Mama called the doctor...

and the doctor and the doctor...

Several months ago, we noticed that the birthmark on Abby's tummy was looking a little bit unusual. It had a dark spot in the center and the edges were slightly darker than the rest. We showed it to her pediatrician who agreed it was, indeed, unusual looking. She referred us to a pediatric dermatologist for a better look. When I called to make an appointment, we couldn't get scheduled anywhere for almost 6 months. The pediatrician had told us not to be particularly concerned so we figured the 6 month wait would be fine. We finally took her to the appointment a few weeks ago. Because she is so young, the dermatologist decided that a punch biopsy would be the best course of action. On a side note, he gave us a prescription that FINALLY made Abby's eczema go away.

Last week, she had the biopsy. The dermatologist prescribed a topical numbing cream for us to put on the birthmark before the procedure. Once we were in the office, he gave Abby an injection so she couldn't feel the procedure. She cried a little but didn't wiggle. Sam held a book in front of her face while I read it to her so she couldn't see what was going on. It only took a few minutes. She ended up with one or two cool blue stitches. Seeing as she's so accident prone, it's amazing that these were her first stitches.

The day before her procedure, she started to have a bit of a runny nose and some discharge from her eye. The day of the procedure she had A LOT of discharge from her eyes and they were quite red--Pink Eye. We called the pediatrician and they prescribed some antibiotic eye drops, which have been working really well.

The day after the procedure, Abby woke up from her nap very grumpy. I couldn't figure out what her deal was until I noticed she was holding her ear and getting more irritable. I called the pediatrician again and they said there were no more appointments that day. She was really suffering so Sam took her over to a friend's house, who happens to be an ENT. He confirmed that she had an ear infection and wrote her a prescription for antibiotics. This was her first ear infection which is pretty amazing because her daddy and many of her cousins have suffered from chronic ear infections.

So, in 24 hours, she had pink eye, a biopsy and an ear infection. Our house has felt like a pharmacy administering all of her different creams and medications. At her 3-year well-visit yesterday, the doctor said her eye and ear are still infected but she is feeling pretty well so we just have to wait for the antibiotics to clear everything up.

We also received the results of her biopsy yesterday. They define her birthmark as a focal epithelial atypia. I would tell you to look it up on wikipedia, but it doesn't exist. The term essentially means there is no name for what she has. The skin cells are abnormal. They can't give any prediction of what the future holds because she is so young and it doesn't fit the mold of any condition. Our dermatologist has suggested we have the whole birthmark removed to prevent future concerns. She will have to be put out this time because it will be a more invasive procedure, which is scary for anyone, let alone a 3-year-old. I'm grateful though, because I know the diagnosis could have been worse.

I am so thankful for modern medicine and skilled doctors that can help my babies stay as healthy as possible.