Cleft Lip / Palate Support Group
Cleft is a congenital deformity caused by a failure in facial development during gestation. It can be treated with surgery shortly after birth with highly successful results. Cleft occurs in somewhere between one in 600 and one in 800 births. Cleft occurs in several severities and is divided in two major categories: cleft lip and cleft palate.
I need your help to help me to pick the right choice.To start off I was a baby to my kid years I did have many surgery but still have problem speaking, making friends, less of education and so so as you know life go on. You know my parent is asian which they don't know much what I really needed. They did what they know is best for me. After I was 6 year old there were few surgery I have done but most of the 24 years It didn't got fixed. I were call it a waste of getting done. When I started going to college at the age of 24, I started my speech in where I started to live/cleft lip/palate team in the city near I was living by. The college teacher who was teaching ESL with I was in help me contact one of her friend( speech Therapist) and that friend who was a her Student(Master degree) went to the field of helping a cleft lip/palate which she was one of the person in the team. I go see my cleft lip/palate team each years.
Now that being said.... What I am about to ask is a hard choice for me to but I hope I make a right one. This year I went to see my doctor who is a cleft lip/palate team. When they look and see what needed to be done as what one of them saw, she said that it maybe bad idea to do any surgery to make the upper jaw forward because it wasn't form right as a baby. If I do still want to do it it will make my speech/talking worse then what can do now. Or don't do it and be happy what I have been doing but keep doing speech therapist for it have been helping. At right now my speech is at the level of 1-10 I say it is a 6. There time to time I have to repeat myself/find a different way to tell them which I get hgorihgio you know. I been waiting for it and now I heard a bad news that it not good to do it um....
What is your thought to this? I don't know.
Now that being said.... What I am about to ask is a hard choice for me to but I hope I make a right one. This year I went to see my doctor who is a cleft lip/palate team. When they look and see what needed to be done as what one of them saw, she said that it maybe bad idea to do any surgery to make the upper jaw forward because it wasn't form right as a baby. If I do still want to do it it will make my speech/talking worse then what can do now. Or don't do it and be happy what I have been doing but keep doing speech therapist for it have been helping. At right now my speech is at the level of 1-10 I say it is a 6. There time to time I have to repeat myself/find a different way to tell them which I get hgorihgio you know. I been waiting for it and now I heard a bad news that it not good to do it um....
What is your thought to this? I don't know.
It is definitely something to think about. Almost two years ago, I re-visited a former surgeon for a final cleft palate surgery. To my surprise, he was unwilling to perform a revision to my cleft palate and lip, as he felt my appearance wouldn't improve. He also said there was a possibility my lip would look worst.
I have been referred to another plastic surgeon but I have been hesitant about seeing him because I don't want anymore disappointing news, nor do I want to hear that that is the best they can do.
Before making a decision, it may be worth to get a 2nd or 3rd opinion. I wish you the best!