxycoton. We chose oxycoton. It helped greatly with the pain, but didn't get rid of the pain.
I just wanted to share our experience...........
(Joey needed the bone graph for a totally different reason. He has leg problems)
Thanks, Rebecca for all the great advise. I really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI have heard the pain is pretty intense. :(