Surgery Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow is the Big Day! While most people we are talking to are gearing up for a camping-filled Long Weekend, we are also packing a suitcase. But no roasted marshmellows for us! All those trips since the beginning of April have been leading up for what's coming tomorrow. The doctors are pleased with how well the skin has stretched as well as how healthy it looks. That means it is now time to work with what they've done to that skin. And that also means that we might not be able to go camping this weekend, but if all heals well, we can go in August (which, at the beginning of this process, we thought she would be having surgery; so much to be thankful for!).

Here are some details about the surgery:

We will need to be at the hospital by 7 in the morning. Surgery itself will begin around 9 and she will be in surgery for 6-6.5 hours. Gulp. That is a long time!! It could end earlier like last time but we will have to wait and see. Once surgery is done, she'll be in recovery for a bit and then off to Ward 8C for four days.

In those 6 hours, they plan on taking out the expanders, which will leave excessive skin. They then plan on cutting off the birthmark from her cheek up to her ear and eye area. Using the stretched skin from her cheek, they will be pulling that skin up to replace what they just took off. For her forehead, they will be cutting off the birthmark up to the middle of her eyebrow or so and then use the stretched skin to cover the part they took off. That will leave some of her birthmark still on to the left of her forehead as well as over her temple area. Because they know this is just the first phase, they don't want to be too aggressive with pulling the forehead skin over as that could very well move her right eyebrow with it. We will be dealing with what's left on her face in 6 months with another forehead tissue expander.

So all said and done, she will be left with quite the incisions. We are trading in the birthmark for scars. I know this sounds bizarre, but we are anxious as to how these scars will look for her. We know the birthmark is noticeable yet that is what we are used to. Scars we are not. It's the unknown.

We are nervous. We are trying hard not to be scared. We are doing our best not to worry about the outcome. On Sunday, our minister prayed for Keziah and that all may go well as she gets a "new face". That took our breath away! But he is right. She WILL be getting a new face (somewhat). And so we are excited as well! We miss her bubble-less face! We are eager to see how much they will be able to take off and to see her new look.

We know you are praying for us and that is comforting! We ask that you pray for the doctors, that their hands may be guided in this delicate surgery that there may not be any nerve damage to her face. We worry so much about face distortion (either with the right eyebrow or with a drooping left eye) and so we ask that if it is God's will, none of this may occur. Please pray for her recovery, that it may go a bit smoother for her than last time (she had a rough time when she came out of surgery), and that no infection will set in. And one last thing, please pray for strength for us. We will need the strength already tonight when we have to drop Lincoln off and possibly not see him until next week. Leaving him is so tough. He is in good hands though and will be thoroughly entertained by Doug and Karen and their brood.

I will post tomorrow (and the days following) to let you know how things are going, when she is out, which room we are in, when we can go home etc. etc. Nathan now also has the iPad2 which comes with a camera and so if I can figure how that all works, the posts may even have a few pictures. If not, you'll just have to bear with "picture-less" posts for a few days and then pictures will surely follow once we are home.

On behalf of Keziah, we all say "THANKS for remembering us in thought and prayer!"