UPDATE-Tonsils are coming out-post #36 (was Peeling palms...)

[Merriwind]

Hi all-

Has anyone or their kids ever had these symptoms? DD9 does. The skin on the palms of her hands is just peeling off. Not red, not itchy, not painful, just peeling, everytime she uses her hands, washes them, grips something, etc. Some peeling on the soles of her feet too, although not as much. Much of that peeling is between her toes. She is very tired, which seems to be worsening. She also has a little pimple or something or her right side that was very red (like filled with ink or blood) for the first day. She's had that for two weeks. The color faded, but it hasn't shrunk or gone away. The peeling has been going on about two weeks too. The fatigue started on Halloween.

She got strep a lot when she was little, but has been better (1x year) for the last year or so. Rapid strep came back negative. Ped recultured her and sent it out. If it is negative, ped said we'll start blood work looking at other strep markers(?), mono, lyme, etc. The dr said she really doesn't know what could be causing it, but she doesn't like the peeling hands, so she would start testing pretty aggressively.

Googling hasn't found me much. The lack of redness, itching and localization of the peeling has the doctor saying not an allergy or eczema.

Has anyone had these mystery symptoms who could possibly shed some light for us? Really, I'm hoping for strep...

Thanks!

 

[Terry36]

Sounds like hand, mouth and foot disease...google this. My daughter caught this several times when she was little. It is associated with a sore throat a rash and then the skin peels weeks later....

It also sounds like strep too.

Wishing you the best.

 

[mskay]

I don't post on medical topics b/c my medical knowledge is extremely limited. That being said, my friend's son had Kawasaki disease a few years ago and one of the symptoms was peeling hands and feet. Apparently he didn't fit the "profile" for it (didn't have all the symptoms I don't think and also it is usually much more common among Asian people--which he is not). Anyway, there are several other symptoms that you did not mention your DD having (high fever, etc.) but I had to bring this up since I thought of my friend's son immediately. He fully recovered and had no lasting problems whatsoever. You can read about it here.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kawasaki-disease/DS00576/DSECTION=1

Hope you get an answer soon!

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Hi all-

Has anyone or their kids ever had these symptoms? DD9 does. The skin on the palms of her hands is just peeling off. Not red, not itchy, not painful, just peeling, everytime she uses her hands, washes them, grips something, etc. Some peeling on the soles of her feet too, although not as much. Much of that peeling is between her toes. She is very tired, which seems to be worsening. She also has a little pimple or something or her right side that was very red (like filled with ink or blood) for the first day. She's had that for two weeks. The color faded, but it hasn't shrunk or gone away. The peeling has been going on about two weeks too. The fatigue started on Halloween.

She got strep a lot when she was little, but has been better (1x year) for the last year or so. Rapid strep came back negative. Ped recultured her and sent it out. If it is negative, ped said we'll start blood work looking at other strep markers(?), mono, lyme, etc. The dr said she really doesn't know what could be causing it, but she doesn't like the peeling hands, so she would start testing pretty aggressively.

Googling hasn't found me much. The lack of redness, itching and localization of the peeling has the doctor saying not an allergy or eczema.

Has anyone had these mystery symptoms who could possibly shed some light for us? Really, I'm hoping for strep...

Thanks!

What did your doctor say it could be?

 

[Rylee]

Hi,

When my daughter was 2, (now, 22) she had these symptoms and others and had Kawasaki Disease. (FYI... in case you want to mention these to your DR., there is another virus, that when spoken, sounds very similar... Coxsackie Virus or Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease.) She was very sick but made a full recovery. She did have to have follow-up care with a cardiologist, once a year until she was 5 and was cleared to play gym and sports and was seen again at the age of 10.

Anyway, it took sometime to diagnose, and other conditions they tested for or considered were Steven Johnson Syndrome and Scalded Skin Syndrome because these also involve peeling of the skin.

One of my other daughters did have Coxsackie Virus, it went sweeping through her pre-school, but it involved "sores," like canker sores in her mouth and more of like a blister on her hands and feet. She couldn't or wouldn't eat or walk.

I also have skin peeling on my hand, with no other symptoms, and I am told this is an allergy.

I probably haven't help you very much, but want to give you some ideas to toss around with your doctor.

Hope she's feeling better soon.

 

[Terry36]

Any updates?

 

[Aristomommy]

DD has peeling skin on her hands but mostly feet occasionally. It seems to flare up with her allergies. I use a very creamy lotion and apply it at night with socks on. It seems to help, but I think it comes and goes regardless of anything I do. I haven't found any other remedy. As far as the fatigue, there are so many possibilities, your doctor is the best person to figure that one out.

 

[Merriwind]

Thanks all for the input. Her strep culture results from the lab should be in late this afternoon or first thing in the morning. I am still hoping for strep and DD did say her throat hurt last night for the first time.

Thanks for the other ideas. Coxsackie/hand, foot and mouth sounds possible. I will read about the others too. If the strep culture is negative, I will have to talk to the doctor about the blood work. (DD started crying when the doctor first mentioned blood work. All I caught was mono, lyme and other strep markers, but I know she mentioned something else too.)

Thanks again. Since the DIS is such a larger community, I knew someone here would have heard of or had those symptoms before. Thanks to all who offered a thought.

Fingers crossed for strep!

 

[Ellielovesdisney]

When I was in my teens and 20s I had peeling of my hands every fall. I still don't know what it was...and it hasn't happened in many years. I guess looking back it was an allergy of some kind. There was a little itching involved, nothing terrible, and no other symptoms. It did look very strange though.

 

[Cyntillations]

When I first read the topic title, I was thinking it could be lack of B vitamins, as my hubby and kids get that sometimes. But, since you're seeing a Dr, he/she must have thought of that already. I hope everything clears up soon!

 

[Keara'sMom]

I just googled "peeling palms" (I'm sure you've probably already done this, but I was curious...), and one of the skin conditions that was mentioned was Exfoliative Karatolysis, which involves peeling on the palms and soles of feet. Nothing on the sites that I explored talked about fatigue, though.

Good luck to you and your dd--this must be hard on you!

 

[Merriwind]

Thanks again all. No lab results in today. The nurse said to call if I don't hear by lunch tomorrow. DD perked up a little tonight; the hands are still peeling a lot.

Thanks again.

 

[bellebud]

Is she on any meds that she could have developed a sensitivity to? when dd was on seizure meds, the stevens johnson rash was discussed. i remember reading about peeling skin, but also around the eyes and mouth (but maybe that was a late stage of the rash).

hope you find out soon. let us know what turns up.

 

[Stephres]

Thanks all for the input. Her strep culture results from the lab should be in late this afternoon or first thing in the morning. I am still hoping for strep and DD did say her throat hurt last night for the first time.

Thanks for the other ideas. Coxsackie/hand, foot and mouth sounds possible. I will read about the others too. If the strep culture is negative, I will have to talk to the doctor about the blood work. (DD started crying when the doctor first mentioned blood work. All I caught was mono, lyme and other strep markers, but I know she mentioned something else too.)

Thanks again. Since the DIS is such a larger community, I knew someone here would have heard of or had those symptoms before. Thanks to all who offered a thought.

Fingers crossed for strep!

I can't add anything, but I wanted to tell you not to worry so much about blood tests. My son had to have some when he was four and I dreaded it. They used a tiny needle and he said it hardly hurt. I know it it hard, but try not to worry.

This is the first time I have crossed my fingers for strep, LOL!

 

[zipEDdodah]

My DD8 has peeling soles and occasionally palms. Pediatrician and dermatologist have prescribed steroid cream for application during flare ups. It works!
Just remember to keep the area clean. If she picks at the peeling skins, she could break the skin and make herself susceptible to infection.

 

[Keara'sMom]

Bumping to see if there's an update... Hope all is well!

 

[Merriwind]

Well, it's not strep.

I think it might be getting better. This afternoon, only one palm was peeling, although once DD showered and got her hands wet, they started up again with a lot of peeling. She also seemed to have more energy today. (Crossing fingers.)

The ped didn't get her labs until about 4:30pm, after calling the lab a few times--urg. Here's our plan. Spend the weekend pushing fluids, encouraging lots of rest. If there is any peeling or fatigue Sunday evening/Monday morning, it's off to the lab we go. The ped has ordered a CBC, strep titers, plus mono and lyme.

I did mention some of the skin-based ideas from here. Ped doubts it's any sort of reaction/something that will be treated topically since there is no redness, no irritation, no dry skin, etc. (The peeling is almost like colorless sunburn peeling from the bottom of her palms, thin layers of skin just roll up.) DD isn't on any meds--thank goodness--so we can rule out that sort of reaction. Since DD has had a lot of strep in her life, it's the strep titers the ped really wants to see. She did say that it could be viral, in which case it will resolve.

I have a list of all the ideas from here and we will see what transpires over the weekend. I really appreciate the ideas and good thoughts. I know we will survive the lab, DD had a bad stick at about age 5 and the memory just lingers. I will keep everyone posted.

Thanks again.

 

[MomofM&M]

Sorry to hear that your daughter is sick. I hope you don't mind me asking some questions, but as a pediatrician I thought maybe I could give some info.
The peeling hands and feet certainly sound like she could have strep. Did she have a fine pink sandpaper feeling rash on her body a week before her hands started peeling? Did her tongue look like a strawberry when the peeling started? Does it look really red like a raspberry now? These would all be findings of strep infection. When you have a strep infection with these skin findings, it's called scarlatina or scarlet fever. You mentioned a pimple that was on her side. Did your doctor think it could be a pustule or abscess? Essentially, an infected spot? Has it crusted over at all? If it is an infected area with strep you can get the same symptoms but not necessarily have a sore throat or positive strep test. Your doctor's plan was to wait and see if it cleared on it's own over the weekend before doing bloodwork. Does your ped think this is strep causing the rash? I guess my biggest concern with not doing any bloodwork is that the one major complication of untreated strep is rheumatic fever. Something rare, but preventable with antibiotics. It affects the connective tissue like the joints and heart and often requires monthly antibiotic injections. I, of course, am going by your description of symptoms and your doctor is the one looking at her so obviously defer to them. I don't mean this to alarm you but hope to be helpful info. Maybe ask your ped if the peeling stops, does she still need the strep titers to see if she has any risk for rheumatic fever? I hope this helps and doesn't worry you too much

 

[Keara'sMom]

Just wondering what's up. Hope all is well.

 

[Terry36]

Any updates?