What looks like chicken pox, but isn't??

[gretelmom]

Okay so my 5 year old DS had a case of chicken pox this last month or so that seemed totally textbook. There was an outbreak here, he got crusty yellow bumps on his scalp, then on his crotch and torso ... He had a fever and a cough. The bumps were blisters that turned to yellowish brownish crust. Doctor diagnosed him.

He ended up with an URI and ear infection, she put him on abx after a few days when it wasn't clearing up, but no steriods because of the CP.

A few days later the cough was worse and he was vomiting when he'd cough and fever returned with a vengence... Went to ER, had chest X-Ray, it was pneumonia. Both lungs. A second abx prescribed and he was 90% better by the end of the 5 day course, 100% better by day 10 after diagnosis.

Now it's been 3 weeks or more since we had a crusty scab and THEY'RE BACK!!!! Scalp, torso again!

Here's the clincher. None of his unvaxed cousins (4 of them) or unvaxed best buddies (2 of them) whom he played with when he had blisters, before I knew what CP looked like, or his own brother(!!) got the CP!!

I don't think it was ever CP.
WHAT IS IT?? No one can seem to figure it out. Or is it back? I"m starting to freak out a bit.

[mbravebird]

Impetigo/staph?

We're dealing with an impetigo/staph infection that settled in the old chicken pox here. The staph sores we had at first were really big, so obviously not chicken pox, but he just recently got some little ones that could be mistaken for chicken pox. I mean, they look different than his original pox did, but similar enough to be mistaken.

We went the antibiotic route because staph can be one of the scary complications of chicken pox. And the sores came back after the antibiotic round was done. But now his pox are more healed, so there's not as much danger, and we are just going to treat the new outbreak naturally.

[gretelmom]

Okay, good thoughts.

These are BRAND new spots. He's had NO spots for three weeks, so it seems odd that they'd be infected spots. And they don't seem infected, just that creepy yellow blister and crust.

What's the deal with impetigo? This isn't in one section only... Three on belly, one in butt crack, one on scalp, two on shoulders, two on lower back... ALmost EXACTLY where the supposed pox showed up. But his skin was 100% clear for 3 weeks.

Isn't this odd?

Bug bites? But with blisters and yellow crust? The boy LOOOOVES bugs and lizards and is constantly in the bushes. we had a battle with ant bites he got allergic to last year, but not these yellow things. Just lots of red spots.

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by gretelmom

Bug bites? But with blisters and yellow crust? The boy LOOOOVES bugs and lizards and is constantly in the bushes. we had a battle with ant bites he got allergic to last year, but not these yellow things. Just lots of red spots.

Sometimes I react like this to mosquitoes...and DH reacts like this to sand fleas.

[hailedorothy]

Did you ever find out what this was? My one year old is going through something similar. See he had a horrible fever that wouldn't go away for weeks after we got him his shots and a diaper rash like rash in his diaper area. It would start to get better the moment I decided to take him in to see a Dr. but get worse again. I took him to a Dr. and explained it and he gave no diagnosis and just gave antibiotics and said come back if it doesn't get better. Well he got better on antibiotics. Fever gone and rash clearing up some. We left for vacation right after the antibiotics were done since he seemed better. Well off the antibiotics he started coughing then fever came back. After only about 4 days we took him to the ER where they diagnosed him with pneumonia. He sill had the rash but they were not concerned. Well after a few days on antibiotics he got better again. Well he just got off the medicine last night and the rash formed poxes that are starting to rupture.

Anyone have any ideas?