Medical Updates

It has been a rather long while since any medical updates were posted anywhere for us, so here is the lowdown.

• Maggie had a sphincter pharyngoplasty last August to make the space at the back of her mouth/throat smaller. This was supposed to help with speech, because her soft palate in the back was not large enough and moving enough to close off her nose (which is necessary for most of the sounds we make). The surgery was a success in that the space was tightened up a huge amount, but she is still not getting closure back there. The soft palate just moves very little.
• Our next step is to try an appliance. This will look like a retainer, but will have a long extension designed to cover the hole that goes up to the nose. The speech doctor and the surgeon hope that this will help her to strengthen the muscles back there, to unlearn some bad habits, and to start to hear herself using better speech immediately. The appliance is supposed to be fitted at the end of this month.
• Maggie's tonsils are very large (so are mine--I think it runs in the family), and the speech doc is now recommending tonsilectomy (again). He believes that the large tonsils are causing muffled speech. I have calls in to the plastic surgeon and the ENT requesting that they confer and let us know if they both are on board for tonsilectomy. If so, we will go forward with it.
• Maggie's brother Jackson Walker Colley was born April 18, 2007, with no medical problems whatsoever! Wooo-hooo! He has a beautiful palate. His chin did look small, so we wondered if maybe Maggie's micrognathia might just be a family trait. He does have reflux, though not as severe as Maggie's. It is controlled well by meds.

That's all of the medical news for now! Thank you to everyone who regularly keeps us in your prayers! :o)