Yesterday, once again we woke up at the crack of dawn (actually it was still pitch black out) and headed down to Sick Kids for round two of laser treatment on her hemangioma.
Last time I fed her a granola bar without thinking and therefore ended up doing the procedure without sedation. She was a super trooper and impressed everyone with her bravery.
We thought we’d do it again without sedation but with amped up laser intensity.
The ride was a bit bumpier this time. When they wheeled her in I promised I wouldn’t move my feet from where I stood outside the procedure room (that parents are not permitted in).
She cried the whole time. Even calling out for me.
Ouch. My heart.
Thankfully the treatment is pretty fast and she was done in about 5 minutes. As soon as she sat up she was fine. She said she wasn’t scared. It just really hurt. So much for the numbing cream.
The dr came out told me that Eva did great. “Really? With all that crying?” I asked
She told me that yes, she cried but she didn’t budge the entire time she was lying down and that’s how she was able to get a thorough treatment completed. Next time she doesn’t want us going up to day surgery and we can do treatments on the main floor at the derm clinic and I can go in the room with her. Hold her hand. Rub her feet. Give her comfort.
Sounds like a plan.
Last time we didn’t see much a of a difference at all. They were very conservative with the laser the first time and we saw little to no bruising at all. The more bruising, the more effective the treatment was. We are pretty happy with this session. We should be able to see how much of the hemangioma is gone in about 10 days.
It was nice to have some friendly faces with us while we waited. A good distraction for Eva!
The staff couldn’t believe she did either. The nurse told me that kids who get upset generally thrash around and resist the treatment.
Next time – Mummy holds her hand. Yes. Better and better!!
Hearing her cries did indeed make my heart hurt, but the doctor doing the procedure has been Eva’s primary doctor at Sick Kids since she was 6 weeks old.
I trust her implicitly and know that Eva is in the best care with her, which makes a big difference!
Her neck looks much worse than it feels. That bruising is just all the extra blood vessels dying off. The procedure itself is painful, but as soon as it’s over – no pain! Whew
All I can do is smile. What a KID!! What a MOM for not breaking the door down!!! I don’t know if I could do it!! My girl needed a filling once and the dentist seen tears in my eyes just saying we were going to have an appt and I was told I wasn’t allowed in. :”( But all the better I would have made her more nervous and she was a trooper!!! I’m certainly not comparing this to a filling!! But just know how a Mom can be crushed when she can’t be there for her girl.
her neck looks sore…but with that smile on her face i’m hoping it’s not! i would never be as brave as you….as brave as Eva!!!
Wow! Such a brave little girl! Good luck!
What a brave girl… I can’t believe she held still the whole time. YAY! Better and better!!
Way to go, Eva! Auntie Kelly and Marley were very happy to be there with you in the morning. You are a brave girl. We have a lot to learn from you.