L.J. had a small surgical procedure at the end of February. He has had two small, raised scar bumps on his head since birth. Though we don’t recall them being used, we’ve had two pediatricians tell us they are from fetal probes used when he was born.
We chose to have them removed as a sun-safe precautionary measure and because we worried they might become more noticeable as he got older – for example, if he wanted a buzz cut.
This time, Poppa accompanied us to the hospital. L.J. was very excited about his special visitor!
The surgery took place in the actual hospital (vs. the outpatient building next door), and was a bit of a different experience. As per usual, CHOA knocked it out of the park and we had a pleasant experience without a single hiccup.
They gave L.J. an amnesiac before taking him back. They do this because, unlike at the outpatient building, parents can’t walk their kids back to the OR. That was my biggest concern – L.J. losing it when they took him away. However, with the happy juice in his system, he cheerfully waved goodbye and apparently provided colorful running commentary to the nurses all the way back to the OR. Love it.
My dad and I especially liked the modern hospital cafeteria, which was pretty much the exact opposite of what “hospital cafeteria” makes you think about. It was full of healthy, hearty, tasty options. We got lost on the way back to the surgery wing…and nothing makes you count your blessings faster than the elevator doors opening up to a sign directing you to the NICU/PICU/TICU.
L.J. had a much easier time coming off anesthesia than he did previously for ear tubes. He mostly slept it off, with very little fussing. So thankful for that!
He had little to no recovery time after his procedure. Thanks to the amnesiac, he also has little to no memory of the event. A second blessing is that, due to lack of memory, he didn’t pick at his head or his stitches all! We just told him we were putting a little ointment on “his bumps” and that was that.
Granted, with the ointment and bathing restrictions he did sport some very shiny hair for a few days!
In the two months since the surgery, his incision has healed nicely. (Trying to post these in order, but writing this at the end of April…) Unfortunately, right now, the scar is as big or bigger than it was. The doctor says it will continue to heal and should shrink up a bit. And his hair should grow around it. We’ll have to see what the next few months bring.
Oh – and this gem – apparently the amnesiac didn’t erase everything from his memory! We had to send this in as part of our post-surgery note to his teachers:
Part 1 reads: Procedure was at CHOA – “the big hospital” – contrary to what he might tell you, the Holmes family is not expanding.
Part 2 reads: Something about wine was mentioned at Sunday School. We can’t figure out what, but he keeps talking about wine. The Holmes family doesn’t have a wine problem.
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