Earlier this week, we went to Children’s Hospital to consult with a doctor about treating Maggie’s port wine stain.
To sum it up, we had mixed news. The discouraging news is that it may take years to correct an area this large. Also, since it is a vascular malformation (consisting of enlarged capillaries) and is adjacent to her eye, there’s the possibility that the pressure could affect her sight in that eye (we’re seeing an ophthalmologist about that). The encouraging news is that the treatment is very effective and should be covered by our insurance.
I’m considering writing in more detail about this whole process, in case it might help other parents in our situation. So far, though, The Vascular Birthmark Foundation website has been a helpful resource for us.
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Bless her little pink heart.
I hope the treatment won’t cause too much discomfort for her. I will pray that it will all work out. It’s cute how they name birthmarks–the one on Christopher’s wrist is called a “cafe au lait.” The doctor said that if it gets really big and rough-looking as he gets older we might want to look into getting it treated.
The treatments aren’t very painful, and they do take measures to make it easier on children.
By the way, I didn’t mention in that “pink” post last week that the whole flowery/girly thing must seem especially funny for those of you who remember me spending every day in jeans, work boots and a thick layer of stinky mulch.
But Mag’s just so pretty, I can’t help getting caught up in the girly stuff. Wonder what sort of things she’ll like when she starts picking out her own clothes?
Maybe she can have glasses like Abby!! I hope the treatments go well. It is a huge blessing to be near good hospitals and alike. With Abby’s sleep apnea problems, it was wonderful to be able to take to her Loma Linda Medical Center.