The Bump, The Bump, The Bump, Bump, Bump!

As some of you already know, Alexyss will head to the Oral Surgeon tomorrow morning to have her 'bump' removed.  They are undecided as to weather it's a Mucous Cyst or a Blocked Saliva Duct.  It has been a long journey, but we are glad to see it coming to an end.

Back story:
When we left PA the last week of Jan. we noticed a bump on Lex's lower lip.  It was on the inside and we assumed she had bit her lip at some point.  She denied this, but who really knows?  About 2 weeks later it hadn't gone away and was changing from white to pink, then to red and purple.  I asked her doctor about it and she said it was a clogged duct and there was nothing they would do about it.

Almost exactly one month after noticing the bump I took the kids for their dental cleanings.  I asked the pediatric dentist about the bump and he confirmed my thoughts;  it needed to be removed.  He told us that it would never go away, it would just continue to get bigger and then shrink, bigger and then shrink.  

Around the second week of March I went back to the pediatrician (this time a different dr. saw us) and she agreed with the written word of the dentist and put in a referral to have the bump removed.  At this point the bump was not only getting longer but also wider and covering more skin.  One morning before school Lex had bit down on it while eating cereal and it gushed blood quite badly.  
While waiting for the referral Alexyss started to become annoyed at it's ever-changing size and color.  She had had enough of not being able to use a straw, and it breaking open.  We went to see the Oral Surgeon last week and he reassured her that it was for the best to have it removed. She has been worried about the removal since the dentist described it to her.  The Surgeon did his best to reassure her.

So tomorrow is the big day!  The Surgeon will numb the area and administer laughing gas.  He'll use a laser to remove the bump and apply a few stitches.  She'll be as good as new and home eating milkshakes, pudding, yogurt, and the likes while they biopsy the 'bump'.  


Thanks to everyone for your words of encouragement for Alexyss!  


Update:
The surgery got pushed back a day due to some poorly submitted paperwork.  So this morning we headed back to the O.S.  We waited for over an hour and a half as they tried to change my mind about the anesthesia.  Initially we had chosen the 'Laughing Gas'.  We then found out that our insurance didn't cover any of that cost.  When I asked about other options they said they could lightly sedate her with IV anesthesia.  I decided I'd tell Alexyss the options and let her decide.  We went over the 'laughing gas' first:  Breathe in medicine, needle to numb area, laser surgery - All while awake.  Next was the IV anesthesia:  Needle in the arm, asleep through everything else.

Alexyss chose to be asleep.  She had started to panic in the chair upon seeing the laser.  That was when they again told her they'd use a needle to numb the area more and she broke into tears.  And yet, they tried to talk ME into laughing gas.  I told them she could decide and I'd sign the papers.  They paraded in 3 people to talk us out of our decision to use anesthesia.  
Finally when the dentist saw how upset she was he agreed with us.  He checked the 'bump' and said there would be no need for stitches as it was small today.  He asked Luke and I to leave so they could begin and my heart broke walking away from her while she was in tears.


After about 10 - 15 minutes we were brought back to keep an eye on Lex while she came out of the anesthesia.  Her lower lip was not symmetrical and I could clearly see stitches.  The nurses said the surgery went well and the doctor would explain everything to me when he could.  

When we finally got to see the doctor he said that he was very glad we had chosen to let her sleep through the surgery.  He said that it was a lot deeper than he had thought therefore it took a bit longer and required stitches.  He also said that because it was so deep he's not sure that he was able to get it all and it may return.  It's a "wait and see" game now.  We'll head back to the Oral Surgeon next week for the biopsy results so I'll update more then!

As of now, Alexyss is resting comfortably.  He lips feel 'weird', but otherwise all is well.  We stopped at Sonic for Milkshakes - so she's 100% content.  


Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!  Please feel free to leave a comment below.  I'll share them with Alexyss later when she's feeling a little more awake.