Sore that won't heal after 2 months

[concernedaboutmybaby]

My baby is almost 18 months old.  Over the summer she seemed to get a few (what I initially thought to be) bug bites on her head (her temples mostly).  These "bites" looked a bit like nasty mosquito bites but they took an awful long time to heal.  One would finally heal and another would pop up.  After about six or seven "bites" I started to worry that they were not bites at all.  They would get red and swollen and eventually a bit scabby but never really seemed to bother her.  Now in late June of this summer I noticed a small bump on her right shin.  This small bump then turned into what looked like a larger blister.  The blister seemed to erupt and it has since gotten quite red and inflamed and it now has a scab on it and it just is not getting any better.  Now I'm thinking of things like diabetes, flesh-eating disease or some sort of immune deficiency or something worse like cancer (I don't know if this would have any bearing on the subject but both my parents died from the disease, although neither had skin cancer).  The one thing that also comes to mind is the fact that I have genital herpes.  From 36 weeks in my pregnancy onwards (she was born at almost 42 weeks) I took Avirax to help ensure I would not have an outbreak prior to delivery.  I don't think that I had any lesions when I delivered her but I am of the understanding that a person can be asymtomatic and still be able to pass along the virus.  Right now her sore is red and swollen (slightly small than a dime I would say) and there is a scab in the centre.  It is just not healing and I'm very concerned.  I do have an appointment for her to see a skin specialist but that is some time from now and I am hopeful that you could shed some light on this in the interim.  Thank you in advance for your input.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

It certainly isn't herpes, so you needn't worry about that.  Inflamed, pimple-like bums can take a very long time to heal, without its meaning anything.  The scab you describe sounds as though it may be from being rubbed.  I'd advise you to apply bacitracin or neosporin ointment to the spot once a day and keep it covered with a band-aid.  It may well have subsided, substantially if not completely, by the time you see the skin doctor.



Take care.  Your daughter should be fine.



Dr. Rockoff

[concernedaboutmybaby]

Thank you so much for your advice.  It is very much appreciated.  I think the day I became a mother I also became a hypchondriac.



Again, many thanks.

[kc7dwa]

A related discussion, damaged skin? was started.