THE BUMP

About three months ago, John and I noticed a small bump, about the size of a baby aspirin, on the right side of Isaac`s nose, next to his eye, just beneath the skin (if you look carefully, you can see it in this picture, but because of its location it doesn`t show prominently in photos). We took him in to his pediatrician to find out what it could be. After examining Isaac and consulting with one of his partners at the office, Isaac`s doctor assured us that it was nothing more than a clogged tear duct, which is a common problem in infants, and which, if it did not disappear in a couple of months on its own, could be cleared up with a simple outpatient procedure. He told us not to worry, and said he would have his secretary call us on the next business day with a referral to see an ear-nose-and-throat specialist who could decide how to proceed.

Weeks passed, with me calling the doctor`s office every day, and still no referral. Every time I called, it seemed, the nurse in charge of referrals was out sick, or at lunch, or in a meeting, and no one ever called me back. At Isaac`s six month check-up, the doctor asked us what the specialist had said, and we explained that we had yet to see the specialist because the office still had not given us a referral.

Finally, days later, a nurse called us to tell us she had set up an appointment, but because of the holidays etc., the soonest available time was two weeks away.

So, we waited, and finally managed to see the ENT specialist at Cardinal Glennon Children`s Hospital, at which point we were informed that The Bump was not in fact a clogged tear duct, but instead some sort of tumor, most likely a benign dermoid cyst.

The doctor also cheerfully informed us that there was only really a 5-10% possibility that the tumor had already passed through his cranial cavity and entered his brain, so we oughtn`t to worry about that.

(Clearly this man has no children).

We then had to schedule a CT scan (which again, due to the holidays, took days longer than normal). On the day of the scan, they told us not to let him eat or drink for four hours before the procedure. Once we got there, they made Isaac wait, still without eating or drinking, and now with an enormous IV apparatus (but no saline solution to hydrate him) stuck into his foot, for another three hours after his scheduled appointment time before they finally got around to doing the scan.

Thankfully the scan revealed that the tumor had not entered his brain. However, it was causing the bone on the right side of his nose to thin, and there was a possibility it might grow further into the bone or begin to block the nasal cavity or tear ducts or interfere with the growth of his eye. There was also a strong possibility that the cyst itself could become infected and make Isaac ill. Because of the concerns, despite the fact that John had just started a new job and we were in the middle of moving to a new apartment, we decided to schedule surgery as soon as possible.

So, here is my brave boy, at the hospital, in a giant metal crib/cage, waiting to have the doctors remove The Bump.




On January 20 2005 4 Views

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