Time for a round of Name that Rash...

[ciw]

Ok, mamas, I'm looking for your thoughts. DS broke out in a rash late this afternoon on his right arm around his wrist. I initially thought it was some sort of allergic reaction since he was playing outside today and he seems to be allergic to everything except air itself. But he he has no other allergic symptoms and the rash looks nothing like his usual hives. The rash is a series of maybe two dozen small dots the the size of a pin prick. They're tiny and a dark-red brown color. The color is the cross between a dark scab and the color of a mole but with a slightly reddish tint. They are not raised and they do not blanch when you touch them. They do not seem to be getting better or worse. He does not have a rash anywhere else. I'll be calling the ped. in the morning but in the meantime, does this ring a bell with anyone?

[DrSally]

My money would be on eczema. DD had a strange rash that started on her wrist small, pinpoint bumps and then went to the inside of her wrist. The ones there looked like little red blisters. Turns out we had some detergent residue on our clothes. I washed them again and rinsed in vinegar. It's slowly getting better, but is a brownish/red right now, which I'm sure will fade eventually.

ETA: I just noticed you said the dots are not raised, so I'm not sure now.

[noodle]

At the risk of sounding like an alarmist, call your doctor now. The rash you describe can be an early symptom of a meningococcal infection.

From the Lucile Packard Parent Care (http://www.lpch.org/HealthLibrary/ParentCareTopics/rashlocalizedandcauseunknown.html) site:

Call Your Doctor Now (night or day) If



Purple or blood-colored spots or dots that's not from injury or friction



Hope it's nothing.

[KpbS]

bumping--did you call or go in? Does he still have the rash?

[shawnandangel]

I just wanted to second the previous poster. Please call if you have not, and keep us posted! Hope it turns out to be nothing.

[neeleymartin]

bump...what did you find out? hoping it was minor.

[ciw]

Thanks for the replies and well wishes everyone. Sorry it took so long to post again - it's been one of those weeks. The short story is -- the doctor is "90 percent certain" it's not a meningococcal infection. She thinks it's just a bizarre allergic reaction. The color has faded a little since yesterday -- the spots aren't quite as dark -- but they are definitely still there. If the rash isn't gone by Saturday, I'll have to take him back to the pediatrician and I guess at that point they'll reevaluate whether it's a meningococcal infection.

[daphne]

My DS had something like that a few years ago. I think the ped said it was called petechiae. I had to take DS in for a blood draw, but it ended up being nothing, thankfully.

[ewpmsw]

Probably weighing in too late here. I have allergic reactions to spider bites that look like what you described. They often bite in a line and the rash looks terrible for several days.