Viral Rash or Allergy

Okay so I went to docs before with DD and she says it's def not chicken pox (phew!) and it's very unlikely to be hand foot and mouth disease. She thought viral rash (don't know what) or allergy - the only foods that Mackenzie even lets us put near her mouth is custard and yesterday she had about 5 tries of strawberry yoghurt custard. DH tried normal yoghurt with her this morning but she didn't have any.

Do you think it's possible to get such a strong reaction from such a small amount of food? The rash which started on forehead and is over most of face and neck is now on her tummy and vagina - quite red and spotty (welty) down there actually. Doc didn't seem concerned but I stil am a bit - will monitor her very closely in next few hours.

Any ideas?

It is possible to get a strong reaction to only a small amount of food. Children with severe allergies have been known to go into anaphylaxis after eating or even touching a small amount of their allergen.

Strawberries are a known allergen, so it could have been that. Do you think she is itchy? If she is it is more likely to be a reaction as opposed to a viral rash as that wouldn't worry her as much. Or has she been ill in the past few days - fever etc?

She is quite itchy though the rash only came up today - nothing yesterday when she had the custard. I didn't even think of strawberry! She has sucked a strawberry a couple of times though and she had no reaction then. In saying that I have also given her yoghurt once before and she was fine then too so who knows. It's been going up and down all afternoon - looking quite red then fading for abit. She seems a bit warm but no fever. Will keep watching.

We have a DD with allergies and only from my experience, I have found most reactions get better over time, not worse.(what i mean is that I haven't seen a rash keep growing over time if it's allergy. But that is not saying it doesn't happen). STrawberries do cause a rash for alot, and if there's egg in the custard it could be that. My DD has severe egg allergies. Her rash comes up very quickly (along with alot of other things) but does disappear. Of course all reactions can be different, but I'd look into the egg.
Also DD reacts to a pin***** of egg.
Hope the rash improves. If it is allergy, polaramine is good (oral liquid) or any antihistamine for baby (check wiht Doc first anyway, but I found the first time I rang an allergy line with a reaction they suggested this). Also a mild quarterzone cream. Sigmacourt is good applied sparingly xoxo

PS What about measles?

If you push it down and it fades when you do- its a viral rash

If its an allergy rash it will respond to an antihistime- so best to get one from the chemist. my kids are older and i give them dimetapp and it calms down any allegy rash. You can sooth an allergy rash with a pinetarsal bath as well

HTh
odette

Its funny but I found with Ash that if she ate any sort of flavoured yoghurt she used to break out in horrible red spotty rash, it did take me awhile to figure out what it was. Never happened with vanilla only the flavoured ones. So maybe it is a similar reaction?

Well it got worse again last night so we rang health nurse hotline. She suggested anti-histamine too (don't know why doc didn't) and then said nah just go straight to hospital in case cause she couldn't see the rash. They said def allergic reaction - pssible to yoghurt or custard (even though she has had that kind before) but we will have to see allergy specialist before we give her anymore.

We had a shoking night - up every hour cause she was itchy and overtired but today nurofen and antihistamine have made her feel better as well as creams (simgmacort and others). The rash is stll soooo red and pronounced though - i thought it would have started going down by now.

Poor Mackenzie - and poor you!!! I hope she is feeling better soon and that you got some sleep. At least you know it is an allergy - when do you see the specialist?

I hope it gets better soon. Maybe it's something she's having all the time and that's why its' not getting better? Maybe it's an excma reaction? that doesn't just disappear? Anyway, hope you get your answers soon. xo

A bout of urticaria (hives) can last for weeks. I broke out in hives over most of my body from some antibiotics in the middle of July and I still have them. Although they aren't as itchy now and seem to be slowly fading.

It may have been a preservative in the yoghurt, or a flavouring. If you still have the yoghurt, or know what brand it was, try to find and ingredient list and see exactly what was in it. Then check out this website alladditives and see if it is a known allergen. Trouble with allergies is it may not be the first time they eat something or even the 10th time, but it might be the 11th time they react kwim? Sometimes they slowly build up a resistance till they have an all out reaction.

Well Mackenzie still has rash - it's kind of got better - not as raised but still very red and purple. We think she might also have hand, foot and mouth because she does have some blisters on her hands and feet - not the same as the rest fo the rash. We also have to wai till Dec for specialist appointment though doc may help us get earlier one becuse we can't not give her solids until Dec!

I feel sorry for her - she's not too itchy now but still ooks so sore and red. She's also quite irritable. I need to check Vaalia banan yoghurt to see what ingredients are in it that she may be allergic to.

Glad to hear it is a little bit better. I don't think it would be the vaalia, they are quite a low allergenic food - no gluten, lactose or preservatives/flavours/sweeteners/colours. It is quite possible that it was HF&M