Rash or Some Kind of Insect Bite?

My son is allergic to ants and he has big red infected blotches on him, right now actually. They looked so infected I thought about taking him to the Dr. But I applied antibiotic cream for cuts for 2 days and they are healing nicely.

Hi, A., not sure if you got your answer yet, but my son had the same thing, started as a bug bite looking thing near his butt right next to the diaper line...a few days later is was larger and spread a bit...my pediatrician said it was a staph infection, which is actually quite common, and very contagious. She gave me a cream to put on it, and when I bathed him, I had to use disposable cloths, as well as bathe him in a tub mixed with chlorine bleach. Sounds weird, I know, but in a few days, it was all cleared up. She can spread it by scratching at it, too.

my oldest daughter who is 9 had the same issue over the summer, lasted about a week or so then went away on its own. i thought maybe laundry soap or something. it was a huge blob that was itchy for her and looked horrid. hasn't been back since.

Hi A..
My daughter is allergic to bugs. If she gets bit, it immediately swells, becomes warm to the touch, and sometimes looks kinda rashy/hives. Usually, it gets worse for about 48 hours, then slowly gets better. this is especially true for spider bites. However, if it's spreading down her leg, I would definately take her in. The first time my daughter was bitten, it was by her eye, and in the am her eye swelled shut. She had to get a shot, and was almost hospitalized. Their little bodies can't always fight away something like that. I would definately take her in again, espeicially if it looks like a spot or bug bite instead of rashy. She may need some benadryl. Good luck

A.,
I consulted my husband about this question, who is a family practice doctor. He says your description sounds like it could be a staph infection. He recommends that you see another doctor and get a second opinion RIGHT AWAY because a staph infection is really serious. If its not a staph infection, a second opinion still is the better route because this "rash" is not getting any better and the course of treatment prescribed is not working. Hope this helps!

H. Swenson

It could be a yeast rash...call the Dr. and find out if Lotrimin would be a good fix...we had this problem in the diaper area with both of our kids. And lately, our son got an external staff from a bug bite on his chin that is FINALLY clearing up with ointment...very common, benign according to the Dr. Best of luck...please post what the outcome is...I'm curious to see what Doc says!

Please call your pediatrician immediately, I wouldnt put any more ointment on her until you have advised the doctor of the results. It would be a good guess that she will want to see your daughter again asap.

Don't think about it!!!, take her back. Get 2nd opinion.
Good luck.
G

I would take her back if you have a bad feeling about it. My daughter has bad excema and it never looks like a blob, and we go to a pediatric dematologist hers is so bad. Also, there are other things they can put on it, so if it just doesn't look right to you, take her back. Plus, even with my daughters that we know is excema, the dr always has us come back a week or so later to make sure the cream or medication isn't doing bad things to her skin.

It sounds like hives which could be from anything. My 6month old had what looked like bug bites and it turned into a large rash that was raised lightly in places. I made sure to write down what she was wearing, touched everything that day in case it ever happened again. It did. It was her pj material. I gave her benadryl for the itch and it cleared up within a week.

I know this reponse is late...so what did it end up being?

I agree, the excema my son had didn't spread like that. They isn't anything that looks like a swelling pimple is there? I'm not trying to jump into the MRSA hype here, but it is always something to think about. A neigboor of ours has a friend who has a 8 month old baby who was just hospitalized for MRSA, she got it at daycare. I'm sure I'm way off, but definately don't feel bad about going back to your doctor. If you are not happy with the answers or treatment, get a second opinion. Let us know!

Hi A. ,
Sheck and see if there where Pinetrees near .
It could be chiggers .little bugs from the tree .
Hope it helps

My 4th son has eczema on his legs and arms a little. The weather when it gets cold makes it worse, b/.c it is drier to the skin. You should have your doctor look at it again. Sometimes it takes a different cream to work best, and it has been over 3 days! I use aveeno, for his baths and hair, very sensitive soap, and mild. Their web site aveeno.com has tips and also signs and symtoms listed as well. My son is now on a prescrition cream, Elidel to help him. But again my son might be more extreme case than your daughter. My doctor always said even vaseline at night and cover them up with sweats or long socks to help heal and prevent drying at night.

Good luck! And remember there is nothing wrong in calling again, hey you see how they suffer and are hurting! It is not a one cream to fix all kids!

Good luck!
Dianna
5boyzmama

try some cornstarch on the rash. when my daughter had the hives from an allergic reaction to amoxicillin, it looked like a rash that just kept spreading all over her body. i kept her out of the heat and used cornstarch. Also, Aveeno oatmeal baths are wonderful if ur child is itching. i hope that helps.
A.

When I switched my daughter's diapers/pull-ups to another brand, she developed a raised bumpy, dry patch on her lower back. It kept getting larger and appeared painful/uncomfortable. Our Pediatrician suggested the same (treating it like eczema), though I think it was actually an allergic reaction to the absorbancy material of the new pull-up. I used Eucerin cream on it and switched brands until the rash disappeared. We were eventually able to go back to the same brand; after rash cleared-up.

Hope this helps?

Dear A.: I'm a grandma of two and they usually get those insect bites the way you describe it. I use a gel called Melagel. It is from Melaleuca Co. See at your neighbor if some has access to the Co. of call directly to them. It is antibiotic, antifungal and doesn't harm baby's skin. It is soothing, and can relieve from stinging and itching. I use it a lot with my grandkids. Also for diaper burns it is wonderful. I hope you can find it. It is amazing!

Hi A.,
I don't want to scare you with anything I am about to tell you but it good be the staff infection that they call MRSA. Here is a web site that you can go to that will explain it in thorough. I have read several emails about this infection and can be very dangerous. If I remember ready right it starts out looking like a insect bite and then looks like a rash and gets worse from there. I would check out this web page and then go back to the doctor or to the ER. Here is the web page. www.doh.state.fl.us/Family/CSHP/CSHP_NewsletterVol7.pdf I also have an email that was sent to me from WEBMD.com. IF you sent me an email (____@____.com) I can forward the email to you. On this email there is some kind of test you can take to see if you might have it. I hope this helps you and your child can get better.

God Bless

L. G.

Hi A.,

I agree you need someone else to look at it. It could be something minor but don't take any chances. If cortisone cream is NOT what she needs it is doing harm. Cortisone, even topical, can deplete bone density. The statistic is that one week on steroids, even topical, does as much damage to the bones as going through menopause. Scary statistic! I was on a steroid for 7 years when I was young and now have full blown osteoperosis! Luckily it can be reversed, but it is hard work. It would have been much easier if my Mom had questioned the doctor or gone for a second opinion.

The Melagel that Annie mentioned is a topical Melaleuca oil ointment that is incredible. If this is not a serious infection like staph, it will heal it quickly. Don't mess around with it.

God bless!

A.,

Have you tried vaseline or diaper rash ointment (zinc oxide)? You may want to ask your pharmacist to recommend something also.

allergy? Benedrill? when did mom in law get MD take back to doctor. Ask the doc. keep taking her back until you are satisfied. Also ask about an anti kit. If it is allergy she can go into antifalatic (sp) air pipes close up and can't breath. My daughter had a similar problem. I kept a kit handy just in case. Never had to use it, thank GOD!My son at 2 years had a rash that looked like those magnetic leters kids play with. You could read the letters.

My daughter got into a "child proof" bottle of tylonel.

With little ones in the house, I always kept a bottled of epicac, benedrill and her antikit Talk to your Doc and ask him about it and learn how and when to use them!

Hi A.,
We had the same thing and went round and round for a year with our Primary care folks that kept saying "it's eczema - deal with it." She had small patches that went away when she was young - but then we noticed it increased a LOT when we gave her some solids at about 7 months or so. Then it got worse at about a year when we tried more foods.

She would finally have a constant "patch" on her back and her arms in the elbow creases. After we pleaded for a referral to an allergist (ugh) - we found out she is SEVERELY allergic to soy, and somewhat to wheat. Also - she was having cross reactions to cow's milk and other bean products - so it was very hard to find a food she COULD eat. Hence, the toddler foods we were introducing were causing these reactions and it was a nightmare to recover from. One day of eating would result in 3-5 days of waiting for the breakout to subside.

Our baby's allergist put her on allegra and it helped tremendously. She was 14 months at the time we finally got her relief. She now has switched to Claritin and Hydroxizine since the Allegra was constantly on backorder and she is still doing great.

We don't do soy as best we can, she has the meds, and we supplement with the cortizone cream when we see some breakouts start to flare. At 20 months - my daughter finally has good sleep - and doesn't wake up itching and in pain. It is a miracle how clear her skin is and how good she sleeps.

So I would definitely have them check for allergies - especially if you are seeing it in response to foods at all . I am not one for medicine but it meant the difference in having no sleep, terrible skin and reflux in response to soy just horrible. I have a wonderfully happy toddler - wish I had pushed for testing sooner.

Good luck and God bless.