Nora's Nose: The MRI Results.

When Nora was born we quickly noticed a little hole on the center of her nose. Nurses and doctors said it looked closed, called it a dimple, and said there was nothing to worry about. As she's grown, it's caused some minor problems and seems to constantly be infected. At her nine month appointment we got a referral to a dermatologist who prescribed us some simple antibiotic cream. The cream seemed to be the answer, until we stopped using it after two weeks per doctor's orders. Her nose was constantly inflamed and leaking a thick, green pus if I wasn't applying the cream so at her one year visit I asked for another referral, and we were sent to the Dermatology Department at Children's Hospital. 

Our appointment in June went well. I love the doctor that we saw, and she was the first person who could give us an official diagnosis: a nasal dermoid sinus cyst. Apparently these cysts are quite common, and they're a malformation of skin cells during fetal development. Usually they occur around the eyebrows and can come up other unconcerning places, but it's a concern when it's midline on the nose because that can be a direct path to the brain. Because Nora's cyst leaks fluid, her doctor ordered an MRI to see if the cyst tracks to her brain or sinus'.

The MRI was this past Friday. Nora did great and didn't have any adverse reaction to the anesthesia and seemed to be back to her happy and silly self by the end of the day. The staff at Children's were wonderful (minus the 8 needle pokes in effort to start her IV), and we felt blessed to have a hospital so close that specializes in children's issues and needs.

We got the results back on Tuesday. As humans, we crave the definite, but medicine doesn't always play by those rules. The doctor said there were no definite tunnels to the brain or sinus cavities, but that tunnels can collapse, making them difficult to see on MRI's. Even though there isn't a clear path to the brain that they can see, the constant infection in the cyst (which is so close to her brain) isn't ideal. We're now being referred to a plastic surgeon or an ENT doctor (they weren't sure who to send us to next), and we'll have a consultation about having the cyst and tunnel removed. We're not sure if we're looking at surgery in the near or distant future or what other options we may have. We really wanted a definite answer, to close a door or know what open door we were going to have to walk through next, but instead we're left in the corridor to wait.

At the end of the day, we have a healthy girl who is thriving, developing, and growing. Of all the medical issues we could be dealing with, this is minimal and manageable, and we're counting our blessings. Hiccups are part of parenthood, and we're just trying to work our way through this hiccup without letting anxiety or worry overtake our hearts or minds. Thanks so much to everyone who has offered concern, prayers, or encouragement. We are blessed by the love our little girl has from so many people around us, and we are humbled by the support we have felt as parents during her first year of life.