Another Appointment Down in the Books

It has been 1.5 years since I've updated this blog. The last time I wrote, it was in regards to her yearly dermatologist appointment. This time I am writing an update again on exactly that: a dermatologist appointment.

CMN (congenital melanoma nevus) is a lifelong condition where Keziah will always need to have all her "freckles" checked on a regular basis. The reason for this is because she has a slight higher chance of getting melanoma than you or I. Our dermatologist reminded us again that just because a lot of her nevus has been removed, that does not lower her risk.

So off to Sick Kids we went last Thursday afternoon. It had been quite some time since we've driven that way - so long that I took the wrong exit! This resulted in a "scenic" route, adding 20 minutes to our drive time. The blessing in this is the fact that I can no longer do this drive in my sleep! There was a time a few years ago that I could do that due to how often we were making that drive, every week!

 

We arrived 1 minute before our 1:30 appointment, which didn't leave a whole lot of time to craft....but enough time to make this:

 

Once in the room, Keziah had to change into the hospital garments. My, has she ever grown! Here is the first time she ever donned a hospital garment! Just 2.5 years old here....a few minutes before they took her for her very first surgery of expander placement....ack, my heart!!

She has now upgraded to the "grown-up" kind....but with lots of room to grow yet.

Passing the time away while waiting for our derm...

A close-up of her scars - pretty red here. The redness still comes and goes - sometimes really red, other times a pale pink. The derm said we could tackle this with laser eventually, which would help the pigmentation of her scars.

Keziah had come up with a list of 6 or 7 questions she had for the derm - and the assistant did an amazing job answering them.

We went into this appointment with some concern over one of her satellites (freckles). Throughout the summer, this mole would swell up, scab over, and fall off. This repeated a number of times. But with great relief, we found out at this appointment it was nothing to be concerned about - the mole looked healthy. The reason for the swelling/scabbing etc is probably due to the placement: it is on her inner thigh, and so it rubs against material and her other leg. We praise God for this news!

In fact, we praise God for the positive news that ALL her freckles, moles, nevus and satellites look healthy!!

So we left with a skip to our step (after another appointment was booked)....until we hit the road, where what should take 10 minutes took 60 minutes, thanks to traffic! And that was just to get to the highway - we had to get home yet! Thankfully after more than 2 hours of driving, we arrived safely home.

Keziah is now 9. This girl has gone through a lot...

 She continues the journey of acceptance that her face looks different than most, and for the most part is okay with it. She still states often she is so thankful we made the decision for her when she was young. That is very relieving to us as the weight of that decision was huge!

There are no surgeries in her near future -  not until she is a teenager. Then we can do a bit of scar revision, and she can decide what she wants to do with her eyebrow, and the nevus on her scalp yet....if anything.

So onward we go, enjoying this beautiful girl God has gifted to us!

So

Sigh of Relief!

Wow, it's been almost a year since I've written on here! That's because our "freckle" journey has been very quiet lately.

Keziah had her last surgery sometime in June of last year, where they lifted up her eyelid a bit as it was getting pretty heavy. Other than that, we haven't done anything in regards to her freckle, and had not been back to Toronto Sick Kids.....until today.

I was notified this past Monday night by a recorded message from the hospital that it had been a year since Keziah was last seen by the dermatologist and that an appointment was booked for today. I thought of cancelling it as I had totally forgot this appointment was booked and so I was not prepared. But knowing how important this appointment is, we made arrangements and off we went to make the trek to Toronto.

Boy, I have *not* missed this at all!! It didn't help that it was pouring rain pretty much all day! Just under 2 hours there, 2 hours back. A trip that really should only take 45 minutes. But hey, we arrived safely there and back, so much to be thankful for.

Keziah is one of the best travelers around, though. She passed the time away, colouring.

Dear Patches has come with her every trip to the hospital since the very first one. This time, another stuffie-friend joined him :)

We only had to wait about 45 minutes until we met with the dermatologist. This girl has had to change into a hospital gown more often than she should have to, however she does it every time with no problems or fears, despite what these gowns usually mean.

After answering lots of questions about all her freckles, satellites and moles, the inspections began. This is when I always get a little nervous. They use a magnifying glass surrounded by very bright lights, and any that they feel need to be looked at closer, is done. They are looking for irregular colour and shape, signs of melanoma.

So you can imagine the deep sigh of relief that comes out of me when I hear, "Well, they all look good and there are no concerns of melanoma at this time."

The threat of melanoma isn't on our minds much at all.......however we can't ignore the reality that the danger is there and we need to remain diligent in her sun care. This always hits home every time another member from our nevus support groups has been diagnosed with cancer, or in the worse case, when they pass away from it. It's not common, yet, with this condition of congenital melanocytic nevus, it's a slight higher risk - hence the sigh of relief after today's appointment.

We didn't get a count of freckles/satellites this time, but more have been popping up. The derm did say that after the age of 6, everyone's freckles tend to pop up and show themselves. The important part is that Keziah loves every single spot :)

After next year's appointment was set, we headed back home. We picked up this gaffer from a friend's home - thanks to this friend's mom who was able to have  Lincoln at the last minute.

Before we got home, we did make that final stop....to Tim Horton's - which has always been included every time we have to go the hospital. The kids were happy to split a donut!

 

So, as long as none of her moles change, we don't have to go back until next year. As for surgeries, nothing will be done until she is a teenager - once her head stops growing. She often states that she is so thankful for the nevus left which is in the shape of an eyebrow. Her scars under and around her eye are a bit red/brown. I am not sure if it's connected, but we have been a bit lax in the massaging of it. We shall start doing that again and see if that helps.

In the mean time, this girl shall continue to create and imagine her way through life! Life is grand in her eyes when she can play, play, play. She has grown up so much since this journey started, pretty much 5 years ago this month. Ack!!! My heart!!!!

Look at her now....7.5 going on 16.

Although most of the main freckle is missing, that bright and sparkly personality continues to shine through. We have so much to be thankful for! We praise God for safe travels today, and a favourable outcome. But most of all, we praise Him for this treasure of a gift, our beautiful, brave girl. May our God continue to keep her safe as she grows emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Thanks again for reading! Take care for now!!