Jude's Cranium

When Jude was almost 4 months old we noticed a very tiny bump on his forehead around his hairline. It was the size of a small pea, or smaller. We brought it to the pediatrician's attention at his 4 month well-baby appointment. He told us it was probably nothing, maybe his head was just bumped, and to just watch it for any size or shape changes. As the next few weeks went by, this bump began to grow. By the time he was 6 months old, the bump was more oval-shaped and stretched about an inch in length and a half inch in height, sticking out from his forehead only millimeters. Honestly, you can only really tell when sliding your finger over it. But, it definitely protrudes slightly and is way larger than a pea. At his appointment we scheduled around his 6-month birthday, the pediatrician ordered an x-ray to try to determine the cause of the bump. The x-ray ended up creating more questions so the doctor then asked us to return to have both an ultrasound and a head CT scan done. Given the information from those procedures, the pediatrician hypothesized that it was a cyst growing on top of the skull bone and suggested removal due to the fact that it was increasing in size. She referred us to a neurosurgeon at Children's Hospital in Birmingham. That appointment was today. After he reviewed Jude's images from the previous imaging procedures, he said that he thought it was NOT a cyst because of it's location in the bone. The bone has a two layers and bone marrow in the middle. The growth on Jude's skull is between the two layers, not on top on the skull bone. The neurosurgeon said there is no way to determine what type of growth it is without removing it. What the surgery involves: general anesthesia (ugghh), removal of the entire region (both layers of bone and mass...it's called a craniectomy), therefore leaving a hole similar to his "soft spot," no graft or plate (rather letting it close on it's own as he grows, like the soft spot does), the knife should steer clear of brain tissue (please let this surgeon have a gentle hand), and then the growth will be sent off for examination to determine what the heck it is. The surgery will take place next Thursday morning (June 7th). Sooo, I know this kind of stuff is performed on babies all of the time...but my heart aches to think of any baby having to have surgery, much less MY baby! The risks involved freak me out...general anesthesia, and chance of infection. The other minor concerns...no feeding him breast milk after 3am (he's going to freak out when I wake him up at 5:00am to be there at 5:30am, to have surgery not until no earlier than 7am and NO NURSING). He doesn't take a paci, I'm his paci...so no soothing him even. THAT. WILL. KILL. ME! And then the real vain part of me, I guess...his hair will have to be shaved off and I love his hair. It'll grow back. But not before I snap his 9 month pictures (should be a big whoop, right...but I still am bummed). I know there are much worse things I could be going through with a "sick" kid. I honestly know this is nothing compared to what other mom's have endured. It's still no fun and makes my heart sad for my sweet baby. Of course a million questions have flooded our minds now that we're in a quiet home after the kids have gone to bed, and can let our minds think about more than just "mom, can you do this? and Dad can you come here?" At the appointment, Jude was so happy the hour we waited for the doctor, but then fussed the entire time the doctor was with us...making it hard to digest all he was telling us. Jason plans to call tomorrow with our slew of new questions...including, "what if we don't remove it...what would happen?" So, that's what's up with Jude's cranium. I love that kid!