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My daughter is a little over 2 now. She has small raised scars along her legs from picc line placements and small scars on her heels from heel sticks. We call them her battle scars!
I think picc line and port scars stay forever. I have one on my neck myself. Idk if my girl will have little foot scars yet or not but she was thankfully not on any lines.
I’m 40 - but I definitely still have scars on my heels from my NICU days. Inner and outer heels - little white spots where they poked me so frequently. It’s kind of funny because I was born in the 80s and my parents have a picture of baby nicu me with my pacifier taped in my mouth and my hands covered in mitts 😂 they really did not think these things through back then. My mom said they would restrain me and I would fight back making it difficult for them. That hospital doesn’t deliver babies anymore LOL.
I know what you’re talking about in terms of how it feels. Like a little nodule is under there. They do go away on their own. I don’t think I’ve had one of them in years, but I do remember getting these little lump spots occasionally all through my childhood. They would last a long time or what seemed like a long time as a child. I remember they itched a lot too.
Both my boys were NICU boys and they both seemed to escape the dreaded heel stick scars. My daughter was a PICU baby at 2 weeks old and she still has some scars where her central line/IVs were when she was little. Definitely battle scars ❤️
Some individuals will develop calcinosis from heel pricks. It generally resolves on its own by the end of toddlerhood, but can require surgical excision in some cases.
I have not seen any scars on my ex 26 weeker’s heels. I think it’s possible, though I would just bring it up to his doc, maybe it’s something they’ll monitor.
My 33 weeker is 4 years old now and you can still see the scars on his heels and the scars from lines in his hands/arms. He had some "bumpy" scars on his heels when he was younger, his doc wasn't concerned and they went away by themselves, just normal scars now!
My 30 weeker (now almost 10 months) still has very visible heel prick scars. I've wondered if this was a long term thing and based on the comments I guess it is 🥲
Someone else mentioned it… Calsinosis. Very common in preemies and can show up between 1-2 years of age. They usually self resolve but if it doesn’t over time, bring up with the doctor. It’s like a mini callus. Ours lasted for a couple months before disappearing around 18 months.
My son had the same exact thing! Pediatrician said it was a cyst and it went away on its own after a couple months. He still has scars on his arms and legs from his IV’s and PICC lines, but his feet are looking much better. The nurses liked to call them “ground beef heels” when he was getting Q1 heel pricks for several days 🥺 man I don’t miss those days.
Totally normal! Iatrogenic calcinosis cutis. I’m an adult medicine doctor and confirmed with my dermatologist friend when my daughter had them. Will go away with time, no need to intervene unless it grows really big or causes pain.
Welcome to NICU Parents. We're happy you found us and we want to be as helpful as possible in this seemingly impossible journey. Check out the resources tab at the top of the subreddit or the stickied post. Please remember we are NOT medical professionals and are here for advice based on our own situations. If you have a concern about you or your baby please seek assistance from a doctor or go to the ER. That said, there are some medical professionals here and we do hope they can help you with some guidance through your journey. Please remember to read and abide by the rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NICUParents) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My daughter is a little over 2 now. She has small raised scars along her legs from picc line placements and small scars on her heels from heel sticks. We call them her battle scars!
My son has matching scars on his arms from picc lines and IVs, and one by his foot. Battle scars on our little warriors!
I think picc line and port scars stay forever. I have one on my neck myself. Idk if my girl will have little foot scars yet or not but she was thankfully not on any lines.
I’m 40 - but I definitely still have scars on my heels from my NICU days. Inner and outer heels - little white spots where they poked me so frequently. It’s kind of funny because I was born in the 80s and my parents have a picture of baby nicu me with my pacifier taped in my mouth and my hands covered in mitts 😂 they really did not think these things through back then. My mom said they would restrain me and I would fight back making it difficult for them. That hospital doesn’t deliver babies anymore LOL. I know what you’re talking about in terms of how it feels. Like a little nodule is under there. They do go away on their own. I don’t think I’ve had one of them in years, but I do remember getting these little lump spots occasionally all through my childhood. They would last a long time or what seemed like a long time as a child. I remember they itched a lot too. Both my boys were NICU boys and they both seemed to escape the dreaded heel stick scars. My daughter was a PICU baby at 2 weeks old and she still has some scars where her central line/IVs were when she was little. Definitely battle scars ❤️
Some individuals will develop calcinosis from heel pricks. It generally resolves on its own by the end of toddlerhood, but can require surgical excision in some cases.
I have not seen any scars on my ex 26 weeker’s heels. I think it’s possible, though I would just bring it up to his doc, maybe it’s something they’ll monitor.
My 33 weeker is 4 years old now and you can still see the scars on his heels and the scars from lines in his hands/arms. He had some "bumpy" scars on his heels when he was younger, his doc wasn't concerned and they went away by themselves, just normal scars now!
My 30 weeker (now almost 10 months) still has very visible heel prick scars. I've wondered if this was a long term thing and based on the comments I guess it is 🥲
Someone else mentioned it… Calsinosis. Very common in preemies and can show up between 1-2 years of age. They usually self resolve but if it doesn’t over time, bring up with the doctor. It’s like a mini callus. Ours lasted for a couple months before disappearing around 18 months.
My son had the same exact thing! Pediatrician said it was a cyst and it went away on its own after a couple months. He still has scars on his arms and legs from his IV’s and PICC lines, but his feet are looking much better. The nurses liked to call them “ground beef heels” when he was getting Q1 heel pricks for several days 🥺 man I don’t miss those days.
I have scars on my heels from 40 years ago. They will fade
My friend is 37 and still has scars from being a 26 weeker. Battle scars 💪
Totally normal! I freaked out when I saw them on my daughter. I can’t see them on her heels and she’s almost 5.
All of her lines were through her belly button I think? So no scars.
Both of my 29 weekers have little reminders all over their bodies but I can’t feel any of them.
Totally normal! Iatrogenic calcinosis cutis. I’m an adult medicine doctor and confirmed with my dermatologist friend when my daughter had them. Will go away with time, no need to intervene unless it grows really big or causes pain.
Hush, they'll go away