+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: does your baby look different since the surgery

  1. #1
    Samantha's mommy sproutgirl is on a distinguished road sproutgirl's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    190
    Rep Power
    7

    Default does your baby look different since the surgery

    I can't get over how different Samantha looks. The swelling has pretty much all gone down, but she still looks so different. I think the thing that bothers me most is how different her eyes look, as she had big beautiful eyes before the surgery (her most noticeable feature - everyone comments on her eyes) and they still just don't look the same and don't look as big to me. Hubby says that it's probably an optical illusion, since they reshaped her forehead and now it is wide instead of pinched in at the temples. I guess this is one thing I wasn't prepared for. I know this is the new Samantha, and I am so happy with her forehead and with how everything turned out. But the mommy in me is a little sad that she looks so different. I guess that's a little silly. After all, that was kind of the point of the surgery.
    Mindy
    Mommy to 3 beautiful girls
    T, 12/03 - no cranio
    R, 4/08 - no cranio
    Samantha, 12/09 - metopic cranio, ICP, and developmental delays
    had CVR November 2010 at Cook Children's Medical Center


    I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.


  2. #2
    melsch is just starting out melsch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Washington DC (Northern VA)
    Age
    38
    Posts
    3,757
    Rep Power
    33

    Default

    Logan looked like Frankenstein for almost a year after he had his surgery because of the over compensation. I think it's likely just the normal process of healing. I know it seems like a shock at first, but his personality never changed and soon we were looking at him without noticing any changes. The swealling also appears to go down quickly, but it takes a LONG time for it to completely subside! Don't feel sad, I promise this too shall pass!
    Melissa
    Mom to 2 beautiful angels!

    Kayla (8/99)
    Logan (7/07)
    Metopic sugery Nov. 7, 07'

    www.caringbridge.com/visit/loganschaefer

  3. #3
    AJ's Mommy AJ's Mommy will become famous soon enough AJ's Mommy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    3,689
    Rep Power
    28

    Default

    I felt AJ looked different too! It was tough but I knew it was for the better and that he was still my sweet boy! It didn't take long for us to get used to his New look.
    Hugs momma! She's a beautiful girl:)
    ~~Shelby~~

    AJ~Sagittal Craniosynostosis
    ~Surgery 10-6-2009 At Seattle Children's Hospital
    ~Dr. Ojemann and Dr. Gruss~

    Cranio Care Bears
    www.craniocarebears.org

  4. #4
    Rubysmumy Rubysmumy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    24
    Rep Power
    7

    Default

    Ruby's whole face looks different. We cant get over how much her face changed immediately after the surgery. Her eyes actually look bigger now and she still gives us the same beautiful smiles. Samantha is as beautiful now as she was before : )
    Last edited by Rubysmumy; 12-25-2010 at 06:31 AM. Reason: spelling (whoops!)

  5. #5
    Terry17 Terry17's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    504
    Rep Power
    12

    Default

    Isaac pretty much looked the same.

  6. #6
    On the other side again! jjmc123 is just starting out jjmc123's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Age
    32
    Posts
    4,569
    Rep Power
    37

    Default

    Logan's frontal view was so puffy for months, he always looked bloated. I was warned it would take a long time for the swelling to subside, and by the time it did, his forehead wasn't growing right so he looked similar to pre-op. His side profile - holy smokes was that night & day. I welcomed the change for his side profile was always something, since he was only a few days old, that just looked so wrong and I never could put my finger on it until he was diagnosed with cranio. Awful to say, but I never liked looking at it and was so happy know he shouldn't look that way & to see it improved.
    Cindy

    Mom to Logan (12/8/2006) - Left Coronal

    Hospital - Connecticut Children's Medical Center (CCMC)
    Surgeons - Dr. Kanev & Dr. Casteglione

    1st Surgery (7/21/2007) - CVR & ear tubes
    2nd Surgery (
    2/18/2011) - CVR #2

    Patch therapy for amblyopia (lazy eye)
    8/4/11 - 20/500 *** 10/14/11 - 20/250 *** 1/13/12 - 20/60 *** 4/13/12 - 20/60
    *** 8/6/12 - 20/50

    http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/logansullivan

  7. #7
    Roman's Mom Roman's Mom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Edmond, OK
    Age
    37
    Posts
    57
    Rep Power
    7

    Default So different!

    Roman's face looks so different now, only 3 days after his surgery. I was expecting a change in his head shape, but didn't realize the look of his face would be so different, he was barely recognizable. I think he looks even cuter though, and actually his eyes look bigger to me. Luckily, he had hardly any facial swelling though.
    Seems like every kid recovers so differently, so maybe your daughter is still swollen a bit. Or maybe this is the new way her eyes are meant to look. But she's still just a baby and it could change just as she grows older, whether she had crainio surgery or not. My older daughter had small eyes when she was a baby, but now at 3 yrs. old they are much bigger. ; )

    EDIT****Now that he's 2 weeks post op, I realize he actually did have some facial swelling, because now his face looks like it did before the surgery, it's less round now and his eyes probably got a little smaller to how they were before, which is just fine-I got my old baby back. But of course as the months go on, his head and maybe his face will round out as his brain grows. : )
    Last edited by Roman's Mom; 01-19-2011 at 12:53 PM.
    Melanie

    Mommy to Evelyn, 5 yrs. (no cranio)
    and Roman, 2 years old (sagittal cranio)- open strip craniectomy with "barrel staves" on January 5th, 2011 with Dr.Mapstone at OU Medical.
    We are on the other side! : )

  8. #8
    Brendan' Mummy BrendansMummy is on a distinguished road BrendansMummy's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Central Coast, NSW Australia
    Posts
    1,573
    Rep Power
    18

    Default

    I was so upset with brendans new look, he looked so different and lost his masive almond eyes, i actually cried and mourned his old head, then as the weeks and months passed and the swelling all went away i realised he was still the same baby and even cuter than before. Now when i look back over his old photos i completely understand why the surgery had to take place, its taken me 9 months to get to a really good place about it.

    I guess what i am trying to say is that what you are feeling is really normal and you are def not alone
    Lisa,
    Joshua
    6 years - Bilateral Talipes (club feet) surgical corrections at 9 weeks, 9 months and 3 years.
    Autism spectrum disorder

    Sophia
    4 years, dilated ureta causing frequent UTI's

    Brendan
    2 years - Metopic. FOA/CVR preformed March 25 2010 at The Sydney Children's hospital, Randwick.
    Dr. Jeremy Hunt & team

+ Reply to Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts