Atypical Mycobacterial Infection: One year post surgery

In some ways the past year has flown by and I feel like we were just checking into the hospital for Ezra's surgery with anxious stomachs.  In other ways, it seems like SO long ago.  Ezra was a only 9 month old baby then.  Now he's a walking, running, climbing, talking, eating-on-his-own toddler!

Here we are in prep-op on surgery day - 1/27/2012

We are so thankful everyday that his surgery and recovery went so smoothly!  We will never forget how blessed we are to live with modern medicine and to live so close to such amazing Children's hospitals - had we not been satisfied with the first doctor we saw, there would have been at least 3 other places we could have went all within an hour of our house.

(He napped while the doc was prepping him.)

Ezra has healed up well.  His incision scar is barely visible - even if you are looking for it.  The red spot left on his skin from where the infection was shrunk from the size of a Quarter to the size of a Pea.  It seems to continue to shrink bit by bit each month.  His doctor said that if it stops shrinking he could remove that small section of skin, but I think we will give it a little more time to heal on it own.

The only way I can get a picture of it these days is while he's asleep.

Ezra also developed Frey's Syndrome from the surgery.  (He gets a red area on his cheek when he eats acidic foods, such as fruit.)  Not much is known about Frey's because it's so rare.  We aren't sure if he will have this for a few years or the rest of his life, but I don't think the area seems to get as red as it used to.  So maybe it will just go away!  It's nothing that hurts him though so we will just wait and see!

Here's his best "cheese face" for you!

So thankful that both boys have been very healthy over the past year...one ear infection each and pink eye for Ashton was all we had to deal with since the crazy, how-on-earth-did-my-baby-develop-that, Atypical Mycobacterial Infection!

(You can read about his diagnosis here, his hospital stay and initial recovery here, and his 6 month post-op update here.)

If you have more questions about our experience with Atypical Mycobacterium, please leave a comment or email me at thoner02k @ yahoo . com. 
~Anika