DD age 5 has red spots

[amis2girls]

DD #2 will be five next month. She is in pre-K. She had a cold at the end of last week but got much better over the weekend. I picked her up from Grandma's this afternoon and she looked like she'd walked into a patch of mosquitoes. She has 10-15 red spots, each about an inch in diameter, from her head to her legs. She's not complaining about them.

As soon as my husband saw her he asked if she'd had the measles or the chickenpox vaccine. I don't believe she has. I stopped vaxing her at the age of 2.5. The shot record I'm looking at may be incomplete b/c the last date was 01/2006. It does not have mmr or varicella marked.

Grandma is diabetic. While dd was there this afternoon she stepped on one of her needles (that's the word MIL used, I think syringe is what she meant) in the bathroom. DH is also insisting that DD get a hep B shot b/c of that.

I don't know if the cold, the needle, or the spots are at all related, but I'm putting them here in case they are. I'm putting this in the vax forum in case they're going to try to push them on me. Should I be as alarmed at these spots as my husband is? He's telling me how miserable he was when he was 7 or 8 and he had a mysterious rash. I really am clueless when it comes to the popping up of red spots.

Thank you.

[MeepyCat]

Red spots like that are a possible indication of bad streptococcal infection - DH had this as a kid and almost died, so me, I would say this is worth a call to the doctor and possibly a trip to the ER.

Spots like you describe do not sound like chicken pox.

My home vax records are a mess, despite the fact that my son has had the full set of standard vaccinations. These days, they give all three MMRs by the time kids are 1 or so, so I would suspect that your daughter had them. In any case, she is not well and should not be given them now. If you are asked about these vaccinations, say that you are no longer sure which shots she had when she was a baby, but that your family stopped vaxing because of something they can't really argue with. Say there was a religious reason, or that a family member had a reaction, but keep it short, simple and firm.

[amis2girls]

I called the insurance health line and they said to treat it like bug bites, with a warm bath of baking soda and then cortisone cream or benadryl. I told her we're not convinced it's bug bites and she said irregardless, we treat red spots the same. :

[Marnica]

Red spots can be so many things...to jump right to a severe strep infection is a bit premature. Does your DD have any other sypmtoms? Fever? malaise? It could be an allergic reaction to something. You may want to call your doctor and see if it warrents a visit. As for Heb B and the needle. Did the needle stick her? Did it puncture her skin? If so does grandma have Heb B? If she is under a doctor's care for diabetes she would know if she has heb b. If not don't even think about this vaccine that can have potentially devastating side effects.

[amis2girls]

OK, twelve hours later and they're still there. Dr office is closed for the holiday, so if she does go see someone it will be the ER. Thanks for the info about the hep B.

[momofmine]

That does not sound like measles at all. Measles is more of a spread-out purplish rash than distinct spots like you are describing. Google for images and you can see what it looks like. Do the same for chicken pox. If it's chicken pox (which it does not sound like it, as what you describe sounds quite large -- are you sure they are an inch in diameter?), then she'll likely get more. I think Gitti describes them like after a few days they get a dewdrop look to them.

Strep can cause spots, and they can appear after the fever has subsided, that happened to one of my kids when they had strep. The strep was hanging on, and it started to cause other symptoms. He did still have a mild fever (like maybe 99.5).

How do you mean she stepped on a needle? I am not envisioning how this occured. Was it a needle used to test blood glucose? Or one to administer insulin or some other med? If so, could she have gotten some of that into her system and it's causing a rash? Just not sure what you mean by she stepped on a needle.

It really could be bug bites, if she is not sick, no fever, etc. When I was a kid, I walked through a swarm of mosquitoes on a big city street, and I emerged literally with a hundred bites all over me (it seemed like a hundred at least).

[amis2girls]

Originally Posted by momofmine

How do you mean she stepped on a needle? I am not envisioning how this occured. Was it a needle used to test blood glucose? Or one to administer insulin or some other med? If so, could she have gotten some of that into her system and it's causing a rash? Just not sure what you mean by she stepped on a needle.

When I picked her up yesterday MIL said dd walked into the bathroom barefoot and stepped on a needle she used either to test her blood sugar or to give herself insulin. It poked the bottom of her foot and her foot did bleed some.

I've taken lots of pictures but can't upload them. This is very close to what she has because hers are in patches but not so close together as this kid: http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...ristmas023.jpg I can see some raised marks in that pic but dd doesn't have any of those either. Her rash is more spread out, like a patch on her forearm, both wrists, her trunk, her thighs. It looks like someone splashed paint a shade darker than her skin onto her. I was going to say hives but it doesn't match the erupting/raised description given for that either. She is itching like crazy. Her temp is only 98-99. She is not tired or lethargic.

I've been all through the rash definitions and I'm left with a viral rash, though, doesn't viral mean contagious, and then wouldn't she have a fever?

[Twinklefae]

Viral... I spent a Sunday afternoon sitting in emerg. with my bff and her DS to find that out... she was worried it was hives. (Family history of allergies)

ETA: Doesn't have to mean a fever. My bff's DS just had a runny nose cold. Some kids get a rash with it.

[amis2girls]

It looks like it was viral. It just got worse before it got better, but she's fine now.

Thanks!

[Pariah]

Glad she's better!

[amis2girls]

I have an update in Health & Healing. I've pretty much determined my thread does not concern vaxes (or the lack thereof) but if anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...2#post12614782