7 months: Starting Pre-Op

We had our final consultation with Kendall's surgeon regarding the removal of her congenital nevus (pigmented mole present at birth) at Gillette Children's Hospital in St. Paul. We feel extremely confident in Dr. Wood, a pediatric dermatologist and plastic surgeon who specializes in facial plastics. He's one of the best in the state and we have no doubt that Kendall is in great hands.

With that being said, here are some of the basics.

Like we stated in an earlier post, there is a possibility that if Kendall's mole is not malignant now, it could become so at any point. With a strong recommendation from Dr. Wood, we have decided to go ahead and remove it now, preventing any further complications. 

We only have one option, which is through a process called tissue expansion--modern medicine is amazing, isn't it? 

Kendall will be admitted and monitored over night as they insert a balloon, which over a two-month course will receive weekly saline injections and enlarge to the size of a golf ball, maybe bigger. Because the balloon puts pressure on her skull, they will need to wait and begin this process at 9 months, giving it more time to harden. 

At the end of the injection process, they will remove the balloon, cut out the mole, and use the newly-stretched skin to cover over where the mole used to be. Her scar will be that of a horseshoe, and with time will be covered up with her hair.

After the mole is removed, they will perform a biopsy--we are optimistic it will come back benign. Once the final surgery is complete, they will admit Kendall once again just to monitor everything before sending her home and we begin the healing process.

They will begin this process on October 15th.

The mole happens to be on her soft spot, which typically does not completely fuse until 18 months. When I asked Dr. Wood if that was an in issue he said not to him and that he didn't want to wait that long. Agreed.

I think it's scary for any parent to have their child undergo a medical procedure--we are definitely counting our blessings that we are dealing with skin and not organs or other important bodily functions. The mole could have been on her face, but the scar will be nicely covered up with hair. She is in great health and there are no other concerns, so we consider Kendall, and ourselves, fortunate in many ways. 

We have known this was a very likely scenario since our 6-week appointment and we feel at peace with the decision to move forward and remove the mole. 

Kendall is going to be well taken care of and we are thankful this is not something she will remember. 

6 weeks: Meeting Dr. Wood

This morning we took Kendall to Gillette Children's Hospital, which is based in St. Paul, to see a pediatric dermatologist about the mole on the top of her head. Going into it, we really didn't know what to expect--whether it was a concern or something she could live with.

After a quick measurement, Dr. Wood was very up front with us that this is an issue. If we don't remove it, there is a chance that if it is not already malignant, it could become so at any point--in a few years, 30 years, 60 years. It would be something she would have to monitor the rest of her life. 

From a cosmetic standpoint, her hair in that spot would be a darker color than the rest and the skin would be different than the rest.

The risk of cancer is enough for us to decide she needs to have it removed as soon as possible.

Dr. Wood then explained that we only have one option, which is through a process called tissue expansion when she turns 9 months old. We need to wait until she's a little older since she will be getting anesthesia, and we also need more time for her skull to harden. I'll spare you details for now, but it basically entails 2 hospital stays, weekly visits for saline injections, and then the final surgery.

It's a lot to take in.

We decided it was still better to go ahead with this treatment plan while she's still young, which Dr. Wood strongly recommended as well. She wont remember any of it, we wont run the risk of it becoming cancerous, and her hair will grow in with the rest.

As a mama, it's very difficult to hear what your baby will have to go through--it's going to be a challenging time for us. But it could be worse--much, much worse. She's a healthy, happy girl and we have so much to be thankful for.

We meet with Dr. Wood again in July to go over details and schedule the appointments and surgery.