Elderly Care: Helping You Deal With the Dying Process
3 Conditions Where Your Child May Benefit From Pediatric Plastic Surgery
Julio Carr
A pediatric plastic surgeon at a facility like Shriner's Hospital Cincinnati specializes in different kinds of plastic surgeries that are performed on both infants and children. These surgeries can make a huge difference in the lives of these children, and in some cases, can even save their lives. Children are sometimes born with different physical abnormalities that may require plastic surgery in order to fix them. This article will discuss 3 of these conditions in more detail and will explain why plastic surgery can help to repair them.
Cleft Lip and/or Palate
If your child is born with a cleft lip and/or a cleft palate then they have an opening in their lip and/or the roof of their mouth that can make it hard for them to speak, eat, etc. Pediatric plastic surgeons are able to repair one or both of these conditions by using surgery to reform and close the open structures. Sometimes this may require the use of a molding plate or lip adhesions in order to make the structure look normal and close it safely. It is best if this procedure is done while your child is around 3-6 months so that the cleft lip and/or palate doesn't negatively effect their eating, speech, dental structure, etc. long term. After the procedure, your child will then work with their pediatrician, speech pathologist, and other medical team members to help them make a full recovery.
Hand Or Foot Malformations
Your child may have been born with some type of hand or foot malformation that can be fixed by a pediatric plastic surgeon. They may have fingers or toes that are fused together or they may have extra digits on one or more of their hands and feet. A pediatric surgeon has specialized knowledge about the small bones, tendons, and ligaments in your child's hands and feet, allowing them to correctly perform the plastic surgery. They will either un-fuse and restructure your child's hands and/or feet, or they will remove the extra digits entirely, and once again restructure the hand.
Craniosynostosis
Craniosynostosis is a condition where your child's skull fuses together to early, restricting growth as they get older. If this happens to your child, then this not only deforms their skull, but it can also cause damage due to restricted blood flow. Plastic surgeons are able to fix this issue by removing the fused portion of your child's skull, allowing the rest of their skull to continue to grow. This surgery is generally done before you child is one year old, so as to not create any long term problems.
Share
As an elderly care worker, I have witnessed the deaths of many individuals. I have seen family members become angry, sad, and completely silent at the end. I have also seen individuals refuse to see family members out of denial. People deal with death in different ways, and the strong emotions are often unfamiliar and scary. If you have a parent or grandparent who is elderly, then I want to share with you what I know about end of life care and dying process. We are a society that does not talk about death, and this can cause great pain when a family member dies. Learn about the process and find out how to deal with your own emotions and how to love your family members at the end. If there is only a small amount of time left, then I want you to cherish the final moments.