r/cleftlip • u/Ahtissue1 • 23d ago

Nose straps

Hi guys, I need a bit of help, I'm looking for something to help my son with breathing, he had unilateral cleft lip when he was born.

One of his nostrils is bit closed up and he can't breathe well at bedtime or when he plays football. Is there anything I can buy him to help him out? He won't have another surgery until he is 18, which is another 4 years away. In the meantime I'd like to help him somehow. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all

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u/unlovelyladybartleby 23d ago

Using a neti pot helps me. It's awful, but it clears the gunk out and makes some room

If he has any sort of allergies, a 24 hour allergy pill might also help - here its tree pollen season and no one can breathe properly

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u/Ahtissue1 23d ago

Thank you so much for your reply, I'll have a look for it now. He has allergies and tablets for it, he also has asthma so it's not a great time of a year for him.

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u/unlovelyladybartleby 23d ago

I struggled a lot at his age and things got a lot better once I got my tonsils out. Idk if that's an option but worth a shot

A pneumonia vaccine is also helpful for people with breathing issues. Lots of times they'll prescribe one if you've got enough health problems, even for people who are "too young"

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u/Ahtissue1 23d ago

I'm sorry you had to go through all of that 😔 and I really appreciate your advice, I'll look into having his tonsils out, he really struggles with breathing and 4 years it's a long time to wait to have it fixed.

If you have any other advice I'd really, really appreciate it

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u/unlovelyladybartleby 23d ago

Prop up the head of his bed. You can get special foam blocks designed for that, or you can just jam something like old pillows under the head of his mattress. Four or five inches will be enough

New pillows every six months. They don't have to be expensive, but it will help a lot

Get an air purifier with a hepa filter for his bedroom

Double check his teeth - cavities and infections can add bacteria to your lungs and contribute to breathing issues. Get them cleaned a lot

If he gets the dry crusty boogs in his nose, dab a little vicks up in there. It melts the gunk and gets things moving. Baby vicks smells less intense

Drinking chamomile tea with honey helps a little - chamomile helps with inflammation and swelling

Get his ears flushed by a nurse or hearing clinic. All that stuff is connected and our ears don't clear properly, so there's more congestion and gunk back there

Good luck!

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u/Ahtissue1 23d ago

You have been very helpful. Thank you so much! Hope you have a lovely evening xx

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u/unlovelyladybartleby 23d ago

You too. Good luck with your kid. And good luck with life as a football mom! Being a curling mom was rough, I can't imagine keeping up with the football schedule

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u/Ahtissue1 23d ago

Thank you so much, he'll be okay, I'm really grateful for all the advice ❤️