Saturday, December 6, 2014
Girl Scout / Doernbecher connection
Every year, Camryn's Girl Scout troop sets a financial goal for their cookie sales. Once they reach it (they have every year!), they divide their earnings into thirds, saving 1/3, spending 1/3 on a celebration of their accomplishments, and donating 1/3 to a charity of their choice.
Last spring, the troop chose the children at Doernbecher Children's Hospital to benefit from their sales. Fast forward to September, and we took the girls on a field trip to Target, where they worked together to use their math and shopping skills to buy as many toys as they could for Doernbecher.
As Camryn went through the steps of the surgical process this fall, her understanding of and connection to Doernbecher was strengthened. This week, when we went back for her post-op surgery, she got to deliver the toys to the hospital. Although for health reasons, we couldn't deliver directly to any of the kids, it was a thrill for her to explain to the hospital staff why/how her troop collected the toys.
I hope all of the girls have a better understanding this holiday season of how lucky they are to be so healthy, happy, and carefree. I am proud of them too, for wanting to make a difference for kids that aren't quite as lucky.
Last spring, the troop chose the children at Doernbecher Children's Hospital to benefit from their sales. Fast forward to September, and we took the girls on a field trip to Target, where they worked together to use their math and shopping skills to buy as many toys as they could for Doernbecher.
As Camryn went through the steps of the surgical process this fall, her understanding of and connection to Doernbecher was strengthened. This week, when we went back for her post-op surgery, she got to deliver the toys to the hospital. Although for health reasons, we couldn't deliver directly to any of the kids, it was a thrill for her to explain to the hospital staff why/how her troop collected the toys.
I hope all of the girls have a better understanding this holiday season of how lucky they are to be so healthy, happy, and carefree. I am proud of them too, for wanting to make a difference for kids that aren't quite as lucky.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Someone...Just pull 'em!
Check out those bottom two front teeth! They are so loose, that they are literally leaning on each other for support. We have taken to calling her "Snaggletooth," and "Mater," and crossing our fingers that will just FALL. OUT. already...!
Camryn's surgery, revisted
The day of Camryn's surgery, she was very, very brave. Although she said repeatedly, "I don't want to do this," and "I'm scared," she cooperated and did everything that was asked of her.
We got there early, and waited in the waiting room for what seemed like forever. When they finally called her name, we were led behind her own little curtain in the pre-op area. She thoroughly enjoyed the warmed blankets, and her own personal TV, but started to really get nervous. The goofy anesthesiologist tried to joke with her, but by then, she was having none of it. And that's when she started refusing... "I'm not doing it! I won't do it!" she insisted with her "I'm digging in my heels" scowl.
Soon, the nice nurse came by with a dose of Versed. :) This medication made her feel somewhat loopy and tired, and a little more agreeable. We were able to walk with her as they pushed her bed to the doors of the OR. Even though she had her beloved Bailey Bear with her, that's when she really started to get weepy. The doctors and nurses reassured her that everything would be ok, but she just kept looking at me, crying, and begging me not to leave her.
Walking the opposite direction, as the rolled her away, crying, was really tough. Definitely the hardest part of the day... :(
Again, the waiting seemed to take For. Ev. Er. We watched her number on a TV screen (kind of like the updates in the airport), and knew when the surgery was nearly done, when she was being transferred to Recovery, and when she was finally there. Eventually, we were led back to the Recovery area to be there as she woke up.
And THAT'S when the fun began! At first she was groggy, loopy, and again, somewhat weepy. Once she really woke up though, she was ANGRY. She kept yelling at us and the nurse to "Take this thing out of my hand RIGHT NOW!" referring to the IV start. There was a lot of insisting, demanding, and crying, before we finally got her calmed down enough to eat a popsicle and be granted permission to leave.
Once we got home, she was finally allowed to eat, for the first time in about 18 hours, which drastically improved her mood. :) We spent the afternoon and evening cuddling on the couch, watching movies, and eating.
By the next day, though she was still a bit tired and emotional, she was pretty much back to her old self, and by day two, she was back at school! All in all, as good an experience as we could hope for. :)
The best news, however, came a few days later... Pathology showed no indication of anymore crazy, scary cells!!!! Now, we are just counting down to the end of the six weeks of wearing an arm wrap, and sitting out of PE and sports. That part is pretty tough, but I'm sure our little champ will pull through. :)
Soon, the nice nurse came by with a dose of Versed. :) This medication made her feel somewhat loopy and tired, and a little more agreeable. We were able to walk with her as they pushed her bed to the doors of the OR. Even though she had her beloved Bailey Bear with her, that's when she really started to get weepy. The doctors and nurses reassured her that everything would be ok, but she just kept looking at me, crying, and begging me not to leave her.
Walking the opposite direction, as the rolled her away, crying, was really tough. Definitely the hardest part of the day... :(
Again, the waiting seemed to take For. Ev. Er. We watched her number on a TV screen (kind of like the updates in the airport), and knew when the surgery was nearly done, when she was being transferred to Recovery, and when she was finally there. Eventually, we were led back to the Recovery area to be there as she woke up.
And THAT'S when the fun began! At first she was groggy, loopy, and again, somewhat weepy. Once she really woke up though, she was ANGRY. She kept yelling at us and the nurse to "Take this thing out of my hand RIGHT NOW!" referring to the IV start. There was a lot of insisting, demanding, and crying, before we finally got her calmed down enough to eat a popsicle and be granted permission to leave.
The best news, however, came a few days later... Pathology showed no indication of anymore crazy, scary cells!!!! Now, we are just counting down to the end of the six weeks of wearing an arm wrap, and sitting out of PE and sports. That part is pretty tough, but I'm sure our little champ will pull through. :)
Sunday, November 9, 2014
The history of tomorrow...Camryn's Doernbecher trip
About a year and a half ago, I noticed a mole growing somewhat out of the blue on Camryn's upper left arm. Although it seemed odd for a mole like that to appear in the middle of winter, I didn't think too much of it until it started getting bigger. And puffier. And just. not. right. So I took her to a dermatologist to have it looked at. Dr. R. didn't seem too alarmed, and recommended measuring, and photographing it, and keeping an eye on it until a revisit in a year...
Well, over the course of that year, wouldn't you know it, the mole grew. It grew and grew. In shape, and size, and color. It became asymmetrical, and multicolored. It just didn't look right, so Idragged took Camryn back in to Dr. R. again. When she walked in this time, Dr. R. already had the previous summer's photo pulled up on her laptop screen, and l swear to you, she glanced at said current mole for approximately 1.2 seconds from a distance of at least 5 feet, before she said matter-of-factly, "That mole's gotta go." She agreed that it had transformed since our last visit. That much change is not a good sign, but instead a red flag for removal.
Without describing any of the gory details here, Camryn ended up having her mole removed right there in the office that day. Let's just say it was not the ideal situation for my child the control freak, who also happens to have a a bit of medical anxiety. ("Surprise! These three nice ladies are going to hold you down and cut a chunk out of your arm! Won't it be worth the sucker at the end???") Yeah...not our best day ever... Not even Salt & Straw ice cream could make up for that one...
In any case, the mole was sent to pathology at OHSU, who, after two weeks, didn't exactly like what they saw. So they sent it on to pathology at UCSF, who took another three weeks to get back to me, and describe it as a spitz nevus. Now, this particular funky-sounding mole type occurs most often in children, and is typically benign. (Good news!) However...Camryn's did not exactly fit the typical description (Bad news!)
In fact, though the results found it to be a spitz nevus, they also described it as having a significant percentage of atypical cells that do not meet the criteria of a spitz nevus. (Whaaaa???) I was so confused. Basically, they *think* it was benign, but because enough of the cells were too wonky to be considered truly benign, and because any wonky cells like those are considered precancerous, they wanted to go back to the site on her arm (which had healed up into a nice, shiny pink circle by now, thankyouverymuch), and remove more tissue.
Uggggggghhhhhhhhhh. Not. Again.
So tomorrow is the day. Only this time, we get to go up the hill to Doernbecher Children's Hospital, where Dr. K., a pediatric plastic surgeon will carefully and precisely remove the entire margin of the mole site. She will also cut and stitch in such a way to remove and minimize the scarring, so that Camryn will be left with a line, which will fade over time, instead of a dime-sized circle scar.
So...my Baby Girl is super nervous. And so am I. I know in my heart that she will be OK. She will be truly OK. She will be in good hands, in one of the most state-of-the-art children's hospitals. Where they work miracles every day. I know that many of the other parents sitting in the waiting room with me tomorrow will be sick with worry over much more serious injuries and illnesses that their little ones are facing. But it's still scary. Because even though she's almost ten, can read faster than me, has a bit of teenage sass already, and a quick mouth....she's still my baby. And I don't like this anymore than she does.
Well, over the course of that year, wouldn't you know it, the mole grew. It grew and grew. In shape, and size, and color. It became asymmetrical, and multicolored. It just didn't look right, so I
Without describing any of the gory details here, Camryn ended up having her mole removed right there in the office that day. Let's just say it was not the ideal situation for my child the control freak, who also happens to have a a bit of medical anxiety. ("Surprise! These three nice ladies are going to hold you down and cut a chunk out of your arm! Won't it be worth the sucker at the end???") Yeah...not our best day ever... Not even Salt & Straw ice cream could make up for that one...
In any case, the mole was sent to pathology at OHSU, who, after two weeks, didn't exactly like what they saw. So they sent it on to pathology at UCSF, who took another three weeks to get back to me, and describe it as a spitz nevus. Now, this particular funky-sounding mole type occurs most often in children, and is typically benign. (Good news!) However...Camryn's did not exactly fit the typical description (Bad news!)
In fact, though the results found it to be a spitz nevus, they also described it as having a significant percentage of atypical cells that do not meet the criteria of a spitz nevus. (Whaaaa???) I was so confused. Basically, they *think* it was benign, but because enough of the cells were too wonky to be considered truly benign, and because any wonky cells like those are considered precancerous, they wanted to go back to the site on her arm (which had healed up into a nice, shiny pink circle by now, thankyouverymuch), and remove more tissue.
Uggggggghhhhhhhhhh. Not. Again.
So tomorrow is the day. Only this time, we get to go up the hill to Doernbecher Children's Hospital, where Dr. K., a pediatric plastic surgeon will carefully and precisely remove the entire margin of the mole site. She will also cut and stitch in such a way to remove and minimize the scarring, so that Camryn will be left with a line, which will fade over time, instead of a dime-sized circle scar.
So...my Baby Girl is super nervous. And so am I. I know in my heart that she will be OK. She will be truly OK. She will be in good hands, in one of the most state-of-the-art children's hospitals. Where they work miracles every day. I know that many of the other parents sitting in the waiting room with me tomorrow will be sick with worry over much more serious injuries and illnesses that their little ones are facing. But it's still scary. Because even though she's almost ten, can read faster than me, has a bit of teenage sass already, and a quick mouth....she's still my baby. And I don't like this anymore than she does.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
New glasses!
A few weeks ago, Camryn came home from school several days in a row, with incomplete Math notes, and complaining of a headache. After checking with her teacher, it was confirmed that she had been squinting quite a bit while sitting in the back of the classroom. Ms. Merkel moved her to the front, and I called the opthamologist. Sure enough, while we waited for her appointment, we got the news that she failed her vision screening at school too.
When we finally got in to see Dr. Aaby, he confirmed that Thursday was a very special day, because Camryn was getting her first pair of glasses! She tried on lots, and settled on two pairs: one purpley/pinkish, and one plain black. They are simply adorable, and her first comment was, "Whoa! Everything looks 3D!" All the way home she commented on the things she could see that she didn't realize she was missing. Welcome to the family, Camryn. You're now officially ours. :)
She ended her weekend with a major haircut as well, and declared, "I have a whole new look!"
Before...
After...
Happy Halloween 2014!
Carving Pumpkins...
Red Carpet Movie Star, and Little Ladybug...
Classroom parties...
Dinner and Trick-or-Treating with the Fryes...
Candy sorting...
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