Complications Lurking

Unfortunately, though as predicted, we will NOT be filling my expanders this weekend.  However, it is for reasons unexpected... 

Last weekend, mom sent Dr. Bauer an update after the fill, and included a close-up picture of a bruise that had been developing on the larger expander:


The bruise is the purplish spot
at the top of the expander

Mom and dad thought nothing of this spot, which had been there a couple of weeks, until they heard back from Dr. Bauer.  In his words, "the small bruise is a result of too much pressure against this area of the flap... at this point there is at least some minor vascular damage to the flap... from here on out we need to be careful with that area... and we might need to design the flaps differently to minimize the risk of a problem."  Huh.  This was a bit of a surprise, since everything had been going so well, or so we thought. 

We're not sure what this means - whether we will lose this part of my new skin, whether we will have to reduce the amount we try to fill on that side, or whether we will have to skip more than one fill.  For now, we are just following Dr. Bauer's instructions and trying to help the skin recover.

One of the things we are supposed to do to help the skin is to keep it well lubricated.  Aquaphor is Dr. Bauer's product of choice for many things, and this was not an exception.  So mom and dad slathered on the aquaphor.  Then...

Well I'm not sure if you can see it in this photo, but I broke out in a huge rash all over my expanders, back and belly from all the aquaphor!  Luckily, I happened to already have an appointment with my dermatologist today, Dr. Price, and she prescribed a steroid cream to help with this rash.  But, we can't use the aquaphor any more!  Oh, and the steroid cream is known for "thinning the skin" so we have to be super careful with it.  Sometimes, it just feels like we're mouses in a wheel on this adventure!

To top things off, my molars decided it was time to break through, and of course, as always, the teething is causing a great deal of congestion.  Runny nose + bruise + rash = no fill this weekend.  Dr. Bauer said to work the creams over the weekend and send some new pictures on Monday.  Maybe we'll be able to do a fill early next week.

The important thing is that we don't jeopardize the skin, and Dr. Bauer is very cautious about that.  We trust that this will all work out and we will be able to get on with things before long.  Surgery is 5 weeks from today, and we have plenty of time to fill my bubbles up.  Nevertheless, prayers are always welcome.