I have noticed hive like raised bumps on my sons buttocks for the last week and a half. It started out as one then two but now there are four. I thought it would diminish quickly . . . just a rash, right? After scouring the internet, I am afraid it is ring worm. (Not an actual WORM by the way, just fungus thank goodness!) I am freaked out and feeling so guilty now because I didn't realize this sooner. Although we will see the Dr. tomorrow, maybe some of you have dealt with this before? I'm sure the name makes it sound more scary than it is, but still, I would be so appreciative of any info you have to share.
Thanks so much!!
Thanks so much for all your input! We saw the Dr. this morning and she is 99% sure that it isn't ringworm but instead exzcema. While one spot looks very much like ringworm, the other rashes are not presenting themselves as such. She prescribed a lotion to take care of it which should work within a week. Phew! Knowing is half the battle, right?
Would you mind sharing what was prescribed because I have a newspaper article on some ointments that is not good.
I've actually had ringworm myself a couple times. I have no idea why or how I got it... I don't know whether it's approved for kids or not, but the new drug that works SOOOO much better than all of the others is terbinafine (Lamisil) - they sell it as a cream labeled to treat jock itch and it costs $10/tube but it works in 2 weeks, compared to the 6 weeks for all the other treatments. Completely worth the money. It's available OTC.
I know this is kind of late, but ringworm is becoming more common. When I was a child, I had it more than once. The doctor will prescribe an ointment to cure it.
Buy some Lotrimin AF by the athlete foot medication in the pharmacy. It is an antifungal cream and will do the trick--even if it's just a rash. One of my daycare kids had it yrs ago and this is what we put on it and it went away by the time she went to the Dr. The Dr said that is what she would have prescribed. Good Luck.
M. J
I read the response the oriental med dr. and she's right on! My daughter developed ring worm on her hand after putting on her "boxing gloves" from tae-kwon-do class! The md gave us the anti-fungal...which only made it worse! So, I researched an natural alternative, and came up with the tea-tree oil. It was gone in a day or so. After the first treatment, the rednesss tamed down and the puffiness was gone! By the second day, you wouldn't have even known she had it! The other treatments did nothing and we used them over a week. I'm all for the natural remedy when i can find one. Sometimes the meds cause more side-effects than good.
Hope your son gets better soon.
J. s.
My 2 yr old daughter had this, she never had any bumps on her buttocks; however, she would wake up in the middle of night with an uncontrollable itch on her buttocks. It would only itch at night... I would get up and get her in the bath and it would sooth her for alittle while; however, a few hours later the itching would start again. I took her to the doctor and he gave her a one time pill... by the second night of taking the pill she slept like an angel. The doctor said she probably caught the virus from a toy... the virus got under her nails and she put her fingers in her mouth. When my daughter caught the virus she had just started daycare... about 3 weeks before.
Anyways hope this helps a little... also, I know there are a couple of different types of "worm" viruses. So if your baby has different symptons then it may be a different type of virus, but the doc should be able to help you. Good luck!!
I hope and pray I never have to deal with ring worm again!! My 10 year old son got ring worm last August, 2006. It got so bad because it is so contagious, that he ended up with it on his scalp. At the time, the doctor never mentioned ring worm, and I have never heard of it, so he was treating him with an ointment, which was the WRONG thing to do! He ended up with a huge bald spot on his scalp. We ended up going to the ER demanding the doctor to take a sample of the 'pus like' draining and have that tested. That is how we found it it was ring worm. Because it got so bad, he still has the bald spot but new hair is growing back finally. When it reaches the scalp, ointments should NOT be used, oral antibiotics are the answer. Hope your son is doing better!
God's Blessings
D.
Dear H.:
I am an practitioner of Oriental Medicine (acupuncture and herbs) and I treat tinnea (ringworm) often. Don't freak out, it is definitely not a big deal. It is however, not necessary to use antibiotics or (god forbid)the anti-fungals. Antifungal meds are really h*** o* the liver, especially in little kids. I recommend the topical use of tea tree oil. A drop or two applied topically two times a day for a few weeks will fix things just fine. If the doc says it is something other than tinnea let me know -- I treat lots of kids.
A. Northage-Orr
I got ringworm when I was pregnant with my first. I worked in a day care at the time and the doctor said that is probably where I got it from. I used Lotramin on it as the doctor said to do and it went away pretty quick. It wasn't a big deal at all, though the term ringworm sounds disgusting. :)
I actually got it from a cat once when I was very young. I'd be curious if it IS ringworm how it got there and why there is only one!! Mine was everywhere I had touched the cat, so I had it basically on my neck, arms, etc. from snuggling the kitty while sleeping!
It's nothing to be too concerned about if it IS ringworm- it's just a rash that itches like poison ivy and spreads easily by the oils or spores, just like poison ivy- so the more you scratch or touch it, the more the oils/spores gets transferred to your fingers and then other places you touch.
If I remember correctly, the dr prescribed an ointment that was steroidal after we tried calamine and it didn't work.
If you *DO* have pets, I would certainly treat them as well to make sure it's not being passed back and forth amongst you and your pets!
-Amanda
If the dr's lotion doesn't seem to be working, pick up any antifungal cream such as they use for athlete's foot and use it once or twice daily and if it improves fairly quickly, it IS ringworm. It doesn't always make a neat circle as it usually does! In fact, I get dry scaley patches every winter that responds to the treatment. It goes away in the summer because it doesn't like the constant sunlight, but dark moist areas. A diet lower in refined sugars & starches...low carb... usually helps alot too. Lots of vitamins A and D, especially water soluble A will help keep it from returning. (Desitin with Zinc helps the immune system resist, FYI)
I contracted ring worm years ago from being on the equipment at the healthclub with a short shirt on. It was a raised ring about the size of a quarter. The doctor gave me cream and advise to wear a longer shirt to the healthclub and it cleared up in a couple of days.
I have it is HIGHLY contagious!!! We got my son a kitten for xmas a few years abck and didnt know that they kitten had the ringworm! We ended up passing it to each other. It took a good 2 motnhs to completely claear everyone up and we had to shave the poor kitten! Apparently it is on the animals hair. You also can pass it to the animals too. If you think its ringworm wash everything with a bleach/water solution ASAP to stop the spread! Did you do a search on the net about ringworm? alot of the sites have very good pictures to compare too. hang in there!
When my son had ringworm on his leg & genital area I had the Dr. look at it & she told me that an over the counter foot cream called Lotrimin AF works. It worked for my son & was cleared up within 7 days. My Dr. said it's common in kids. Keep a cream on hand in case they come in contact with it again. Good luck & hopefully this info has helped.
