Our Pediatrician was growing more concerned about it too, but still we, and she, had no idea what this was. But it was apparent that it was *not* a Hemangioma. We were afraid for Caleb to hit that side of his head because we were afraid that it would get cut and he would bleed to death. Example... One time, around this time (Rachel was small), I was giving Caleb a haircut. Using an electric razor to cut his hair. I just ***barely*** knicked Caleb's ear. He didn't even feel it (less than a scratch that you might get from a cat that was playing). On normal skin, it would have just *barely* been a little white mark; however on Caleb's ear (at the top where the ear attaches to the scalp), it was more that a white mark, it was bleeding, and bleeding pretty badly!!! It took us 15 minutes to stop it from bleeding with direct pressure on the spot. This TERRIFIED ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Around this same time, Caleb got a small mosquito bite at the top part of his earlobe. Thing was, it didn't heal. It started filling up with blood (slowly, took several months for this to happen). We watched it closely, and when it was apparent that it was filling with blood, back to the pediatrician we went again. This was about the first of July 2000. (Caleb was almost 4 yrs old). When our pediatrician looked at it this time, she was CERTAIN that it was *not* a Hemangioma, and that we needed to see a specialist. She had seen this certain Dr give a lecture on lesions and stuff of this type in the previous few months before we came in this time. She scheduled us an appointment to see this Dr. (which we lived in a small town and had to drive to the big city to see this Dr.)

So on Oct. 17, 2000; off we headed to the big city to see this Specialist. We weren't overly concerned as our Pediatrician assured us that he was the best, and that Caleb was going to be just fine. (which he was and still is). We get to the Dr's office, and his Assistant sees us first. She was (and still is) one of the nicest people we have ever met! Julie is an angel, I am sure of it! She talked with us and looked at Caleb's ear and asked us our 'Story'. So we told her (everything that I have said to you so far). She was so nice, and listened intently.

Finally, she asked Caleb to come over to her and she looked at his ear, and felt his ear. Suddenly she stopped smiling and left the room rather quickly. Hmm, we figured we had just taken more time than she meant. Except we noticed a look on her face as she left. Shocked was the only way I can describe it. Less than 10 minutes later, Dr. B. came in with Julie and we talked. We told him our story just as we had told Julie. And Julie was helping us w/ the story. *G* Then Dr. B. looked and felt Caleb's ear. And told us what it was that our son had on his ear and temple.

He said, 'What Caleb has is called an Arteriovenous Malformation, otherwise called an AVM.'. He said it so fast, that I had to ask him to say it again and slower. He did and I was still kind of lost. So I asked him to write it down for me so I would know what we were talking about. LOL He was so kind, him and Julie both. He wrote it down for me and explained what this all meant. It meant that Caleb's arteries and veins in his right ear and temple weren't connecting right. That they weren't going through the capellaries like they were supposed to. That they were connecting directly to each other and that it was causing his ear/temple to be hot, red, and feeling the pulse in it. He said that while it resembled a Hemangioma, it had distinct differences. Mainly the pulse in it. And that there were times that it would be misdiagnosed. Esp. at such an early age. However, no matter the reason, that our first Pediatrician should never have said to us what he did (about the looks and the plastic surgery). Then he said...