Auggie's Medical Mystery

Day 1

This all started first thing on Friday morning. Auggie woke up looking like this:

Day 1: Friday 

Day 1: Friday

Day 1: Friday

Day 1: Friday [Note: The big circle bruises on his right calf are spider bites from Wednesday afternoon. :( ]

Day 1: Friday

Day 1: Friday [Auggie had spots on his chin that spread upward onto his face, but he wasn't in the picture taking mood.]

I took Auggie to the pediatrician's office first thing Friday morning. The diagnosis was that this is a random rash that we likely will never find the cause of. We can give Auggie Benedryl if we want to, but don't worry about the red blotches, he's not contagious, and it will simply fade over time.

I'm not sure how I feel about this diagnosis. The PA only looked at his arms and the spots on his lower back. She didn't see his legs or anything else.. I offered to take his pants off, but she declined. I'm wondering now why I didn't insist. Arrgh.

Friday mid-morning he developed a low-grade fever, and Friday late-afternoon he got progressively worse. The red blotches were hot to the touch and growing. I called the ped's office in the afternoon and evening, and was told each time to give him Benedryl and Tylenol, and watch for lethargy or difficulty breathing.

Auggie was fairly grouchy and tired on Friday, so we checked on him a few times throughout the night to make sure he was breathing alright.

Day 2
Auggie's rash was significantly worse on Saturday. His face and ears were swollen and red with the rash covering his cheeks and moving up towards his forehead. The skin around his eyes was puffy and looked pretty awful.

At this point Dan was convinced this was an allergic reaction to some frozen yogurt that he, Auggie, and Eland shared on Thursday night. It was the only thing we could think of.

Day 2: Saturday (early)

Day 2: Saturday (later)

Day 2: Saturday

A friend suggested that Auggie might have Fifth Disease, and at first I didn't think that was it, until I found these photos of a kid with Fifth Disease, and what he had looks just like what Auggie has. Here's the CDC's page on Fifth Disease if you're curious.

Day 3
Today everything is looking better. Auggie's face is less puffy, the red blotches are fading, and while they're continuing to spread further, they're not as red. (Although they're still hot to the touch.) Auggie's energy level is completely back as you can tell from the photos. He was enjoying our little photoshoot.

Day 3: Sunday

Day 3: Sunday

Day 3: Sunday

Day 3: Sunday

Day 3: Sunday [The light blotches are still there, but hard to see in this photo.]

Fifth Disease or an allergic reaction? I have no idea. I don't remember having or encountering Fifth Disease as a kid, although perhaps my mom could shed some light on that. It's also known as Slap Face because of the tell-tale red cheeks. The thing is, Auggie's rash started on his body first (including his chin), and then quickly spread to his cheeks. Can it be Fifth Disease, which usually starts with cheeks, even if it started on his body? Once again, I have no clue. ... Anybody??