McKenna's Surgery

 

 

When McKenna was just a baby, we knew she was dealing with some sort of abnormality on her nose.  We would see little drips of that we thought was milk on the top part of her nose, and without much thought, we would just wipe it away and think nothing else of it.  It was on Thanksgiving 2002 that I realized that when you squeeze her nose, that the pore opening would release white stuff.  It was in October 2003 that we decided to take her to a dermatologist for a second opinion.  McKenna, only being 2 1/2, with a fear of doctors instilled already, threw a fit in the doctors office.  McKenna would not let the doctor even touch her nose, let alone let us squeeze it for him to see what came out of it!  He explained that it will more than likely go away the older she gets.  He said that as she grows, those bones in her nose will continue to grow together and that pore will eventually close off.

As the years have gone by, McKenna's nose has continued to get puffy and then once the pressure is released it looks normal again.  As disgusting as it sounds, there has been many times that when we squeeze her nose, there has been white stuff and hair.  It's almost like it is an ingrown hair when we squeeze her nose.  It has never been painful for her, just hated the attention that it brought. 

However, since last fall, instead of having her nose close off and improve like the doctor several years ago told us that could easy happen as she got older, her nose has only worsened.  She started get an infection on her nose that we could not get to go away.  We first started with our family physician, Dr. Cary Judy, whom was able to unplug the opening and release a lot of the pressure, and with that started her on an antibiotic.  He, however, knew that it was a more specialized treatment than what he knew he could do.  Therefore, he suggest that we meet with a dermatologist.  So in early January, we met with a dermatologist to get his opinion on her infection and increased swelling.  He too, knew this a little different type of infection / treatment than what he would want to treat, so he referred us to an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist.  After several weeks of waiting to get into to see the ENT specialist, McKenna's nose was really red and swollen.  First thing the ENT doctor do on our very first visit was poke a needle right through the main infected part of her nose to release all that infection.  McKenna deep down was totally terrified of the needle, but after a whole lot of convincing, she closed her eyes and he poked the sore on her nose.  This was amazing what came out and how quickly the size of the sore decreased.  He then put her on another antibiotic and wanted to meet up with us in several weeks. 

Well, several months went by and we were able to get back in to see the ENT doctor for a follow up.  He decided that based on the infection and placement on the nose that he would like to see if there was any attachment of the cyst to the brain.  Luckily, the cyst was not attached to the brain and would make it for an easier surgery since it was placed on the top of the nose with no other attachments.  So after discussion of what type of procedure would need to take place to remove the cyst, we decided to schedule surgery for June 5, 2013.  This way McKenna could finish out the school year without missing several days due to the procedure.

Amazingly, time went by really fast.  June 5th finally arrived and McKenna was a nervous wreck.  We arrived at the Gunnison Valley Hospital at 9:00 am and we were taken right to a hospital room.  She was so brave as she anticipated what was to happen.  Nurses came in and gave her an IV in her hand and much to her surprise, it didn't hurt or bug her like she had thought it would.  Trey, however, was the one that was white as a ghost and had to leave the room when they were doing that to McKenna.  Finally at 9:55, Dr. Pratt came in and gave her an IV to make her relax, Jeremy, Trey, and I walked her down to the operating room and I kissed her good bye as they rolled her away.  The entire time down there, McKenna kept telling me she felt really fuzzy, but she does not remember that nor me kissing her good-bye. 

About 11:15 am, Dr. Pearson, came into the room and told us that she was through with surgery and that everything went really well.  He explained that he did not cut the bottom of her nose and lift it up because what he was worried about if going about surgery that way was that the cyst would be so attached to the skin on top of her nose that he would have too hard of time removing the cyst and the damage surrounding the cyst.  Therefore, he decided to cut a small incision on top of her nose and pull the cyst directly from there, this way he can also remove the skin that has been damaged due to the infection.  He also need to use a small amount of cartilage to repair with, so he had to cut up in her nostril and remove a small amount to place down where the cyst was.  Other than that, he said that she should have a smooth nose when all of this is through.

Shortly after that, McKenna was rolled back to her room.  She had no clue what was going on, yet had so much to tell us.  The first thing that came out of her mouth as we greeted her was that she got to see Justin Bieber.  At that moment, Trey and I were both cracking up and Jeremy was doing on the questioning.  Jeremy could see that this was pretty entertaining, so he grabbed his cell phone and recorded the majority of her conversation.  She went on to say she hit a home run for the Yankees, that she lived in a cloud, that her and Justin Bieber were married, that she thought all of this was fun because she liked all the attention.  Later she asked me if we got to see the cyst and after I told her no and that they may destroy it, she said, "Well, it's my cyst - -  the meanies!" 

After about 45 minutes, she was alert enough that she knew pretty well what was going on.  She did amazing.  When one of the nurses that was in the operating room came in, McKenna asked what the cyst looked like and if they still had it to see.  The nurse ran down to operating and brought back the cyst in a bottle.  I had no idea that knowing what we had dealt with and what we have seen come out of her pour in her nose that is what McKenna's cyst would look like.  It was about 1/4" think and a little less than a 1/2" long.  The nurse said that is was hard, not hard like a rock, but really firm.  It was really cool and so not how I imagined it to look like at all. 

Well, by 1:30 pm, McKenna was doing so well that they released her and we were able to bring her home.  Trey had the honors of pushing her out to the car in a wheel chair, which they both thought was pretty cool!  So we brought her home and made her a nice bed in the recliner and she rested up.  She did really good the first day handling the pain, but day two wasn't so good.  She didn't handle the pain so well, she got really sick to her stomach and was really sleepy.  Since then, she has been able to rest and relax with hopes to a speedy recovery.  She hasn't had much of an appetite, which with all the candy and goodies that friends and family have brought to her, you would think anything sweet we would all crave, but she has been able to turn it all down for the time being.

Now the anticipation is to wait and see what she looks like in the next few days.  There is a cast placed on her nose that needs to be removed a week after surgery.  There will also be a couple stitches that will need to be cut, so after that, we will see the new McKenna.   

McKenna, you have been and will always be a beautiful girl.  I know your Heavenly Father loves you very much and has handed you this trial to make you stronger.  You have seen and heard how kids at school have treated you, yet you have never seemed to let this bother you.  You definitely have become a better person and stronger because of your good attitude.  May you always look on the brighter side and always see the good in others. And remember, this wasn't as bad and as scary as you thought.  Our prayers have been answered and remember how lucky we are to have the priesthood in our home to bless you in time of need!  We love you so much, your mom and dad!