Carter got out of surgery around 2:30pm. The surgeon was guardedly optimistic. He said it went as well as one of these can go, although as a parent, I wish he had said it went better than expected.

The mass came easily off of the muscle of the abdominal wall, but it was adhered to the skin, as the surgeon had feared. That just made it harder to remove and keep the skin intact. He felt he got most of the mass out, but he had to make a larger incision than he wanted to and remove more of the skin than he planned to.

Now we wait to see if all of the existing skin will survive. There's a chance some of the skin will die off, which could require additional surgery or heal on its own, depending on the severity. Carter also has two drains left in the wound to help collect fluid and keep it from accumulating. His face is a little discolored as he seems to have very sensitive skin that discolors whenever they put tape on him. He had a breathing tube during the surgery that was taped to his cheeks, forehead and temples.

So now our prayer is that the skin heals on its own and fluid does not collect in the area, so that he doesn't require further surgery.