Laser Day

Laser treatment days are NOT among my favorite days. For those of you who don't know, my eldest was born with a port wine stain birth mark on her face. It actually starts at the crown of her head and extends in a triangular shape to the middle of her upper lip. It is caused by faulty nerves that do not tell the capillaries in the skin to close, so her skin is constantly flooded with blood...that is why it is so red. There are lots of complications that can occur with birthmarks like this, so we are choosing to have it treated.

This is what she looked like as an adorable little baby:

1 month old:

And 6 months:

At 12 months we met with her dermatologist to discuss treatment for her birthmark. It is called a Pulse Dye Laser. It looks like a laser pointer pen attached to a really big machine. The dermatologist says that when the laser hits the skin it feels like a "hot rubber band" hitting the skin...again, and again, and again. When she was 15 months old we had her first treatment. We opted to go for the topical anesthesia. This is what she looked like after application in 2 little spots: Looks like she's been through a war, doesn't it. They only zapped 2 little spots that day, so it wasn't too horrible...except for the topical stuff. After that, we opted for general anesthesia. It is better with the general because she doesn't squirm and they can get closer to her eye with the laser. It still makes me nervous to have her little body subjected to general anesthesia, but so far she has done great.

I think she's had 16 treatments so far. 16 treatments in 4 years. It makes my heart hurt every time. Some treatments aren't too bad- some bruising, not too much swelling, but it's okay. Some treatments are really, really bad- lots of bruising, blisters, swelling, pain. Today's treatment is one of the bad ones. I think it is probably the worst she's ever had. Her upper lip is so swollen that she can't hardly open her mouth, even to eat or talk very loud. She's been sitting in the same place for about 4 hours, sipping smoothies and watching TV.

Here's what she looks like today:It just makes my heart hurt. In 2 weeks it will be healed. Hopefully these treatments can continue to lighten the birthmark. She always has to wear a hat and sunscreen while outside because of these treatments. She goes to kindergarten next year, and I just worry for her. She'll do great...but I still worry.

I think the treatments have been working and the birthmark is lighter. Here is a picture of her a couple of weeks go:
Quite a difference since she was born, but it has been a long hard road to even get this far.