Hi ladies. I am hoping to find some other mom's out there that have gone thru what I am right now. My 3 year old daughter developed a rash back in October. The doctor said that it was a petechial rash, and ran a series of blood tests. Everything came back great! He said it was just a virus and would go away in a couple of months. They did start to fade and some disappeared.....well...it would appear that some are coming back again. She still doesn't have nearly as many as she had a few months ago, but they are still there, with new darker ones popping up. Other than this issue she is a picture of health (active, no fevers, eats well, etc). It's also been a lot longer that two months. Not that I should care what others say, but it is getting old having people ask me what's wrong with her...or is she contagious! And now, with preschool around the corner, i'm really wanting these off of her. The spots are small, reddish pink in color and under the skin (you can't feel them when you touch her). It was explained to me that they are tiny blood vessels that have popped. I plan on taking her back to the doctor this week. Anyone else go thru this? Any information would be greatly appreciated :)
I'd like to thank everyone for all the great advise...I have a lot of things that I can now discuss with her doctor, to see if we can finally get to the bottom of this. I should have stated in my original post that her platelet count was 400,000, and I was told that was good, she also did see a dermatologist, but we had no luck there either. I will keep you posted on what happens.
I am SO greatful to this site...it's nice to know that when you feel you are the only one going thru something, you find others going thru it or that have gone thru it. It's really made me feel much better...so again, thanks to all of you!! :)
I don't think it's the same thing but my 2 yr old daughter has had hives for over 3 months. She is now on an antihistamine which has helped. I just wanted to commiserate with you about people asking what's wrong with her. It makes me feel so bad and my daughter seemed to start to be bothered by it also. I hope you get some answers from the doctor.
I took a foster child to the doctor when she was like this, she was scraching a lot. He tried to tell me it was nerves and that she wasn't adjusting in my home. I wasn't satisified with his answer so I took here to another doctor. He took one look at her and said she had the scabies. He gave me some medicine and that took care of it. Scabies is very contagious. Then it could be the soap you are using to wash her clothes in or bathing her with, I have had this problem also. A. B.
Get her into a Dermatologist. They specialize in skin problems.
Hey A.,
It is rough feeling (dry?) could it be eczema. I know sometimes my kids have rashes and they are red. They are rough on the body but not nec on the face. Just a thought.
I had this "rash" as a 2nd grader. At the time, our Dr. in Nashville, TN sent us to an oncologist at Vanderbilt University to investigate the cause. Mine came on pretty quickly, but the smaller "spots" hadn't been so noticeable, but large bruises on my legs appeared (for no reason) and I got a bloody nose that wouldn't stop for a very long time. This led to my dad taking me to the ER ... followed by frequent dr. visits for quite some time.
The deal is, this would be caused by a low platelet count. After numerous blood tests - for me, they couldn't even find my platelets ... People are to have over 150,000. Finally, they found approx. 13,000 in my blood. Because platelets are produced in the bone marrow, the next step was to test my bone marrow to see what the underlying problem was. Thankfully, it wasn't anything long term and serious. There are some that are... but I don't want to cause you to worry about anything ... just do what you can to learn about what is going on with your precious girl and causes/tests. I will forewarn you that a bone marrow test is not comfortable or easy to watch... but I managed to endure it at 7 yrs old (Of course, I still remember the experience and I'm now 35.) Most of what i remember is the fear of what was going to happen, that there was pain, that my Daddy held my hand through it all. They might do things differently nowadays.
I haven't read the entire sit of the link I'm sending you ... but it is just one medical source online's description of the petteciae (I always thought "petuchiae") ... causes, symptoms, and so on.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/thrombocytopenia/DS00691...
Lord bless you and I'll be praying for your daughter!
p.s. Everyone here is so kind to offer input. Please know that pettechiae is not a skin issue, so a dermatologist cannot do anything. As adults, we might develop dots all over our skin for various reasons ... but the condition A. is describing is not in the skin.... it is dealing with platelets...which is the actual definition of what the Drs. are stating. Please forgive me for being so bold. I know everyone is trying to help!!!
A.,
Im not sure what your rash looks like compared to my
nieces, but she is 4 years old in preschool, and I remember
about a month ago, she also had a rash all over. But like
your daughter, you wouldnt have known she was sick. My
sister was told she had 5th's disease. Not sure what it is,
but I dont think its serious. The doctor told her there is
nothing you can do about it being contaigous, because he told
her that by the time the rash comes, the coutaigous stage is
already over. No fault of anyones, because as you said there
are no other symptoms to speak of.
Hope this helps!
Love P.
My daughter once went through Idiopathic (AKA Immune Mediated) Thrombocytopenic Purpura after she had chicken pox. It's a fancy name for when the body attacks and destroys platelets, resulting in a low platelet count. Platelets are little sticky cells in blood that plug up tiny holes in blood vessels. If you don't have enough platelets, the blood cells can leak out resulting in little blood spots you can see on the skin ("petechia" or "purpura"). Sometimes this happens after a virus or vaccinations, it's like the immune system gets confused. Sometimes people have low platelets their whole lives. It is something to be concerned about, because if the platelets are low enough, and the child happens to bump her head, she could get an intracranial bleed, which would result in too much pressure on the brain and could be deadly.
I took my daughter to Childrens, and they scheduled several follow-up appointments to keep an eye on her platelet count. My daughter's platelet count bounced back up within days, which is probably what happened with your daughter back in October (explains why the blood tests came back normal). If I were you, I'd ask what the platelet count was back in October and keep track of it.
Hope this helps! :)
A.,
Without seeing her, it sounds like something that might be known as HSP (Henoch Sloan Purpura). It is generally brought on after some type of viral infection. What happens is an inflammation of the blood vessels that make them more prone to leaking and results in these petechiae. It does take quite a while for the child to get over this, it can take months. As you describe, often there are no other symptoms. I don't think anyone would fault you for getting a second opinion just to make sure. I would recommend a pediatrician if your regular doctor is not one already. Good luck!
A., I myself have these small petechiae. I was told that they are also small vessels that have popped and nothing to be concerned about, I am mid 30's. I was told that they can be treated with a laser but to put a little one through that, I doubt you would want to. Did your pediatrician do these tests? you could try a pediatric dermatologist just for their opinion. T.
A., Have any of the doctors mentioned HSP? The full name is Henoch Shonleins Purpura? Google it for info. My daughter had tiny, pinpoint sized 'bruising' under the skin when she was four. She also had pain in her knees to the point where she didn't want to walk at times and vomitting. HSP sometimes can lead to serious kidney problems. Luckily, she had a very mild case of HSP and is fine now. It may be worth looking into. I found that not alot of doctors knew what HSP was. We had to go to Children's Hospital in Columbus to get good details.
Good luck.
I would see a dermatologist. Pediatricians are good at diagnosing acute rashes but you made need a dermatologist who specializes in something called "medical dermatology". I would probably see Dr. Heffernan at Wright State dermatology. He trained at Stanford and is very good at diagnosing unusual things.
my son has a similar rash, only his you can feel. his doc says that it's from playing outside in the grass. they fade in the winter but as soon as spring roles around they're back & with a vengance..lol. his doc gave us an ointment type cream to put on them & said to cover it with bandaides to help it work longer. people look at him funny with his legs plastered in badaides during the sumer when he wears shorts, i usually don't say anything until i hear them whispering & see the fingers pointing to my son..i just inform them that it's just a rash and the bandaides keep the meds on him longer...if they get really snoody about it i grin & tell them they better run or they'll get it too....i know it's not nice, but i can handle the finger pointing and snickering but i won't tolerate someone being ignorant to my son. hope it helps.
I may be late getting this to you but I hope that I can help. Yes it is a petichial rash and I had one when I was 9 yrs old. IT was not fun the amount of testing they did for me. It turns out my platelet count was really low, they had to do a blood marrow test - stick a needle in the bone to retrieve marrow to see what was happening. It could have been one of 2 different auto immune diseases. Please take your daughter to a different doctor. These rashes are not something to take lightly!!! I urge you to get another opinion.
Hi A.,
This rash is fairly common, but as it is returning I'd sure want further tests run. ( do you have a pediatric hematologist? )I get petechiae because of an autoimmune disease, but there are other causes as well. I'm including a link for you, so you can see some of the causes. I am glad that she is returning to the doctor this week. Good luck and if I can be any help, I'll sure try. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/petechiae/HQ01208
Hugs,
D. T.
Hi A.,
I had this same thing when I was in 7th grade. I had broken my arm and was taking aspirin for a few days, then turned up with this rash. My mother took me to a dr. for the rash and many test later we found out that it was an allergy to salicilates(medication in aspirin). It was causing bleeding under my skin. To this day I can't take aspirin or any other medication with salicilates in it and am not supposed to give blood. You may want to think about what she has been eating recently or taking and ask your ped. if this is a possibility.
I, personally, have never gone through that, but know someone who has. My advise to you is to do what she did and take your daughter to a specialist (dematologist). If they are the same thing my friend had with her son, they should be able to help you.
My 4 yr. old had a similar issue. I took him to the doctor and he was diagnosed with folliculitis which is a bacterial infection of the skin. The doctor prescribed an antibacterial soap for me to use on him. Within a few days he was fine. I had to bathe him 3 times a day with this soap. Ask the doctor if he or she may think it could be folliculitis.
D.
I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4.
My daughter had the same exact thing when she was 2, she is three now and no longer gets them. they went away on their own... they looked like little " hickeys".... they were on her legs, tummy,back, neck & face.
We also had the blood tests. I guess sometimes these can mean a problem with the blood clotting & were told to just keep an eye on them & all her tests came back normal.
Our's went away all on their own.. hope that helps.
