ITT you give me medical advice for which you are not legally responsible

[tyrannosaurus vex]

BECAUSE BARACK OBAMA IS SUCH A MISERABLE FAILURE*, I am unable to pay for proper medical insurance for my child. It is very important that you do not judge me. This is why I am asking YOU PEOPLE instead of a doctor. So here is the series of events that has led to this topic:

Last week, about Thursday, my 6 year old received a blessing from Jesus in the form of about 20 (what appeared to be) mosquito bites, on his lower legs. These itched, so we treated them with anti itch cream, and lo, the clouds receded, and the good lord removed the itch.

Friday night came, and a few (but not all) of these "mosquito bites" developed some minor bruising, probably from my child's vigorous application of his fingernails, but no broken skin. We marked the bruises to make sure they didn't grow, but by yesterday the bruising was all gone. So, you'd think things would be better.

BUT OH NO. Today, my child has received fresh mosquito bites, and in addition both of his feet have decided to swell up. Also, the kid refuses to stand up or walk, because such activity causes him intense pain in his feet.

The pain is relieved by a warm bath. There is no discoloration of the inflamed areas. He has a history of not getting along well with mosquitos (if stung in the face, he inflates to roughly the size of the Goodyear Blimp, albeit without any pain associated with the swelling). He has no fever, and no swelling anywhere but in his feet. He is well nourished, not overweight, but he is given to freaking out when he thinks something is going to be awful, which might be influencing how bad he claims the pain is. Oddly, not a single one of the other 3 people in this house show any insect bites of any kind.

Please, for the sake of my sanity, try to minimize responses such as "Holy shit you're a terrible parent, get him to the ER right now, don't worry about paying because Mitt Romney says that's free, anyway."








* Not really, but I'm gonna blame him anyway because that's what Americans do when things don't go their way.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

How swollen? Are they swollen and itchy, or just swollen? The pain part makes it sound like hives, which is a histamine reaction, but edema can be painful as well. Are the swollen areas warmer to the touch than the rest of his skin?

Questions about the bites themselves; what time of day is he getting bitten, and could it be fleas or a spider rather than mosquitos? Have you checked his bed thoroughly? Wash all the bedding, flip the mattress, and vaccuum thoroughly around the bed, paying extra attention to cracks.

Try giving him an antihistamine like Benadryl and an anti-inflammatory like Ibuprofen and see if that reduces the swelling.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

Thanks for replying Nigel, we're almost at our wits' end. It may be hives, but the rash (if it isn't insect bites) isn't blotchy like most images of hives i've seen. The swelling isn't obscene or anything (we'd be in the ER if that was the case), red, or noticeably warm. He seems to be getting bitten at night so we suspect his bed, but after he got so many on Thursday we vacuumed, washed/changed the sheets and blankets, etc. There's no indication of insects in his room but that doesn't mean i know what we're looking for -- no bed bugs though, anywhere in the house. He's on Benadryl/Ibuprofen now, so we'll see. It could be fleas/spiders I guess, I don't think there are fleas around here but who knows.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

If you can't see bugs, it might be some kind of mites of chiggers.

[AFK]

Is there any fever?  One possibility that comes to mind is Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

There is no fever, no marks anywhere but the feet and calves, and no swelling but on the feet. Nothing inside his mouth at all (except a lot of whining and the occasional "god dammit.") Also I'm assuming the marks are insect bites and not a rash (some kind of pox or other such thing) based on the fact that they do not look like blisters at all, they just look like raised points of irritated skin.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

Also, for "pics or it didn't happen" reasons,

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Stumped. They look like ant bites, but you say they don't blister. And the swelling is strange...looks like a little edema.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Hmmmm. Those are weird as fuck. They don't look like mosquito bites at all to me; they are too clustered and unevenly-sized. Did each individual red spot have its own raised lump?  Do you have any idea of the time of day they occurred or where he was at the time? Is he initially complaining about them in the morning or the evening? Has he been wading in water?

I have one idea.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Oh, two more annoying invasive questions: does he play outside, and does he wear shorts?

[tyrannosaurus vex]

He wears shorts but he's had a cold for a week so hasn't been out much

In other news I'm now 75% sure I've Internet-Diagnosed this problem: Henoch-Schonlein Purpura

The symptoms and indications seem to fit:
- Follows an upper respiratory infection
- Swelling
- Joint Pain
- Lesions mostly below the knee on both legs

He's missing the abdominal pain, but that may not present until over a week into it.

Tonight he's sleeping in our room with a mosquito repellant three feet away. We have resolved to throw our Benjamins to the wind and take him to the ER first thing in the morning if his spots have grown or multiplied when he wakes up.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

BECAUSE BARACK OBAMA IS SUCH A MISERABLE FAILURE*, I am unable to pay for proper medical insurance for my child. It is very important that you do not judge me. This is why I am asking YOU PEOPLE instead of a doctor. So here is the series of events that has led to this topic:

Last week, about Thursday, my 6 year old received a blessing from Jesus in the form of about 20 (what appeared to be) mosquito bites, on his lower legs. These itched, so we treated them with anti itch cream, and lo, the clouds receded, and the good lord removed the itch.

Friday night came, and a few (but not all) of these "mosquito bites" developed some minor bruising, probably from my child's vigorous application of his fingernails, but no broken skin. We marked the bruises to make sure they didn't grow, but by yesterday the bruising was all gone. So, you'd think things would be better.

BUT OH NO. Today, my child has received fresh mosquito bites, and in addition both of his feet have decided to swell up. Also, the kid refuses to stand up or walk, because such activity causes him intense pain in his feet.

The pain is relieved by a warm bath. There is no discoloration of the inflamed areas. He has a history of not getting along well with mosquitos (if stung in the face, he inflates to roughly the size of the Goodyear Blimp, albeit without any pain associated with the swelling). He has no fever, and no swelling anywhere but in his feet. He is well nourished, not overweight, but he is given to freaking out when he thinks something is going to be awful, which might be influencing how bad he claims the pain is. Oddly, not a single one of the other 3 people in this house show any insect bites of any kind.

Please, for the sake of my sanity, try to minimize responses such as "Holy shit you're a terrible parent, get him to the ER right now, don't worry about paying because Mitt Romney says that's free, anyway."








* Not really, but I'm gonna blame him anyway because that's what Americans do when things don't go their way.

When my daughter was 4 years old, we almost lost her to an allergy.  Get the kid checked out

[Salty]

I would rule out hand, foot, and mouth. There are apparently some new strains of that stuff out there that act different. I recently experienced something similar and that's what the doctor said when I brought my kid I with something similar.

I'd get to a clinic or something either way.

[LMNO]

Random guess -- Impetigo?  I had that as a kid.  Pain in the ass, it was.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Are the bumps stationary? There are some parasites that can present as painful itchy bumps, but they would move slightly over time and you might see them leaving a trail. Also, is the anti-histamine having any effect on the swelling?