Tongue Tied
Sorry in advance for the somewhat technical post - I promise to post something a little more fun/photo filled tomorrow!
When Easton was about 2 months old, I noticed a little bump under his tongue. Nothing big, very small, it looked like a little pearl. When we took him to the pediatrician, we had him look at it and he said it was a little cyst, no big deal (definitely not cancerous) but would probably have to be removed at some point. There was no reason to get it taken out right away and the doctor told us to wait until he was a little bigger or the cyst prevented him from eating. He was already struggling to nurse (he would take foooooreeeeevveerrr), so I was pumping full time but he was able to take the bottle no problem.
Fast forward to 5 and a half months and it's officially time for the cyst to go. We had an appointment at the Monroe Carroll Children's Hospital (Vanderbilt University's Children's Hospitals for you non-Nashville folks) with Dr. Werkhaven in their pediatric ENT group. He diagnosed the cyst as a ranula which is basically the swelling of connective tissue from a ruptured salivary gland duct. It is unlikely that the ranula will go away on its own and even if it does, it is even more likely to return. Leaving it in too long can cause it to spread below the jaw, making the removal more difficult. The process to remove it is fairly simple but he will still be required to be put under general anesthesia. The removal of the sublingual gland, which is blocked and causing the ranula, happens on the floor of the mouth and shouldn't leave a scar, although we were warned he will have a nasty scab for 10-14 days. Worst case is that when he gets older, his tongue might curve out slightly to the left when he sticks it out because of scar tissue but it won't impact his speech development.
This kid isn't worried one bit!
We have scheduled the outpatient procedure for Tuesday September 30th and will get there super early in the morning. As long as he takes a bottle after he wakes up from the procedure we'll be able to take him home (otherwise he'll be admitted so they can ensure he stays hydrated by an IV). He'll be able to take baby Tylenol/Motrin for the pain. All in all, we know he's in capable hands and that the procedure is very minor. Hopefully he will recover quickly and without too much pain!
Love y'all!
When Easton was about 2 months old, I noticed a little bump under his tongue. Nothing big, very small, it looked like a little pearl. When we took him to the pediatrician, we had him look at it and he said it was a little cyst, no big deal (definitely not cancerous) but would probably have to be removed at some point. There was no reason to get it taken out right away and the doctor told us to wait until he was a little bigger or the cyst prevented him from eating. He was already struggling to nurse (he would take foooooreeeeevveerrr), so I was pumping full time but he was able to take the bottle no problem.
The ranula is just to the right of his tongue (see the dark spot)
Fast forward to 5 and a half months and it's officially time for the cyst to go. We had an appointment at the Monroe Carroll Children's Hospital (Vanderbilt University's Children's Hospitals for you non-Nashville folks) with Dr. Werkhaven in their pediatric ENT group. He diagnosed the cyst as a ranula which is basically the swelling of connective tissue from a ruptured salivary gland duct. It is unlikely that the ranula will go away on its own and even if it does, it is even more likely to return. Leaving it in too long can cause it to spread below the jaw, making the removal more difficult. The process to remove it is fairly simple but he will still be required to be put under general anesthesia. The removal of the sublingual gland, which is blocked and causing the ranula, happens on the floor of the mouth and shouldn't leave a scar, although we were warned he will have a nasty scab for 10-14 days. Worst case is that when he gets older, his tongue might curve out slightly to the left when he sticks it out because of scar tissue but it won't impact his speech development.
This kid isn't worried one bit!
Love y'all!
.jpg)
Aww, poor little guy. I'm sure the procedure will be tougher on you than on him! Please keep us posted on how it goes. Will be thinking about him on the 30th.
ReplyDelete