Jaw Distraction. As Scary as it Sounds.

Going back a bit, back to June.

Brendan ended up having his Jaw Distraction along with an airway study on June 9th. In his airway study, they found two cysts on his vocal cords which made it apparent to why he was struggling to breathe and "talk". He was always hoarse prior to the procedure, this was due to the combination of the cysts and his tongue collapsing on his airway.

Here are some photos from his time at CHOP. They're in reverse order.

The surgery went really well but the recovery was really hard on him and I. I hated seeing my baby intubated for days on end. Plus, they had him paralyzed while he was intubated and he was so pitiful and swollen. Every day, twice a day, they turned the screws on his distractors to lengthen his jaw. Watching him go through that pain was heartbreaking. He continued to have the distractions until his jaw was over corrected, to allow for growth post distractor removal. Cue the Jay Leno baby!

Our Worst Day :(

We had to have a clear sleep study to be discharged and we were finally put on the schedule for June 30th. He passed his sleep study with flying colors! The distraction worked! He was also drinking from a bottle! He had to have thickened formula, but still steps away from his g-tube! After a month of being displaced to Philly, away from my family, during COVID and riots, we were cleared to go home.

I must add that we were SUPER fortunate and were asked to stay at one of Brendan's long time friend's homes right outside of Philadelphia. It was honestly an answered prayer to have somewhere safe and beautiful to spend time while away from home. Mabel loved it as well when she came to visit! :)