Well, it's already here. Tomorrow Dennis is having surgery again--- to remove the stapled sponge dressing, and to address the scarring on the left side of his face. After three surgeries in the eight short months that he has been home, you would think that I would be used to this.
The truth is, I am not. I am concerned for my baby. Right now, I can kiss the left side of his face without being worried that I am hurting his incisions--- but soon both sides of his face will have stitches. Poor little guy--- I just can't wait till this is behind him!
Sometimes I feel so selfish thinking about how emotionally stressful it is on me---- just look at Dennis. He never seems to skip a beat! He has life exuding from him---- as if he is telling me not to worry because he is going to be alright!
He is constantly joyful, and his smile melts all of our hearts! He is my reminder to slow down and take notice of even the smallest things--- and enjoy them. They are here one moment and gone the next. So often people tell us how "lucky" he is to have us. Lucky isn't even the right word---- and I wish that people could realize that it is our family that is blessed to be allowed to have Dennis a part of it!
Please pray that Dennis will go through this surgery with flying colors! I am also praying for the scarring to lighten up. It is redder than I thought it would be and with summer coming-- I am concerned with him getting sunburned or being irritated with the sunscreen. Maybe he needs a cute hat. What do you think?
***** Surgery is scheduled for 6:00am.
57 inspiring thoughts:
I will be sure to pray! He is always such a ray of sunshine.
You can use extra-virgin coconut oil on his scars to help them heal completely and lessen any redness, etc. I recommend Nutiva brand (we can buy it at Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage) because it is not made from dried coconut meat; it's made carefully with no bleaches or anything. Coconut has antimicrobial properties. It's great for skin, hair, and internally. Here are two good sites about the benefits of coconut oil: http://www.coconutdiet.com/ and http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/.
I will pray for him. He's such a trooper. :)
Praying all goes well, and that God guides the doctors hands.
Yes, a cute hat...maybe his sister could make one?!
We'll be praying for Dennis AND you tomorrow. The redness of the scarring will go away with time, but in the meantime I would suggest talking to the doctor about what you can apply to help keep the redness down during the summer.
When I had knee surgery (several years ago) the doctor recommended zinc oxide. It kept the tender skinned spots from burning but I walked around with white stripes on my leg all summer! :)
sixsunflowerseeds.blogspot.com
Oh, forgot to mention that coconut oil is also good for a sun screen...it doesn't keep the sun out, but it helps the skin adjust to it. You'll have to visit the sites and do some research. :-)
I will pray that the surgery goes well! It is great that he is able to get things done now while he is young and quicker to recover, rather than when he is older. God bless.
Definitely a hat and put extra sunscreen on the scars. He will do great tomorrow and so will his mama! Praying for you Christine!
I will definitely be saying a prayer.
After all the surgeries my kids have gone through and being a pediatric nurse that works with craniofacial kids--you would think I would be used to it also--NOT!!! We're mothers first and foremost and these are our babies.
Dennis is in our prayers.
I would buy some sensitive skin sunscreen for him. We had to use this on Samuel because regular sunscreen flared up his excema. Also there is a cream you can put on his scars to dull them. It is mainly used for burn victims but our Dr prescribed it when one of our boys had stitches in his face to minimise the scarring. I cant remember what it ws called but you could ask your Dr about it.
Of course our family will be praying for your sweet Dennis and his mama!!! Even though it is an amazing thing to watch this miracle before your eyes, it is not easy knowing the pain they are enduring.
Sent the girls yarn today. You should have them tomorrow or the next day!
I will definitely be praying for your little man. He is an amazing kid and cute as a button.
As always he and your entire family is in my prayers. And Christine..that picture...just brightened my day..
hugs and lots of love from Canada.
I'll be sure to pray Christine.
Hang in there, you and Dennis are both doing great.
Julie
Prayers are heading your way, for Dennis and his family, since Dennis is on our prayer list at church again this week. I hope that tomorrow's surgery goes well - it sounds as if it will be less less complicated than his previous operation(s), so I would expect him to bounce back rapidly.
Treating the scars with some sort of gentle sunblock seems like a very good idea. I also have read that Vitamin E works well to diminish scars - you might check with Dennis's doctors about this.
Time will help the scars fade, of course, but since Dennis is so fair-skinned, you are right to try to give him a little extra help with this.
Yes, do get Dennis a cute sun hat! Lots of cute sunhats, in fact - I can see him with a whole wardrobe of sunhats. Maybe shades as well?? Cool Dennis... Little ones look so cute in them (both hats and shades), and they are very functional, as well.
I will be thinking of you all tomorrow...
Best wishes,
Susan in Ky
I'll just be arriving at Ladies' prayer at church tomorrow when Dennis goes into surgery (9am EST). He will be in our prayers.
Precious. Of course you are all in our prayers!
prayers said!!!
Have the doctors not been able to tell you if you can put anything on the scarning?
I am only guessing but I would think that keeping him out of the sun this summer maybe a good idea...
do you have something in the US called bio oil?
I found a web site for it
http://www.bio-oil.com/en/uses.html
I know of a few people here that are using it for scars that are very visable and have really faded using it
I think part of the reason for Dennis' bouncing back is that he is two and so happy and secure with his life/family. The life you all have given him has given him the love and security.
I'll be thinking of you tomorrow at 9:00 EST.
You definitely will not be able to resist kissing his sweet cheeks in an adorable summer hat :)
I will be praying for you and for Dennis tomorrow morning, Christine.
I can't imagine you getting used to this.
Take good care of yourself,
cm
I will be praying for Dennis and the family.
Christine, I will be thinking of you, and praying for Dennis, and for you! What a good opportunity to just lean into God. He does hear our prayers. Dennis IS a little heart-melter, he always makes us smile.
We use a natural product called Scarless Healer for healing wounds. It's amazing stuff. http://www.greenridge.com.au/cmsv1/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=227
Not sure if there is a similar product over there.
I love the smiles that are surrounded by a well enjoyed meal. His smile is so beautiful already, I don't know how we'll all stand any improvement. LOL. The kids and I are participating in a 60/60 commitment at church. 60 seconds every 60 minutes we pray for people on our prayer list. Your whole family is right up on top. Praying that God's protection surrounds all of you during this time.
What a happy baby!
We will keep you in our prayers.
I never get used to surgeries and we have been doing them for 22 years.
I am enjoying our respite from surgery right now. We have 1 coming up but it is a ways away.
What a blessed family you are to have each other. It was meant to be. :)
You and Dennis and all your family are in my thoughts and prayers! (((BIG HUG)))
P.S. Thank you for stopping by, we are doing great!
I will definitely be keeping Dennis in my thoughts and prayers.
Praying his surgery goes smoothly and successfully.
We will definitely be praying for you and dennis. I can imagine how hard this must be for you. Love and blessings from our family to yours! :-)
Praying for you both, Christine. His smile always brightens up my day, too. I do know what you mean by people telling you how lucky Dennis is to have you. I hear the same thing, and always respond the same way. I am blessed to have this child in my life who in spite of facing difficulties on a regular basis, is smiling and encouraging me. I know that Davin and Dennis have that in common.
Many prayers for tomorrow.
Christine,
I have read your blog off and on since you were in the process of adopting your adorable little guy.. I just felt led to night to tell you that I am praying for your entire family and little Dennis tomorrow...
You are doing a great work here.. Christine.. and I just wanted you to know that God has to be very pleased with you!! I just wanted you to know that I commend you and your wonderful family and that you are such a blessing to so many people!! :)
Dennis and the rest of your family are in my prayers again!!! I just love to see him smile. : )
Praying here!
Blessings!
I think I'd put a hat on him. They make water proof, UV-ray protective sun hats for babies. They can be expensive but it might be worth it especially since you have a pool. I hope the surgery goes well.
Aw, sweet Dennis... Praying for all of you!!
Blessings,
Amy
♥ I can't even imagine... The poor little guy! What a blessing that children are so resilliant!
Fingers crossed, psalms said, now just remember that HaShem is in control!
Dennis has our prayers... and so do you!
I will be praying that all goes well with Dennis' surgery and that God will give you His amazing peace to get through another surgery.
Love in Christ,
Suzi
Prayers from NJ coming your way!!!
My thoughts will be with Dennis tomorrow during his surgery. Although it is difficult to put him through these surgeries, know that you are doing it to help Dennis have a better quality of life.
My dad used to put "bag balm" on any scars. It seemed to really help with the redness and helped heal the scar, lessening its appearance. Just a thought. It comes in a green tin container.
Melissa
I would ask your surgeon about the best type of sunscreen and scar reduction creme. There are so many out there, but I don't know what is best for baby skin. I have used bio oil, aloe vera gel, vitamen e oil and a special prescribed one, but I'm an adult.
UV sunhats are great!
It's really hard to find baby sunglasses with decent UV protection. They need to have 100% UV protection Baby Banz or Julbo Looping sound perfect http://www.kidsportvail.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=536
http://usa.babybanz.com/
Love Claire
I will be praying for Dennie and your family today. Here is a quote I just love. "Every Man's life is a fairy tale written by God's fingers." God has a great fairy tale written for Dennis I just know it!!
I'm praying for Dennis - he should be starting surgery right now. Prayers for you too.
I pray the surgery is going well. He's a tough little guy and will bounce right back I'm sure. It's harder on you than him.
Give us an update when you can.
yes praying for beautiful Dennis today and all your family. you are such an encourager and i love your honesty. I want to send huge blessings from the uk. its great to see the fathers heart shining through for his precious children in you and your hubby. also love your recipes our eldest is eleven this fri and he has requested oreo icecream cake which i remember "borrowing" from you, not so hard to find in england now. love jill
Thinking of Dennis, you and your family. Many prayers for all to be fine.
The best sunscreen I have found and love it CaliforniaBaby. Available online and at Target. I have very sensitive skin and this stuff is great!!
Blessings tomorrow!
My daughter had 12 surgeries from 10 days old to six years old mainly due to amniotic banding. It's amazing what these talented, educated specialists can do! It was torture for me to hand her over for every surgery - she doesn't remember any of it! Dennis will be fine! These little one heal so quickly and just take it all in stride. It'll all be worth it for him in the end.
Sharon M.
Thinking of you today! Not sure how long surgery was to last, but I am praying that went (is going) well! Can't wait to see new pictures! Give him kisses for me, even they have to be on his little piggies!
I can sure relate. Such a hard thing to have to put a child through. You know it's for the best, but it sure is hard to watch them hurt. Prayers!!
Praying constantly for everyone involved. And yes, a cute hat! I've had many joint replacements and during the summer I just put extra sunscreen on my scars, but didn't rub it in. Left it on very thick. Always worked for me!
Christine, I am so glad I checked in today...will be praying for all of you tomorrow a.m.
I have been so sick and am behind on my blogs so I guess he should be done with surgery by now or very soon. Hope all went well.
Vitamin K gel will help protect and reduce the redness of the scars as well . . . though I see you have lots of suggestions already! :) Personally, I think Dennis looks great! He`s healing very quickly from these surgeries and the great thing is that when he`s older, he won`t even remember the surgeries, so it`s good to get them out of the way now, at least as many as possible for now.
Prayers going out from here Too!
Yes, definately some hats! Coolibar and Solumbra sell hats with SPF 50+ sun protection, though they are quite expensive (read: totally outrageous). Also, Dennis' doctor can write a prescription that can be submitted with next years tax return for a deduction. At your local Wal-Mart you can find up to 75 SPF sunscreen. I have to use all of these for my skin, so if you have questions let me know.
I have been told to try putting "udder butter" on my surgery scar, but I just hate the smell, and since my scar is way-up on my outer thigh and no one sees it, I just never used it.
I hope this helps,
Alex
Hats, sunscreen and Mederma (if your doctor okays it) were very helpful for our son's scarring from his surgeries. Also, we opened Vitamin E capsules, per our doctor, and massaged the oil into the scar (after it had healed) to help with scarring.
Today, 3 years after his last surgery, the scars are noticeable if you know they are there. But they're not red at all.
Kristin
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