First...

dermatology appointment!  Mia Gianna was referred by our pediatrician to see a dermatologist.  She has had a (ahem) 'growth' on her shoulder that was...not going away.

I honestly didn't give this appointment much thought. I mean, usually when any kind of M.D. is put with my child, a whole lotta anxiety follows.  But this time, I was like, easy-breezy, "Oh, she's going to get that thing frozen off. It will take 20 seconds."

That was not the case.  The dermatologist looked at it, pronounced it a "poly-blah-blah-la-T-da" and then said, "I need to remove it."  I nodded confidently, knowingly ("Of course you do.").   But then she went on to say, "I can remove it tomorrow afternoon."

Uhm. Wait a minute.  We just spent 45 minutes in your waiting room, another 10 minutes in the exam room waiting for you to bless us with your presence, and after looking at my baby for 10 seconds, you want us to come back tomorrow?

You want us to come back tomorrow so that you can do the thing that we came here today to get done?

I don't think so.

(This post has been edited a lot.  I cut all the yelling and complaining I did while we waited 45 minutes.  Yes, I yelled.)

I was firm. "I don't think that's a good idea. I think you need to do it now."  My blood pressure was rising dramatically.

The derm frowned and considered. She probably considered how red my face was getting, and then thought about the anger I had displayed just about 10 minutes ago.  Because she said, "Okay. As I told you earlier, we are here for the patient and that is why we sometimes run late."  Uh, huh.


She then explained that she would put numbing cream on Gianna's shoulder, and then give her 1 shot.  And then...then she would surgically remove the uhm, spot from Gianna's shoulder.

Uhm. Wait a second.

I was not prepared for that.  I hate needles, blood and all things associated with needles and blood (and doctors, really).

But I held Gianna during the shot, and then the 2nd shot (that the derm deemed necessary, suddenly).  I held Gianna while she threw up on me. And then I held Gianna while she screamed and cried while the derm removed the spot from her shoulder.  And I held my squirming, sweating, red-faced, vomit-y smelling, freaked out baby while the doctor put three stitches in her shoulder.

We did it.  We survived.  And now I get to play Nurse  to my daughter for the next 9 days, monitoring the care and cleaning of her stitches.

This poor baby. She has been through so much in her young life!  I keep telling myself that she's getting it all out of the way now, so she won't have to deal with it later.  That makes me feel a little better, anyway.

And while I'd like to say that this was Gianna's first and last dermatology appointment, that is not the case. We have to return to the derm to get the stitches removed (and to discuss the results from the lab).
Send my baby some love!
xo