sons lips frequently turn blue?

[clairemumof2]

Hi,
I was wonder if someone could advise me on my son, He's 16months old now and apart from being a handful is usually well except his lips (nowhere else) turn blue from time to time and I'm getting concerned as it is happening more frequently now! it does happen when he is cold but I've also noticed it at other times.I also have a 5 year old but his lips never turn blue ?
When he was 8 weeks he was admitted to hospital with bronchiolitis and at the doctor who examined him found a murmur? but said it was nothing to be concerned about and needed no further tests.
Should i now be worried?
Please reply as i'm unsure what to do.

[Me2mommy2b]

Turning blue usually means that blood circulation is not that great.  I'd have his little heart checked out again.  Good luck!

[wannabenana]

Blue lips can be a warning sign of many things, such as heart problem, anemia, lack of oxygen. I would definitely get him to the pediatrician.

[diamonangel]

I agree, I would get this checked out.  My nephew is in PICU for Bronchiolitis (2wks now) and when he was having trouble breathing his lips were blue.  It is a lack of oxygen.  Even if he does not have immediate problems breathing, he may in the future.  Better safe than sorry!

[Salyna]

You mentioned the bronchitis - does he often have breathing concerns that maybe get diagnosed as a cold, etc.?  This happened to my daughter, and when she was sleeping, she would make a weezing sound.  After many trips to the ER just to be told it's nothing, I finally found a doctor that would help.  My daughter was diagnosed with Hyperactive Airway Trap Disease.  This is like another way of saying asthma, but I think they were reluctant to say asthma because for her age, there was not definitive way to test her for it.  She was on breathing treatments every day for the first two years of her life and is fine now.  The blue lips never came back either.

[tricia448]

i have heard that is very serious...i wouldnt take a chance and call your pediatrician immediately! good luck!

[tricia448]

i have heard that is very serious...i wouldnt take a chance and call your pediatrician immediately! good luck!

[Missshellybean]

My daughter is 14 months and this just started happening to her. People keep asking if she was cold, but we were indoors in the heat. Its very random and I cant pinpoint a trigger. I took her to the pediatrician and he had a chest x-ray done and also some bloodwork to test her methaglobin (SP?). We are waiting for results. My husband was born with a heart defect, so Im worried! Have you found anything out about your son?

[KellersinCamby]

Have you heard the results of your daughter's tests?  We are having the same thing with our 14 month old daughter.  She had an echocardiogram just yesterday.  No blood work yet. . .would be very interested to hear about your results.

[Chaser12]

We are having the same problem with our 17 month old as well. I would love to hear what your out come is. We go on Thursday for our first apt.  I hate the unknown, the sitting back woundering if it's something or nothing at all.
The first time it happen he had a fever. I told my doctor and she told it was noting not to worry.  Now it's been happening just about every day.  The thing that is strange to me is he acts fine while it is happening.
Please let me know what happens.

[dantheman1577]

if that was my daughter, id be going to emergency dept now. dont wait...


its not normal, it has to be looked into.. cold or not is irrellivant.

[jw28]

Hello Im having the same problem also. My daycare called one day and said my 18mont olds lips turned blue, hands and feet were cold. It lasted about 10 mins and then it cleared with them putting more clothes on him. Made a doc apt for the next day and they said to put more clothes on him. SO I DID!!  Next day it was over 20 mins till it cleared and I took him to the ER. They looked at me like I was crazy because he was himself running around having a good time. They did all the bloodwork and and EKG. They couldnt find anything. Its very scarey. He went outside for 10 mins the other day and it was cold out. His lips turned blue and I ended up putting fleece hoodie on him on top of his long sleeve onsie and a long shirt too. I still dont understand how they would still turn blue in a warm room that just doesnt make any sense. He has a doc apt Tuesday and Im going to keep on with the docs that Im not comfortable with "just putting more clothes on him"!!

[rthompson72]

It's weird that I am reading so many people having this problem with their children. I am of course in the same boat as many of you. I come from a pretty healthy family background with so strange health issues for me or my wife. But a few weeks a go, my wife noticed that our son was turning blue in the morning (his lips, nail beds, hands, etc). At one point he was very sick with a temp, diarrhea, etc. Also note that my child is just over one and has allergies and is on Pulmicort and Xeopenex. Anyways, we took him to Toledo Children's Hospital, where he stayed overnight and they ran many blood tests (twice), x-rays on his heart, ecogram, the whole nine yards. The next day he looked and "sounded" better and was given a clean bill of health. Heart was in fantastic condition, etc. No weird blood signs, nothing. Now, today, my wife called me at work and told me that my 1 year old is/was turning blue again. Although this time, she said he was very happy, playing, etc, just like any other day. So now we are stumped. We know his heart is ok and we know his blood is fine. So now what is it? Mold? Carbon Monoxide? We are stumped.

[have_faith]

I just came from the pediatrician for the same thing! She said to make sure the blue isn't in the mouth ( tongue etc.) call back and we'll do blood work & an EKG. My daughter is 16 months and this has been happening for months I guess the doc was actually listening when I talked this time. My daughter is the same as many playing and acting normal when I notice the blue, usually seems to be in the morning. I thought of mold too, I think we're all just looking for an answer.

[rthompson72]

Well, he was slightly blue this morning in the lips and on his hands a bit. My wife ran him to his doctor so she could take a look at it. She is sending us to a blood specialist and we will go from there. She is could be a lack of Vitamin C? Doesn't make sense, but .... we will see. I will keep you all posted with what happens in the next week or so.

[nyychic]

My sons did that for a brief time I had him tested for everything he was admitted into the hospital while they tested nothing it's been almost 4 years but you should have the children checked because it can mean "blue baby syndrome" which is really dangerous and other things as well.  Good luck

[loving_mommy22]

wow, its so unreal that sooo many people are having this problem with there kids, my son who was born 12 weeks premature, 1 and a half pounds never had anything like this, but my daughter who was born full term is. shes 22 months old and has been having this problem since april... we are just waiting for the pediatrician to call us with an appointment so she can have some tests done, her lips will turn blue even if its really hot. its so random

[chimps2310]

My sons lips turn blue when he wakes up, first thing in the morning.   Its NOT daily, its a random times, and has occurred roughly about 7-10 times that i can recall.   Just wondering if anyone found anything out after blood tests, and heart tests.  I'm nervous now.....    He had issues when he was born where he didn't have enough oxygen and had to go under the "tank"  thing for 24 + hours, so i'm just wondering if that has anything to do with it.     He woke up this morning with REALLY blue lips, and they were frozen to the touch.   And usually in the past its gone away within 15 minutes or so, but today, it took over about 40 minutes.  

[michellem70]

We just adopted an 18 month old girl.  She has been with us only 2 days now.  This morning when I went to wash her face after breakfast, I noticed her lips were purple.  I called my husband in and they were purple/blue.  Her hands and feet were also very cold, although our other daughter, myself and husband were not cold.  After about 10 minutes, her lips went back to their normal colour.  I have noticed she is sensitive to cold after a bath etc.  Should I be concerned?  

[todoao]

Same thing is happening to my daughter... 18 mos. Her lips become bluish in color, it has happend 2-3 times within the past 2 months. She has no sign of distress and is acting totally normal. I took her to the DR last month because of it. At the time she was taking Zyrtec for a cold. DR checked her breathing and oxygen level, said all was fine & said the bluish lips were a side effect from the zyrtec. We stopped giving the zyrtec over a month ago....but it has happed again today. I have a call in to her Dr today, waiting to hear back

[todoao]

We went to Dr today, we have been referred to pediatric cardiologist, we have an appt for Jan 23. Hope to get some sort of explaination.

[MommyB08]

Im absolutly amazed at how many other parents are going thru the same thing. My 12m old started this last week on his birthday. he woke up & his lips were blue but he was happy, playing, talking..etc & I was in panic but it cleared up withing 10-20 min. it has happened 5 times at ramdom since with in the past 2 weeks. I took him & they checked his o2 & they told me not to think anything of it. she agreed to send me to a cardiologist next week for an echo. I work for anesthesiaologist & they were freaking out about having him seen & then they tell me not to think anything of it.  I would love to hear about someothers results.

[macker963]

My daughter is 22 months and her lips have been occasionally turning blue as well, It seems to corelate when she is cold I could be wrong.  It has been happening about 1-2x a week for the past few months.  She is going for a Eco soon.  She has occasional sweats at night as well, where her hair is very wet.  I am very worried.  My naturopathic doctor seems to think it has something to do with her pituatary gland being taxed from growth spurts and gave me some pills.  I wonder if he is right, it seems like everyone on here child ages in the 12month -2 or so age where growth spurts at there greatest???

[Caties_mom]

My daughter, who is 16 months, just had an episode today right after her nap where her lips were blue and so were her nails and toes.  She's been running a fever of 102 since last night and she has a runny nose.  We called our pediatrician immediately and his first inclination was that it may be the well water that we have.  We live in a somewhat rural area so we have our own well.  I didn't much care for that answer, I'm not sure how well water would make my daughter's lips, fingers, and toes blue so we took her to the E.R.  After a few tests, including a test for a Urinary Tract Infection, the doctor decided that she was just "shunting" her blood to her core away from her extremities, which is what caused her to turn blue.  I asked about a potential heart issue, but he said he didn't hear a murmur so there was nothing to be concerned about.  Also, he said that "most" babies who have heart issues are born with them, they do not just develop.  I'm still not comfortable with this diagnosis.  I'm not sure what I want to hear, but it just seems there has to be more to it.  After reading everyone's entries, I think my worries may be confirmed.  PLEASE, if anyone else has any follow ups with their children, ANY answers, post them.  I promise to do the same!

[Aydens_grandma]

Grandson 17 mos old, same thing for last 4-6 months.  Took him to doc 10 days ago, chest x-ray, no conclusive results, said he was crying too much for good test.  ekg, no results yet.  Reading here this is very common.  Can't understand why no docs have heard of it before.  If just these posts here think of how many others out there. Seems to follow in 12-24 mon olds.  Surely there are answers.  Please anyone who got results above reply back as to test outcomes.

[Ks_Mommy]

My daughter is almost 15 mo and this has been happening to her for some time.  My pediatricians recommended me to check her nails and toes too when her lips turn blue, and to squeeze her fingers, and they should turn white under the nail bed, and then pink right back up again.  They said if it doesn't pink back up, then to call back and have her seen.  At this point though I feel as though it's happening more and more frequently, and I would like to know why!  Her lips, fingers, and feed turn blue-ish at least one to two times per day.  Most often we notice it when she wakes up, either in the morning or from a nap.  She has had no other health problems at all, although does seem to get congested more than I'd like.  The MD suggested maybe it's because she is so fair that it's more noticable in her than other kids (very fair skin, red hair, etc.), but I'm not sure I'm buying that either!  I would love to hear if anyone gets any answers on this that seem to make sense!  

[Jazz8507]

HI, I have just got on this web site I have a 15 month old girl who just started this a few days ago, i noticed her lips were blue when she was playing with her toys and I first just thought she was cold so i turned the heat up in the house slightly and she went back to normal, then later that day when she woke up form her nap her lips were blue again but she was breathing ok and acting normal.  the next day when she woke up in the morning her lips, toes and finger where all purple, her face was pale and she was kind of lathargic.  I rushed her to the ER and we waited for 8 hours.  when we were finally seen she was back to normal and the doctor told me I keep it too cold in the house and sent me home, she also has an ear infection and a slight fever.  I was wondering if i should get her checked out further.  nothing in her enviornment has changed and it was around 75 degrees in my house so I am still a little concerned.

[DalmatianGal]

Wow I am glad to hear we are not the only ones but it is discouraging to see no one has been given any answers!  My 13 month old son has been turning blue, generally he's sitting in his booster at the table.  A couple of times he threw up too so we were told he was probably holding his breath trying not to throw up... but it's been happening more frequently and not associated with upset tummy any more.  I have been considering buying an oximeter so I can check his O2 when it happens and see if he's actually low!

[missy12395]

i also have a 13 month old son whos lips/nails have been turning blue...wether cold or not. i think the fact it seems to be a common problem is more comforting than troubling, maybe its normal? its a little wierd that not one dr can pinpoint the problem... it may sound stupid but i noticed my little brother gets blue when hes cold say after a bath, and hes really skinny..sounds funny but i also have twins and my girl is quite chubby and my boy whos been turning blue is much more lean...maybe that has something to do with it? i dunno, shot in the dark :(

[Tracie2000]

my grandaughter went blue and stopped breathing just as we came out of the doctors diagnosed with a virus, we ran back in and he gave her mouth to mouth and called for an ambulance. after anight in hospital and a blood test she was discharged with viril gastroenteritis, and an explanation that what happened may be how her body reacts to a virus. our GP is getting us a second opinion on 14th April has anyone else heard of anything that might give us some answers?

[stepwis]

the past couple of days i have noticed that my son's lips were blue. I took him to the ER and they sent us home saying they couldn't find anything wrong with him but to follow up with his doctor. I just got back from the doctors and all she could tell me was that it is common for pale children to turn blue. she said something about his blood vessels being constricted. I'm just wondering is that really normal?

[Jcmogadore]

Most of you have said that this cyanosis (Blue spells) usually happen when the child first wakes up. Have any of you ever considered sleep apnea. I just feel that it might be something worth looking into. Ask your Ped to refer you to a pulmonologist. Demand that your children get a sleep study. Sleep Apnea may or may not be the problem but it's worth looking into. If for anything just to rule it out since we all know it can be a life threatening condition

[jennamb]

It is amazing how many have these same symptoms...My daughter started have blue spells( blue lips, chin, Ice cold blue/purple hands and toes)... we went for the first echo since she was so young the first one they did not find anything 16 months... we went back a year later & they did another echo and thought she had a heart issue Bilaterl Superior Vena Cava which she went thru a heart cath to close the extra path.. well when they went in they found her pulmanary vein and arteries ran different... This is not the cause of the spells.... and was told it is acrocyanosis.. which I should not worry.. Since we live in MN a colder climate and she is fair skinned it is more noticeable.. I disagree since she never has a spell when she is cold outside.. It is normally happening throughout today..it a warm house.. but us happening more after she has eaten...We are trying Prevacid to see if this happens less often... I truely want an answer to this .... problem too... frustrated

[cliacone]

This really is astounding.  We have noticed the same thing in the last couple of weeks in our 17 month old.  She has been throwing up this week and has had a runny nose.  It seems as though maybe her lips turn blue after she eats?  I'll try to watch more closely.  I agree, that even though it has been cold here in NJ it's not especially cold inside the house which is where we notice this.  My husband's guess is that she is having trouble breathing while she is eating which causes a slight loss of oxygen.  When she was 3 months old she had an echo for an unrelated issue (Cutis Marmorata Telangetica Congenita sp?) and her heart was fine so my assumption is that is still the case.  Very interesting that so many people have the same issue in children of similar ages.  I am wondering if they all drank the same formula or some other environmental factor is at work...

[Stacixray]

I cannot believe all of these posts! In a way, I finally feel validated to know we aren't the only ones going through this. My 4 year old Daughter has blue spells where her lips turn blue as well, and it's happening more often. It does happen when she's cold, but also when she's not. It happens when she's sick, but also when she's not. The last time I took her to the doctor for a terrible flu with diarrhea and vomiting, he said it was her body sending more blood to her gut due to the illness. I accepted his explanation at the time, but in retrospect, I realize that doesn't explain all the other times it happens unrelated to being cold or ill. She was prematue at birth and was in the hospital for three months, so she was worked up for Cardiac issues at great length and at that time her heart was fine. And when she has these spells, she's not lethargic or exhibitng any signs of respiratory destress. It's just blue lips on a very fair, blonde little girl and it's disturbing to see.
     I have decided to take matters into my own hands and order a portable pediatric pulse oximiter (easy to find if you Google it). The problem is, her lips are never blue anymore by the time I take her to the doctor. The only way to know if her oxygenation levels ar really affected during these blue spells is to get a reading with a puse oximeter when it's happening. They're not that expensive. I found some as low as $68.00. I'm going to ask her pediatrician to prescribe one first, so insurance will pay for it, but if he won't, I'm going to buy one myself. It's the only way I can put my mind at ease if I can't get a real answer from our doctor. I know about all of this because I am a Cardiac Cath Lab technologist myself. If the pulse oximeter reads fine, and her oygen levels are normal during a blue spell, I will not be so worried.

[rowandtdsmommy]

I am very relieved to know that I am not the only one...my 15 month old son has been doing this (becoming cyanotic)  for about 6 months but it has been getting more frequent.  We finally have an appt with the cardiologist for an echo and we are getting some blood work done.  He is fair (skin and hair) but is not thin by any stretch of the imagination (he is a tank)...when he has these spells they last for about 30 minutes, we first noticed them at night...he did not sleep thru the night for many many months...it wasnt until we put a heater in his room and over dressed him (in my mind) that he finally started to sleep thru the night.  then he started to wake up blue...now he can only have a quick 5 minute bath before he turns blue (lips, fingers, toes) he does it periodically thruout the day however he is usually happy and running around there does not seem to be a rhyme or reason.  I am an ICU nurse and I cant seem to figure it out...it just does not seem to add up.  

I would be curious if anyone got any answers...I did like the idea of sleep apnea (not sure why I did not look into that myself)

[joto247]

my son is turning 4 and has suffered with tonsilitis and febrile convulsions since he was 6 mths old. his body flushes blue on a regular basis for no reason at all. after many doc and peditrican apts we have found out our son has hypertrophy of the ventricals and a murmur. we think its because of the many temps and infections he has had due to his tonsils. i just gave him a bath today and his arms and face flushed blue. it took me a long time to find out what was wrong with him and i say to you as a parent if you know your child isnt well keep pushing to find out whats wrong. the docs thought i was an overprotective mum but i knew it wasnt right for him to turn blue.

[Keekee475]

I had this with my daughter now 4 almost 5, hands and feet would also turn blue, it was quite frightening to see.

She has a hole in her heart, where her oxygen depleted blood gets mixed in with the oxygen rich blood - a common heart problem that has no cause - ie my pregnancy was healthy, I am a non-smoker, non-drinker etc and followed the rules of pregnancy to the letter so i was upset to find she had a hole in her little heart, but as I said this is a fairly common problem.

Whenever she was over exicted or involved in activities which would elevate her heart rate she would turn blue around the lips and in the extremities.  This was simply a matter of the heart beating faster, pumping the oxygen depleted blood around her body, and we were simply told in these times to try and calm her down a bit.  We have been monitered regularly by a cardiologist, and have regular scans of her heart - this hole can cover over by itself, and if it does not happen by age five, they give the child surgery where they insert a little umbella like plug over the hole.  They do not die from this condition, but it needs to be addressed as the blood leaking into the opposite side of the heart can cause one side of it to enlarge, making the child susceptable to problems such as arythmia(sorry medical spelling not that great) and other heart related problems in adult hood.  

Generally if you have the same condition they will get you to monitor it, teach you to manage the condition with your child as they regularly check the condition.  If it has not cleared up by around 5 years of age they will suggest surgery.  As it stands my little one will be receiving surgery later this year.

Hope this helps and gives you a direction to point your doctor in to check off this list.....

Good luck everyone.

Kelly

[Whirliesue6832]

I cannot believe how many other posts there are about this.  My 14 month old daughter started with her lips turning blue a couple weeks ago during trick or treat when it was a little cold.  Actually it has happened prior to this when she gets out of the bathtub but I asked the dr about this and she said it was just due to the temperature change and not to worry.  However it is now happpening when she cries hard.  My doctor told me to watch to see if the inside of her mouth also turns blue but just the lips is disconcerting.  I requested that she be seen even though they are trying to say the hole in her heart resolved itself.  I do not remember being told this ever.  I only remember seeing the scan and the hole and the blood flowing in a direction it should not be.  That was the last I heard of it when the doctor said it would heal itself or not be a problem.  Now this!  I want to know what could be happening to my baby girl.  My 4 yr old son never turned blue in the lips not even when he is cold.  I am not going to let this rest until every test is complete and negative or normal.

[rjmsam]

I am married to an ER Doctor. I also have a 16 month old daughter who' s lips have been turning blue for the past two months. My husband assures me nothing is wrong. It is during and after she eats. Is this the case with anyone else?
My husband is a wonderful physician and I do trust his training, however I am horribly worried.

I would love to know if any child was actually diagnosed with anything.

[kristyd1982]

was just reading and my daughter who is 11 months going on 12 months on 30th december we have just started noticeing her lips turning blue she was a premmie born at 27 weeks gestation and was born with the hole in the heart but we had a check up 6 months ago and the heart specialist said she still had a small hole but it should be ok .now im a bit concearned after reading all these she has also been hospitalized at 11 weeks old with bronculitus and went on a treatment for 5 months she just finished in september but i know have an appointment on wednesday to have her checked again
thanks kristy

[seanandrissa]

I feel better knowing that my little girl isn't the only one. My daughter is 23 months old and our daycare director told us today that she turned blue around her mouth and on the tips of her fingers and that it happens several times a day for the past couple of weeks. My husband and I are both paramedics so I would like to think we would notice if our child was cyanotic, but we've never seen her change colors. We were told that she doesn't act any differently when she turns blue, continues playing or doing whatever she's doing and doesn't appear in any distress. That being said, it scared me to death to hear this news and we are doctor bound tomorrow. I would love to hear from some of you who have had echocardiograms and blood work.

[netty271]

My two and a half year old daughter had these blue spells when she was about a 18mths old. Like everyone else, this seemed to happen when she was ill or cold, but also when she was well and warm - sometimes after eating.
Her heart is fine, her blood work is fine - so no reason for this to happen.
It stopped for about 9 months and last night, while I was changing her nappy, her lips turned blue again. She has a cold. Brought her to the doctor and he said these synaptic episodes are nothing to worry about... ha!
This morning, taking her out of her car seat, I noticed her lips were blue again! They stayed blue for approximately 15mins. I find it all very worrying but am somewhat calmed by the amount of parents going through the same thing.
I find that unless she turns blue while I'm actually WITH the doctor, that they look at me as though I am just some over protective parent.
I am taking her back to the doctor this afternoon as I am so worried... will let you know how I get on.