Any Dermatologists Out There? Help!

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Disclaimer - DD8 has already been to 2 different Pediatricians about this and we have the first appointment we could get with my Dermatologist on March 20th. DD8 has also been to the school nurse and she is puzzled as well.

DD8 has these mystery bumps that are mainly on her torso but also appear on her arms, legs and face. They are raised bumps and she complains about them being itchy sometimes - especially after a bath or shower.

They first appeared in mid-January after a brief swim in a public pool and have persisted on and off ever since.

The first Pediatrician (DD's primary doctor) said they were chicken pox (even though DD has been vaccinated). After 3 weeks of the bumps still coming and going we went to another Pediatrician in the practice who said he was puzzled but that his "best guess" was scabies so we went the rounds of treatments for that - the bumps stayed. Both Pediatricians insisted they did not think these were hives or allergy related.

No one else in the household has any bumps but DD. We have not changed laundry detergent except from Tide to Tide Free after the bumps appeared and even went a week cutting out citrus fruits and peanuts (2 items she ate on the first day of the outbreak) but still the bumps persisted. We have stripped bedding and washed in hot water and even purchased brand new bedding (washed in our usual detergent).

HELP! Anyone have a clue what these could be??

Warning - picture below not for the squeamish!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Itchy means fungal, I would say. So she may have contracted something from the pool. It looks like ringworm to me...(which is fungal and not a worm).
Any chance she has pets in her bed?

That is my best guess as a horrible skin sufferer.

 

[kaw1218]

Itchy means fungal, I would say. So she may have contracted something from the pool. It looks like ringworm to me...(which is fungal and not a worm).
Any chance she has pets in her bed?

That is my best guess as a horrible skin sufferer.

It does look a little like ringworm....ringworm can be treated with an OTC topical antifugal cream( the same one used for jock itch and athlete's foot.)

ETA: I don't remember ringworm, coming and going though...... hmmmm....

Good luck

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Well the only problem is that it is ALL over her body - some are just dots and some are in clusters. She even has some on her nose and chin. Does ringworm come and go and then spread to her entire body? My other DD and the girls Godmother also swam in the pool the same amount of time and didn't get any bumps.

The Pediatrician that thought it was scabies had us treat her with Permethrin creme and then an anti-itch creme and it didnt phase the bumps one bit.

Poor DD. Oh I forgot to add that we have also tried the typical OTC treatments - Calamine lotion, Benadryl creme and Gold Bond creme with no relief.

ETA: NO PETS anywhere near her room. We have an older indoor cat that stays upstairs in my office (never allowed in the downstairs where the bedrooms are) and a dog that stays outside (but sleeps in the garage).

 

[kaw1218]

Well the only problem is that it is ALL over her body - some are just dots and some are in clusters. She even has some on her nose and chin. Does ringworm come and go and then spread to her entire body? My other DD and the girls Godmother also swam in the pool the same amount of time and didn't get any bumps.

The Pediatrician that thought it was scabies had us treat her with Permethrin creme and then an anti-itch creme and it didnt phase the bumps one bit.

Poor DD. Oh I forgot to add that we have also tried the typical OTC treatments - Calamine lotion, Benadryl creme and Gold Bond creme with no relief.

I'm sorry.... I am of no help. but I know how you feel. MY DD8 was just diagnosed with severve Ecezma..... never had any problems, and then all of a sudden she had a severve outbreak....it has taken us weeks to ease the ithiness and soreness.

oh...I have found that my DD is allergic to the free and clear laundry detergents....go figure ... we use normal Tide.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Try the fungal cream. Maybe in one small area. Generally things that are fungal are itchy. From my experience anyway.

I don't think ringworm behaves like that...but who knows?

What was the anti-itch cream? Was it a steroid? When we thought my dd had ringworm she prescribed her a steriod cream, I think, and she said if it got worse it was probably fungal and to go get some fungal cream.

It really didn't work on her and went away on it's own. She is always getting hives, btw.

 

[Steffi]

Looks like ringworm to me, too. If that's what it is, Lamisil will do the trick.

When my DD was young, she got ringworm (we had taken in a stray kitten, that's our best guess as to where it came from). I was convinced it was ringworm even though everyone told me it didn't look like ringworm. I took DD to her pediatrician. Doctor said no, it's not ringworm, and prescribed some kind of ridiculously expensive cream. When that didn't work, I took DD to another doctor. While talking to another mom in the waiting room and telling her about the mystery rash, she had a look at it and said, oh, that's ringworm, put some Tinactin on it and it'll be gone in a week. (Incidentally, that other doctor also said that it wasn't ringworm and prescribed some hydrocortisone cream.) I tried the OTC anti-fungal stuff and it cleared up in less than 2 weeks.

 

[kaw1218]

Looks like ringworm to me, too. If that's what it is, Lamisil will do the trick.

When my DD was young, she got ringworm (we had taken in a stray kitten, that's our best guess as to where it came from). I was convinced it was ringworm even though everyone told me it didn't look like ringworm. I took DD to her pediatrician. Doctor said no, it's not ringworm, and prescribed some kind of ridiculously expensive cream. When that didn't work, I took DD to another doctor. While talking to another mom in the waiting room and telling her about the mystery rash, she had a look at it and said, oh, that's ringworm, put some Tinactin on it and it'll be gone in a week. (Incidentally, that other doctor also said that it wasn't ringworm and prescribed some hydrocortisone cream.) I tried the OTC anti-fungal stuff and it cleared up in less than 2 weeks.

That's where my kids got it from too... now treating the cat....that's another story

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Also perhaps take the animals to the vet to make sure they do not have something that your dd is getting.
Maybe with your dd....I will be the vet would know.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

do they have a head? Like a pimple??

If not, they could be eczema..my DD had this and heat or moisture would irritate..have you tried cortizone for kids?

 

[maci]

I would try the antifungal as well. I had a small spot on my arm like that, and finally went to the dr, and it was a fungus. It did itch (bad) as well.

The antifungal, took SEVERAL weeks to completely get rid of it.

Good luck!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Thanks for all the wisdom - keep it coming!

We have not tried an anti-fungal yet but I can go get some tomorrow and see if that helps!

No the bumps do not appear to have any type of pimple like head on them.

Also - can you get ringworm on the tip of your NOSE? She has a patch of bumps there.

My poor itchy little redhead. Oh we are giving her Allegra every night per the second Pediatrician's instructions to help cut down on the itching - no clue how much that is actually working though because she still complains of itching.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Do the sores weep or ooze at all or crust over? From the picture, it looks like a bit of yellowish crust.

I would insist on the doctor taking a culture.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I noticed you are pregnant..be careful in case it is ringworm..I got ringworm when I was pregnant (from my dog!) and i couldn't take the medicine


DH is a paramedic and he doesn't think it is ringworm..not the way it is spreading..try some Cortizone..it really helps with the inflamation and itch

 

[jemiaule]

I am not sure what it is but to relieve the itchiness you might want to pick up some Domeboro Solution. It comes in small packets and you dilute it in water, You can then soak a wash cloth in it and use it as a compress. Generally it is used to relive itchiness for poison ivy and poison sumac so it may be a big help for itch relief.

 

[AJMlovesRLM]

Sounds like pityriassis (spelling!!!!) to me.

 

[maci]

Well that is true too! It does sound like Pityriasis! My daughter had that, but she did not complain of itching, it just looked awful for 4-6 weeks!

I had forgotten that ailment! Good call AJMlovesRLM

 

[honeymom]

I've had ringworm and I don't think its that. When I had it, I had a circular round patch that was really itchy. I used an anti fungal and it dried up and flaked off, and then there was the telltale ring.

My daughter can be very sensitive with her skin. Too much cholorine in a pool, and she can get hives. Bubble bath is notorious for giving her a skin rash.

I would use the cortisone, eliminate bubblebath in the bathtub and make sure that you wash her sheets in hot water (to prevent dustmites and anything else that she might be sensitive to). I would also visit the dermatologist. Once when our dd was 14 mos. old, she got a little red thing on her cheek that the regular pediatrician thought was a blood blister. After months of scrubbing and nothing happening, we discovered from the dermatologist that it was something called a pyogenic granuloma. We removed it in about 5 minutes that afternoon.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I had a thought....

Does your dd take a shower or bath in the same one you do?

If she does not perhaps take a shower there yourself to see the results.

Also cut out all baths, shower her quickly, & dry her quick as well .

Also LET US KNOW when you find out the diagnosis.

 

[HeatherH]

It's pityriasis rosea!

I had it as a child, TWICE, it is viral and can last for weeks. I can't believe the peds couldn't figure it out. It's itchy, there are some topical meds that can help. Can you get an earlier dermatologist appointment?

http://www.aad.org/public/Publications/pamphlets/PityriasisRosea.htm

One of many sites with info...just google it. It WILL go away eventually, without treatment, but treatment can make your daughter more comfortable.