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Kirsten Gross
-Her CA Journey-
Welcome to Kirsten's web page!
This tool has been so instrumental in keeping all our family and friends updated with news about Kirsten's big surgery in 2005 (and after). What a great website!
Kirsten was born with her right nostril blocked by bone... choanal atresia (you might see me calling this CA at times). This was unrelated to her prematurity, and she's undergone several surgeries to try to correct this. The past procedures have been transnasal (thru the nostril), and haven't really kept her open at all. (Actually, she only had it fully opened once, and that lasted only a week or so.) On July 19, 2005, she had a transpalatal repair, where they created a flap in her palate and were able to agressively attack the blockage there. This was the first time Kirsten was really "under the knife", and God was definitely watching over her! Two weeks after the stent was removed (8/23/05), her nostril blocked back up. Details can be found in the journals below (in the journal history) of what's happened since.
Journal
Monday, July 14, 2008 8:48 AM CDT Again, great news! Her nostril is still completely open! Woo-hoo! Saw Dr.Madgy a few weeks back & he checked it out & gave us the thumbs up again! I think he really must be pleased to see this, too. He's the one that's done all the surgeries on Kirsten. I know he's been frustrated and baffled at points as to why it wasn't working (especially the transpalatal). He's a father, too, and has daughters... I can only imagine how he must've related to our own emotional pain and frustration through all these years.
This last surgery was 6 years from the first. We're hoping & praying it'll be the last!
Reality check: there's a chance it could close back up as she grows older. I found a wonderful support group online a few years ago that's specifically about parents that have children with this condition. Some are worse, some are better. Kirsten was the second in the group that needed the transpalatal way done, and the only one that it didn't work on. I also talked with someone (a Mom) who has had CA herself, and she didn't have her nostril opened up until her teens. It closed back up & she had to have surgery again a few years later. So, the chance is there that Kirsten's nostril will reopen when she's older. And, of course, there's a chance it'll stay open for life. It's in God's hands, and we'll just deal with it as it happens.
For now, we're celebrating & rejoicing that she has two open & functioning nostrils!!! Hooray for Kirsten!!!
Read Journal History
Hospital Information: Patient Room: N/A Children's Hospital of Michigan
3901 Beaubien
Detroit, Michigan 48201
313-745-5437
Links: http://finngirl4.blogspot.com My Blog
http://www.autismspeaks.org Autism Speaks
http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/prematurity.asp March of Dimes - Prematurity
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