my step son contacted ring worm the second week of february, it was left untreated until my husband and i got him on feb. 15th. when we saw him today he still had it on his face.. and now it is in two bumps instead of one. we have not had him since the first weekend of march, because that is how the court order fell this year due to his mom getting him spring break and we had to forfit a weekend.
my question is, we feel like it is not being treated correctly when he is not with us because why else would it still be on his face after a month and why would it have spread. the size of the affected area is smaller in size but it is in two spots now.
from what we have read online, it should only take a week or two to go away if being treated correctly. just curious if other people have stayed on top of treating ringworm but it wouldnt go away or if this is just antoher case of neglect from his mom (which is probably the case because his signs of neglect are reoccuring and we are currently in a custody dispute with her and we are trying to get full custody).
i feel bad for the little guy because he is VERY self conscious about it :( he just turned 7 and is perfectly healthy so it isn't that his immune system is bad.
I had it one time really bad. I had atleast 50 ringworm spots all over my body. I had to put cream on each spot daily, and the doctor gave me an oral medicine to get rid of it. maybe he needs that.
it can take around 3 and maybe even 4 weeks to get rid of it. You have to put the lotramin cream on it 2-3 times a day everyday for around 3 weeks. Have you been washing his sheets, pillow case and towel? If not, that could also be why he has another spot.
I agree that you need to have him checked by a doctor or even a nurse. If he's in school, I suggest that it's not ring worm or impetigo because the school would've had the nurse look at it and he wouldv'e been required to stay out of school or perhaps to just keep it covered.
Your husband could call the school and ask the nurse to check it. Hopefully he is listed as the father and be able to have communication with the school. The court custody agreement should've addressed this issue.
I urge you to address this only in terms of helping your stepson. If you focus on proving that his mother didn't take care of it the judge will most likely not take this seriously. The judge is only interested in the welfare of the child. Let him decide whether or not she's taking proper care of him. Do document with dates and descriptions of what you see and do but keep your focus on the stepson.
I remember having ringworm that lasted for a loooong time as a kid. I wouldn't expect a skin condition to go away in a week or two. On the other hand, skin things are hard to diagnose and it might be something else. "Bumps" is not the typical description of ringworm. It usually looks like circles of red on the skin with a lighter center.
I surely wouldn't jump to "neglect" conclusions because of this. She could have been treating it and it is either stubborn, a different issue, or the treatment needs to be changed.
Does his Mom take him to the Doctor?
Does she make sure his medication is applied as directed?
It is still there, he should be taken to the Doctor again.
Ring worm can stay around for a long time, if not treated AND it can... spread... and to other people and animals too.
It can spread, to anywhere on the body, even the scalp and then you will have bald patches.
Obviously, he is not being treated properly nor applying a prescription cream nor seeing a Doctor for any follow up.
Poor guy, yes. As you said.
Once, my Dad got ringworm. Our dog also, had it. His Doctor said he got it from the dog. The Vet said my Dad gave it to the dog. But either way, they BOTH had to get treated, by a prescription... at the same time.
It is very contagious.
Ringworm can be hard to cure in some people.
For other people it clears right up fairly quickly.
Get some Lotrimin or Tinactin in cream form and treat his spots.
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/ss/slid...
Are you sure it's ringworm and not impetigo?
Anti fungals won't work on that.
http://adam.about.net/encyclopedia/Impetigo-on-a-child-s-...
If he hasn't seen a doctor about it yet, maybe a definite diagnosis will get the right medicine to treat the right skin condition and then it will clear up quickly.
No, not unless he has something messing with his immune system (diabetes, AIDS), and it is being treated properly (not put on for a day, then left of for a day, then back on for a day etc)
It could, as others have said be impetigo, but this looks very different with oozing or crusting, or it COULD, and this is a common differential diagnosis be nummular eczema.
With proper treatment it should be gone, without any treatment it becomes a larger ring. I would take him to a dr or an urgent care so they can take a look, it may be something other than ringworm.
I would pick your battles. I can see a judge getting very short with you for saying 'if treated correctly it should go away in a week.' I hope you have better examples. Ringworm not disappearing in a week should not be a sign of neglect.
I had 2 different spots 2 years ago, one on my left arm and one on my right. They took months to be totally unnoticeable. I used OTC anti-fungal cream and applied it 2x day for many many weeks. I could still see a "shadow" of the spot and kept putting it on. I think it literally took 6 months to be totally invisible (and many tubes of cream).
I know they can take a while to clear up but I think a month is pretty long. My son had one awhile back in his hair (I know !) he got it from a friends house. Anyway - I noticed it on a Thursday - doctor couldn't see him until Monday. I had some tea tree oil and applied it with a q-tip 3-4 times a day. It was much much better by the time the doctor saw him on Monday. Dr said to keep on treating it like that. So - you might apply tea tree oil and see if that won't help clear it up.
Actually, ringworm - well, any fungus and/or yeast infection - are fairly notorious for taking a long time to treat ... and can come back if treatment is stopped too early. Usually, most treatments recommend continuing to apply topical applications for 1-2 weeks after lesions have healed for just that reason.
As an RN, I'd say it's not entirely abnormal for it to be taking a month or so to fullly heal, especially if treatment is sporatic.
If it's spreading, that's one thing. But lesions often dissipate in an inconsistent pattern, which can cause one lesion to end up looking like 2. If the entire area thats affected is smaller than when treatment began, I'd say you're kiddo is still in the healing process.
I had a wicked spot on one of my legs that took almost 8 weeks to fully heal. It was awful - so itchy!
Of course, if you're concerned, it's never a bad idea to discuss an issue with your pediatrician.
My son has had it for 3 weeks now. We are treating it diligently. And it's lighter and lighter all the time. But it's still visible. So yes, it can take a long time to completely clear.
We were told to wash his pillowcase frequently with hot water to make sure it doesn't spread. You should start doing that if you haven't already, and he should ask him mom to do the same. Even if it's being treated correctly, he could be reinfecting himself from the pillowcase otherwise.
He should have been past this.. if treated correctly.
How old is he? Is he old enough to be able to remind his mother to make sure the area is cleaned and then treated with the meds. He may even need to have it re-bandaged each day until it begins to scab over..
I am trying to remember if he is also supposed to soak the area with warm water and baking soda? Even on his face a warm cloth with baking soda.. can be applied each evening.
Ringworm can be REALLY stubborn to treat. I would go back to the doc, he may need a stronger prescription.
Good luck.
It should only take a week or two... But its also highly contagious. Kids (and even adults) reinfect themselves all the time. Either by touching with hands, or pillows, etc.
Either she's an uncaring harpy, or she decided a vacation wasnt the time to be fussing at him all day every day
(be-careful-STOP-touching-your-face-no-swimming-STOP-taking-the-bandage-off-hyper vigilant-nag-nag-nag-HOW-many-times....)
It can be stubborn on some people, and you do have to stay on it to get it to go away, especially if other immune issues are going on (a cold, hay fever, etc.) My son had an especially stubborn case when he was in the hospital after a severe traumatic brain injury (an extreme example of immune distress). I remember the physician's assistant saying you need to make sure the cream goes past the outside edges of the rash to get it to go away.
Good luck.
Lamisil also called Terbinafine if you buy the store brand, works in about half the time as others. It is seriously the most effective and quickest I have used.
