Livy's Bump....

      Livy started growing this bump on her head at about 2 wks old. At first it was a red spot then grew rapidly every week. Our pediatrician said not to worry about it and that it was called a hemangioma. She then explained it was a group of blood vessels all bunched up on the surface, but that it would stop growing and eventually go away on its own around 1-2 yrs of age. We followed her advice, but at about 5 months old we thought we should get a second opinion because it had grown so much, it was like a golf ball protruding off of her head.
      We heard from a friend to go to a dermatologist, because that is their specialty. We went there and we heard the opposite about this so called innocent little bump. We were told that she could bleed to death in about 1 hour if it got bumped and it would be hard to stop the bleeding because of it being located right on her soft spot. We were also told that these can grow inside her head or others could be inside growing and putting pressure on her brain. In their experience these bumps on the head usually get bigger and can also cause her to have a permanent bald spot. As you could imagine, I cried a lot and both Adam and I were worried sick.
      He went on to tell us that they are treating these hemangiomas with a cardiac medication that works quite well. We were then advised to get a cardiologist to assess livy and make sure her heart is in the right condition to take this medication and to also get a mri to check if it was growing inside. In order to get on the medication, they would need to admit Livy to the hospital to monitor her for 24 hrs. Long process, but with all the risks associated with this bump, Adam and I both think we need to explore our options. So here is what we have done so far:

     We had the consult with the pediatric cardiologist where they did an EKG and an echo cardiogram. The ekg was easy, but the echo took 45 mins and livy had to lay still for it. We spent most of the time singing to livy and then at the last 5 mins of the test, she finally fell asleep. Everything was great and they informed me her heart looked great, which I already knew.


 
      We took Livy up to Primary's and had an MRI done of her brain to make sure it was not growing inside. I was most nervous for this, because they were going to sedate her and with my background in the ER I know there are a lot of risks with sedation. I felt comfortable until they kept poking her for an IV. Time after time they kept infiltrating the IV. I didn't know when I should tell them to stop and that I could do it myself. I do pediatric IV's quite often in the ER and I did not want to watch livy hurt anymore. Finally after 7 pokes, 7 hours of no food in her belly, and an IV team called, she was ready for the MRI. She did great during the procedure, but was very loopy afterward.









      My mom came and helped us during all of this and I was so glad she was there to help me stay strong for the Livster. The MRI showed no growth inside, which was great news. We are still trying to decide with the medicine, but for now... Livy needs a little break from the medical world. Adam and I are praying about the next option and we both feel that Heavenly Father will help us protect her bump until we figure out how to treat it. As for now, I tell Livy that she was too beautiful so Heavenly Father gave her this little bump to keep her humble. Livy continues to be an angel through all of this and we pray everyday that everything will work out.