splotchy face

Dear Doctor,
I am not quite sure you are the one to ask but I will give it a try.  My son , who is 4, was running around my parents house and got hot.  His face was very splotchy.  All around his eyes, nose, and mouth were pure white while the other areas were red.  He had a white line going from the outer corner of his eye to his lips on both sides also.  He was short of breath and didn't look like he felt too good. You could tell in his eyes like he was very sleepy. He was almost panicky.   We do have a heart monitor we place on him when he comes to us saying his heart feels funny- didn't have it with us that day of course.  He is being worked up for possible long QT - Ihave it and his sister does too.  My sister who is a peds nurse thought it looked strange also.  I thought I would get your opinion before calling his pediatrician.  Do you think it could be heart related, circulation, or does it sound like a normal thing that happens.  At first we thought he had hives but they weren't hives.  He had never looked like this before.
Thank you for your time,
zap123

[CCF-M.D.-CRC]

Dear zap,
This sounds more like an allergic reaction to me rather than  heart related.  Were there cats or dogs in the house?  Do either of your parents smoke?  Is there a lot of dust in the house (dust mites)?  Did he have anything different to eat?  I would keep a close eye for another episode and let his doctor know about this at the next visit.  If it happens again and he has any difficulty breathing call 911 and give him some Benedryl.

[zap123]

Dear Doctor,
No to all of your questions.  It just happened again two days ago at OUR house.   Again, he was just running around.  He didn't look as bad as the time at my mothers house though.  I was able to get a heart tracing on him this time.  I haven't heard anything from the heart people so I figure everything was ok.  He is a puzzling kid.
Take care, zap

[From a successful poster.......]

I'm certainly no expert, but just a thought along the lines of the doctor's allergy comment.  Some people have an allergic reaction to exercise/physical exertion.  I have this myself, in a mild form.  From what I understand such reaction to exercise can range anywhere from mild itching and/or hives to anaphylatic (sp?) shock.  Just something to consider.

[sisabell]

I use to get splotchy when I exercised, thought it was just normal. Since my ablation for RVOT VT I don't get splotchy anymore.... coincidence??? Maybe?

[eloridas]

I'm not an expert either--but I have a child who has a history of severe heart problems and a severe seizure disorder earlier in life and believe me, he had it all.  More recently, he has had reactions similar to what you discribed.  I got in the habit of keeping a polaroid camera around for proof of symtoms (symptoms), not because his pediatrician didn't believe me--because they are wonderful, but incase I might miss something in my description to him.  A journel (though you want help NOW for your child) has also been a wonderful tool.

[zap123]

Thank you everyone for your comments.  My sons Pediatric EP didn't know what to make of it either.  He said just to watch him.  Getting a picture is a great idea.  It did happen again mildly after he had been running around at our house.  I was able to get a heart tracing with his monitor but it was normal.  It was just very odd looking.
Best wishes, zap123