The culture results are in...

[mommymarliah]

the doctors office called yesterday and tald me they got the culture results in (in case you didn't see my last thread I brought my son in to be looked at because the end of his forskin was all red and irritated). Well they told me it was just "normal" bacteria, when I asked what that meant I was told is was the normal combination of bacteria you would see in a minor cut that got infected....so they told me to stick with just the hydrocortisone cream. It does seem to be looking a bit better but he still complains that it hurts him. Should I have asked for something else? or will this tuff do the job?

thanks in advance.

Tara

[mattemma04]

I know with cortisone it can cause skin thinning(with continued use) and reduce immune function.Is your cream a cortisone and antibio mix? I have that(A script ointment) and just some OTC triple antibio,but mostly I prefer using herbal salve by herbs for kids. There were a few threads on taking herbal baths.A few drops of tea tree oil and/or grapefruit seed extract in the tub might be helpful. Hope he feels better soon!
Sara

[Frankly Speaking]

I don't believe hydrocortisone has any antibacterial properties. Can you give us the brand name or the list of active ingredients?

It's true that there are normal bacteria present and the normal bacteria is beneficial. It fights off harmful bacteria. However, there shouldn't be inflamation as the normal, beneficial bacteria should keep the harmful bacteria in check. It seems that the doctor is relying on the normal bacterial flora to regain control of the situation and is foregoing specific treatment.




Frank

[mommymarliah]

I was given Hydrocortisone 1% cream (store brand it's OTC) it doesnt say anything about anti bacterial or anything. Would I be better off using a triple antibiotic ointment? (I have some gold bond antibiotic ointment on hand if thats better).

I have some TTO mixed with Lavendar I could put a few drops in the bath (is it o.k. with the lavendar being in it?). I don't have any grapefruit seed extract but I have some Burt's Bee's rash cream that has that in it, maybe I should try some of that?

Tara

[Quirky]

I would try the triple antibiotic ointment. Did they culture for yeast to make sure that's not it?

Personally I would stay away from lavender, TTO, Burt's Bees, stuff like that because it's so fragranced and I have found fragranced things to be very irritating when there's skin irritation to begin with. JMO.

[Frankly Speaking]

I did some research on hydrocortisone (cortisone) and I question whether it is appropriate treatment. I think I'm going to go with Quirky on this one.

The information I found said that this product is used to treat inflamations including rashes. However, it also said it reduces the body's immune response. This tells me that the doctor is only treating the symptoms at the risk of the actual infection getting worse. That seems terribly contradictory to effecting a cure and it appears that as soon as the treatment seems to have cured it and the treatment is stopped, that the infection would appear to flare up again simply because the only thing that has been done is to suppress the symptoms while the infection is allowed to continue.

I'm no medical professional but it appears that you would want to fight the infection to effect a cure and the cure would end the symptoms. It would seem to me that the antibiotic would be the best way to accomplish this.

The doctor may know more than I do and the suppression of the immune response may not be significant especially on the organisms present and he is letting the body do it's job while temporarily relieving the symptoms for your son's comfort. You may want to consult with another doctor on this or try this treatment for a while and see what happens. If it's not working, you could expect the symptoms to reduce for a while and then the infection flare up again after treatment is discontinued. This would not be a new infection but simply the same infection whose symptoms had been beaten down only to return again after treatment ended.

I am not saying that this is the case here but I have seen one situation where it appeared that the doctor prescribed an ineffectual treatment that he knew (or should have) would not work. It appeared that his intent was to tell the mother that conservative treatments had been tried and failed when the infection "came back" and the only solution left was circumcsion. In fact, he (at least) should have known that the medication he was prescribing would not work and was setting the child up for the "inevitable" circumcision.

However, it does sound like the antibiotic would be the best course of treatment.




Frank

[karlatrx]

Originally Posted by mommymarliah

I was given Hydrocortisone 1% cream (store brand it's OTC) it doesnt say anything about anti bacterial or anything. Would I be better off using a triple antibiotic ointment? (I have some gold bond antibiotic ointment on hand if thats better).

I agree with Frank and Quirky, that makes no sense to me. When I read your first post I was sure that you had just used the wrong word and you really meant antibiotic not hydrocortisone. I would ask the Dr why he gave you hydrocortisone as opposed to antibiotic, and personally I would go ahead and use the antibiotic anyway.
Check out this link. http://health.discovery.com/encyclop....jsp?drug=6984

Hydrocortisone topical alone will not treat the condition if it is a bacterial, fungal, or viral infection.

Based on the description of the uses it would seem to be treating the symptoms (red swollen) but not the bacteria that is causing the problem. They compared it to the bacteria that infects a cut...if you had an infected cut you would use antibiotic ointment.

Do not use plastic bandages, dressings, or diapers that do not allow air to circulate to the area (occlusive dressings) unless your doctor directs you to do so. The use of occlusive dressings can greatly increase the amount of drug the body absorbs. If you do use an occlusive dressing, do not use it for more than 12 hours a day.

Now that I've read some more of the website (quoted above) I'm wondering if the Dr's office grabbed the wrong medicine for you.

[karlatrx]

The site also said

If you need to protect the area, it can be covered with a breathable cotton-gauze dressing. Avoid using plastic, occlusive dressings that do not allow air to circulate to the area. Plastic pants and diapers may be harmful if used over hydrocortisone on a child.

[karlatrx]

This website says not to be used in:

Infections of the skin with viruses (eg Herpes simplex, chickenpox), fungi (eg thrush, ringworm, athlete's foot) or bacteria (eg impetigo)

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100004442.html

I'm certainly not a doctor, but if the doctor is advising you to use the medicine in a way that is not consistent with warnings I would certainly ask WHY!

[laidbackmomto2]

It seems odd to me as well that you were only given a hydrocortisone cream for this. Hydrocortisone cream is usually utilized for minor skin irritations and rashes (ie. mild eczema, dermititis, etc.) and is only recommended for use for short periods of time. Hydrocortisone is also known to "thin" the skin and, if I remember correctly, it is not recommended for use on eyelids or genital skin because the skin is already very thin there and the medication is more rapidly absorbed there.

I'm not a medical professional either, but I would try an antibacterial cream in conjunction with the cortisone cream. Perhaps alternate between the two at each diaper change for a few days and see if there is any improvement. Also, while using the antibiotic cream, I would highly recommend supplementing your son's diet with a probiotic. Acidolphulous helps to maintain the healthy flora of your son's intestinal tract (which can be hindered by the antibiotics). You can buy acidolphulous (even stuff geared for children) at any health food store. Just add some to his cereal or whatever he is eating/drinking. If you are still strictly breastfeeding, you can simply have him suck some off of your (clean) finger.

Hope your son is feeling better soon!

Cindy

Lindsey (96/02/26)
Jason (00/06/08)

[mommymarliah]

thank you all I will try alternating, I have beenusing the hydrocortisone 2 times a day but will reduce it to once and use antibiotics once. Great point about the acidopholus though I hadn't thought of that. My son LOVES yogurt so it shouldn't be a problem if I just give him plenty of that again thanks, it does seem to be looking a bit better, I hope the anitobiotic ointment ill clear things up the rest of the way.

[mattemma04]

If it were me I would stop the ocrtisone cream and just stick with a dab of triple antibio after a tea tree oil bath.healings!