Saturday, May 16, 2020
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Laser Treatment #12: July 28th, 2016
We have been on a hiatus from laser treatments, partially because we stopped noticing any difference after the last few treatments. However, more recently we noticed that Enler's birthmark was getting darker. We met with the new dermatologist (his old dermatologist had retired, but turns out Jewel went to medical school with the new one!). He agreed it would be beneficial to treat again. Maintenance treatments can help prevent darkening of the birthmark, as well as thickening of the skin. So, after we confirmed with insurance that it was covered, we had his 12th treatment scheduled.
Like old times, grandma met us at the hospital early in the morning (6 am). This time we had Neala with us (Jewel had been 8 months pregnant with Neala during Enler's 11th treatment, now Neala is 2.5 years old). Also, we had a visitor from Spain, Violeta, who came with. We all wore our Star Wars shirts, because we call the laser a 'lightsaber.' We didn't have to wait long before we were called back and at 7:30 am he was taken back for his treatment. Everyone was lovely and let Graham and Jewel bring Enler back to the operating room. Neala gave him extra kisses.
We just had time to run to the cafeteria and grab delicious breakfast burritos before they came out to say he was done. Everything went well. They decided to start at a lower frequency of the laser this time, since it had been a few years since the last treatment, but his birthmark still responded well to it. He did great! He was a little sleepy waking up, and complained of a bit of pain the day of, but had no further complaints while he healed.
It took him about a week and a half and then he was ready for 1st grade to start. Here are photos to document his healing journey.
Pre-treatment
They had a pin ball machine and Enler had SO much fun playing!
Immediately Post-treatment
He got to ride out to the car in a wheelchair with his proud sister.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
All healed and ready for 1st grade!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Treatment 6 (June 13th, 2012) & Treatment 7 (October 8th, 2012)
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| Shortly after his 6th treatment with Yoda in his new big boy bed |
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| All healed up from treatment 6 (and adorable as ever) |
Treatment 6
We have gotten Enler's treatments down to a routine. Up early and at the hospital where we meet Grandma. Check in and then down to the pre-op area where we play until he gets his versed. Once we leave him in the OR, we rush to the cafeteria to grab breakfast before he's all done (it takes about 20 minutes for the whole procedure). The only thing that was new this treatment is that we did it on a Wednesday (instead of Thursday) and we had a different doctor. She was a very lovely, young dermatologist. It went flawless. Once we got him home, mommy had to head to work but daddy and grandma stayed with him to give him cuddles. He healed up quickly but scheduling meant we couldn't do his next treatment until October.
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| After treatment 7 showing off his funny faces his Grandpa taught him |
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| All healed up from treatment 7 and ready for Halloween! |
Treatment 7
Like the last, this treatment went smoothly. The biggest change has been Enler being able to tell us that he hurts (breaks our hearts), but its only a short period (hours) and he's back to his happy self by the evening. He's growing so fast!
We had some personal experiences happen between the 6th and 7th treatment that reminded us of all the amazing things we have to be thankful for. Top on that list is Enler. It also put his birthmark into perspective again. Its such a small thing and his huge, joyful, cheeky, smart, adorable personality shines so much brighter than his mark does. We have decided we will keep going with the treatments until he is 4, but the goal will not be resolution. We'll just give it a shot.
We love our big boy so much and are SO lucky to have him!
Next treatment is scheduled for the end of November. Hopefully it will be all healed by Christmas.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Treatment 5: March 22nd 2012
We kept on schedule this treatment and had it two months after his last treatment. Because of Jewel's busy schedule, we planned on daddy & grandma taking Enler. Fortunately though, Jewel was able to get the morning off and we all headed to Phoenix Children's Hospital for an early 6 am check in.
The procedure went without hiccups. We had a new anesthesiologist and she was lovely. Enler got his versed pre-procedure and started acting goofy shortly after (see picture with nose stickers above). We got to walk back to the room with Dr. Hansen and his crew (pediatric dermatology fellow, pediatric resident and dermatology resident from Mayo that I know!). Soon after Enler was asleep and we were headed to the cafeteria for our tradition of breakfast burritos.
We made it back just in time to talk to the dermatologists after the procedure. It went well with no problems. They increased the voltage to 9.75 joules (by 0.25) this time. The max is 10 joules which they will do during the next procedure. We went back and this time Enler was awake right away. The nurse says he woke up and started asking for a bus! He was a little grumpy, but we gave him snuggles and got him home shortly after.
Grandma came home with us and gave Enler lots of cuddles as he napped. He slept for about an hour then was awake and ready to play! This was the first time Enler could tell us he hurt. He said his eye hurt. Poor little thing. Mommy had to go to clinic in the afternoon so daddy and Enler played for the rest of the afternoon.
On day 2, Enler did not have as much swelling as he has in the past. It seems as though he's healing quickly this time! He'll be ready for treatment number 6 in two months.
Treatment 4: The Healing Period - January 2012
Enler's 4th Treatment
Healing Period
Instead of posting daily pictures from his healing period, this time we decided to pick a few days throughout the course. Here's our little man as he got better. We had lots of bath time photos this time :) Enjoy
Day 1
Day 5
Day 10
Day 15 - all healed up
Friday, January 13, 2012
Treatment 4: January 12th, 2012
We've been busy since the last treatment! We'd planned on doing another treatment in 2 months but lots came up. First, we went back to Ireland in September for two weeks to visit Nanny Ann and Granda Danny. Then, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not to mention busy work schedules and other family things going on. We're hoping things have settled down now and we can plan on an every two - three months treatment plan going forward.
The treatments are now starting to become routine. Enler's been the first on the schedule each treatment so we always get up really early for a 6 am check in. This is nice because then we beat the traffic getting into Phoenix. Grandma meets us there while we are checking in. We make sure to have Enler in his Star Wars pajamas. We had met a family last time that talked about having 'the force' be part of their treatment routine. Graham is a huge Star Wars fan and Enler is following in his daddy's foot steps. We tell Enler that Dr. Hansen uses a light saber to do the laser treatment and the CPAP (breathing machine) is like Darth Vader's mask. To that, he does his Darth Vader impression which consists of lots of deep breaths with puckered lips.
Once we are all checked in we head back to the pre-op area and Enler gets checked in by one of the very nice nurses and he gets a new stuffed animal. Once his vitals are checked, he is off to play in the play area. Shortly after, he gets versed and then all the various doctors come in to say hi and answer any questions. This time we met the fellow, who was a very nice guy. There was a new resident working with Dr. Hansen too - a Mayo Jacksonville dermatology resident.
Once the versed kicks in we are all taken back to the procedure room where we get to stay until Enler is put to sleep. After big kisses we scurry out to the waiting area and then to the cafeteria to grab our favorite breakfast burritos. We have to be quick because the procedure only takes about 20 minutes. We have just enough time to eat the burrito and then the dermatology fellow and resident are out with prescriptions and updates. Enler did great this treatment. They were able to increase the beam to 9.5 joules (it was 9.25 last time - the max is 10). In the waiting area we met another family with a 21 month old son who is on his 10th treatment. It was great talking to them and sharing our stories.
Shortly after talking to the doctors we are back in the post op area. Enler was still asleep again this time and we just hung out with him until he woke up. He didn't have the same issues with laryngospasm this time. The anesthesiologist did say though that his tonsils are really big. We'll have to let our pediatrician know.
The nurse taking care of him in the PACU was lovely. Her daughter had been to Mayo recently and so we had lots to chat about. Once Enler was awake we scooped him up and gave him cuddles and juice. As soon as his IV was out we were heading out to the car. We were home and in pajamas for a day of cuddling by 10:30 am. Another successful treatment.
The favorite parts of our treatment routine include having the time off together. We both took Thursday through Sunday off. The day of the treatment is special because Grandma is there and we just concentrate on Enler. He's usually more cuddly than normal and we can watch movies as a family. We even fit in a nice walk to the park in the afternoon. Watching him slither down the slide on his belly makes Graham and I reflect how surprised we are how quickly he bounces back to his normal self. This time we decided to head up to Williams (30 minutes west of Flagstaff where my folks have a cabin and 5 acres) to enjoy the rest of the long weekend in the forest and the cold. Grandpa drove us up here and Enler is having so much fun taking walks with him and the dogs. We think we'll try and make Williams part of our standard routine.
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