It's obvious and the first thing I noticed when Deacon was born. The "Patch". He was born with what the Doctor called a congenital nevomelanocytic nevus (CNN).
A what I said?
A congenital hairy nevus. A pigmented area present at birth that we basically just call a mole.
These moles are not inherited and vary in size and location. This information helps factor in the risk, such as: 2 cm. and on the thigh = not bad, compared to 9 cm. and on the scalp = not good.
The problem is the risk for transformation to malignant melanoma. If melanoma does arise it is more likely to develop in the first decade of life. So...if surgery is recommended it needs to be done as early in life as possible.
Here is Deacon's:
His is on the scalp and big. I have never measured it but Doctors have. It's been rubbed and poked and pushed and pointed at but, thankfully checked often because of it's size and location. We have done many tests and as of now it is of no harm to him but, that doesn't mean it won't be in the future. It is good for his to be off centered and not right in the middle over the center of his body, brain (soft spot) and spinal cord. It will grow as he grows, not only in size but in thickness. Hair grows out of his faster and thicker than the rest of his head but that is not a worry, especially because we all know how I love to cut...so I just trim it up to help it blend in.
Deacon is a little over nine months old and we have seen many Doctors and been in hospitals and yesterday was one of those days. The Doctor we go to has recommended surgery, and it sounds like the preparatory surgery is worse than the actual removal of the mole. The earlier removal the better however, we cannot rush it due to it's location. We've waited for his bones (the skull) to get harder but his soft spot hasn't filled in yet and too much pressure on the head especially in that area can do considerable damage. So...we will just make another appointment and schedule the surgery later because we are so used to the mole now and are not sure we are ready for a little piece of you to be taken away. We love you Deacon!!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
HoLeY MoLeY
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3 comments:
Oh, Karen... he's beautiful! Mole or no mole, Deacon's one handsome little boy. (And looking a lot like Derek in the 2nd pic, but I think he has your nose and lips.)
I know surgery is a scary thing to have to think about... but, you gotta do, what you gotta do, right? (And, like we've found, it never hurts to get a second opinion, if even just to hear more treatment options.)
He'll bounce back and heal up so quick, you'll be surprised - kids are so resilient. (The earlier it happens - even after this short delay - the less he'll remember, too.)
I need to call you...
Interesting to hear more about it. I was going to say nearly exactly what Aimee said. He is handsome! Good luck with all the doctor visits, opinions, poking and prodding! Sure love ya!
Karen, it is so much fun to see your cute kiddos!! My Parker had to have eye surgery at the age of 2 and it was so hard to see but the result was so wonderful, and the recovery was just great. They have such great ways to help these little people! Good luck with everything and would love to see ya sometime.
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