Pilomatrixoma-dilly dilly

Been an exciting couple of weeks here. About two weeks ago we had a surgeon look at this small weird lump on Abby's shoulder blade. We'd thought it was a pimple gone wild, but our pediatrician said it was something called a lipoma which is a strange little fatty mass that people sometimes get. Anyway, we met with a very nice pediatric surgeon who mashed the little bump this way and that way and declared that it was a pilomatrixoma - which is a hair follicle that grows uncontrollably - aka pimple gone wild. While it isn't itself dangerous, it could hypothetically get infected and sometimes while Abby is doing her interpretive dances she hits it the wrong way and it hurts, so the surgeon recommended taking it out.

For adults this can be an outpatient procedure with a local anesthesia, but for kids they find that can be really traumatic so early the next week we headed down to the Children's Hospital in DC. Abby did great, she was a real trouper while waiting...and waiting...and waiting. Her only problem was that she was very hungry - having not been allowed to eat since the day before. When they finally took her in she calmly took the nurses hand and walked away from us into the procedure room.

From Abby Surgery

From Abby Surgery

Wayne and I, on the other hand, were barely keeping it together. Even though it was a very small procedure and didn't take very long at all, it hit us pretty hard. Heaven help the parents waiting while their kids had life changing operations! We were so happy when they called us back to sit with her while she woke up. Other than being a little groggy, she was fine.

From Abby Surgery

From Abby Surgery

She didn't complain at all about the incision site (except when we took off the bandage a few days later...that was a mess) and has been ok with the (very few) constraints on her play. She's also integrated it into play:

Fairy Mom: Girls, its time to go to dance class.
Fairy Girls: Yeah!
Fairy Mom: But first we have to go to Target, and then we have to go get your pimple removed.
Fairy Girls: Ok Mom.

Anyway - today we took Abby in for her post-op. The Dr. checked the incision site and gave her the OK to take baths (instead of the crazy shower/spongebath combo we've been using) and 1 more week before she can swim, somersault or carry her backpack on that shoulder. More importantly to us, he confirmed that the mass was just a crazy hair follicle and wished us on our merry way.