Spot’s Spots
So when I signed up for this whole parenting thing, I clearly had no idea what I was getting myself into!
On Friday afternoon, I went to pick up Oliver from the sitter only to discover that he is covered from HEAD to TO with a rash!
The sitter said she had a friend over earlier and while she was holding him she saw a couple of spots on his cheek. They checked and he had them here and there. By the time I got there, he was pretty much covered. (These photos were a day later, when his rash had subsided a bit, it was much worse on Friday!)
On the way home, I called the Ped on call and she said it’s difficult to diagnose over the phone but that as long as it’s not affecting him (he’s not irritable or scratching, in pain, etc.) or his breathing (GASP!) it should be fine. I said I didn’t want to wait for it to affect his breathing and she replied that if it were her she’d bring him in to the ER.
Sigh…
UCLA ER on a Friday night… Need I say more?
Actually, I’m being dramatic (No, really?! 
I can’t help it, it’s part of my charm!) as it wasn’t that bad (except for the crazy woman who insisted she and her mother needed an ambulance so they could be taken to XYZ Hospital (which doesn’t exist!) because the lines there were too long and they were just trying to rip off her insurance company, etc. Oh, her mother was either really thin or invisible!).
Anyway, we were only there for maybe 2 hours which all-in-all wasn’t that bad.
After a brief check-up, the doctor told us it is some kind of virus that we can’t do anything about or for except wait. He advised that If he starts to itch, etc. we can put something topical on it. And if he gets a fever or stops eating, we should immediately go back to ER.
As a one of my friends, who is a mother said, “When they don’t know what it is, they say it’s a virus!”
Thanks to some very knowledgeable pals on one of the forums I frequent, I now know that it is called “Roseola” and that it does indeed seem to be a virus and that indeed there isn’t much we can do about it.
Today after his afternoon nap the rash was all but cleared up. But that didn’t keep me from giving him a nickname: Spot. 
April 26, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Ooooh! Poor little guy.
April 27, 2008 at 6:24 am
Even with the rash, he is cute as a bug! Glad you only had to spend two hours in the ER–not bad!
April 27, 2008 at 7:24 am
Heh. My ped is a family friend, and when the Bug was about that big we were over visiting. He had a little rash on his belly, and Bill looked at it and said, “Hmmm, that looks like [insert impressive sounding diagnosis here], which translates to ‘cold accompanied by rash’”. Heee.
April 27, 2008 at 8:17 am
The good news is that once he’s had Roseola, he’ll never get it again. Kind of like chicken pox.
Poor lil Boo. I hope he’s feeling even better today.
April 27, 2008 at 9:04 am
I forgot to tell you if you’re looking for a good website for information on roseola or any other illness, try mayoclinic.com. I use it all the time for nursing. Hope Oliver is better soon!
April 27, 2008 at 10:27 am
Awww…poor little Spot. That would explain that fever. Add some oatmeal to that bath water. Poor little guy.
April 27, 2008 at 10:49 am
some children are just prone to rashes. if spot is one of them, hold onto your hat because dr’s are seldom able to give a specific diagnosis on rashes. my oldest had some strange ones. i just kept an eye out for the big warning signs….swelling around the face, breathing difficulties, etc. as long as those weren’t present, we didn’t fret too much. when spot gets a little older, benadryl makes a gel that is *fabulous* for itchy stuff like bug bites & rashes. it is even better if you put in the fridge….the coolness is very soothing.
April 27, 2008 at 1:17 pm
I noticed a slight rash on my forearms and wrists too! I must be working with too much acrylic yarn! OR it’s heat “frustration.” Glad to hear that Spot is better.
April 27, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I called my DD “Dotty” when she had chicken pox at age 1. Poor kid. At least Oliver doesn’t seem to be itchy. I hope it clears up soon, soon.
April 27, 2008 at 5:40 pm
And one of the reasons you got through the ER so fast? They didn’t want everybody else to catch it! LOL. glad to hear that he’s doing better. Yes, dear, this IS a huge part of parenting. But if you didn’t worry, we’d think something was wrong –with you. You are doing what every parent in the world has done. Its part of parenting. That old saying, “anybody can be a Father, but it takes a lot of work to be a Dad (or Papa, whichever word you are using for y’all). This is why. You have to go through all of this stuff to qualify for “Dad of the year awards.”
April 27, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Bless his little heart! (And yours.) Aren’t those rashes scary!? Especially when they mention breathing…:-/…
But usually nothing to fret over.
BTW, you make a handsome king.
Glad Mr. Oliver is all better now!
April 28, 2008 at 2:15 pm
After looking at the photos again, I would almost say that he’s allergic to some laundry soap. Look at the one pic, where there is an almost straight line under his left arm. Almost as if he was wearing a shirt, which would make it lighter if he was exposed to arms and legs, and then finally later they took off the shirt. If he’s got a problem with soap, it will be more on elbows and outside of legs. (unless its the shirt that’s bothering him, then it would be neck and underarms mostly).
So if it happens again, you would suspect laundry soap. My oldest had a rash like that going to a certain babysitter’s house, but not the other babysitter’s. We found out it was soap by trial and error.
Just a thought.
April 28, 2008 at 4:39 pm
All I can think when I see this pics is Lookit alla that CHUB! The spots don’t decrease his smoochable factor AT ALL.
May 27, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I knew I would love my children, but my biggest surprise was how much I WORRY about them! Glad he’s doing better