Port Wine Marks


So I was born with a red birthmark. Up until two weeks ago, that is all I thought it was- a strawberry birthmark. It started out smaller and has grown with my body. It is located on my upper thigh and measures about 2.5 inches long. As I have gotten older, moles have started popping up underneath it. I have already had one mole removed in the last couple years because my pants irritated it and I accidently cut it off while shaving...

Another large mole has grown and you can see other small ones forming. It hasn't really bothered me. I was a little self conscious growing up because children would ask questions about it. The only time it was seen in public was when I wore a swim suit.

I was watching The Doctors last week and they did a segment on Port Wine Marks. That is when I realized it was more than a red birthmark. Port Wine Marks are usually on the face, arms, legs, or truck and on one side of the body. It is considered a skin pigmentation problem and caused by abnormal development of blood vessels. They're pretty rare: 1 in 1,000 have them.I know three others besides me- my auntie, my niece, and Lincoln. Lincoln's is very light on his inner thigh. Joe recently confessed that he was concerned that Lincoln would have a dark one like mine on his face or something since I had one. The ones on the face cause emotional trauma because of the insecurity that comes with them.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Adjustment Disorder "Stress Response Syndrome"

Image
My frustration with watching the kids at home 12+ hours a day and being unemployed since June had taken a toll on me. The kids were going to school part and full-time over the summer and up until October 31. For the last month and a half, I had both kids home all day. My temper, patience, and boredom were reaching an all time high. Having a second was like having 10 to us. When people talk about wanting kids or a second, inside I yell, "Don't do it!"   I know it is just a matter of perspective and capability. For Joe and I, we struggle regularly to survive and work cohesively. Everyday is a battle. What to eat, which bathroom to potty in, stool or no stool, lights and fan, door open or closed, what shirt/pants/socks/shoes, what cup to drink out of, brush teeth or not, which paste/brush to use, what snacks/lunch/dinner to eat, which car seat to sit in, water or milk to drink, which movie to watch, bath or not, bubbles or not, which toys to play/share, which route to...
Read more

I don't want to hear how horrible your birthing experience was

Image
because it doesn't have to be. Women choose not to prepare themselves for childbirth and think that they will just "wing" it or let medicine do the job. They end up having a miserable birthing experience (and probably a c-section) and just assume all women will. I don't want to hear that it was the worse pain in the world or hear your negative stories. Your experience was painful because you feared the pain. I choose to relax, be in control, and welcome the pain knowing that it is productive in order to meet my baby.  Media video about hypnobirthing on YouTube When I watched 'The Business of Being Born', which is available on Watch Instantly on Netflix, it helped my husband and I understand the role of hospitals, doctors, and medication in childbirth. We found that the medications given in the hospital end up making you have a c-section whether you wanted one of not. Your given one thing to help you dilate and then once you start speeding up, they give you...
Read more

Mastocytosis (Urticaria Pigmentosa)

Image
Probably around January we noticed 3 brown spots on Lincoln. We thought he was getting moles or something. They popped up around the same time. The brown lesion is above his nipple At his 6-month well check (3/19/12), I asked the pediatrician to look at them. She said that moles don't pop up like that so we should have a dermatologist take a look at them. We scheduled an appointment with Joy Chastain's office (3/23/12), which Joe and I have been to for our skin. There are three ladies that work there and the one we were there to see, went to get another lady to look at them too. They were spouting off a lot of medical terms with their predictions. Ultimately, they recommended a biopsy so we could see what they were. Joe held Lincoln tight, which he didn't like. They injected numbing medicines and then they cut a piece of the one on his back. It was over quickly. I didn't like my babies' smooth skin being cut and scarred. We were told to keep it moist with Vasel...
Read more