The Day I Became Nevus-Free

A Post by Brooklyn...

THE DAY I BECAME NEVUS-FREE

by Brooklyn Vance

I was born just about 19 1/2 months ago with a Congenital Melanocytic Nevus on my scalp & forehead. Mama & dada met Dr. Bauer who would remove my nevus, which I was fine with because, let's be real here, I simply didn't know what was going on. But somehow mama & dada knew I'd be a trooper through the whole process. I went through 2 rounds of tissue expansion before my entire nevus was removed. Today, the remaining nevus was taken off my scalp & forehead...leaving me nevus-free for the first time since I was 8-10 weeks gestation....that's a long time folks!! Here's today in pictures:

This is me at the hospital. I have 243cc's in my bubble, which is slightly over half a pound of weight! I'm trying to put my socks on in this picture. I can't really do it but it keeps me busy for a while.

Sissy was holding me a little too tight.

Sissy wearing my cape.

And here we are reading books. They had 3 books that sissy & I loved to read. And these little chairs were perfect for us. Mama & dada took us to the hospital in our pajamas cause they had to wake us both up & sissy wasn't dressed yet. Silly sissy.

I made dada read this book to me a lot!!!

The nurses gave sissy & me some stickers! I kind of liked them! ;o)

Mama just wanted to have a chat with me... Notice our matching bracelets (only mine is on my ankle). I kind of like having matching bracelets!

One last shot of my nevus.

Putting stickers on my bracelet.

Ok so the nice nurse lady came in & gave me a yummy medicine. It tasteed good but now I can't really keep my eyes open & mama & dada are laughing at me. I don't mind my cape being on now.

Here's mama & me right before they took me to surgery. Mama found a nice person to take our picture. I don't remember this picture because mama says I was on drugs. She said I could hardly even keep my head held up. When they took me back for surgery they let me take my paci AND they even let me take Lamby!!

This is sissy when I was in surgery. Mama & dada said she was a good girl while I was gone. I don't know if I believe that...

This is me as soon as mama came back & saw me. The nurses told her they had to give me some medicine to calm me down because as soon as I woke up from surgery I was thrashing around like crazy. They said I was pulling every cord I could pull, I was grabbing at my IV in my hand, I was crying my head off, & I just wasn't acting good, so they gave me medicine. Mama called them all liars cause I was sleeping so peacefully when she saw me! ;o)

They were smart this surgery & gave me small arm restraints instead of extra small. These ones are about twice the size as the other ones & I couldn't really move my arms too well. I did wake up occasionally & try to move them. One time I woke up & moved my arm & just kept it in the same position...that's when mama snapped this picture.

Once we got to a room (in record short time) I fell back asleep. This is how I slept for about an hour. I'd wake up, reposition myself, get comfy, then fall back asleep for 1/2 hr or so...then do it all over again. Thankfully there was an actual bed in our room so mama could lay in that & I could just lay on her. :o)

Dada & sissy came to see us at about 2pm. I was happy to see dada.

And I was happy to see my sis, too.

And of course I was happy to be her table...

We left the hospital the earliest we've ever left before...at 3:30pm. We came right to the hotel because I was still kind of fussy & cranky. Mama & sissy went to Target to get my pain medicine because I just wouldn't be the normal happy girl that I usually am. Mama gave me Tylenol which helped slightly, but it wasn't helping like usual. I didn't get one dose of any type of pain meds after Surgery #3 so after this surgery when I was acting like I was in pain mama & dada wanted to help me out by giving me something sightly stronger. Mama & sissy came home from Target without my medicine though...oops, mama left the prescription at home. She said she'd go back again after we ate dinner. So we sat down to eat & I was still cranky. Mama kept saying that she thinks they made a mistake by coming home with me so early. Then I saw it. I saw my new blankie that mama got me at WalMart on our way to Chicago. Mama felt bad that she totally forgot to bring even 1 blanket. She's been really sick so she wanted a blanket too. I got a cute little tiny blanket that is just perfect for me. I saw it sitting on our table in our room & I wanted it. "Bankie" was all I had to say to dada & he got it for me. That's what did it! I was a happy girl now! I started smiling, I stopped crying, I stopped being crabby, I even started walking around. The walking wasn't nearly as hard as it was after Surgery #2 when I walked around like a drunken sailor. It's just like riding a bike, you know?!

 Mama asked me where my bubble was... This picture is me reaching up for it...but I can't seem to find it.

Ok I'm a happy girl now!

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts & prayers for me & my family for this surgery. I'm excited for the big reveal tomorrow at Dr. Bauer's office so I can see what I look like since I'm nevus-free now!!!

'Twas the Night Before Surgery #4

Ugh...I hate the night before surgery. It's just this huge full-body feelings of EVERYTHING. Honestly you have every emotion going throught your head at one time. You're anxious, you're nervous, you're scared, you're thankful, you're still a little regrettful, you're happy, you're sooooo stressed...and I can go on and on....
Tonight is no different. I'm nervous for Brooklyn, but I know she's in the absolute best hands in the world. Plus she's being watched over from above so I'm content.

But I'm also so flipping excited!!! At this time in 12 hours she'll be nevus free. Nevus Free. NEVUS FREE!!! Nevus free for the absolute first time in her entire life! This is what we've been waiting for. This is what we've been looking forwards. This is what we've been working towards for 19 1/2 months! Ever since March 7, 2010 I've been waiting for the day that Brooklyn is nevus free. And that day is here.....

I'm still in shock I think!

We got the call that she's the first surgery. So we have to be at the hospital at 6am for a 7:30am surgery. No food or milk past midnight. No clear liquids past 4:30am. We're not planning on staying at the hospital overnight unless she doesn't do as well as she usually does. Other than that...we'll keep you posted!!!

Two In A Million

"We're Two In A Million Exceptions To The Rule
I Followed My Heart And It Lead Me To You..."

Those are a few words from the Chris LeDoux song, Two In A Million, which is one of Dustin's & my songs. Why am I bringing up our song today? Because it's our anniversary. :o) It's our 8th "official" anniversary...a.k.a. our 8th Real Anniversary.

Ok ok ok I'll explain. Dustin was supposed to get out of the Marine Corps in June 2002. Well everything was hunky dory until September 11th happened. He wasn't sent anywhere, but was kept at Cherry Point, NC. Then we started dating 10/26/01...just about 6 weeks after September 11, 2001. So he was off to Okinawa, Japan for his last 6 months in the Marine Corps (which was already scheduled to be from January to June 2002). So we planned our wedding for July 2003, the next year. All was calm, all was bright until the government issued a Stop Loss/Stop Move for at least one year. This wasn't good. This means that no one in the military can get out & every single person in the military HAS TO STAY PUT!!! So he couldn't even go to Camp Pendleton & be near me. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Because we had NO idea when he'd be out, or even be able to move bases, we postponned our wedding from July 2003 to June 2004. They thought that they MAY be home in 2003 but weren't totally sure, so to play it safe we just planned for June 2004. So...in the meantime...June 28, 2003 comes around & I'm at my great-grandma's house & I get a frantic call from Dustin saying he's literally walking on a plane & gave me a time to pick him up THE NEXT DAY from the airport! I'm not even going to go into the shock I was feeling...I'll just move on! ;o)  Long story even longer...We moved back to MT in August & both lived with our parents. I'm a pastor's daughter so it wouldn't have looked good to move in with my fiance...plus we wanted to do things the right way. So we both lived with our parents & didn't move in together. A month after doing that we needed another plan! It was September 2003 & we knew our 2 year anniversary was coming up...so why not get married on our 2 year anniversary?! So that's just what we did! We got married October 26, 2003, but there was just 1 problem...we still had this huge wedding planned for June 2004. So we just kept it a secret from everyone (except our parents & grandparents of course) & still planned our big wedding.

Our real wedding is our REAL wedding. That's where I became a Vance. That's where we were actually married. That's THE anniversary. My dad married us & it was a cute little wedding with just about 15 people at Dustin's parents house in front of their fireplace.

The June wedding was simply FUN & AMAZING. It was, by far, the absolute best day of my life. It was a total blast. We both had 2 maids of honor/best men & 3 bridesmaids/groomsmen and a flower girl & ring bearer. It was absolutely perfect. Our June anniversary (which was just 7 years ago this past June) is just a fun excuse to celebrate & go out to dinner. I call it our fake anniversary.

So that's our story. I've never actually told the whole story like this before except to a few people here or there. What made this anniversary special was that we have been together 10 years. That's exciting!!! I couldn't ever imagine spending the past 10 years with anyone other than Dustin. I'm not going to go in to how amazing of a father he is, cause I'll save that for Father's Day. Our annversary is about us. He's perfect for me & I'm perfect for him. When I'm discouraged, he's uplifting. When he's in a bad mood, I'm happy. When I have a cold, I'll share it with him.....you know...what's mine is yours! ;o)

So...all that mushy stuff aside...we get to spend our anniversary in Chicago! What's so unfortunate about it is that I'm still sick & not really up for doing much of anything. We really wanted to have dinner at Ditka's (Mike Ditka's restaurant) but Brooklyn is SUCH a pain to take to restaurants now-a-days. So that's out of the question. None of our nevus friends are here anymore so we're forced to do a family day! ;o)  (Which isn't so bad afterall...)

We decided to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It's a FREE, yes, FREE zoo in Chicago. Here are some pictures from that:

The Lincoln Park Zoo entrance

This was inside the Children's Zoo. There wasn't a weight limit, just a sign that said 35 kids max & 52" max...so I was tempted. But Cali climbed it like a champ. They remind me of Aladdin's magic carpets. They are very secure, don't sway or anything. But they're carpeted pieces of hard plastic that kids climb on. You start, of course, at the beginning, & just make your way up & over allllll the way to the other end of the building where the end is! It was long & it took Cali about 20 mins to climb to the end but she loved it!

Here they are in the Children's Zoo looking for the bear.

They have a House of Lions...which is this huge long rectangular building with any type of cat inside. There was a lion, lynx, jaguar, and a few others that we can't remember the names of...but they all looked like kitties that you wouldn't wanna mess with...

The Jaguar

The Lion - which roared while we were in there. The echo made him soooo loud. It was very cool!

And of course...THE PHOTO MACHINE. Where & when Cali ever heard of these things I have no idea. But my gosh you literally have to direct her attention the other way or else she'll nag & nag until you let her take her picture in the photo booth. Cali & Brooke did it together & they just had a ball.

The Chicago skyline - taken from directly in front of the zoo entrance. I had a few extra minutes to snap a picture because we were waiting for the AAA man to come because I just so happened to lock my keys in the car (and that's all I'm gonna say about that.)

After the zoo we went to the Outback for our dinner. It didn't go so great & we ended up taking 3/4 of our food home. But it was a good memory!! ;o)

Happy 8th Anniversary, my Love.

Chicago or Bust

Well it's that time again...time to go to Chicago for another surgery. This one, as stated in the previous post, is surgery #4 of 5. In this surgery Dr. Bauer will remove her big 243cc bubble, remove the remaining 20% of her nevus, & then stretch the skin over where the nevus was. So off we go to Chicago for trip #4. I have no idea what it is about this surgery/trip but both Dustin & I just didn't want to come. We were not motivated to pack, not motivated to clean the car out, & not motivated to even THINK about going. We simply just didn't want to do it. Unfortunately for all of us, her bubble can't stay in her forever & we had to go to Chicago.

Thursday the 20th was my big 3-0 & of course, I got sick. What a surprise. (See next post on that one...) So Friday the 21st I was so NOT in the mood to pack. But it had to be done because we were leaving bright & early the next morning to go. I had no motivation so I didn't end up even bringing out my suitcase until 2:30pm! Yes, folks, I started packing just hours before we were supposed to leave. I just couldn't get up & do it. I was feeling horrible & just not in the mood. But I did it, none the less. And of course, I forgot all the little nice things that I usually take with me (such as my Scentsy air freshener, shampoo, bath toys for the girls, hand soap, & other little things that are just nice to have when we're gone from home for such a long time).

We were supposed to leave as soon as we woke up...but we didn't get up until about 9:30am. I was sick, the girls, were tired, & Dustin didn't have any motivation to leave either. So we finally packed up the car, got the girls loaded in, go the house all locked up, & left town at noon. Yes...NOON. UGH! We were supposed to stop in Cheyenne that first night (about a 10 hour drive from home), Omaha the 2nd night (about 8 hours from Cheyenne), & be in Chicago the 3rd day (Monday)...(about 8 hours from Omaha). Let's see how this goes...

Brooke...bored with reading

We ended up stopping for the night after only 5 hours of driving. Unfortunately for us all...the mommy was sick. I tried sleeping but that never works well for me in the car. Plus, while Dustin is driving, I have to get the girls what they need (movie changed, new snacks, more milk, different toys, etc.) so I coudn't really sleep anyways. We stopped in Buffalo, WY around 5pm & because I married the man who would become absolutely Worlds Best Dad, I was able to be in bed around 6:30pm. I hardly slept at all, but got a few hours in here or there. At least I wasn't up late with the girls, which was nice. We were up & out by about 10am, which wasn't bad...considering.......

We crossed into a brand new state for all 4 of us...Nebraska! Shortly after crossing the border we saw signs for the Pony Express Station. So of course the mail carrier in the car just had to go see what it was!

Here's Dustin in front of the Pony Express station in Gothenburg, NE

This Pony Express station is one of the last ones in the country. It's now a gift shop/information center. Dustin was even able to get a little gift for his fellow carriers at home...which they'll have to wait until he gets home to see. :o)

We drove, & drove, & drove. Actually DUSTIN drove & drove & drove. Thank the Lord for such an amazing husband because he was amazing. I should probably point out that I'm usually the driver in our family. We're backwards from "normal" families where the man drives. But Dustin doesn't do good at night & he's horrible in cities, so I just do it. So for him to drive for such a long distance & for such a long time was awesome.

We ended up stopping around 8'ish...which was now 9'ish b/c of the time change, in North Platte, NE, which is about 1/3 to 1/2 way through the state. We got up Monday AM & were actually on the road by 9:30am! Very impressive for a sickie & her family!! According to Bessy (our GPS lady) we had 12 hours of driving so we knew we wouldn't make it there that night.

But we drove...

And drove...

And drove...

Until we were driving into the sunset...

Sunset in Iowa

We crossed into another first for us...Iowa!! And we kept driving. Dustin was driving, I was the fetcher. "Mommy will you change my movie?" "Mommy will you get me a snack?" "Mommy will you get me the book?"....you know....

Once we crossed about the 1/2 way point of Iowa we realized we only had about 4 driving hours left. If we made it from Des Moines to the eastern part of the state that would have been 2 hours. Then from the far western part of IL to Chicago was 2 hours as well.....making the remainder of our trip just 4 hours. Well we can do that!!!!!!

So thanks to 2 AMAZING children, an amazing husband, & some great traffic, we were able to make it to Chicago Monday night. We got in late...like almost 11pm, but at least we got here. I drove the last 3 hours because it was night & we were in the city for some of it, but Dustin drove 21 out of our 24 hours. So awesome! So we got in, got our room, & went right to bed!!!

Today (Tuesday) we woke up & were able to see our great friend Amie from Arizona. Her son, Zac, had surgery Thursday & they're going home tomorrow so today was our only day to spend together. We decided to go to the mall & just walk around. It's close to the hotel so no long drives for the girls, which was nice. We ate lunch & then let the girls play on the toys & in the play area...oh and the train, of course!!!

Brookie & mommy on the train (Cali was boycotting the camera)

Cali, Brooklyn, & Daddy in the play area. (Cali is in the purple shirt at the bottom of the picture by the turtle, Brooklyn is in the red shirt at the top by the little ladybug, & Dustin is sitting in the top left of the picture watching the girls.)

Daddy & Brookie walking around (with Brooklyn's camera around her left shoulder)

Unfortunately, I think the 14 hours on the road yesterday & then the getting up & doing stuff today just wore me out because I was not feeling well today at all. I am still so sick & my ears are giving me problems. My antibiotics are making me feel horrible, too. I was super nauseated, hot, then cold, had cold sweats, was weak, was hungry but didn't want anything to eat, have lost about 5 pounds, was dizzy, felt like I was going to pass out, & am just plain BLAH today. I can ALWAYS rally & do whatever with people even if I don't feel well. But I think the combination of yesterday & being sick just took it's toll on me. So the 4 of us called it a day & went back to the hotel while Amie, Zac, & Amie's grandma stayed back. Brookie & I napped for an hour & then Amie & I went to Target for a few things I forgot at home (like shampoo), then got dinner, & came back, ate it, then came back to the room. I'm still feeling quite horrible, but I'm hoping & praying I'm on the mend.....

4 not 5

I'm not sure where the miscommunication came from but I thought I'd clear up a little bit of confusion that's out there regarding Brooklyn's surgeries. We have had SOOOO many people come up to us so excited because "this is the last surgery huh?!?!". Unfortunately, no, it's not the last surgery. I'm so clueless where everyone has gotten this information from because I know for a fact that neither Dustin nor myself have ever said anything about this being the last surgery - so I wanted to just set the record straight. Before her surgeries ever started we were told by Dr. Bauer (the miracle-worker) that she'll need 5 surgeries. These 5 include 2 rounds of tissue expanders & a final touch-up surgery. One "round" includes 2 surgeries: putting in the expanders & then removing them. So 2 rounds equal 4 surgeries...then we have our final touch-up surgery. When Dr. Bauer removes the tissue expanders (in surgeries #2 & 4) he is also removing Nevus. In surgery #2 he miraculously was able to remove 80% of her Nevus!!! So this last 20% shouldn't be a problem for him at all. And yes...that means that after this surgery later this week my little Brooklyn will be Nevus-free for the very first time in her little life!! Seriously I tear up everytime I even think about it. Just thinking back on our amazing journey since March 7, 2010 I never thought we'd make it here to the day when she's finally Nevus-free. So for one last recap: Surgery #1: January 6, 2011 Dr. Bauer inserted 2 tissue expanders in Brookie's scalp & forehead. Over the course of 11 weeks I injected saline into the port which expanded her skin. Surgery #2: March 24, 2011 Dr. Bauer removed both tissue expanders & removed 80% of her Nevus. He then stretched the new skin over where the Nevus was. Now we get a 4-month break to let her heal. Surgery #3: August 8, 2011 Dr. Bauer inserted a tissue expander in her forehead/scalp & for the past 12 weeks I, again, have been injecting saline into it to grow new skin. Surgery #4: October 27, 2011 Dr. Bauer will remove the expander, then remove the remaining 20% of her Nevus...making her Nevus-free...then he'll stretch that expanded skin over where her Nevus was. Now we get another 4 months to let her heal. Surgery #5: March 1, 2012 Dr. Bauer will make her forehead smaller, make her face symmetrical (which includes bringing her left eyebrow up to match the right one), among other little things. And then we're done!!!!

I'm a Princess

I'm a Princess...yes, I am. You want to know why? Because my brother is a Prince. So that makes me a Princess! :o)

My brother, Curt, was crowned Homecoming Prince last week!! :o)  I was able to go to coronation on Wednesday the 5th to watch...& it was so exciting!

The guys holding hands waiting to hear who got Prince & King. (Curt is on the far left of the picture.)

And the Prince is Curtis Cauffman!!!

Curt crowning the Princess.

Curt & Sydney (Prince & Princess)

Curt & Sydney

At the Homecoming Parade on Friday the 7th.

Curt (2nd from left) with 3 guy friends & Curt's date, Kaylee.

Curt & Kaylee

The Homecoming Court (minus the Queen) being introduced at the Homecoming Volleyball game on Monday the 10th.

We're so excited & proud of Curt!! He had a great time at the Homecoming dance, played a great game at the Homecoming Football game on Friday night (actually he said it was the best defensive game he's ever played), & had a super great Homecoming weekend!!

I went with him yesterday when he got his senior pictures taken. Wow...my brother got his senior pictures taken! It was really exciting. I remember getting my senior pictures taken...& Curt was in them with me. I started my first day of my senior year when Curt started his first day of Kindergarten. And now he is the one getting his pictures taken. They're going to turn out so great & I'm super excited to see them. I'll be sure to post some when we get them back. :o)

Fill #9

Fill #9....Done! She's got 220cc's in now. I stopped a little short of my 25cc goal (which would have had her up to 225cc's) because she had a little yellow bruise on her expander. Bruises are no good b/c that could mean bad skin, which would mean no blood flow to that area, which could be bad in the long run when Dr. Bauer is trying to do this next surgery. So I didn't push the skin like I normally would. Here she is:

LOL This one was actually taken before the fill, when we were in Costco. She was having a little fun in the cart...

And after the fill just as she was falling asleep... Miss 220!!

Mom's Hospital Visit

UGH!! Thursday the 6th my mom started feeling really crappy. She thought she had a bladder infection, but had gone to the doctor later in the day & was told everything was fine. They did check her blood, however, & her white count was 18,000! (Which is VERY high...meaning there's an infection somewhere.) She had a fever, had tons of pain, & was generally not feeling well at all. They admitted her to the hospital that evening & did an x-ray, which showed nothing. Then they did a CT scan & that showed what was causing all her pain...diverticulitis. She had a routine colonoscopy when she turned 50, but she's a whopping 56 now so obviously things have developed quickly.

They admitted her Thursday night & didn't get out until Sunday afternoon. They pumped her full of antibiotics, some of which she's still on. She has to totally change her diet now. No seeds, nuts, or anything small & hard that can get stuck in those pockets. High fiber is a must, as well.

Her antibiotics are giving her the typical side effects that no one likes when they're on them. But she's on them for about 2 weeks, so that's just no fun at all.

Since she was in the hospital during Homecoming weekend she asked Curt to bring his date by before the dance. LOL I had to chuckle...going to the hospital for pictures before the dance. But it was super nice of them to see my mom. And they said that Curt's date, Kaylee, was really sweet about it. Here's the picture my mom got of the two of them:

Please keep my mom in your thoughts & prayers. She needs to start feeling better...& getting off these antibiotics is the first start. She also needs prayers on dealing with this new diet she's on. She voluntarily stopped eating candy about 3 weeks ago & now she has to stop eating nuts, seeds, & other foods like that. It's tough changing her diet so much. So thoughts & prayers are needed right now. :o)

Fill #8

Fill #8 is past us!!! She's up to 200cc's now.

Here's a fun picture with the lights off & a flashlight.

Big sis happy after the fill.

200cc's!!!

And yes, my children like to stick their tongues out at me when I tell them to smile. LOL

Fill #7

Here's a picture of little Brookie after Fill #7 which was done on 9/29/11.

She's up to 175cc's now.