I’ve been meaning to get a post up about what’s been going on with Ellie, but we’ve had a lot happen in the last few days that has prevented me from doing so.  When we took Ellie to the doctor last week for the rash that developed on parts of her body we were told it was viral, and we thought that was the end of that.

But, it wasn’t.  Over the last week the rash has spread further down her body, into her diaper, and across her arms.  Actually the rash now covers everything except her face.  It has also changed from a flesh colored pimple-like rash to a red streaking rash.

She hasn’t had a fever or any normal signs of being sick, but in the last week she has been refusing to eat to the point she went 2 days eating absolutely nothing.  Of course that concerned me even more as well as her refusal to sleep.  Then she began to itch intensely when she hadn’t been itching at all before.

Each time I called the doctor’s office I was reassured it was just a viral rash, and she’d be fine in a few days.  I was being told most viral rashes run from 3-7 days, but as the 2 week mark approached her skin was looking much worse, not better.  I finally got an appointment to have her seen again yesterday.

I walked in prepared to discuss anything we have changed in the last few weeks.  I haven’t used the homemade laundry detergent on any of Ellie’s clothes yet, so I suspected the culprit might be something food related.  The only thing she’d eaten lately that would be “new to her” would be Spinach.  Spinach allergies are extremely rare,  and people who are allergic to it are also normally allergic to broccoli and cauliflower.  The doctor ruled that one out immediately, but the rash had her baffled.  She kept saying “It looks a bit like Pityriasis, but it’s very very very rare for a child under 6 to develop it.”

We ended up seeing a total of 4 doctors and spent an hour going over how the condition starts, the normal pattern, and what it should have looked like in the beginning stages.  When I mentioned that I opened the curtains on the french doors yesterday, stripped her naked, and had her play in the sunlight all morning to see if some of the redness would go away (and it did), Ellie’s doctor sent the NP out to get a medical book with photos of the condition.  She was sure it was a rare toddler case of Pityriasis Rosea.  As she showed me the pictures in the book I would say “Yep, it started with a ringworm-like circle on her shoulder blade.  Yep, a few days later it looked like someone slapped her back and left finger marks that spread from that circle.”

Pityriasis Rosea is a skin condition that may or may not be viral (doctor’s really just don’t know), it’s normally not contagious, and it normally lasts about 2-3 months although it can last as long as 6 months.  It normally occurs in people between the ages of 6-30, and she’s only seen one other case in a child under 6.  She said they see 1 or 2 cases max each year.

The fact that Ellie has acted completely normal was another sign of the condition.  Sometimes it causes a fever, nausea, headache, and fatigue.  Other times it has no symptoms other than the rash.  The doctor suspects the refusal to eat isn’t related, probably just a typical toddler phase.  She finally ate a cereal bar at the doctor’s office, and she ate dinner last night as well as breakfast this morning.  

The sunlight helped some of the redness disappear because the condition may improve quicker with UV light.  She said because Ellie is so young she can’t recommend the typical winter time treatment she recommends for older kids and adults.  That would be a quick one time session in a tanning bed.  In warmer months they suggest 30 minutes of sun exposure, enough to make the skin pink but not burn…just once.  She told me to keep opening the curtains and letting her play in the sunlight shining in the french doors when it’s sunny enough to do so.  Otherwise we treat the itch, and let the rash be.  It will resolve on it’s own in time.  If it continues to worsen and doesn’t clear up within 2 months she’ll see her again for another checkup.  Once it does eventually clear it’s very unlikely she’ll have it again.  Most people build an immunity to it like Chicken Pox.

So, I’m now relieved that we finally have an answer.  There isn’t a quick fix, but the condition isn’t dangerous.  We’ll keep doing what we’re doing, treating the itch, and she’ll be good as new in a few months. 

Tags: pityriasis rosea, skin disease, skin rash, toddler rash