She HAD a hole in her neck!

It's true...2 days ago Eden still had a hole in her neck...actually, it's called a Branchial Cleft Sinus. You can read about it here.

The day Eden was born I noticed a small pit on her neck. I didn't really think much of it since, let's be honest, new born babies sometimes have strange blotches and marks...nothing I have ever worried about before. The doctors didn't notice. Derek didn't notice. I meant to ask the doctor about it at well-child visits, but in the beginning I was more concerned about Eden's consistent refluxing that I forgot to ask. When she was two months old, I lifted up her chin to clean under there when all of the sudden I notice green discharge coming out of the "hole in her neck". Quickly, I called Derek in....the green stuff kept coming, and coming. So I called the doctor's office and they weren't as concerned, but said she needed to see her doctor sometime that week. Immediately, the doctor knew exactly what it was. It would probably need surgery someday...when she was old enough to safely have surgery. So, we were referred to the ONLY pediatric ENT in the whole entire state and the waiting time to see her was four months. Luckily, we really like Dr. Bennett---we were however a bit surprised when she said she could do the surgery in 6 weeks, and that since the sinus was acting up, we should take care of it so it won't cause any future problems. So...this is longer than I wanted it to be...that is how Eden came to have surgery.

Here is a picture of the Branchial Cleft Sinus--it is the small dot! (yes, it is that small):

Just a few minutes before the surgery...she was very tired, but barely fussed. Honestly, that was an amazing gift---she hadn't had food for many hours and was such a sweet, pleasant kid the whole day!

After surgery, I think this picture speaks volumes.

The sinus was only 2cm deep, and was not attached to her tonsil or throat. They were able to remove the whole entire duct. There is very little chance of it reoccurring. The whole surgery took a little over an hour.

I had a lot of anxiety about this surgery! The whole process really wore on my heart. My last words to the doctors were, "She's the only girl I have, so please take good care of her."

I cannot imagine what it must be like to have a very sick child that requires lots of time at the hospital. I'm so, so thankful that Eden's surgery is over, that it went well, and that it was for something so minor. If you are a parent reading this, you know exactly how much you worry and love your children...I don't even need to explain it. Thank you for all your prayers...I felt them!