5/16/2002 12:00:19 AM|W|P|Christine|W|P|This was our first visit with Dr. Emery. He is the plastic surgeon who will be performing my surgery. He told us that I have a 3/4 unilateral cleft lip. This means that my cleft is only one side (my left side) and it is only 3/4 of the way up to the nose. It does not extend in to my nose at all, although the left side of my nose is a little wider than the right side. Dr. Emery then explained how the surgery would be performed. He will use a very powerful magnifier to make incisions all the way around the cleft and then pull the lip down in to place. He will also correct the left side of my nose to make it more symmetrical with the other nostril. He assured us that the anastegolists are well versed on the care of children. Dr. Emery also explained the restraints used after surgery. I will have a metal piece, called a logan's bow, over my lip so that I don't bump the limp. I will also have restraints on my arms so that I cannot bend my elbows. This is so I don't accidentally bump my lip with my uncontrollable arm movements. Dr. Emery says that the restraints are often harder on the parents then they are on the child. He says that typically children don't really mind the restraints. He also reassured us that he doesn't think I'll have any other complications (no hearing, teeth or speech problems). Dad asked about additional surgeries and Dr. Emery told us that they may need to do another surgery depending on how the scar looks. They will re-evaluate it a few years down the road. Dad also asked whether scar tissue grows. Dr. Emery said that is a concern, but typically the lip grows with the face and you hardly notice the scar. That does go back to re-evaluating the scar in a few years to see if additional surgeries are needed to make the scar look better.|W|P|109302217902996771|W|P|First Visit With The Plastic Surgeon|W|P|beanfamily@gmail.com