Tough Like Tessa
14 December
Tessa has had a small umbilical hernia for quite some time, but it never presented any problems. Last Monday, however, I noticed a small discoloration in it. On Tuesday, it was slightly swollen, red, and very tender. I talked with her doctors and sent a picture, and was told to keep a close eye on it. She wasn't running a fever or acting different, so that was good. On Wednesday it looked a little bit darker, so I sent another picture to her doctor at Mayo. She forwarded it to Tessa's pediatric surgeon, who called and said that I needed to bring her up to the ER right away as he wanted to check for himself to ensure that it wasn't incarcerated or strangulated. So I got the older three all set for the night and following day (because I'm not so sure what they would wear to school if it were up to Ben 😉) and Tessa and I headed up to Mayo.
After blood work, an ultrasound, and a CT scan, they confirmed that there is a portion of her malformation (a small cyst) right behind her belly button, which is causing the hernia. There is also a lot of blood flow in that area. Her doctors believe that either the fluid inside that cyst became infected, or she had a small bleed. She was given 2 rounds of IV antibiotics, and we were able to come back home late Thursday afternoon.
The hernia is looking better, and doesn't seem to be bothering her much anymore. Thankfully it hasn't caused any setbacks in her movement either as she's still scooting all over the house on her belly!
ChildLife is always so great about bringing in a plethora of toys to keep her occupied (that and boogie wipes are all she needs)
The nurse was able to get her IV in on the first try, but Tess was NOT a fan of the big board that came with it. She kept holding it up to me as if to say, "Do you SEE this thing?!"
Everyone was cracking up at her quickly changing facial expressions. She says a lot with those little eyebrows!
Once again, I can't thank you enough for praying for Tessa. Her condition is so rare, and any little thing automatically becomes a big thing with her. But we are just so thankful that she is healthy and happy right now, and that she has an army of people praying that she stays that way.
Next on her agenda is a visit to Mayo to see her doctors on January 9th. They plan to do a paracentesis (remove some of the fluid in her abdomen) as well as more sclerotherapy, so we will discuss those procedures when we meet with them again.
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