Reaction from picking blackberries

Yesterday evening my six year old and I were picking blackberries and there were a couple times when both, her and I got scratched/poked by the thorns. Last niht she woke up crying and complaining her leg hurt (same leg w/ the thorn scratches) but she said the whole leg hurt not just where the scratches were (from knee to ankle). We got her back to sleep, but sure enough....20 min later she was up crying again (leg still hurting). I ended up giving her benadryl and she slept the rest of the night. Could it be a allergic reaction that made her leg hurt?????

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

You are right in saying that it can be due to allergy to blackberry thorns.

Apply some calamine lotion on the thorn scratches.It will help soothe the skin.You can also apply cold compresses on the scratches.Pls give antihistaminic like benadryl.It is sedating and can be used at night to get some relief.Other nonsedating antihistaminics like cetrizine(zyrtec) or loratidine(Claritin) can also be used after a doctor,s prescription.
Topical application with steroid creams is also helpful.Severe cases may need oral steroid therapy.

Pls look out for any fever or redness or warmth of the scratches.These are the signs of infection of the scratches.In that case,pls consult a doctor.

Hope it helps.

Take care and regards.

[Shyhall]

Thank you for your comment. I just wanted to be sure the pain was from a allergic reaction and that I wasn't just sedating her. We have four children a couple w/ allergies and I've never experienced a reaction that was associated w/ actual pain. Thanks again