Shooting lasers at my daughter, part three

My daughter Claire was born with what they call a Port-Wine Stain. It’s a birthmark that covers a large portion of her right cheek. The only real treatment that seems to work is laser surgery. This was the third round (you can get it done every two months) of laser treatments in her short six month life. It’s kind of a harrowing experience for the parents. You watch three doctors hold your baby still while a fourth doctor gives pulses of laser to her skin. Claire cried a bunch, but it wasn’t too bad, she was a real trooper.

Next time she’ll have to be put under anesthesia however. You can get away without it until they start to get bigger, and Dr. Wagner thinks that by the next treatment it’ll be time for her to be put under while it’s happening. Speaking of Dr. Wagner, I couldn’t ask for a better person to be doing this to my baby. From what I hear, she is the best in the Midwest at this thing, and her demeanor and confidence and bedside manor are amazing. She is truly wonderful, and I have to thank her and Children’s Memorial for their service.

At the right (on the moblog) you will see a picture of Claire’s skin post-surgery. As you can see, it’s a very dark purple around the edges, and it should fade within a couple of weeks. At that point we should be able to tell how well the procedure went. Wish us luck!