Two days ago my 2yr old woke up with two to three red bite-like spots on his head. Yesterday another one appeared. THe original ones have since opened? Oozed? and Scabbed. This morning he has two new red, bite-like spots on his head and three small bumps under his scalp.
I recall when our 14 yr. old was 2-3yrs old. She had the same problem, but don't remember what caused it or how it was treated. The only thing that has changed in our lives is we now have a 7 week old kitten.
Any ideas what may be going on? I've inspected for lice and bed bugs but have found nothing for evidence and no one else in our family is having these symptoms.
Last Saturday when I wrote the request I called the Dr. and took him in for an appt. Turns out it is either a staph or strep infection and his body was fighting so hard to rid the infection that the open sores were indications of his body to release the infection. The Dr said that sometimes we don't get high temps to indicate that we're fighting infections and that is why it went unnoticed. I still questioned him because this seems so strange and he's been around no one w/ Strep. But the Dr said it is as easy as going to the grocery store and touching the cart where someone w/ Strep had coughed into their hand and then touched the cart prior to. Ultimately, he was placed on Cephalexin for 10 days. He's been doing well, until yesterday when daycare called and said he's running a low grade temp (98-99) and has splotches on his face. I find this strange since he's on an antibiotic. I called First Nurse and they said to keep an eye on the temp and call again if it raises. So far, it has not. Thanks for all your responses!
I know that infintigo (I may not be spelling that correctly) has been going around some of the daycares in my area. Its something that can be contagious and needs antibiotics. I would suggest having a doctor look at them.
I am voting on the side of chicken pox too. I have never seen spider bites reaccur on a daily basis, not saying they couldn't , and chiggers and fleas have never oozed on me or my son.
T.,
I would call your health care provider asap! This could be a number of things and the best thing to do is to get it checked out. My daughter woke up with something similiar, but it did not spread. When I read your head line I thought this sounded familiar, I thought it was just a spider bite too. Well she only had one and it just got bigger no ozzing. She ended up having a staph infection and had to be admitted into the hospital. If it is this you need to get it checked out and something treating it asap. Also, you just need to take him in to see what is going on with him. I hope you can figure it out. Good luck and let me know what you find out. Take care!
Hi T.:
Does he have a fever as well? I'm thinking chicken pox. I had shingles recently (they're the same thing except people who have had chicken pox can get these). But it reacts the same way on the skin. Shingles start out looking like spider bites then they ooze. Seems to me chicken pox is a similar thing. Okay, I just read up on chicken pox and it does react like what you're saying.
Have you ever heard of Melaleuca oil? Melaleuca oil is so powerful in the healing of so many things. It is put on the affected area after it's cleaned and allowed to soak in the skin. Bathing with products that have this oil in it is so soothing for the skin and itching and all that.
I am a customer of the company called Melaleuca and they sell products at wholesale prices. Not sure if you're familiar with the company but when i had shingles, it made such a huge difference for me. My healing time was cut in half. I'd be happy to tell you more about it if you'd like.
Hope this info helps, T.!
God bless you!
T.
I would check out this web site:
http://dermatlas.med.jhmi.edu/derm/
Search for pictures of flea bites. And look for pictures of anything else mentioned in the responses you get. I wouldn't rush him to the emergency room or the doctor's office just yet.
I've never known a kitten that doesn't have fleas. Not saying there aren't any, just haven't seen it myself. Don't want to make cat lovers angry.
Doesn't really sound like impetigo to me, but could be. Dermatology is tricky. If you do need to go to the doctor, find a dermatologist. Don't waste your time and money on a GP or Pediatrician. They won't know any more than what you can find on the website I listed (generally).
Always keep in mind that if you hear hoofs running down the street, it's more likely horses than zebras. It could be anything of course but most likely it's flea bites.
Good luck,
Dr. L.
Please take him to the Dr, especially if you live in an area that has Hobo or Brown Recluse spiders. I don't want to scare you, but Hobo bites are not to be messed with.
you do have spiders. my son actually got bitten so bad last weekend that i took him to the doctor becuz his foot was a little purple. he had some infection. with bits you want them to ooze and scab....that's a good thing. i pulled out my sons toys and everything out of his room and i vacuumed up aome alive and dead spiders. i even re-did laundry and wiped his crib down really well. you night want to take a peek in some dark corners and behind things that don't usually get moved...just to see if you find anything.
My son had similar spots on his lower abdomen in his diaper area. I thought it was yeast or some other diaper infection. Turns out it was a staff infection. We took him to the Dr., treated w/Bactriban, and most of it went away. Then a couple spots got worse. Went back the the Dr. and got oral antibiotics. This finally did the trick!
sounds like chicken pox...
It sounds like it could be impetigo, which is a common bacteria infection in childern. Usually it starts around the mouth area, but since it is contagious it could develop anywhere. If it is impetigo, a prescription antibiotic cream (Bactroban) will cure it.
I would keep a close eye on the bites. If they do not heal up within a day or two, take him to a doctor. I have heard of spider bites that can cause serious problems. Better to have them looked at and find out it is nothing than to assume its nothing and have it be serious!
I also agree that taking the kitten to the vet to be checked for fleas would be a good idea.
It sounds like some form of bite rather than infection or condition to be honest. It could be spider, it could be flea, heck it could be mites... although they usually bite at your feet in your socks... but who knows what they would do with an infant. I would inspect the kitten for fleas. Look in and around the ears. That is usually the easiest places to see them. Otherwise take your kitten to the vet and let him or her inspect your kitten. If it does infact have fleas you can get the medicine that is for KITTENS there. Only use flea treatments for kittens on a kitten. Then you'll have to treat your home and ALL bedding. That should clear up that problem.
If that doesn't work I would call an exterminator. I would get my house and the exterior of my house sprayed for bugs... mainly spiders. Some people just seem tastier to spiders and they bite them over and over again. I'm unfortunately one of them. I know when I have a spider in my room. I wake up every single morning with spider bites and I'm allergic to them so I get basically pits when they are healed where I was bit.
And if you have rodents in your home you could have mites. They leave small bites that are really really itchy. Heck they can even come in your house in your hamsters bedding, so you wouldn't have to have mice or anything even. They can't live on us like they do rodents but they will bite us. Usually that is just the feet and hands though and usually only when you have a huge problem with them.
I agree it does sound like flea bites, when I was younger, I had some flea bites and that is what it sounds like, though at the time we didnt know what it was either. One doctor told me I wasnt cleaning myself right. lol All you really have to do is just vaccuum really good, and treat your kitten. Make sure when you treat your kitten that the kids can not play with it for at least 24 hrs. The fleas in my house at the time was wasy worse and we had to use other methods, but its probably just one or two fleas. They cant live on a human, but they will bite. Good Luck!
Hello,
We too get little red bumps sometimes. I find that they're probably spiders so I move all the furniture and vaccum everywhere, wash the bedding, and let off bug bombs for the ones I miss. If I do bug bombs twice a year, it seems to keep the bits at a minimum. Hope this helps.
K.
