Post treatment #15

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't updated as frequently. We were super busy with the holidays, illnesses and festivities. Elliots treatment cleared up fabulously. No scabbing this time because it was a blending treatment, which is also why the spots cleared quickly. Elliot did not attend school during this time because he was nervous about the other kids reactions. I did not feel comfortable putting him in that position yet. Once the holiday break is over he will be back to school. :-) I'll post some pics from the last 2 weeks, starting with the earlier pics. Hope you all had a great Christmas!

At Emma and Ethan's Christmas program.

Christmas morning!

1 day post op Tx #15

Elliot woke up with some swelling this morning but nothing too bad. He said his face felt weird. He's been fine all day though. :) 

This time we are trying lavender essential oil to see if it helps the spots fade quicker, as I read that another mom tried it with great results! 

We're home! Treatment #15 is in the books!

I have to say that even after 15 treatments it is still not an easy experience for us. Anytime general anesthesia is involved it is stressful. However, today was definitely the most pleasant and quick experience we have had.

Typically after Elliot is checked into pre-op he is given Versed. This helps him relax and not really remember what is happening. It allows the doctors to take him from my arms to the operating room with no tears. Today the hospital was ahead of schedule and the anesthesiologist said we could either give him the Versed nasally (which burns and is unpleasant) or I could just walk back with him. I've done that once before and swore I'd never do it again. It was terribly uneasy to watch my son be "put to sleep." Instead, I talked to Elliot and told him that this man would take him down to get his "spots" and that mommy would be waiting when he was finished. I waited for the hysteria to ensue......but it didn't! He laid on the bed and they wheeled him away (and the nurse even came back and said he was giggling about the fish on the walls).

Once we got back to recovery when he was finished I expected tears since that's normally what we walk into. But nope! The nurse said "well he woke up chatty so we've just been talking." Not a single tear was shed today. Typically the Versed induces a type of hysteria in him for the 2 hour drive home but today it was all smiles. We will definitely be taking this route in the future! :) I am so proud of our brave boy.

Today Dr. Orringer did a blending treatment. This is a larger laser at a lower setting to help blend out the lines created from previous fading. We were in and out within 1 1/2 hours, and off to Chipotle Mexican Grill!
Now on to the adorable pics!

**Also a huge shout out to my best friend and sister by choice, Alisha, for going with me to nearly all of Elliot's treatments. :) **

Listening to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 

All smiles in Pre-Op

Smiles in recovery!

Look at that handsome, smiley boy!

Spots up close :)

Chipotle for lunch!

Next treatment

Hi everyone! Just a small update on Elliot. School has been going fantastic for him. I had a conference with his teacher today and he's doing very well. 

Elliot is scheduled for his next laser treatment on December 10th at Motts. It's been a long break so I hope he handles everything well. We still are not sure how to handle the school thing with his healing time, if you have suggestions or experience with this I would love to hear from you! 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Elliot's first picture day!

Yesterday was Elliot's first picture day at school. It is just amazing to me how fast my kids have grown. My last baby is a preschooler! At the risk of redundancy I'll just share a picture I took of him before school. I love you Elliot!

And three years ago on his first birthday with gramma. 

Elliot starts preschool!

Another huge milestone in the books. Elliot started preschool this week! He has had a great week. He loves his teacher and classmates! I've been worried about how he would handle the separation but he has done so amazingly well!

 

Preschool Roundup

It's crazy to believe but Elliot turned 4 years old this last weekend! Tonight we have his preschool roundup, and he's set to start school on September 15th. It's just insane how fast the time has flown by. He's a headstrong little boy but he will always be our baby.

Here's an awesome pic to compare his PWS. The first pic was at 2-3 days old and the 2nd pic was last Saturday at his birthday party. We are so blessed to have the doctors and nurses at Motts Children's Hospital!

Summer fun!

Just sharing some cute pics of the kids.

Tonight we were at baseball and Elliot was playing with a couple of boys. A few minutes later he comes running over and says "mom what's on my cheek again? Those boys asked what was wrong with it." 

I said "You tell me...what is it?"

He said "I don't know. You already know mom just tell me. Wait...is it spots?" 

I said "Well your spots are gone for now but it's your birthmark, remember? Tell them there's nothing wrong with it--you were just born with a birthmark there." 

So he smiled and ran back to tell them.

I love this kid--he didn't seem embarrassed or scared. He just wanted to know what it was again LOL. 

Treatment #14

On Wednesday Elliot went back to the U of M to get his 14th treatment. Everything went well as usually, except when the anesthesia starts to wear off. He experiences severe mood swings and lashes out for about an hour. Once that's over he's back to his normal happy self. :-) I just love this boy more than words could ever say. 

This next photo was taken today, 3 days after treatment.

Update!

Wow! I haven't updated this blog in quite a while! Elliot did get his treatment in November, however that was the last one due to cancellations for snow. He is scheduled back at Mott's on May 14th (next Wednesday) for treatment #14. Since we have had scheduling issues we are not on track where we want to be. Our plan at this time is to have a full treatment done next week, take the summer off, and possibly do a blending treatment before he starts preschool in the Fall. I have yet to decide how to handle treatments during the school year. He has started to struggle with his confidence, though I don't believe it is related to his PWS whatsoever. He is shy and feels like people are laughing at him so I imagine it will only be worse if he goes to school with spots on his face. We might just plan to do treatments during Christmas break and Spring break. I guess we will see how it goes after this.

I will definitely be back next week with treatment updates, so stay tuned!