My son broke out with spots on Thursday. They were red circles, about the size of a peanut. They were concentrated in the center of his chest but he also had a few on his legs, waist (where his diaper is) and his back/neck area. They were itching him. He didn't have a fever. They looked worse Friday morning (more red) so I took him to the doctor (not our regular doctor~he was out) and the doctor wasn't sure what they were. He thought they looked like the beginnings of hives but he couldn't be sure. He was pretty sure they weren't chicken pox. By Saturday, no new spots appeared but the existing ones had developed little white bumps (like whiteheads) in the centers and the redness was much better (like a pink). By Sunday, the white centers are scabbed over. Never having hives or even seen hives, I'm not sure if that's what they are. We got our Christmas tree in the house on Monday. Over the week, he's slowly developed cold symptoms and since the hives broke out, he's had watery eyes, runny nose, cough, congestion. The only thing new we have is the tree (real tree of course). Has anyone every had or had their children have this kind of reaction to a christmas tree? Or to something else that I'm missing?
Well, I think we've safely determined that whatever he had was not chicken pox. The white heads that appeared on top of the red circles were only the size of a pin head and they never blistered. What he was allergic to is still an unknown. Thanks for all your responses.
Allergic reaction to pine is all too common. I used to get bronchitis every year when the tree came in... I'd have an allergic reaction and infection would set in with all the mucous. For hives, give Benidryl and get rid of the tree. Consider an artificial tree. Plus, the cold with the watery eyes, runny nose, cough, and congestion is really going around right now. Both of my children have had it.
C. we have lots of allergies in my family so I asked my sister to look at your question and she said it could very well be the tree. Her daughter is allergic to trees and thus she stays away from live Christmas trees. Her suggestion is to get rid of the Christmas tree, vacuum everything, and run an air filter to clear out the allergens in your home. She also said that the cough could very well become asthmatic if he is allergic to the tree and the problem isn't taken care of.
Her daughters hives will sometimes look like a large patch. But she has had the pimple looking hives before. Good Luck!
Hives don't blister and scab ... at least none of my children's hives ever have. Hope you find out what it is, though.
could be allergy to pine. Has he had this reaction to any pine fragance.
Sounds like Chicken Pox to me!
many people are allergic to the resins etc in live evergreen trees....in my experience the allergic reaction has been stuffy nose etc....could easily be your problem....however allergic reactions of the skin, usually require actual contact with the allergen....could be hives, but hives don't usually develop blisters on the top...they're generally just itchy red bumps....i would check in with your regular doc....sounds like a mild case of chicken pox to me....
chicken pox:
Symptoms
Symptoms of chickenpox begin between 10 and 21 days after a person is exposed. The illness typically includes fever and a generally sick feeling. This is soon followed by itchy, red bumps that quickly become fluid-filled and are easily recognized as chickenpox. These skin blisters are round, about 5 millimeters to 10 millimeters across (about the size of a pencil eraser), with a red base. Sometimes, they are described as a "dew drop on a rose petal." They appear in various stages over the next few days and eventually crust over. These blisters may appear anywhere there is skin, even inside the mouth, throat or vagina. Some patients have only 50 blisters or fewer. Others have too many to count.
Diagnosis
If you or someone in your household develop a skin rash, see your doctor. He or she may suspect chickenpox over the phone, especially if that person has not had the chickenpox vaccine or the chickenpox disease before, but it is important for the doctor to look at the skin rash. It also will help to know whether the patient has been exposed to someone with chickenpox, although this is not necessary to make the diagnosis. Special blood tests, such as the FAMA test (fluorescent antibody to membrane antigen) and the ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), are also available, but they do not need to be done in most patients. Sometimes your physician may scrape a chickenpox blister to examine under the microscope.
Expected Duration
Chickenpox blisters form over a period of 3 to 5 days and then crust over during the next 7 to 10 days.
C.-- It really sounds like Chicken Pox. Has he had any vaccinations lately?? My daughter got a mild case of chicken pox after she was vaccinated for them. And even if has had the shot he can still get a mild case of them. Both my kids had the shot then a fews years later had a mild case of them again. They where that size bumps with the white center and they had cold-like symptoms. Take Care M.
Has he been running a fever? I break out in hives a lot as I have a lot of allergies and they have never developed the way you decscribed. It kind of sounds like he had the chicken pox. If your regular doctor is back, you may want to follow up with him/her. Hope this helps.
White bumps that scab over...sounds like chicken pox to me.
I agree with Melissa, my DD got the chicken pox after she was vaccinated, she only had like 5 of them all on her tummy.
That or maybe your tree has bugs....
I think he did have an alergic reaction. I once had a dermatitis like you described, it later turned out to be poision ivy. I used a lotion called Saren, it cooled and helped heal the break out. It was recomended by my dermatologist. You can buy it any drug store. It is with the anti-itch medication. The oubreaks from poision Ivy come from the oil they secrete. If he came in contact with the sap from the tree, that would be a likely cause. If he clears up after the tree goes out you will know for sure. By the way, sometimes the smell of evergreens stuff up my nose too.
Hi C.,
I broke out in hives last year around this time, it was the funniest thing I had bought my daughter some slippers and that's what did it. I had carried them in my arms at the store and that's where the hives started, then the next day they were all over my body and face, I went into the ER and they gave me some benydrl (IV type) and it cleared right up. It maybe something he's wearing or has touched, try giving him benydrl. I didn't know what had given them to me at first until a few days later I went to wrap them and it started again, I took benydrl and it stopped it. Good luck and Merry Christmas
it sounds like allergies, keep him away from the tree if you can or play in another room for a couple of days and try oatmeal baths, this may help,
B.
