The scar my baby has after removal of a dermoid cyst on his face

Ladies,

I wanted to post this online because I googled A LOT before my baby had a dermoid cyst removed, wondering what the scar would look like and agonizing over the surgery, if it was safe, and if he would be scarred for life.  So, after he had it done, I took pictures and decided to post them with our story.

This isn't an uncommon condition or procedure, and I found a lot of other moms posting to message boards looking for the same thing: pictures.  I hope this sheds some light and alleviates some fears for other moms of babies with smaller dermoid cysts.

From the beginning, here's the story.

My son was born in early July of 2016, and I noticed the tiny bump over his left eyebrow immediately.  No one else noticed--it wasn't big.  I was just being a mom, studying and loving the face of my new baby.  It felt like a grain of rice under his skin.

I bet you can't see it yet.

My husband didn't even notice it until I pointed it out, and then he started to worry.  I wasn't worried.  I read online that it was probably a swollen lymph node, and it would go away.  It didn't go away.

After more reading, I found it was probably a cyst.  It would need to be surgically removed.  I told my husband I wasn't worried.  (Yes.  I was worried.)

Instead of panicking, I brought the bump to the attention of our doctor.  She wasn't concerned either, and noted the size, and said it was probably nothing.  The bump had been tiny when he was born, but at his 1 month visit, the bump was about the size of a small BB pellet.

At age one month...I bet you still can't see it, but it's just above his left eyebrow.

It continued to grow, but slowly.  At his three month visit, the bump felt like a small pea under his skin.  The doctor referred us to a dermatologist who suspected it was a dermoid cyst, and said it would be easy to remove, and we shouldn't worry.  (...And here was this guy, telling me he wanted to cut into my 3-month-old's face and not to worry about it.  I played it cool.  Hell yes, I was worried.)

At age 3 months, when surgical removal was recommended.  This was about the age when friends and family started noticing and asking if he'd "hit his head."

He told us the earliest he would do the surgery was at 6 months of age; the cyst formed while baby was still a fetus growing inside me. We could wait longer, but if the cyst grew more, the scar would only be bigger when we decided to remove it.  If we didn't remove it and it suffered any trauma and burst or got infected (like taking a bump while falling, and small children are prone) it would need an immediate, more complicated surgery.  Some dermoid cysts can start to grow into a baby's skull, or become much, much larger; ultimately (and thankfully), this wasn't the case for our baby.

We decided to have surgery done at 7 months.  I asked repeatedly about the safety of the surgery and the resulting scar, and the doctor would only say that the surgery was routine and his scarring and healing was more dependent on his personal genetics than the surgeon.  I'm pretty sure it was a canned response so as not to get parents' hopes up in case the scarring is worse than expected.

Day of the surgery (age 7 months).  The cyst has actually doubled in size from the 3 month picture, but it's hard to tell because baby's head grew a lot during that time, too.

He had his surgery in early February, when the bump was about the size of a large pea.

I got to stay with him while they put him under anathesia, and my husband and I got to be with him while he woke up.  He slept most of the day after the surgery, and we used Tylenol when his incision seemed to be bothering him, but he was back to normal the following day.

The surgeon used liquid stitches to help reduce scarring.  It looked like he had a smear of grape jelly on his temple until it fell off about a week later.

The day after surgery with his purple liquid stitches.

The scar stayed puffy around the incision (kind of puckered up and swollen looking, but not red or infected) until about 5 weeks after the surgery.

The "puffy" scar after the liquid stitches came off.

When the "puffy" parts went flat, I was impressed with how clean the scar looked.

After the swelling was gone, and the incision line was still red.

It's been about 3 months since the surgery now, and the scar is completely flat.  The incision line is still visible, but we're following the doctor's directions (sunscreen and lotion) to help it heal and disappear.  Most people don't even notice his scar now unless they're looking for it.  I'm pretty sure it will be unnoticeable in a few years.

The scar after the incision line has started to fade to a normal color.

I bet you can't see it again. :)

reaching the limit

Have you ever come to the point in a relationship that you don't know how much more you can take? I am reaching that point with my man and yes I have kids with him and honestly that is the only thing keeping me here I don't want to take the kids away from him but should he really be out with his friends almost every night? Is that me being unreasonable even unfair? I feel big changes coming in my life and everyone knows how much I love change (she says sarcastically).  I am afraid that I wouldn't be able to give the kids everything they need if I go out on my own, afraid that if I go I will land flat on my face.  I don't want to move in with my mother but that's the only place I would be able to go to start out.  And I don't want to never see my kids because I have to work all the time to make ends meet.  So I could stay for another year or so until my youngest starts preschool or I leave after little man gets out of school at the end of the month. Or I just live like this feeling like the town pariah because everyone knows he prefers to be down at the bar than at home with me and the kids.  I feel like the next few days are really going to tell me what I should do.  Meanwhile I have been applying for jobs in the area near my moms house and looking into getting a continuing education certificate in business management.  Its a lot to take in all at once I just don't know what to do.    

Trees for Earth Day

It's been a while, so hey y'all!

While looking for something to do for Earth Day, I found out that the Arbor Day Foundation gives you 10 tiny trees if you get a $10 membership.  I'm going to order the flowering tree mix today.  It's usually better to try planting trees in the fall, but I figure what the heck...I'll give it a go and see if I can get them established.  If even one in ten makes it, it's a good deal.  We've lost about 10 aspens in the last few years to disease, and our poor little linden isn't doing too great, so this will help to repopulate the yard.

I'm doing well and writing like mad to keep up with my planned publishing schedule.  Mr. Borealis built me a rabbit-proof garden for Valentine's Day, and I went out with with T and started planting on the 15th.  I did take pictures, but unfortunately don't have them on hand to post right now, so I'll have to get them on here later.   :P

Writing, gardening, and cooking constitutes a large part of my hobbies lately.

After all of the excitement in January,  T is going in for what I hope will be his last test tomorrow to see if his kidneys are functioning as they should be.  I'm sure they are, but the whole situation has just created a mess with his doctors.  I get that they want to be careful (and they really do have a reason for concern), but we took him in last week for an unrelated issue and the doctor had ordered antibiotics for a UTI before his urine was even tested.  That's where we are now--the issue at hand was ignored because he's had one UTI, so therefore his kidneys MUST be bad and every issue MUST be a UTI.  His urine came back and no UTI--he just had a virus.  I just want his test tomorrow to come back definitive one way or the other so doctors can stop assuming what's wrong and actually look at the symptoms he has.  Wish us luck.

Alula

Happy New Year!!!

Yes a month late but it is the New Year, so happy new year. 
FYI the kids and I will be at my mom's house starting the 21st-26th.  Little mans spring break.  Hope we can get together!

Baby #2... it's True!

I've waited quite a while to post about this pregnancy. But, I am in fact pregnant with my second child, and it is due on March 5th, 2015. Hubby and I are incredibly excited, as well as big brother!

For those of you who may not know, I had a miscarriage late last year. After that experience I was not overly excited to let everyone know about this pregnancy right away. So I've waited.

As with my first pregnancy, I have a cervical cerclage. This cerclage is SO different from my first one though. This one was a preventative procedure, based on my strange history, whereas the first one was emergent at just over 21 weeks. Having it done as a preventative measure means I can do basically everything a normal pregnant woman can do. My doctor's only  restriction was, "Don't do anything stupid. You know your limits." I am so thrilled, this is not what I expected! Apparently when you have it done in an emergency means you get all your rights and privileges as a human stripped: minimal walking, no exercise, no sex, constant checks and micromanagement from the doctors. Freedom is such a relief. This cerclage I got to use general anesthesia, last time I was awake and had a spinal. My recovery was also much quicker this time, only two days.

I'm spending every day of this pregnancy grateful that I am pregnant (even though it makes me miserable sometimes). I say, "Thank you God for this opportunity!"

~Munchkin

Sad News

Hey Ladies,
   My Grandmother on my Fathers side, ( not the one you have met) passed away this morning.She has been sick for a very long time, needing dialysis 3 times a week. She had a heart attack this morning and after they revived her 3 or 4 times, my Grandfather decided she wanted to go. Both of her sons have been waiting for her a long time. I realized today how happy she must be getting to hold them in her arms again, I hope she has told my Father what a beautiful Granddaughter he has, and about his Grandson on the way.
My grandparents were married at 18, after a very short courtship. They have been married for over fifty years, and very obviously loved each other deeply. I think it will be very hard for him to be without her. They had the marriage everyone dreams of the day they get married. Of her 4 children she has 2 surviving daughters, 5 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildten.
Pepper is going to be named after her favorite Uncle, I did not get a chance to talk to her about it, but I think she would have been thrilled.  She has been too sick to talk on the phone for the last couple of months. I'm sorry for Pepper she will not be able to tell him about his namesake directly.
She was a sweet little German woman who showed me to love my family despite their shortcomings. She always believed her children and grandchildren were special because of the family and history they came from. I'm proud to be her Granddaughter.

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

That's right Pepper is a boy!