Good news for Hudson!

We took Hudson to a pediatric dermatologist today for a confirmed diagnosis of the bump on his forehead. The doctor took one look at him and said with 100% confidence that it is in fact a combined (or mixed) hemangioma. This gave us great relief.

We already pretty much knew this was the case due to my incessant Googling and internet research, as well as a phone conversation with Aiden's craniofacial team in Dallas who gave us an opinion based on photos we emailed. However we are no stranger to having curve balls thrown at us so hearing it from a specialist eased all of our concerns.

So what does this mean for Hudson? Well, a hemangioma is basically a bunch of blood vessels that are tangled together. They can present underneath or on the surface of the skin - or in Hudson's case, a little of both, which is why it is called a combined hemangioma. The specialist said that these types of vascular spots go through very predictable stages: pinkish appearance at birth, growth until about 6-8 months of age, a period of time where the growth levels off for about a year or so, followed by gradual absorption of the cells into the body over about 3-4 years at which time the spot should almost completely go away.

I realize that a hemangioma is "no big deal" in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to the medical issues we have with Aiden. But I'll admit it threw us for a loop. We kind of felt as if we were holding our breath just waiting for it to be something more serious. Having a confirmed diagnosis and hearing that this lump on his forehead requires no surgery or even basic treatment seriously took a load off of our shoulders and worry from our hearts and for that we are so very grateful. Thanks to everyone for keeping Hudson in your thoughts and prayers as we awaited some answers.

I'll tell you what though - sometimes I feel like my journey as a mom has earned me an honorary medical degree. I have learned so much in the past 5 years...things some medical students might not ever encounter in their entire careers!

So God, if you can hear me, I'm letting you know that I have no desire to be a doctor or even a nurse. I don't want to learn about any new medical terms or diagnoses. Just let me be a plain old boring mom for a while, please :)