I don't talk about it a lot but will answer any questions anyone has. I've learned a lot more about hemangiomas than I really wanted to. Ella has a hemangioma on her forehead, a small one on her back and one on her hip. All three are as different as can be. The one on her head grows at a very rapid rate and protrudes from the surface, the one on her back is red and teeny tiny and just on the surface and the one on her hip is very flat but looks like a strawberry and bruise. All of these were not present when she was born. The one on her forehead presented itself when she was 5 days old and looked only like a scratch but each day continued to get a bit darker and started to raise up. I couldn't tell you when the one on her back was there because I honestly never looked at her back but noticed it when she was maybe 4 weeks old, it was about that time that the one on her hip showed up. I thought that one was an actual strawberry because she spent so much time sleeping in her carseat that I thought she just sat up against the buckle. From everything I read about them and from a few friends whose children have had them, I knew that they should resolve themselves but it was going to be a lengthy process over the course of a few years.
I took her to a dermatologist when she was 5 weeks old to see if there was anything I needed to do for it or if we just needed to wait out it's time. He suggested we see a pediatric dermatologist but there was only 1 in Austin and the wait was pretty extensive so I needed to make an appt asap. I called thinking that it would be months before we could see him but because he specializes in vascular birthmarks and Ella's was raised, he would want to see her immediately. She had an appt the first part of October and the doctor didn't seem too concerned about it but suggested if it did start to grow more rapidly, we could treat it with medication. He was more concerned about the stretching of her skin and how it would appear after the hemangioma went away. After much consideration and a lot of weight on my heart, I decided to call the doctor back and ask for the treatment for it. I was on the fence about it because it's a medication that is not normally treated in this manner and she's just so tiny that I feared giving any sort of medicine to an infant. A lot of praying and discussions finally made up my mind to go for it. Ella had some tests run to be sure she was in perfect health for the medicine and we started it on the weekend to be sure she didn't suffer any sort of effects before she went back to school on Monday. We'll go back to the doctor for a check up after 10 days but I believe I'm already seeing a difference as it should go away in 6 months instead of 3-5 years.
Something is wrong with the blogger picture upload so I had to create a slideshow of pictures. This is the progression of Ella's hemangioma over 2 months time.
3 peeps thought this was cool:
That's very interesting! I had no idea that they don't present themselves at birth! Did the Dr. say why or why she has three?
I am glad you have come to a decision for safe treatment that will work for little Ella and for y'all!
Prayers that sweet Ella is all healed up soon! I can imagine the turmoil that decision brought in you, but I pray that she will do well.
Y'all went through the thoughtful processes. Am keeping good thoughts and prayers for great results. What is the medication, Shannon?
Looking forward to seeing the four of y'all on Saturday! Brooke's time is limited and her "dance card" filled up quickly, so it will just be the grandmas, mamas, and kiddos!
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