I had a forehead Osteoma for almost two decades. This was a protruding, bony, usually benign growth on the forehead that sticks out like a sore thumb. I remember first feeling it in the early 2000’s. At first, it felt like a small pin sized tiny rock. Over the years it grew wider and stuck out more. This small bump affected my confidence, my spirit and my self-esteem. As years went by, I took less photos of myself. In family pictures, I’d have to find the right angle and lighting, to hide it as much as possible. Forget about videos, I feared them. Some of my friends would say it was not noticeable; they probably became used to it as I thought I would. Except, I never did get used to it.
How The Osteoma Made me Feel
This bony bump made me feel ugly and weird, therefore making me want to hide. Even when I would do my makeup and get all dolled up, I never felt beautiful. I remember the day, a coworker yelled from about 20 feet away, “What happened to your forehead, is that a mosquito bite?” Ugh, I wanted to run and hide. You know those big mosquito welts that are round and huge, that is what they thought it was. One of my sisters would call me a unicorn. Ha, Ha, not funny. Those words said without mal intention, stung, every single time. There it was, the horn growing out of my head, where are my sprinkles and luck? Nowhere! All it gave me was insecurity and made me want to duck away, every single day.
I tried bangs, a gazillion times. I tried makeup, no luck. Finally, I was at my wit’s end. Even if it was going to be expensive, it was time to get it removed, I finally felt worth it. This bump had made me feel ugly for so long and I was done feeling bad about myself. I began researching doctors who have removed these. Of course, there are doctors that remove them but most of them out of state. In Florida, I had talked to my regular doctor, had seen local plastic surgeons, and everyone told me I needed to see a Neurosurgeon! I was incredulous! How could I not get a simple bony bump removed in my own state. I had Cat Scans, MRIs, X-rays, the whole nine yards.
Most doctors do NOT know what to do with these or are uneducated on options. That’s where my google research came in handy. For years, I had searched for options and tried to save money for this. I could fly to Virginia, New York or to Chicago, blah! Last year I thought I had found a doctor in Orlando, a mere three hour drive from me. I called them and they were super nice and attentive. I paid a down payment and we set a date. Except the doctor and office was a little off, something did not sit right with me. I would have to be put under general anesthesia, they wanted me to do a bunch of things prior, weird things like wash with a special wash for a week prior, put on a prescribed ointment in all my crevices, start an antibiotic prior to the procedure and then normal things like stop all NSAIDs. But this doctors office was charging me a LOT and they changed my appointment twice.
It didn’t feel right so I ended up cancelling because the 2nd time they changed my appointment I was done. It takes a lot to coordinate travel and hotel etc and I felt like it was a sign from above so I cancelled it. This Orlando doctor barely advertised that they removed Osteomas so it really was not his specialty. I was devastated! I felt like it was so close and then it was taken away from me. However, I was also relieved; it wasn’t meant to be with that doctor. They refunded me and I was back to the drawing board on finding a doctor.
Finally, Someone who could help
I did more research and a Dr. Fishman from Aviva Plastic Surgery came up in Atlanta, GA. She has a whole page on Osteoma removals on her site, she has reviews on this procedure and I felt she really knew what she was doing. Yes, call it a vibe. I spoke to her office, had a virtual consult and loved her and the method. No general anesthesia, That’s right! Done right in the office and healing usually in a week. I booked my appointment, flight, hotel and was super excited. I flew to Atlanta with my husband on a short 1.5 hour flight. That was a shorter flight, then the drive would have been to Orlando. To my lovely surprise, I could take the Marta Train directly from the airport TO the hotel, Hyatt House Atlanta Perimeter center and even better, I could then WALK to Dr. Fishman’s office. Big pluses!
The day of my procedure I was so excited but of course nervous. They gave me a concoction of pills, including Tylenol, Xanax, Trans anemic acid (for bleeding) and some other stuff. Once I got sleepy she gave me some laughing gas, and she began numbing my forehead with multiple injections. That was the stingy part. Next thing I knew, she was cutting into my scalp, which I could not feel, just some pressure. I could hear them shaving the bump. I was going in and out sleep but I was sitting the whole time. It was amazing. I am amazed that I did not feel much of it. Once it was done, my head was wrapped and my husband took us to the hotel. Once in the hotel room, I sat on the sofa lounge and knocked out. Dr. Fishman told me to sleep sitting up for 4 nights and it was worth it. I believe that is why my swelling went down so quickly. The next day I had my follow up visit and my head was unwrapped. By that evening we were on the plane ride back home. As soon as we landed I could see more swelling in the forehead and eyes. The next day I thought my eyes were going to close shut. Again, I think sleeping upright as much as possible, although uncomfortable, did help. The recovery was not bad. You can see the pictures below that show how the swelling progressed. After a week, I had my sutures removed with a local doctor that Dr. Fishman found for me. She was Dr. Prado-Wright of Exert clinic. I had a little itching and some zings, that the doctor had warned me would come. While the swelling will continue, although mostly unnoticeable to the naked eye, for about a month, I feel like I look back to my normal self. For the rest and even more details, check out my podcast episode where I share even more about the entire journey.
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