Friday, April 5, 2013

Boo to Infections

Evan had some suspicious "pustules" on his face that were making me very nervous. When treated with bacitracin they seemed to go away but would appear everyday, even after bleach baths! I kept pestering his Derm for advice and even had cultures taken by his Pediatrician. The first cultures did come back positive but we were only advised to use bactroban cream to treat it. I became increasingly concerned as the pustules started showing up in clusters of a dozen or more. I was quick to snap a pic and send it to his Derm to be safe.

Unfortunately it was a Friday afternoon before the holiday weekend so I wasn't expecting to see or hear from him until the following Monday. We got a call from a concerned Dermatologist that evening, offering to meet us at his closed office first thing Saturday morning. Infections are something you cannot take lightly as they can be VERY dangerous for kids like Evan. Luckily by the time the appointment came, Evan's skin looked better. But he still had some pustules lingering. Cultures were taken from his eye and skin which again came back positive for two different types of bacteria. Since bactroban should have "taken care" of the problem he came to the conclusion that his eyes were harboring the bacteria which he was rubbing onto his face.

Now, on day 5 of an antibiotic eye ointment, I have seen less to no pustules on his face. We will continue this ointment for another 5 days. I am relieved that it has cleared up especially since I was told that the two types of bactieria found would require two different oral antibiotics (if the ointment was unsuccessful). So yet again we have lucked out and dodged that bullet. Thank the Lord!

This situation is a wake up call for me and a reminder to stay as clean as possible. We don't know where he got the bacteria from though staph is everywhere. It could have been anything; the dog, the cat, a stuffed animal, a toy, the car seat, his cheese puff hand or not properly washing up. I am a bit upset as I try to be as clean as I can and make sure he only gets fresh stuffed animals and blankets. I guess I need to be more adamant about washing/wiping down ALL of the toys he touches immediately afterwards. But with his condition infections are pretty much inevitable. I am just grateful that we caught it before it got worse, hoping his skin stays clear for the next 5 days and then some. This little man sure has a way of keeping me on my toes!

Munching on a french fry as we wait for our perscription

Photobucket 

1 comment:

  1. Hi Dede,

    We had these too last summer and fall a few times.
    We also tried all kinds of bath additives and oral antibiotics but in the end combination ointment worked fine. I'm sure it's not because you aren't keeping clean enough. As you said bugs are everywhere and our kids are prone to catching things more easily.

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