Karma

From 2002 - 2007, Sam and I volunteered for the Courage Classic bike tour to benefit Children's Hospital, mainly because it was a good excuse to take a few days off work and ride our bikes in the mountains every summer. We also enjoyed working with a great group of people, led by our friend Raymond, but we never really gave a second thought to the result of our hard work.

Today that changed, as Sam and I took Ryan to the new Children's Hospital facility (TCH), for reasons I will get to momentarily. Let me just say, this hospital is GORGEOUS. Brightly colored murals and other art work decorate every surface, and large windows let in copious sunlight (and this was on a day that started with 8 inches of snow). Everyone we encountered was pleasant and welcoming, and the medical staff were top notch. Even the cafeteria food was really good!

So, the reason for the visit... A few weeks ago I was nursing Ryan when I noticed a bump on his neck. I first thought it was his Adam's apple appearing in a weird location due to the direction his head was turned, but when I straightened his neck, the bump remained on the side. I didn't want to be the paranoid new mom calling the doctor about every little oddity (he is OUR son, after all!), but Sam suggested that a visit to the pediatrician would help calm my concerns. Unfortunately, the pediatrician did not have a clear idea of what the bump could be, and referred us to an otolaryngologist (ear nose throat doctor). This doc, while extremely kind and obviously well-trained, does not specialize in pediatrics, and so referred us to TCH for an even more specialized diagnosis.

Ryan and Daddy waiting for the doctor

We first met an intern and a medical student, who poked and prodded the bump and asked questions (No, it's not interfering with eating or breathing; No, he's not favoring that side much, etc.), and then Dr. Allen came in with the students in tow (apparently TCH is a teaching hospital, which makes sense...). He manipulated the bump, asked the intern a few questions, and then announced that it was Sternocleiodmastoid Tumor of Infancy, which sounds REALLY scary, but is indeed - wait for it - a charley horse in the neck muscle. It's not terribly common, but he said he sees a few every year. It is caused by trauma to the muscle, either late in the pregnancy, during labor and delivery, or after the baby is born. Chances are it occured when Ryan's shoulder stuck during delivery and our midwife had to wrestle a little to get him out, but there's no way to know for certain.

We went to radiology to have an ultrasound done (not nearly as interesting to watch as prenatal ultrasounds!) and the technician confirmed the doctor's diagnosis. Prognosis is excellent - most of the time these heal on their own in three to five months, but we will have my friend Julie, a pediatric physical therapist, suggest some exercises to help with recovery. It doesn't seem to bother the little guy, which is reassuring.

I'm so thankful that we have such a good resource for pediatric medicine here in town (though with the snow and the traffic it took us almost two hours to get there this morning!) and I'm also thankful that we only had to visit the outpatient services!