Cheek Expander out

Phoebe is a superstar and an absolute trooper. Here's why........We were first on the operating list this Wednesday. Our 7.30am admittance for an 8.30am operation was pushing it a bit, but all the paperwork, talking and assessments made the time fly and in no time we were up in the operating room. Experience has taught us that the clear gas mask with strawberry 'happy gas' is the best way to get Phoebe off to sleep. So this is what we insisted on (we are getting more assertive with each op). Two and a half agonising hours later and the Relatives Room phone finally rang for us (I always harbor a little resentment to those who answer the phone and it's for them to collect their loved one from the Recovery Room!). Phoebe was very relaxed and slept (snoring loudly) for about the next 3 hours. I am not sure whether it was all the local anesthetic, the morphine, or the General that put her out for so long, but whatever it was it was certainly a nice 'wake up'. By mid afternoon Phoebe was eating jam sandwiches and posting crisps in her Daddy's mouth (followed by little giggles). We had been put on a ward this time (as opposed to the private rooms we have become used to getting). The ward was full, one poor lad with pneumonia was vomiting everywhere. Also every child seemed to have the whole extended family thing going on (possiblily because of school holidays) and the ward more resembled a Kindie. Very quickly we decided that we would not stay even one night there if at all possible. So we pushed all afternoon to be allowed home. Sally eventually came and saw us at 6.10pm and declared Phoebe "OK" enough to go out on night release. We came home and she slept soundly in her own bed all night. She then woke up and was a bouncing box of birds.

What have they done?
Phoebe has had her cheek expander removed, the remaining Nevus on that cheek excised completely and the skin advanced up (in it's place). The resulting scar runs from her temple down along her eye, then down the side of her nose to the corner of her mouth. The removed expander was not out for long as Sally then placed it in Phoebe's neck. It appears to be sitting just above her colar bone on the left hand side. This expander will then be inflated (starting in about 3 weeks time) to create some skin to graft onto Phoebe's nose and hopefully eyebrows. The port for this expander remains behind Phoebe's left ear but yet another incision had to be made to re-direct the tube to the re-positioned expander. We also agreed to have the largest of Phoebe's leg nevus removed too (actually it was phase 3 of excision for this nevus). So all in all Phoebe has had a fair amount done and yet she has not made any fuss. She has slept, eaten, jumped on her trampoline, tried to play fight with her brother (he was told to walk away!), and run around the garden 24 hours later. She is one totally amazing cookie and very humbling to watch her.

7th Fill up

Phoebe is fine in the Children's Outpatients department until she spots someone in green theatre robes and white clogs, then she bolts for her private side room and shuts the door. This week she ran very fast, called me in with her and slammed the door shut on the nice Irish Registrar who had been sent down to do the fill up. Phoebe cried the moment I lifted her onto my knee. She cried all the way through the fill up, but half way through she stopped and it was almost like she had forgotten what she was crying about exactly. Then she saw the surgeon and started grizzling again. Once again things did not follow the 'normal' routine. This weeks registrar took forever to do the fill up, she constantly checked the pressure of Phoebe's cheek (with her finger tips) before slowly inserting more fliud. It took about 3 minutes to fill up, a life time in comparison to Sally's 10 second fill ups. Still 10mls was inserted. One second after the needle was withdrawn from the port though, Phoebe stopped crying and jumped off my knee to get her coat and go in search of her lollipop reward.

Next week we are booked for the expanders removal. Arrrrrhhhh!

(P.S I was going to post a picture of Phoebe with her 90ml cheek expander in, but think I will save it until after the next op)