Yesterday red pimple dots appeared on her butt. She also had a fever most of the today. This morning her temp is normal. But the dots have spread to her hands, feet, arms, and face. She is 19 months. Her sister is 7 months. And daddy is home today for the 4th. He never had it as a kid, so I'm concerned about him getting it. And all of this happened because my daughters had a well child visit on Friday. A little boy there had red dots all over his legs. Ugh!
Any advice or suggestions welcome. TIA!
Thanks ladies for all the terrific advice. We live across the street from the hospital (literally). So I took her to be checked out. They believe it's just a viral rash. The red spots don't seem to be getting any worse. Her diaper area looks absolutely disastrous though. We got an rx for it. She has really sensitive skin and ezcema so her diaper rashes tend to explode into horrendous episodes very easily. I will be keeping a close eye on her to make sure it doesn't progress. And yes, she is up-to-date on all her shots for just this reason.
Yes she is up to date on all her shots, as I already mentioned. And obviously I have good reason to believe the rash came from the boy at the doctor's office. My girls are only out in public once a week. What it is has turned out to be of little significance. She has passed it on to her 7 month old sister. So now we must wait it out.
Sounds like possibly hand foot mouth disease. It's been all over California this year. All 4 of my kids got it, including the baby. They get a fever, then it goes away. Then, they get a headache, and then that goes away and then the spots show up.
Sue H is right, chicken pox starts on the torso.
If it turns out they are chicken pox, your husband will show signs of them around 2 weeks after he was exposed. I can tell you from experience, that getting them at an older age is far worse than getting them as a child. I had them at 17, and was bedridden for 2 full weeks. They were EVERYWHERE on me - eyes, inside my nose, ears, and other very uncomfortable places. :( I have multiple scars from them as well on my torso. Call his doctor to see if there are any precautions he can take to prevent them from being so bad if that is even possible. Good luck, and I'm hoping that they are just hives or chiggers. Look into the vaccines for your kids if you haven't already - they are totally worth it in my opinion as this disease is very contagious and can be extremely uncomfortable and difficult to go through.
normally, chicken pox begins on the torso & spreads outward. Occasionally, they begin on the arms....or in "warmer" areas such as the diaper area.
you used the term "pimple dots". Do they have a pus-filled head? That's hallmark chicken pox! They start as a red dot, & become pus-filled within 24 hours.
Since incubation for chicken pox typically is 2-3 weeks, this seems a little bit early. It's also possible that your DD contracted this even prior to the dr appt. Thru the years, I've seen many, many kids out in public with it.
Additionally, the contagious period usually runs 48 hours before the 1st spots. Anybody with a fever, runny nose, &/or cough could have chicken pox!
Please have her checked by the dr. :)
EDIT: Mary L! I'm so glad you mentioned chiggers! We totally thought our son's 2nd round of chicken pox was chiggers. He'd been on a Scout hike a few days before, came home itching...& when he popped out, we thought it was just chiggers. We went to a family weekend at the lake, & one of the moms (an RN) commented on his spots. We discussed the hike/etc....& she recommended having him checked for chicken pox. She was right! By age 13, our son had 2 full-blown, dr-diagnosed rounds of chicken pox.
Three of my four children just got over hand foot mouth disease, and what you describe sounds like that. It is a virus, they will get over. My 18 month old and 8 year old had it on their bottoms. My 8 yr old even had some on her scalp. 18 month old had it on his arms and legs (about 6 spots). It drove my 8 yr old insane on her feet for one night. Dr. prescribed tylenol (my children had sore throats...something to think about for your 19 month old who can't tell you) and headaches (same thing), also clariton for the itch because benadryl raises the blood pressure and can cause hyper/gittery. Not sure with the age and dosage. Or soak her in a baking soda bath and apply calamine lotion. Or, it may not itch her at all. My 6 yr old boy with eczema was less bothered by the itch and more bothered with his sore throat. So each kid is a little different. He never got any on his scalp or butt, but a few in his mouth. 8 yr old and 18 month old didn't get them in their mouth. Someone else said chicken pox usually starts on the trunk, and I agree. Also someone else said HFM is very contagious, I agree. So your little one probably did get it from the well visit. The joy of it all. Adults RARELY get HFM. It is possible, but rare. Target is 10 and under.
A friend called me the other day for advice because her grandaughter got HFM. So it seems to be going around.
Double-check with your doctor just to be sure, and ask about your husband, too. Ask what to do to relieve your daughter's symptoms.
Chicken pox is definitely contagious, even before the spots make an appearance. Three of our four had it, one right after the other - including daughter #2, who was only a couple of months old and *allegedly* too young to catch it. Number four hadn't come along yet, but he had it later - along with two little girls who stayed at our house after school at that time. One of those girls brought it with her without her mama realizing it. In the first chicken pox round, my son brought it home with him from a party. Again, the parents didn't know it was chicken pox. They thought their child had been bitten by a few chiggers. I got an apologetic phone call the next day when it was clearly the pox.
The lesson to be learned from this is that chicken pox is nasty and sneaky.
Chicken pox turn to red watery blisters that itch like you wouldn't believe.
The blisters happen everywhere - torso (stomach, and back), arms, legs, scalp, inside ears, mouth, etc.
I had it when I was 6 and I still have a few scars from places where I could not keep from scratching.
I'm not sure red pimple dots is right for chicken pox.
I could be wrong, but it sounds more like measles.
People (and even doctors) haven't seen them as often as they use to because vaccines have done a great job with keeping them away.
But because some people are slacking on vaccinations, measles are making a come back (along with whooping cough and polio).
Head back to the doctor (call their hot line now) and get it checked out.
Did your child get the vaccine? The reason I ask is that even with the vaccine, they can get the chickenpox, but it's not as bad.
You do need to take your child to the doctor to verify the diagnosis. I'd wait until tomorrow. Give her Tylenol (no aspirin products because of Reye's Syndrome) and don't let her run around. You need calamine lotion in case it really is chicken pox.
As far as your husband is concerned, you need to keep him home until you know for a fact that your child really has chickenpox (stinks if you had plans for the holiday.). Tell him to get done what all needs to be done, because if he DOES come down with it, he's going to a LOT more sick than your daughter.
The doctor will tell you to watch for signs of secondary infections.
Oh, and make sure that you tell them what you suspect when you make the appointment. They will want to whisk her away, as soon as you come in the door, and put her in a room that they don't put infants into.
If it's not chickenpox, you'll be lucky, but proceed right now as if it IS, and keep your husband and your child in your house.
Good luck,
Dawn
I would certainly get her checked out. Let themknow ahead of time that you suspect Chicken Pox so when you get to the doc's office the can keep you all away from other patients. If it is Chicken Pox and she comes in contact with a pregnant woman who hasn't had it you are putting her baby at risk.
Chicken Pox is a dangerous illness to a lot of people. It's not all "just a childhood illness" to a lot of people. It can be deadly. It can be just a lot of itching and annoying scabs too. Why take the risk.
If it is Chicken Pox hubby may be carrying it around exposing others to it too. He could be breaking out any moment with them and spreading the virus to others as we read this post.
There are lots of rashes that start that way. As I recall, chicken pox is blisters, not just dots. You could check images on line of common childhood rashes, but I would have her seen by your pediatrician (and if they're closed, which they probably are) an urgent care or minute clinic type of place. It seems that rashes with fevers are almost always contagious. Good luck!
Hmm. Chicken pox usually starts on the trunk of the body.
That said, my daughter woke up one morning literally covered head to toe with red, tichy bumps all over her body. I took her to the doctor and they said it was the worst case of chicken pox they'd ever seen. They told me to take her home, put a baking soda paste on her, wrap her in a cool sheet, give her benadryl, and ride it out.
The next morning, there wasn't a single bump on her. It turned out to be hives and they were completely gone.
Since your little ones are so young and your husband has never had chicken pox, I would contact urgent care to have your daughter checked out. It might not be chicken pox after all. If it is, they can give you the precautions to get you through the incubation phase as far as having your kids around others. And, they can give you some precautions to take for your husband. Chicken pox in an adult can be extremely serious.
Best wishes to you.
Dots on her hands and feet?
Doesn't sound like chicken pox to me. Sounds like hand, foot and mouth disease. Google and check out the images. This is a HIGHLY contagious disease!
Has she been vaccinated against chickenpox?
My son recently had this "red dot" issue and it turned out to be coxsackie virus aka "hand foot mouth" disease. He had the same symptoms as your daughter. It was not chickenpox; he's been vaccinated.
Please don't blame it on the well visit. Things go around, and if you take your kids to anywhere outside the home, they are susceptible to all kinds of germs.
