Ben's coanal atresia (nasal passage blockage) has been an ongoing issue since his birth. He's had over five surgeries to keep his nasal passage open and the last surgery has been his only successful one. After that surgery (which was last year I believe), I've been doing home dilations to keep it open (per the doctor). Ben hates it and I hate doing it, but it is better than the surgery. I started out dilating daily, then moved to every two days, then once a week and just a few months ago I went to every two weeks. His doc actually thought I was safe to stop completely but I was just too worried about it closing to do that so I was hoping to get to just dilating once a month.
Anyway, I've been doing it every two weeks with no problems until this past Sunday. I couldn't get through - even after three tries. I was wondering if it could have closed and scarred over from his bad cold (mucus causes irritation which can cause scarring). But to do so in two weeks seemed too fast, even for him. His ENT started him on some really strong steroid drops put into his nostrils. Our hope is that it is just swelling from being sick. I'm praying the drops will do the trick. Thinking of the possibility of him having to get that surgery a 6th time makes me sick to my stomach.
We will follow-up with an ENT office visit in the next week and the odds are his doc will then run a scope down his nasal passage to see if it is open. Please pray for him and some open sinuses!
5 comments:
Ben, you are in our prayers. We really hope you don't need another surgery. We hope the ENT appointment goes well. Hoping those nasal passages are open!
Oh... thinking of you. Hoping beyond hope that the drops do the trick.
I will say a prayer that everything is ok and he does not have to go through anther surgery. Poor little guy!!
I hope you get good news at the ENT visit and that the drops do the trick. I hate the thought of Ben having to have another surgery, too! Let us know what you find out.
So frustrating...the nose is just a difficult issue to fix. Who knew!?!? I often have told Max's ENT that the cardiologists need to give more credit to the ENTs because repairing choanal atresia is definitely intense! :) He always laughs!
Thinking of you my friends...
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