Dermatology 101

Who knew skin looking like tenderized meat was a good thing?  Well, now I do...and knowing is half the battle (couldn't help it - GO JOE!).

Abby has a hemangioma, or birthmark, on her back.  Birthmarks are most common with girls, with multiples, and with preemies, so Abby covered all the bases! :) Anyway, back in late August, a spot in the middle of the hemangioma ulcerated and bled a bit.  We took her to our pediatrician, who gave us an antibiotic ointment, and after following up with him at our six month appointment, we were given the name of a specialist - a pediatric dermatologist - over near Dell Children's.

Don't get me started on trying to get appointments with specialists.  When I originally called in mid September, the earliest I would be able to get in was NOVEMBER (and with the specific doctor my pedi named, JANUARY).  Fortunately, I was able to get a referral from my pediatrician, which allowed us to get an appointment within a week.  

Doctor Hill, our doc, took a look at the ulceration and said it looked good.  This, of course, reinforced my gratitude that there were people (other than me) that had the interest and medical schooling to deal with babies' skin that look like, in Dr. Hill's words, "tenderized meat."  

Our followup with Dr. Hill was today (about two weeks after our first appointment).  Again, things looked good!  No infections, no (improper, so to speak) bacteria, and fortunately the ulceration is very shallow.  We've got a third followup in a few weeks, too.  (Again...we will have been to THREE appointments at that point before we would have been able to get in for our first one, if not for the referral.  Sigh...).  

So, instead of taking pictures of the birthmark, instead I have pictures of Abby before and during our trip to the doctor's office: