Recovery...

...is not going so well.  I'm so exhausted from this I made the decision on Friday to ditch the elbow restraints when she is in bed without consulting the surgeon.  She NEEDS to sleep and couldn't with them on.  And I mean really couldn't.  Most nights she wasn't falling asleep until the wee hours and some nights was waking up in the wee hours, unable to go back to sleep.  The hours she was asleep she was still very restless.  Most naps were no more than an hour.  The time that she is not able to sleep is spent screaming.  Just by her so far.  Not me yet.  All her screaming and lack of sleep cannot be conducive to healing.  She is also managing to get her hands in her mouth with the arm restraints on anyway.  She only puts her hands in her mouth when she is upset.  The elbow restraints make her upset so to me it is logical to keep them off.   

Her repair looked beautiful especially after the stitches had dissolved.  Gradually though we noticed it looking like it was being "sucked up" into the cleft.  No fistulas (holes) though.  On Saturday she was eating yogurt and some came out her nose.  Sign of a fistula.  We didn't want to believe it so checked and there was a anterior fistula along the indentation.  I cried.  I always said that a fistula is going to happen if it is going to happen: Outside of preventing trauma to the site, there is nothing you can do.  I still felt that there was something we could have done or not done to keep this from happening.  Maybe ditched the elbow restraints sooner?  We see the surgeon on the 21st and are of course anxious to hear what she suggests.  I suspect she will want to wait and see if it impacts Anna's speech and to what extent.  Some kids have them and are able to speak fine.  We are still so disappointed for her.  

She is drinking and eating pretty well.  She is still not back to where she was with eating but I think there may be some teething going on which would impact this.