UPDATE: my two year old has erythema multiforme

[krush]

OK, now Reese has this.  I thought she had ant bites on her legs yesterday but by 11, she had a non blanching rash all over her body.  The peditrician said it is erythema multiforme, a skin reaction to exposure to a virus, maybe, but there are no clear answers what causes it or how to treat it.  It kind of looks like early chickenpox before it blisters or scabs.  There is no treatment or anything that provides relief from itching and pain.  We just have to wait it out. 

Of course as a mom, I am freaking out because it has 3 levels of severity and she has the mildest now, but the dr. warned me that if I looked on line I'd find more about the more severe forms which are REALLY bad (like can cause blindness and death kind of bad).  I'm looking her over every few minutes looking for anything to freak me out.  Like this morning, her belly is covered (it wasn't last night) and her belly button is slightly more of an "outie" than usual.  Do I call the dr about her slightly more "outie" belly button?  Her nose is very runny this morning, more than yesterday.  Do  I call?  I am going to drive myself crazy.

UPDATE:  Well the spots are gone, for the most part. Every day or so I swear I'll see another one but then it does away.  She still has a very runny nose and a cough, but the dr. says to keep an eye on her and call right away if the rash comes back full force.  Thanks for your thoughts.

[Nickquilts]

Aug. 30, 2008 at 8:22 AM

it is hard to know when to call dr.  did you tell you yesterday of what could happen to her??  what to look for if its bad, or any new areas of concern.  i would say leave message for dr just to keep him in the loop about what is going on.  Can she have a bath with the oatmeal stuff in it, or baking soda to help with the itching.  the best thing i can tell you is to stay calm, she will panic if you panic.  as long as her major health is good, relax and you can handle it.  there isn't much us moms cant handle as long as we stay calm, that way everybody else does.  Good luck

[Allison]

Aug. 30, 2008 at 10:00 AM

I am so sorry your sweet girl and you are having to go through this.  Eli had a rash like that once when he was about 3. It was horrible. I cried for days. They could give me no explanation or treatment. They FINALLY after a week gave him a steriod that made him CRAZY! I can relate to your agony. I am praying for you guys!

[krush]

Aug. 30, 2008 at 12:16 PM

Allison, they did mention steriods, but said that the studies are "controversial" and they'd prefer not to go there unless things got worse.

The only things she mentioned looking out for were her skin peeling off or feeling slippery (like it is not attached to the under layer!!!) ,  her lips blistering or the rash getting in her mouth. 

She acts ok, but has continuous thick yellow nose goop.

(Original Poster)

[krush]

Aug. 30, 2008 at 8:13 PM

Thanks for your responses.

They do know what it is, it is erythema multiforme.  However, no one really knows exactly what causes it (there are lots of possible triggers - a virus exposure is the most likely but there are several different ones that can be connected.  Or it could be bacteria.  Or medication).  The dr. is telling me quite a lot and quoting lots of studies, but there IS nothing that can be done about it.   I've been reading like mad ever since I heard.  There is NO known treatment.  All that can be done is to provide comfort but benedryl, baths, etc. don't do squat.

What I was hoping for was someone to tell me they have experience with this and it will be ok.  I am terrified of this moving from erythema multiforme minor to erythema multiforme major (Stevens-Johnson syndrome) which is associated with bad things (blindness) or even worse, to the most severe form, toxic epidermal necrolysis which Medline informed me of the following:  "Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis are associated with high death rates." 

I know the odds are VASTLY in our favor, I just wanted like 50 of you to respond with - my daughter gets this all of the time.  No big deal. 

ANYONE OUT THERE WHO CAN TELL ME THIS?  PLEASE?

Here are some pictures:

(Original Poster)

[EricsMommy612]

Aug. 6, 2011 at 4:54 PM

Hi Krush! I know this is an old thread, but I'm hoping you are still in contact. My two year old has within the last month broke out in erythema multiforme as well. Could you please tell me what the end result with your daughter was. I'm freaking out as you were!