Chest Clip and Strawberry Hemangioma

[SarahP]

:confused: I have my youngest daughter riding RF in a Britax Marathon. She was a preemie and has a raised strawberry hemangioma right about where the center of the chest clip should be. Should this get injured, there would be more blood than a regular spot of skin and require more pressure to stop the bleeding. The mark is about the size of a 50cent piece and as I said is raised. It is about the 'height' of 3 stacked quarters. It is 'superficial' and not attached to anything vital under the skin. It has begun to shrink.
Here is my question -- Is it safer to ride with the chest clip a little higher than normal and sit above the mark, or should it ride below the mark and be lower than normal? Which would be safer? If I put it right on top of it, she tends to move it as it is uncomfortable/painful.

[rlsadc]

well how far up or down would it require to be?

[SarahP]

The strawberry hemangioma is about 1" - 1 1/4" from top to bottom -- so nearly an inch either way to clear it.
She has just turned 2, and it is finally starting to shrink. It of course started out as a red dot (I thought I had poked her with a fingernail changing her or something) about the size of a ball point pen mark and grew and grew and grew. Was flat for quite a while, and then 'filled up' so to speak.

[crunchierthanthou]

How close to her neck/throat would it be if above the hemangioma? If it's even with or above her collar bones, I'd say that's too high and would go with below. Damage to her airway would be just as bad as if not worse than the excessive bleeding. If you do go lower, just make sure the clip is as high as possible and the harness is snug. Recheck it for tightness each time you buckle her in.

Of course, armpit level is optimal, but the chest clip is simply a pre-crash positioner. It keeps the harness where it needs to be in event of a crash. If medically you can't have it over that spot, then do the best you can to ensure proper harness position and tightness.

[SarahP]

I'll guess we'll go with below, as above puts it pretty close to collar bone level - I've been going with slightly below. This mark is right at the arm pit level.
At least it is shrinking - but at the rate of shrinkage, she'll be out of a carseat by the time it has shrunk. These things grow like wildfire and shrink like a statue on a diet.

[Patriot201]

These things grow like wildfire and shrink like a statue on a diet.

:) That's a cute analogy. :)

I know several people whose children have had hemangiomas. I will have to share your analogy with them. I am sure they will appreciate it! :)

[SarahP]

Thanks. We try not to make a big deal of it to her as we don't want her to grow up self conscious of it (or any more so than she will be anyway).
The Dr's at the Children's hospital don't recommend taking any action on it until it stops shrinking. They tell us it could shrink away as though it was never there or could just stop shrinking at any point, or something in between. Our Pediatrician now thinks, though that it is going to leave behind a baggy like scar similar to a burn.
I am pretty sure we will be having some sort of cosmetic surger on it, just because of where it is. It peaks out of some onesies, and all unbuttoned polo shirts. We will see.
We used to call it her cute little button -- but well.... Her brother who loves buttons just LOVES to push it -- so we keep it covered almost at all times -- ha ha ha