Hemangioma

Shea was born with a birthmark about the 2-3 inches long and 2 inches wide on the side of his head.  For the first 6 weeks it was nothing to be concerned about as it was flat and didn't bother him.  Around the six week mark it began to raise up and at our 2 month pediatrician apt, we were told she thought it might be a hemangioma and we should get it checked out.  We were recommended to the Vascular Birthmark Institute which turns out is one of the best clinics in the country in dealing with these and other vascular issues in children.

It was confirmed that it was indeed a hemangioma, but that there really wasn't to much to be concerned about as it wasn't restricting his breathing or sight (many of them often do).  We began a topical ointment twice daily, Timolol, and we were happy to just wait and see if it improved.  The spot began to gray in areas which was a sign of healing, but it also began to ulcerate / scab.  These became painful for Shea and if we even grazed them he would scream in pain.  At his 3 month check up we spoke with Dr. Blei of the VBI and she confirmed that the medication wasn't causing the ulcerations but began to speak about using an oral medication.  We were hesitant at the time just because of his age, and decided to wait it out and see if they began to heal on their own.

Last night we sent her a weekly picture of his spot and she requested to see him.  The ulcerations had begun to spread and now covered about 40% of the hermangioma and were bleeding.  The bleeding wasn't continuous, but was still concerning.

We headed up there this morning and decided that the best course of action would be the oral medication- propranolol.  Although the idea of giving medication didn't sit all that well with us, we decided it was better then the scabbing becoming infected or causing more balding on his head (anywhere it scabs, hair won't grow in the future.)

After meeting with Dr. Blei, we shot across town to the cardiologist to get his heart checked out (they can't give this medication to anyone with heart problems). They found a slight murmur, but the Dr. said it would work it self out and wasn't concerning.
5 hours later, we walked out of the last doctor, completely depleted of all energy and we were all ready for a nap.

So the treatment begins tomorrow.  He'll receive the medicine twice daily with his feedings and we should see results within a week or so.

10/7- update- We are very glad we started Shea on the oral meds.  That same day we started him on it, his hemangioma began to bleed more.  It was only just droplets of blood, but began to stream blood.  If we hadn't already seen the doctor and started the treatment, we would have been panicking.  We hope to see some real changes soon. 

10/17- update- It's been almost 2.5 weeks on the propranolol and we've already seen some real change.  The bleeding stopped after about 3 days of the meds and the hemangioma is really beginning to show some real change.  It has flattened out and begun to whiten. The scab is still present and unfortunately caked with dried blood (not a nice smell) but we're just waiting for the scab to fall off.
Shea does not like taking his meds (fights it a bit), but we've started putting it in his bottle (the first 2ozs) to make sure he's getting it all. 

2.5 weeks of using the propranolol.