So Far So Good

Okay, I am going to back this post up a bit and give details I was too scared to admit to at first. I couldn't mentally and emotionally deal with ANY of it so I didn't want a reminder when I pulled up the blog. Things are good so far, but I still have that little doubt in the back of my head and I'm still nervous. I know I'm babbling so I will get on with it.

April 25th I took Mason in for his 3 year old check-up. We are excited to report that he is now finally on the charts at 10% for his weight and 30% for his height. He is also reported by the doc to be Mr. Smarty Pants. He is thriving and growing so big!

Anyway, while at the doctor appointment I asked about Mason's "freckle", as Mason calls it. He has had a spot that looks like a freckle on the arch of his right foot since he was about 2 months old. I wasn't worried about it at first but over the past year it has become darker and bigger. The doctor said that it was definitely a mole and asked questions about family history. Since I have a history of melanoma on my side of the family, the doctor felt that it was something that needed to be taken care of. I was faced with two choices. First, we could wait through the year and see how it does and report back at next years wellness checkup. Second, we have a biopsy done. After talking with the doctor some more, we decided that it needed to be removed within a months time frame. I was sent home with instructions to explain to Mason what was going to happen. How do you explain something like that to a 3 year old? Especially when I needed to let Mason know that it was going to hurt!

So the dreaded day came May 9th. I was lucky enough to schedule it on a Saturday and Jeramy was lucky enough to make it home from working out of town to be there. Mason was nervous but came out quite a trooper. Jeramy held him on his lap, I held his left foot so he wouldn't kick the doctor and the nurse held his right foot so the doctor could do what he needed to do.

First came the shot that I was warned was going to hurt Mason pretty badly. Not only because of the location, but because of the fluid in the shot to numb his foot had to be a certain kind that is not pleasant. Mason cried, which was expected, but his tears quickly cleared up and it wasn't a death scream like I expected. He seriously amazed me.

Next came the actual cutting, which I was surprised to watch. The doctor took a knife that was round and about the size of a highlighter cap and pressed it over the "freckle". Then he took tweezers and scissors to cut the bottom of the sample needed. It was done in less than a minute. Bad thing was since it was on the bottom of the foot the doctor didn't want to stitch up the hole. He was afraid that the stitches would have been pulled out or the incision would have torn. Instead it was cauterized. It wasn't like putting something hot on the wound like they did way back when. It was a black stick (kind of looked like a match stick but longer) with a chemical on the bottom that he used. Neosporin and a bandaid was quickly put on it and that was it. The doctor left and came back with the 5 promised suckers (which Mason ate in 5 minutes) and we left with he instructions needed to keep it clean and sterile.

Now, I didn't actually see the sore on his foot until the next day. Needless to say when I pulled back the bandaid my heart dropped to my stomach and I had a hard time keeping myself from crying. I have NEVER been this emotional over anything. But to see what he went through totally tore at my heart. The hole was the size of a hightlighter cap but was in between an 8th to a 4th of an inch deep. No it doesn't sound that bad putting it that way, but pull out your ruler and see how much that is. Now, think of it on the bottom of a very active 3 year old foot. I would have gladly gone through that ten times more than having my little boy go through that.

For three days I carried Mason everywhere. Back and forth to the bathroom. Back and forth to bed. Up and down the stairs. Where ever he needed to go I carried him. Not to mention Tylenol and Motrin that he needed because it hurt. I definitely knew when the numbing stuff wore off that night because he was in a lot of pain.

After three days, he needed to start walking on it but he wasn't ready to. So he crawled everywhere or hopped on his other foot. Finally he got use to it and figured out that he could walk on his tip toes. He wasn't to sure about wearing shoes instead of flip flops on Sunday to church but since then I have only seen him walk on his tip toes twice. He is very proud to tell you that he can now walk normal.

One funny thing through all this, while preparing Mason for the ordeal I told him the doctor was going to cut off his "freckle" after numbing it so Mason couldn't feel it then place it in a little baggy and send it off to make sure it wasn't something that would make him really sick. He was very quick to correct me after the procedure that it wasn't a baggy the doctor put it in but a jar of water. I am still hearing about it.

Anyway, after playing the waiting game and being on pins and needles for over a week, I finally got the call from the doctor yesterday. I don't know all the medical terms and I can't remember all that I was told, but the jiff that I got was that it is, but it isn't. According to the pathologist, there was melanoma in the biopsy. A lot actually but it wasn't enough to send us to an oncologist at this time. The recommendation was to follow up with it clinically with the pediatrician. We are to meet with Mason's doctor June 23rd. He wanted to make sure we gave the wound time to heal so he can look at it more closely. If there is any signs that it didn't heal properly or signs that the "freckle" is still there, Mason will have to go in for another biopsy that will be bigger than what he just went through and we'll go from there. The doctor said that he got a pretty big chunk (needless to say) and feels that he got it all. I am praying that this is the end.