Surgery Day!

After his birth, I noticed a small "skin tag" on Samuel's neck. At the time, the doctors believed we needed to wait until he was at least 6 months old to operate and remove it. At his 6 month well visit with the pediatrician, we set up an appointment to see a plastic surgeon at Vanderbilt. Ultrasounds showed very little, and the surgeon said that removing it would be the only way for him to know what exactly the mass was.

We have been waiting since February for our insurance to approve the surgery. After all the waiting, the process has actually happened very quickly! The surgery was approved and scheduled all in the same week! Praise God! Right on time, the spot had some noticeable changes. It had hardened and gotten a little bit larger. It never seemed to bother Samuel, though.  Others noticed, however, and it bothered us at times to hear the comments people would make regarding something our child was born with, but God knew what He has in store for Samuel Levi. 

Yesterday (April 13, 2011) was surgery day. He did amazing! Surgery was scheduled at noon, so he hadn't eaten for 12 hours. He was awaken at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday night to eat a jar of banana/orange medley (in the dark).  He had his last bottle of milk at 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. The waiting room was hard, as they ran a bit behind schedule, and he was getting very irritated.  Once we were called back, we dressed him in the cutest little pajamas, and answered a million of the same questions.  We continued to wait for the OR to open for him.  We said our goodbyes when the surgeon arrived.  From what we understand, they put a breathing tube in, put him to sleep, ran an i.v. through his left foot, and removed the mass. Recovery was difficult. He was not soothed easily. In fact, upon waking, he needed two doses of pain medicine, but was quickly relieved by a nap in his Daddy's arms. Once he ate (4 oz of Pedialyte), we were allowed to head home. We learned that the spot WAS deeper than originally suspected and was connected to the muscle.

For now,  he is on antibiotics, pain meds, and TLC for the next 5 days. He returns for a follow-up visit with the pediatric plastic surgeon on Monday, April 18th. Samuel is resting very well, and he has even crawled around and played with his "Get Well Soon" balloon from his aunt, Jessica.  Thankfully, Jessica and Mom were able to stay with Daniel while we were at the Children's Hospital.  Jessica even got us supper!  We are so blessed with such wonderful family and friends.  Thank you for your continued prayers. We didn't publicize this because we know that there are children in much more serious need of prayer, but we appreciate so much your concern for our sweet boy!

Here are some pictures from our day:

The night before surgery...

Watching Elmo with his big brother.

Here is the "mass" on his neck,

in case you've never seen it.

In the holding room, prior to surgery.

Aren't those pajamas precious?!

He was so hungry and sleepy.

Look how small he looked in that hospital bed!

Getting some play time in before surgery.

Last night, 6-7 hours after surgery.

His eyes are red as a side effect from anesthesia.

His incision is glued, stitched, and covered.

HOWEVER, he was ready for applesauce!