Damn. Surgery.

Unfortunately, I’m doing research on skin grafting. I don’t know much about it, and somehow I need to explain it to my 5-year-old.

The accident was last Tuesday [April 13] and my 5-year-old’s 2nd degree burns had previously been diagnosed as NOT requiring surgery. But that changed yesterday when he went back to HCMC Burn Center to get his bandages changed and have his burns looked at. Doctors said his left foot had gotten worse and a skin graft was necessary to promote healing. They are calling his wounds ‘Deep 2nd Degree Burns’.

I was shocked.  But I’m told that this is common with burns – they can become more severe even though the area is being treated. Fortunately, no nerve damage exists and he should have sensation and fully recover. Okay then.

We are told the best place to harvest the skin is from the scalp, which freaked me out at first. But the surgeon says the scalp heals faster, does not hurt as much, and can hide any scarring if there is any. They cut just above the hair follicles, so hair grows back on the head and does not grow on the graft. Actually, I have no idea if hair could even be transplanted to grow on a graft. But that’s what I thought at first. Like I said: I don’t know much about this.

The surgeon answered our questions and helped quash my layman’s assumptions. I also did a little research to learn more about using scalp skin and found that there was no difference than using skin from other sources, like the thigh. Seemed like there were benefits, too:

Patients with grafts from the scalp had fewer complaints than those with grafts from the thigh; they also had faster reepithelialization.

There was also research done on the long term effects of harvesting from the scalp (Noticed: This study apparently only monitored “white” people?):

The skin grafts have remained white in appearance and with a smooth surface for long periods, and they seem to have less tendency to contract. We conclude that skin grafted from the scalp has very good cosmetic qualities for a long time after the operation.

It sounds as though we as parents can choose where they get the skin graft from, and we’ve decided the scalp sounds like a smart choice.

Now on to the hard part: Try to explain to my 5-year-old why doctors will hurt him on his head to help heal him on his feet. My wife and I have talked and we have a script. Surgery is early Thursday morning, so today we’ll be talking to him while his little brother is napping. My 2-year-old’s burns were less severe are healing well.

De-scrambling my thoughts…

Why am I writing all of this here? Well, it’s my therapy right now. Writing it down helps me comprehend more clearly what is happening. There is so much going on and so many distractions; I discovered that typing my thoughts help make the info stick. And I chose to publish this because maybe it helps someone else in a similar situation. I’ll soon be back to posting funny videos I see or awesome pictures I stumble upon or impressive art projects I find online. That’s actually a form of therapy for me, too.

[Read the next post from The Accident: April 21, 2010: I am bald now]