That was my first thought when I had them take a look at the fact that little Lincoln's tongue was attached all the way to the front of his mouth. I had asked the pediatrician about it and she sent me on a consult to UNC. Although this was far from home, I knew the best of the best came from this school and they would know what they were doing. I was completely impressed with the bedside manner of the pediatric ENT surgeon that we saw there. She calmly explained to me the ease of this procedure and the possibility of doing it without putting him to sleep but told me she'd be more comfortable doing it with him unconscious in scheduled surgery because of the risk of clipping the salivary glands under the tongue. I did have a moment of panic when she used the words "unconscious" and "take him back into surgery". But we all want what is best for our children so I quickly browsed my phone for dates I could call in Super Nana for backup for both Mommy and Lincoln. I knew I couldn't do this alone. I just imagined me standing there as they rolled my youngest son back into surgery as I just melted into a blubbery mess. She came to the rescue and it was set.
On Monday Feb. 15, we went in for an "excision of the frenulum" as they called it in surgical terms. The whole procedure took about 30 minutes, the recovery took about 1 hour tops. I'll admit I was a little alarmed when they gave him the Michael Jackson drug (fentanyl)while in PACU but it was just a precaution and to help him rest. It was far more emotional stress for me than it was distressing for him. I can't attest to his pain level but I'd say the hardest part for him was not eating from 10pm to 10am. Boy LOVES to eat!
I had a great prayer circle every end of the country all the way to Afghanistan (thanks daddy!) and everyone is back to normal already.
FYI-
Tongue-tie or ankyloglossia is caused when the membrane under the tongue (the frenulum) extends excessively toward the tip of tongue. Sometimes this membrane is an intact piece of tissue attached to the floor of the mouth and extending down the length of the underside of the tongue. Sometimes this membrane is interrupted, leaving a small strand of membrane, which attaches close to the tip of the tongue. In either case, this frenulum limits the mobility of the tongue, often giving it a characteristic heart shape when extended.(www.ivillage.com)
