Today Abigail had an appointment with the maxillofacial surgeon, and it went really well. We spent time discussing the next steps in her care, to help her have a more open airway from above and, Lord willing, eventually be able to have her trach removed after this jaw surgery. 

 

The surgeon shared that he has been in communication with her ENT surgeon, and they both agree that the next step is jaw reconstruction surgery. This surgery will use a piece of Abigail’s rib bone to create a new jawbone for the right side. Because that side of her jaw is underdeveloped, this procedure will essentially rebuild it, providing her with better structure and support. 

 

He also explained that on the left side, which has grown more normally, he plans to release it so her mouth will open more easily. The goal overall is to improve both function and airway support. This should also help align her teeth, which will hopefully allow her to eat more by mouth. 

 

Abigail will need to get a CT scan of her jaw in the next few weeks, to help the surgeon plan better for the surgery. 

 

The surgeon took time to walk us through everything—the details of the procedure, along with the pros and cons—so we feel informed about what this next step will involve. The surgery itself is expected to take about six hours and will involve both reconstructing her jaw and taking the rib graft. 

 

The surgery will happen in the next two months. We should have an exact date sometime this week once the scheduler calls us. 

 

We are grateful for the good communication between her care team.