Severe Rash need help!

Misun - posted on 11/19/2010

my son is just turned 20months. we have cats also, they've never been an issue. he naturally has very dry skin & during the "winter" (we are in SoCal) will start to scratch at the insides of elbows, behind his knees and the back of his neck until the skin is raw. he's been scratching his skin raw for abt 2months, for the 1st month i tried to rub vaseline on it once a day, along with aveeno lotion all over his body after his bath. his pediatrician confirmed it is eczema and let me know it is important to moisturize him with something "greasier" like aquaphor or eucerin has a prescription formula that is thicker that we have gotten. i am currently using the vaseline instead of regualr lotion post-bath and his skin just soaks it up like a sponge. he is much improved and it's only been abt 5days. hope you find your answer soon. not knowing can be so stressful.

Michelle - posted on 11/19/2010

I'm sorry you are going through such a hard time~ Your poor little peanut as well...
My son had something similar and was told to use Cortaid. I think your daughter has something a bit more severe, but I hope all works out in the end. Thinking of you~ Keep us posted so we can put whatever it was that plaqued her in our arsenal of remedies/cures!
Take care

Marla Jo - posted on 11/17/2010

I have been through this same thing with my son. Get your Pediatrician to order a RAST test (this is blood work to test for allergies) and get a referal to an Allergist. My son is now 20 months but his rashes sarted when he was 11 months. It started as a bed diaper rash, which they diagnosed as a fungal yeast infection, and then covered his entire body. After 2 months of fighting with Dr.'s I got him into the Allergist and found out that he had an egg allergy. The allergist said that his rash was an allergic eczema. Instead of the breathing problems that some children have with their allergies my son breaks out in severe rashes. I'm on the tail end of another rash. Ths one has been worse that the other one. There are 2 other blood tests you can ask your Pediatrician for. Zinc and Biotin. Low levels of both of these can cause severe skin problems. I hope this is helpful.

Katherine - posted on 11/16/2010

Hey Suzie: Did you ever find out?

Melinda - posted on 11/16/2010

Suzie... my son has skin issues also, I discovered he has food allergies... and if he eats certain things he gets rash and itches, He got a blood test from the lab that discovered these allergies, for him they consist of milk, egg whites, soy, and peanuts. None of them are life threatening allergies, some cause him tummy ache, and some he gets hives that do not last long But he does itch and I use benedry gel- anti itch stuff and it seems to help. I also lotion him with Aveeno baby lotion and if his itchies are really bad give him bath with oatmeal. Also he had cradle cap-- oozing pimply on his head and what helped was Mustela shampoo/ body wash-- cleared right up!! Found at Babies R Us... it is pricey but I have only bought 1 bottle, the lotion I used for a while but I now use cheaper Aveeno. I hope this helps. Melinda

Heather - posted on 11/10/2010

BTW, from the descriptions you have given, it DOES sound like eczema to me, or possibly a staph infection, which often goes hand in hand with eczema. (kind of a chicken and egg thing there...did the staph cause the eczema, or did the eczema result in staph?) Any new foods in the diet? New exposures? Molds? Pollens? Cat, yes. But I've never heard of a cat allergy that didn't also result in sneezing/runny nose, itchy eyes, too. Any other symptoms, or just the rash? Diarrhea? Wheeze? White spots inside the mouth? Odd odours from breath or stool?

Just a thought. Keep looking, keep thinking, keep talking about it. Sometimes it's the only way to keep yourself sane - and it's the only way you'll finally get an answer. Be the squeaky wheel!

Heather - posted on 11/10/2010

Sounds awful! I don't know what's causing it, but it seems to me that you want to get the itching under control for her first, so she'll leave it alone long enough for it to heal. When my son had severe eczema over 85% of his little body as a baby, the only thing that started to get it under control again was to give him benadryl for the itching. Now in his case it was food allergies that were causing the rash, so benadryl was the good choice to take the histamines down and get the itching under control while we figured out the root causes. Not sure how fungal or parasitic infestations work in the body, but if they cause a histamine reaction also, benadryl might help. It will likely make her drowsy, though. I ultimately got rid of benadryl and moved on to a fantastic homeopathic remedy by Hylands Homeopathics http://www.hylands.com/ for "Hives". Works as well as benadryl, just as fast, and no side effects. It couldn't hurt, and might actually help.

I feel for you. My son didn't sleep more than half an hour at a stretch for about the first 8 months of his life, and consequently neither did I. It's brutal to watch your little one in distress and not to be able to help. Hope you find the solution soon, for both your sakes!

Rachel - posted on 11/10/2010

Could it be ringworm? We had a kitten when my son was first born and then we moved a couple months afterwards and got arid of the kitten, I noticed it on his back, which the cat was never on him or anything, but cats especially kittens carry alot and the litter isn't good for babies, she could be having a reaction to that. Did you call your local children's hospital to find a sooner appointment w/a dermatologist? Which my doctor looked at it and right away said what it is, but she may have the same thing but it effected her differently. If you go to the pharmacy you can get the medication over the counter, maybe try it and see if it helps, no harm in trying. Hope she gets better soon, poor baby :-(

Kristy - posted on 11/09/2010

Hello
I had a similar thing with my 3 year old(only hers was only in her head, ears and neck area) and it took several weeks to get an answer, apparently it was ringworms, BUT they certanily did not look like ringworms that I researched. We had to put her on a steroid medication for 6wks straight and so far aso clear...hope you get some answers soon. xx

Avni - posted on 11/09/2010

My 19 month old daughter has the same problem. I have been consulting a homeopathic daughter and she suggested for quick relief to apply cow's "ghee" (Indian name) all over her rashes 3-4 times a day. Result: Smooth non-itchy skin, the medicine will take longer time to address the problem at the roots. My paedeatrician told me that these problems go away by the time they turn 3 years through its natural course

Katherine - posted on 11/09/2010

When you find out let us know!!!

Jenny - posted on 11/08/2010

My daughter has a mild case of eczema and our pediatrician prescribed a cortizone cream which just a teeny bit stronger than the OTC stuff. If it's a fungal infection or an allergy to the cat or mites, etc it won't cure the problem but maybe it could help soothe until you can be seen? On that note, maybe an oatmeal bath would be soothing too? I wish I could be of help figuring out what the problem is, but it sounds like your 1st priority at this point is to give her some relief while you wait for the docs anyway.

Poor baby, and poor mama! I hope you guys can find peace soon.

Lisa - posted on 11/07/2010

Have the doctors given you anything for it? My daughter gets rashes and the doctors give me a mild dose of cortisone cream for it. Usually clears it up. Also, maybe you should ask for a referral to a pediatrician or skin specialist.

Katherine - posted on 11/07/2010

http://www.ehow.com/about_5077296_mite-b...

look at this.

Katherine - posted on 11/07/2010

Ok, the pimples sound like heat rash. The patches IDK, but I WOULD check for the mites.

Suzie - posted on 11/07/2010

I responded to you, I hope you can see it, I am not sure if I am responding correctly! :)

Suzie - posted on 11/07/2010

Katherine, No offense taken at all! I am just trying to find answers. I started thinking it was lice, or even scabies. But, none of my other children have anything it is just the baby. In the areas by her privates it looks like bright red dots, then it changed and it looks like a skin burn. On her head it is in patches and more so looks like it was pimples and she scratched and made them all bleed. Around the areas that were bleeding there is excessive dry skin which made me think psoriasis. I am seeing another dermatology specialist but it isnt going to be till Janurary! No body can get us in any quicker. I am so frustrated I feel so bad for my baby!

Katherine - posted on 11/07/2010

Btw, I hope I don't offend you saying that, I was just researching for you and that kind of sounded logical.

Katherine - posted on 11/06/2010

I just read an article that said it could be mites, which would make sense since you just got a pet.......check your cats ears.

Katherine - posted on 11/06/2010

Get a second opinion! That's ridiculous, 4 times!!! They don't know what it is? What does it look like?