I'll take the pic down shortly...
Ds complained leg was hurting throughout the day. Get home and ready for bath and see this. Call triage nurse she says er asap. Get to er they are stumped. Call ped and thinks mAybe contact dermatitis. Steroid shot and sent home. Better this morning but still there. Told could see ped in am if needed. Take back to ped today for follow.]
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Wow I've never seen that! Is there any chance that's an indentation from something lo was sitting on and it bruised blood veins? Just spit firing.
I would definitely take to ped and even request a dermatologists referral or a blood specialist? It almost looks like it could be following a blood vein?Is the red bumpy or scaley?
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Definitely go see ped this am
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@regberadaisy: what totally freaks me out is he had been complaining for a few days his leg hurt but I never saw anything until today. At first I thought maybe playground equipment but then I called his teacher and she said he was complaining throughout the day that his leg hurt but didn't think to look. He's been acting normal otherwise.
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@regberadaisy: it was raised yesterday. Fading today but I swear I didn't sleep last night and I don't want it to get worse again. Almost like a bad scratch but the way the veins fan out scare me.
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I was going to ask the same as @regberadaisy: - it's not indented, right, like from the seam of pants or from sitting on the trim of your LO's car seat in very thin pants/bare leg? Agree it's not like anything I've ever seen (and one of my LO's is a very rashy, scale-y, skin irritation prone kind of kid) - I'd definitely go to the pediatrician about that and ask who else they recommend you see if she/he doesn't have an answer for you. Good luck!
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@matador84: they don't think it's an infection of some sort? My dad was bit by our cat on his hand and had an infection that was following his blood all the way up his arm and across his chest - looked similar
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@gotkimchi: Yeah it looks like that to me too
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The only time I've seen something similar was on myself - I got bitten by a spider in lower leg, got infected and it sent a "runner" which looked very much like that up towards my heart - my mom said go to ER QUICK! I did, they confirmed it was serious and appropriate for ER and have me IVs immediately.
ETA: the original spider bite did not look infected, and was not noticable
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@PinkElephant: No indentation. DS has pretty bad eczema seasonally too and it looks nothing like scaly, bumpy or itchy--he did wince when i touched it last night which is what really made me call nurse.@gotkimchi: they said nothing. completely stumped which TOTALLY freaks me out. don't get me wrong, they did act alarmed but chalked it up to maybe poison oak/ivy resulting in the dermatitis. he hasn't been outside except with me or at school and there isn't anything like that. i feel like i should have pushed them harder at ER.
@yoursilverlining: that was what his teacher thought it could be. did it get worse before better? -
@matador84: yah it doesn't look like contact dermatitis to me, I would take him to ped for another opinion
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@gotkimchi: i think i'll feel better and maybe actually sleep again if i take him...so we'll head up in a little bit.
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I would definitely see the Ped and possibly go back to ER if it continues. Medical professionals do get it wrong sometimes. I went to the ER with the symtoms of a blood clot in my leg and the dr didn't even touch me and said I had infected hair follicle and gave me meds. Ya it was a blood clot. I wish I would have questioned them more while I was at the ER.
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@matador84: that is crazy looking! Is there a little red spot below the line as well? I'm glad you're going into the doctor's office today. Let us know what they say!
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@Happygal: there is a small red spot. I can't tell if it's eczema related or related to the big line.
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@matador84: is that photo from this morning? It still looks pretty red to me. And the fact it's sore is troubling. Poor guy.
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@Happygal: that's from last night. it's faded some but def still visible this morning. they gave him a steroid shot so i can't tell if it went down due to that or just naturally.
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@matador84: it didn't get "worse" but the line got longer, which is bad. If the line is growing, I would definitely take him in asap. I can't remember what it was called (happened over 10 years ago), but I was surprised how serious it was! I had no idea!
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@yoursilverlining: ped convinced it's contact derm or he scratched himself.
Praying that is what it is and it's nothing.
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I had something like that from some nasty bug bites I got while traveling last summer. My doctor was concerned because we didn't know what had bitten me, and put me on some pretty strong antibiotics. So I don't blame you for being worried and I'm surprised your son's doctors are so casual about it. I mean, I'm only seeing a picture but it doesn't look like a scratch to me. FWIW, my bug bites/lines took almost a month to look better and about 4 months before the marks completely faded...
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@matador84: hopefully that's what it is! It doesn't look like any contact derm I've seen - but I'm not a doctor!
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Missed the photo but I hope he's doing better!
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That's a really long scratch....wouldn't the skin be irritated if it's a scratch? I've given myself long scratches before and the surface at least is broken?
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@MenagerieMama: walled you
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@regberadaisy: I'm just kind of like sick over it. He's acting normal so I have no reason to think it's anything else, I'm just unsettled about it. It doesn't make sense to me that it's a scratch.
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I saw the picture. I'd be concerned that it's following a path of blood flow. That doesn't jibe for me with the whole scratch theory. Why would a scratch follow arteries/veins and branch like that? I'm sorry it wasn't a more helpful visit and you're still worried.
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@matador84: I saw the picture as well and I would probably be taking my DD back to get another opinion at the hospital...it seems like a weird place for a scratch and the fact that it branches and seems to have come from the red dot below it would make me want a better answer.
Are there any dermatology offices in your area that are open on the weekend? Maybe take him there...
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@matador84: I'm sorry! Im not trying to make you worry more. But I just don't agree with the scratch theory, having seen the picture. I'm no medical professional. But what do you think? Do you think a scratch makes sense? What is your parenting gut saying?
At the very least I will record down when others have said he complained of pain on his legs, when the redness showed up and definitely save the picture. In case something similar shows up again so that you have a recorded history. -
@regberadaisy: parenting gut is in knots. It hasn't gotten worse, but hasn't gone away either--almost 24 hours since noticing it. I'm keeping a close eye on him.
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Just reading responses...did you draw a circle or line on the end...to track if it grows?
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@Mrs Green Grass: yes, they did in the er last night. hasn't gotten longer but it hasn't gone away--just the same.
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@matador84: are there blisters or anything on top of the red? Blisters would make me think contact dermatitis. Is the red area raised or warm? Definitely not official advice without seeing it but I think that if it was my LO unless the doctor who saw him was convinced of a diagnosis I would want a CBC and probably antibiotics. Did you go to an ER with kid trained docs? I used to work in an urgent care and they had internist seeing kids (hadn't had any training in pediatrics since medical school...) and I wouldn't trust their diagnosis of anything out of the ordinary.
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@MenagerieMama: nothing with blisters. I could compare it to a scratch but without the actual mark of a scratch. Our ped said this morning that the dr we saw was excellent, but I could tell he totally had no idea--said he had never seen anything like it before. So, ped said this morning contact dermatitis--Koebners phenomenon. I just can't make sense of it because he would wince in pain to touch and had been complaining that his leg hurt for several days previous. Our ped has a ton of experience so it's freaking me out im second guessing the dx, but surely she's right.
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I would push for a CBC and antibiotics too. Because if that's an infection it could get bad quickly.
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@matador84: I agree I'm surprised no one wants to give antibiotics! That's what I was thinking but w/o seeing it in person it's hard to say, I still don't think it looks like contact dermatitis, even koebners phenomenon. I would just keep an eye on it
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@matador84: well it sounds like you're in good care, despite the mystifying diagnosis. It seems like a CBC and maybe a CRP (inflammatory marker) would be what I would do to at least reassure everyone it wasn't an evolving infection. But if it isn't changing and your LO is doing well otherwise that's good. Just keep your watchful mama eye on it!
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@matador84: even the best doctors aren't always right! I love our pediatrician but he was wrong once. When DD1 was around a year old, she had a terrible cough that we took her in for. He listened to her chest and said its not pneumonia. It didn't get better so we took her back in. He listened and again said its not pneumonia. We pushed and he sent her for chest X-rays because we pushed. Turns out she had fluid in her lungs. She had pneumonia.
So trust your instinct. If you and DH don't agree with their diagnosis then push back and ask for more evaluation.
(((Hugs)))
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How stressful!
I'd also push for antibiotics or further testing tonight.
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@matador84: I didn't get to see the picture, so I am just here to say your little one is in my prayers. I hope you get some answers
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It faded slightly but is still obviously there. Just in case anyone was wondering!
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