15 Month Old Daughter with a Low Grade Fever and Rash

Updated on September 23, 2011
M.S. asks from Connersville, IN
10 answers

My 15 months old daughter( she's a twin ) developed a low grade fever ranging from 99.9 to 100.4 this morning and has been very cranky and tired. This evening she developed a rash starting on her trunk and moving to her arms and legs. The rash looked like little pin hole sized red spots that were very slightly raised. Could it be Roseola?

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So What Happened?

Well, they are back from the er. Let me give you a rundown on our er here. It stinks. He should of went a town over but not my call. The doctor brushed off my roseola theory and did a strep culture, which is fine but it came back negative. His exact words were " I just dont believe this.It has to be wrong." but instead of repeating it. He ended up giving her the antibiotics anyway. Stating. "Oh well, if it isnt strep it wont hurt her." Strep is bacterial and Roseola is viral. So if it is roseola she'll be taking meds twice as long and be miserable for twice as long. So I call up there and ask him what was the reasoning behind that. He just repeated it all over again. Maybe he is right or maybe he's a quack.

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A.C.

answers from Kansas City on

Sounds like fifths disease. Nothing to do for it and the rash will go away in a few days. Once they have the rash and the fever is gone they are no longer contagious.

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D.B.

answers from Dallas on

Yes, or strep throat. I would take her in to pediatrician just to be safe.

1 mom found this helpful

H.G.

answers from Dallas on

Strep or chicken pox?

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A.T.

answers from Davenport on

is her cheeks red? it could be 5ths disease or 6th

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A.F.

answers from Fargo on

I have no idea what it could be, but I applaud your quick action on taking her to the doctor! I hope she feels better soon!

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J.K.

answers from Dallas on

I would say, Roseola, fifth's disease, or scarlet fever (rash with a fever)

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K.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

She is presenting exactly the way my baby presented with Hand Foot and Mouth disease. Yes, I realize the spots are not on her HFM, but they weren't for my daughter either, except for a couple on her palms and toes. My baby started on her trunk, moved to her arms, and also got very bad in the diaper area (doc said the diaper area is really very common with HFM). My doc was definitely right, because a few days later, my son had it all over his hands and feet.

There is no treatment for HFM but it is highly contagious, so stay away from other kids for at least a week and until the spots are all dried out. Also, it isn't at all uncomfortable for them, unless they get spots in their mouth.

If it's not HFM, I hope you do figure out what it is. Sorry your baby is sick.

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K.L.

answers from St. Louis on

I'm surprised Fifth Disease has not been considered. Although it is more commonly experienced among children between the ages of 5 and 15 years of age, it is still entirely possible. When my son had this, it began on the abdomen and only spread to the arms and face when he was exposed to heat. We had to keep him home at the time because it was mid may and the school was not air conditioned at that time.

Fifth Disease is one of those common viral infections that children get that actually help train the immune system in children. Our doctor actually smiled when our son got it and told us that it will help him in the long run to let his body process the illness on its own.

The rash feels much like prickly heat rash and is aggravated by heat. So, cooler baths and air conditioning kept our son far more comfortable. One warm bath before we saw the doctor spread the rash all over and had him perfectly miserable. But, as long as he was kept cool, he felt just a bit out of sorts and was relatively comfortable. It did take a couple of weeks to process, however.

Another thing I would take into consideration is to think about what your daughter might have been exposed to during the week before the symptoms appeared. Many children receive vaccines at 15 months. From what I have read and from the experiences among children I have treated, rashes like this following a vaccine is often a warning sign that further exposure to that vaccine might cause a rather serious adverse reaction. Sadly, it appears to be quite common that the doctor's office that provided the vaccine rarely even considers or tells the parent that the vaccine might be the cause of such symptoms. Doctors are not required to follow up, look for, or even report adverse reactions to a vaccine. There is a phone number in the blue pages to file such reports, but it is entirely the parent's responsibility to make such a report. If you feel this could be a reaction to a vaccine, you can find trustworthy information and guidance from the National Vaccine Information Center: http://www.nvic.org/

Hope this is helpful for you and your precious little girl!

C.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Usually with roseola you will have high fevers for 3-5 days and when the fever breaks, the rash starts and will last a few days. You daughter has a very low grade fever and has only had it for less than 24 hours when the rash appeared, so it doesn't really sound like roseola. Sometimes with strep throat, the test they do in the ER or office comes back negative, but then it actually grows strep when you send it to be cultured, so it's not 100% accurate, so that's why he probably started her on antibiotics. He probably thought the rash was scarlatina. Did he say if her throat looked red?

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