help me diagnose this

[AnimalBabe]

Not sure if this is the right forum, but I have a question about some symptoms my 14 mo old has had the last few weeks. He has had a rash that started on the back of one leg and then spread to his other and a little on other parts of his body (lower back, elbows, a little on his cheek). He has been going outdoors to play a lot more lately, and my husband did get poison ivy pretty badly. I took him to the pediatrician last week and he diagnosed it as "contact dermatitis," and said it definitely wasn't poison ivy. Other symptoms he has had include diarrhea (going on 2 weeks now!) and of course then also got a bad diaper rash from that.

I thought I read diarrhea can go along with teething. He appears to be getting more teeth (maybe another molar) b/c he is chewing on everything and more fussy lately, waking early, same things as with the other teeth. However, when he cut his other teeth he didn't have diarrhea.

I have been putting hydrocortisone on the rash and it seems to help a bit (though I will say it never did look very bad, just enough to make me wonder what was going on). Diaper rash is under control b/c of the tons of products I'm using on it every day, but the diarrhea is concerning me. Could that really be from contact dermatitis? The Dr. said it should go away when it starts to get colder. Could it be related to food allergies? The only thing really new in his diet is more citrus fruits (he loves strawberries). I never thought he had a milk allergy, but how would I know for sure? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

[BabyMine]

Citrus or anything acidic can cause diaper rash and diarrhea.

[lizzywednesday]

Any changes to the way you wash his clothes or changes in bath soap/habits? "Contact dermatitis" could be almost anything - soap, laundry detergent, lotion, bathwater additives, etc. - so I'd try to zero in on that, too.

The diarrhea would concern me most as a hydration issue. Is he acting otherwise OK?

[AnimalBabe]

Thanks for the replies. He seems ok otherwise, though a bit more needy than usual. I was attributing that to possible teething.

I can't pinpoint any one change that might have caused the rash. I had used some vinegar as a rinse aid in our washing machine twice (got that tip from this venue!) and had never done that before. Seems odd that would be the cause though right? No changes otherwise.

I had meant to note that the diarrhea started the same day after he got the flu shot (2 weeks ago), but that might just be a coincidence. He had the rash before the flu shot.

Maybe I'll try eliminating the citrus fruits for awhile and see if it goes away. Please let me know if you have any other thoughts! Thanks!!

[Indianamom2]

Citrus or anything acidic can cause diaper rash and diarrhea.

:yeahthat: I'd start by cutting back on the citrus for a week or so. I bet you'll see a difference in the diarrhea at least.

[hillview]

Sounds viral to me. DS1 gets a virus with diarrhea and rash. Often no fever. DS2 does not get this.
/hillary

[lkarp]

Sounds viral to me. DS1 gets a virus with diarrhea and rash. Often no fever. DS2 does not get this.
/hillary

This is exactly what I was thinking. My girls sometimes get rashy with loose stools when they have a viral infection.