Dear Girlie,

You've had a rough week sweet girlie. Monday you only had a 20 minute nap on the way home from the Dr's office in Provo. You saw two different Dr.'s and they've referred you to a pediatric dermatologist at Primary Children's Hospital. Your spots have been worse this week than they have been the entire three months you've had them. Your back feels like a bumpy toad.

On Tuesday I really felt like I needed to take you back into the dermatologist you'd already seen even though I didn't like him (his "bedside manner" wasn't the best).  Again you ended up with a short nap, this time an hour, and we waited 45 minutes to be seen. He looked at your spots and thinks that you have GGA-Generalized Granuloma Annulare. It's EXTREMELY rare in children, but possible. 

They don't know what causes it, or what to do to fix it. If that is what it is, he said it will take you 2 months to 2 years to grow out of it. And where the white centers of your spots are could leave dark spots (like scars almost).  He said to make sure it was GGA that he needed to do a biopsy. Girlie, that was so sad. They had me lay in the procedure chair, strip you down to your diaper and hold you belly to belly. They put High School Musical on for you, and I hope you don't hate it now from the traumatic experience. They numbed you and you started crying so hard. Almost instantly your hair was soaking wet from sweat and alligator tears were streaming down your face. The nurse had to push you against me and was commenting how strong you were. They took the biopsy from your right love handle, and then gave you just one stitch to close it up. 

It didn't take too long to calm you down, but that was only for a short time. I had to take you downstairs to get your blood drawn. Three different people tried in both arms, fishing for blood and didn't get any. I finally made you stop because you were so so sad and it made me sad to have them keep poking you. You were crying so hard I thought you were going to pass out. 

Yesterday I took you to the outpatient lab at the hospital where we went last time and they were able to get enough blood from pricking your finger! You only cried when they were almost done and I think it was because you didn't know why she was still pushing on your finger. 

You've been through a lot in the past few days girlie, but hopefully we'll start getting some answers. It breaks my heart to see you covered in spots, even if they don't bother you.

I love you,

Mom