Its been a hell of a journey and we are glad 2013 is behind us. Nikhil is doing well and growing up fast. His development was very slow right after his surgery. He did not start walking until he was 17 months and said his first word "mama" at 18 months.
He is 21 months now but is not able to talk much although he has added a couple of words like "papa" and "up" to his vocabulary. He does understand almost everything that we say to him and communicates using sounds or signs. We have regular followups with the Neurosurgeon and the Plastic surgeon. In Canada, we have access to a lot of resources for free, like early child development programs and speech therapy (long waiting list though). I also had Nikhils eyes and ears checked out because I have always had concerns in how his eyes are aligned.
The scar healed very nicely. We kept applying coconut oil (Dr. Courtemanche recommended the same) and also got Aloe Vera gel for some of the stubborn big scabs. It almost took 4-5 months to completely clear out the old skin. The new skin looks very pink but its normal. Its always pink before it turns silvery white. Nikhil has good hair growth and his incision is totally hidden under his hair.
Its been 9 months since his surgery and we do see a difference in how he looks today. His forehead is noticeably flat which we had seen even after the procedure. But due to the swelling we couldn't really make out the actual shape of his head. His head looks nice and round from whatever angle you see. It almost took a month for the swelling to go away completely after the procedure. Once the swelling was gone, the sharp points on the side of his head started sticking out. The bone was fused at that point during the surgery and it takes time for the bone to grow and even out. They still are visible but are not as prominent as before. Dr. Courtemanche had mentioned that it can take as long as 8-9 months for it to even out like the rest of his forehead. I have an appointment coming up in March when I need to bring this up because, at 9 months, the pointed edges haven't completely smoothed out.
Its been going smooth so far and I am hoping he doesn't ever need to undergo a surgery again. The first year of his life has been tough and my only wish is, for him to stay happy, healthy and enjoy his childhood to the fullest. He has proved that he is the bravest of us all and he is my little hero !
He is 21 months now but is not able to talk much although he has added a couple of words like "papa" and "up" to his vocabulary. He does understand almost everything that we say to him and communicates using sounds or signs. We have regular followups with the Neurosurgeon and the Plastic surgeon. In Canada, we have access to a lot of resources for free, like early child development programs and speech therapy (long waiting list though). I also had Nikhils eyes and ears checked out because I have always had concerns in how his eyes are aligned.
The scar healed very nicely. We kept applying coconut oil (Dr. Courtemanche recommended the same) and also got Aloe Vera gel for some of the stubborn big scabs. It almost took 4-5 months to completely clear out the old skin. The new skin looks very pink but its normal. Its always pink before it turns silvery white. Nikhil has good hair growth and his incision is totally hidden under his hair.
Its been 9 months since his surgery and we do see a difference in how he looks today. His forehead is noticeably flat which we had seen even after the procedure. But due to the swelling we couldn't really make out the actual shape of his head. His head looks nice and round from whatever angle you see. It almost took a month for the swelling to go away completely after the procedure. Once the swelling was gone, the sharp points on the side of his head started sticking out. The bone was fused at that point during the surgery and it takes time for the bone to grow and even out. They still are visible but are not as prominent as before. Dr. Courtemanche had mentioned that it can take as long as 8-9 months for it to even out like the rest of his forehead. I have an appointment coming up in March when I need to bring this up because, at 9 months, the pointed edges haven't completely smoothed out.
Its been going smooth so far and I am hoping he doesn't ever need to undergo a surgery again. The first year of his life has been tough and my only wish is, for him to stay happy, healthy and enjoy his childhood to the fullest. He has proved that he is the bravest of us all and he is my little hero !