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sons lips frequently turn blue?
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.
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.
This is also what my doctor said. My son's lips tend to turn blue after he drinks cold milk, normally after he wakes up from a nap or sleep. His lips also turned blue when he was in the bath once. I am hoping nothing is seriously wrong. Your post made me feel better. Thanks!
My son was born at 27 weeks and is a twin. He has some minor heart complications but is monitored by the cardiologist and is doing just fine. This weekend ( 17 months old) he had an episode after drinking from his sippy cup where his hands, feet and lips turned dark purple. He was taken to the ER by ambulance but even while he was still purple, his oxygen levels were at 94%. After blood work, EKG, urine test, chest xray, RSV test and flu tests, everything came back normal. No answers for why this happened. I believe that the sippy cup is the culprit. I've been giving him a bottle again and he does fine but tried the sippy cup this morning and lips turned blue but his hands and feet were pink. He has had a small cold so at first I thought maybe he was so stuffed up while drinking his milk that he wasn't getting enough oxygen but even after sucking his nose before eating from the cup, his lips get blue. I dont know if he just doesn't breathe the same as he did on the bottle or what but with no other answers I really am leaning towards this being the problem. Does anyone else notice this as a possible reason?
My daughter is 8 years old.
We just found out that she has an Innocent heart murmur - the doctor told me it will heal by itself and needs no further check ups.
When she's been out for awhile, her lips are blue and very visible.
Is it just because she's cold or would it be the heart?
She complains of chest pain when she's crying as well.
We just found out that she has an Innocent heart murmur - the doctor told me it will heal by itself and needs no further check ups.
When she's been out for awhile, her lips are blue and very visible.
Is it just because she's cold or would it be the heart?
She complains of chest pain when she's crying as well.
I had the same problem with my 3 week old baby, she was really white, blue round the mouth and cold. I went to the on call doctor and was sent home being told I was a worried parent, next day we were in intensive care with her on life surport. Addenbrokes couldnt work out what was wrong we had hundreds of tests nothing came back and was sent home as she made became well again. 4 days later we were back at our local hospital in a&e same unwell symptoms. They found out she has SVT which is when her heart beats to fast , it is controlled with beat a blockers now and when she's 4 she will have a small op to correct it.
Addenbrokes told us to bypass our Gp's as the don't see sick baby's enough and to go straight to a&e where children's dicots are far more experienced.
Addenbrokes told us to bypass our Gp's as the don't see sick baby's enough and to go straight to a&e where children's dicots are far more experienced.
wow...my 18 month old has been turning blue at random times since the end of March. She is not cold, not sick, not having breathing problems...her lips, chin cheeks skin around the lips turn blue. She acts completely normal when it happens and it lasts for up to twenty minutes. It's completely random except for the fact that it always happens in the afternoon. She was born with a heart defect and was finally diagnosed and had surgery when she was 7 months old. After her surgery, we were told that every thing was normal and there were no other defects. These blue spells didnt start for almost 8 months after her surgery. We have an appt with her cardiologist in a month. Has anyone's little ones been diagnosed with anything?
My daughter had purple lips after breakfast yesterday morning. I took her to the hospital she was rosy pink by the time we got there. Today morning after breakfast she again had the purple lips. Cal, the doctor. She looked fine. Had her xrays and she was congested on the lower part of her lungs. He thinks it could be that when she coughs the phlegms scatter and plug the bronchi. The doctor gave her nubalizer to open up her airways. He said if happens again call right away. If the bluish tint is due to her congestion he said it shuld go away by the end of the week.
I have a 16 month old daughter who also has her lips, hands and feet turn deep red, then purple/red, then purple and sometimes even blue/purple. It is her lips, fingers and palm of her hands, toes and bottom of feet. She normally has a lighter olive skin tone to her but lately she has been more ashy. Her father is Turkish/Arab and I am an American Mutt redhead. Not sure if it makes much difference but its a factor. Not only does she turn these colors but she also will be ice cold on her arms and legs and her torso and head will feel normal. She plays and runs around like a normal kid. These symptoms usually occur more when she is active and sometimes when she is sitting but bouncing around like after done eating and ready to get out of her high chair.
The first time I noticed this was back in January and I rushed her to the ER cuz she was blue in the lips and on her hands and feet. By the time we got there the color was more purple but she was not acting normal and seemed lethargic. She had been sick a couple weeks prior to this with pink eye, strep and an ear infection so she still didnt have much for energy and would walk around a bit and then plop down. But on this day she was just sitting there on the floor kinda watching her older sister play but not laughing like usual. The ER doctor just said she was congested and to give her saline in her nose and Motrin for her 104 fever and sent us on our merry way. She suffered for a week with a high fever.
The symptoms slowed some or I just didnt notice cause I was busy with school and home. Well last week Monday I had some friends over and while at the store my friend noticed her hands were really cold. This was around 4:30pm. By 8pm she was blue. I rushed her to the ER and they said she had a fever of 102.5, ear infection and swollen tonsils. When I asked why she turned blue even while being active he said she was SLIGHTLY congested and sent me home. So I have been watching her for the past week and she still has the same symptoms, no change. We are scheduled to see her doctor this afternoon. But reading how many other parents are going through the same thing is not comforting. I have her constantly bundled up and it does not matter whether we are inside or out she is still cold to the touch but she does not seem to be affected by this. Other than this she has been given a clean bill of health by her doctor when we go in for wellness checks. She is only 23Ibs, a little on the shorter side and very much an on the go toddler.
SO like many I am a concerned Mom and want answers. Its not normal for a child to turn purple or blue. If I find anything out I will post here. Hope all the previous parents have found out what is going on with their little ones.
The first time I noticed this was back in January and I rushed her to the ER cuz she was blue in the lips and on her hands and feet. By the time we got there the color was more purple but she was not acting normal and seemed lethargic. She had been sick a couple weeks prior to this with pink eye, strep and an ear infection so she still didnt have much for energy and would walk around a bit and then plop down. But on this day she was just sitting there on the floor kinda watching her older sister play but not laughing like usual. The ER doctor just said she was congested and to give her saline in her nose and Motrin for her 104 fever and sent us on our merry way. She suffered for a week with a high fever.
The symptoms slowed some or I just didnt notice cause I was busy with school and home. Well last week Monday I had some friends over and while at the store my friend noticed her hands were really cold. This was around 4:30pm. By 8pm she was blue. I rushed her to the ER and they said she had a fever of 102.5, ear infection and swollen tonsils. When I asked why she turned blue even while being active he said she was SLIGHTLY congested and sent me home. So I have been watching her for the past week and she still has the same symptoms, no change. We are scheduled to see her doctor this afternoon. But reading how many other parents are going through the same thing is not comforting. I have her constantly bundled up and it does not matter whether we are inside or out she is still cold to the touch but she does not seem to be affected by this. Other than this she has been given a clean bill of health by her doctor when we go in for wellness checks. She is only 23Ibs, a little on the shorter side and very much an on the go toddler.
SO like many I am a concerned Mom and want answers. Its not normal for a child to turn purple or blue. If I find anything out I will post here. Hope all the previous parents have found out what is going on with their little ones.
1 Comments
Curious did you ever find out what causes this my so. Is having similar problems and we see a heart dr soo.
Thank you for this post. I have a 10 month old son who recently started displaying symptoms of blue lips, but nothing else. The first few times it happened I didn't worry much since he was breathing/behaving normally. However, I started to get concerned after seeing this happen several times over the past 5-10 days.
Tonight, his lips, fingers, and the heels of his feet were a little blue, too. Trying to determine weather or not I should call his ped., I decided to google the symptoms and see what I could find. After reading through multiple posts on the issue, I feel comfortable that what you've described is the most probable cause of his symptoms. (The first few times this occured, I told my partner that I thought our son was probably just cold.) He had just finished dinner and his bath, and I was getting him ready for bed when I noticed his blue-ish color. After getting him dressed and warmed up a bit, his fingers/toes were back to normal and his lips were pink.
Reading so many of these earlier posts, I'm thrilled I didn't make a rash decision and rush him to the dr... the tests would have cost me a fortune! Although, I'm not implying you shouldn't practice due diligence when it comes to the well-being of your child, I'm saddened by the lack of common sense in todays medical professionals. The tests and bloodwork performed in cases such as these is obscene.
Anyway, thanks again for the great information. I'll be monitoring our son very closely to ensure this isn't a more serious problem, but I am confident that he will be just fine...as soon as we turn the heat up in our house. :)
Tonight, his lips, fingers, and the heels of his feet were a little blue, too. Trying to determine weather or not I should call his ped., I decided to google the symptoms and see what I could find. After reading through multiple posts on the issue, I feel comfortable that what you've described is the most probable cause of his symptoms. (The first few times this occured, I told my partner that I thought our son was probably just cold.) He had just finished dinner and his bath, and I was getting him ready for bed when I noticed his blue-ish color. After getting him dressed and warmed up a bit, his fingers/toes were back to normal and his lips were pink.
Reading so many of these earlier posts, I'm thrilled I didn't make a rash decision and rush him to the dr... the tests would have cost me a fortune! Although, I'm not implying you shouldn't practice due diligence when it comes to the well-being of your child, I'm saddened by the lack of common sense in todays medical professionals. The tests and bloodwork performed in cases such as these is obscene.
Anyway, thanks again for the great information. I'll be monitoring our son very closely to ensure this isn't a more serious problem, but I am confident that he will be just fine...as soon as we turn the heat up in our house. :)
when i was a kid i had the blue lips issue. i was adopted, never breastfed. my adoptive parents never did anything about it, it was just passed off as a curious thing that the family just teased me about.
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at age 15, i developed Raynaud's disease, which is a phenomenon of unknown etiology but essentially involves abnormal vasoconstriction in the extremities, causing cold hands & feet (and in some cases lips, nose, ears) due to lack of blood flow (pallor) and cyanosis (hypoxia).
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i am now 44 and it has only gotten worse over the years. i have also developed very high blood pressure - i am not obese, am an ex-smoker, rarely take much by way of alcohol or caffeine. clearly there is some disruption of the sympathetic nervous system response.
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Keep an eye on your kids as they reach adolescence and watch for Raynaud's disease. it is very annoying and unpleasant and has no cure, and might possibly be involved in other circulatory issues down the road, such as high bp or heart failure.
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at age 15, i developed Raynaud's disease, which is a phenomenon of unknown etiology but essentially involves abnormal vasoconstriction in the extremities, causing cold hands & feet (and in some cases lips, nose, ears) due to lack of blood flow (pallor) and cyanosis (hypoxia).
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i am now 44 and it has only gotten worse over the years. i have also developed very high blood pressure - i am not obese, am an ex-smoker, rarely take much by way of alcohol or caffeine. clearly there is some disruption of the sympathetic nervous system response.
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Keep an eye on your kids as they reach adolescence and watch for Raynaud's disease. it is very annoying and unpleasant and has no cure, and might possibly be involved in other circulatory issues down the road, such as high bp or heart failure.
Sorry typo: NITRATES and NITRITES. First is naturally present in plants and our bodies, but when used in fertelisers and foods preservative an overdose can be fatal. There are strict laws on its use. It can contaminate groundwater ie water wells and is the one I meant, however, second nitrite is a toxic form of nitrate after it has undergone some chemical process and equally dangerous.
My daughter (2yo) had episodes of blue lips and mouth when she was 1.5 yo and I took her to docs - they told me she was fine and it's nothing to worry about, it kinda went and not happened again untill now. It happened 4 times in two weeks span - her mouth just went blue for few minutes and stayed pale for a few hours. The condition is called cyanosis. I observed that it only hapened after she had watermelon. The doctor said it's allergy, but I was not sattisfied cause she did not exibit usual symptoms. So I researched what can caus cyanosis. One of the types of the condition is not caused by chronic disorder, but by NITRITE poisoning! So I googled "nitrite cyanosis watermelon (or food contamination)" and confirmed my fear. Also checked her urine for nitirte traces and the watermelon juice - all posistive. This is dangerous as nitrite poisoning can be fatal or cause lifelong disorder. It gets into food through contaminated ground or water, and is used to preserve foods in supermarkets. I didn't know untill I dug further and furthe into it (how was one to know it as we rely on supermarkets to sell us safe food) Please, I urge all parents to be careful of what they buy and mention to their GPs as mine just said it was allergy... Also read up on it as it is wise to know how to avoid contaminated foods. It is v dangerous for pregnant women and babies under 6 mnth old. It leads to serious blood disorders. So, the ign of just cyanosis and nothing wrong with the kid is most likely nitrite toxicity! I'm buying test strips to keep at home so I can check urine when this happens. Good luck.
My daughter is 3 yrs old and has been experiencing the same thing for well over a year. I have only just taken her to A&E today and that was only because she happened to be blue in front of the GP (I didn't believe they would believe me/take me seriously). I was told the exact same thing as you. Now looking for answers as I feel I've been totally fobbed off!
Hi I just took my daughter to a heart doctor and he said her heart was fine. He said what the blue lip mean is a sinuistitus. As long as the inside of the mouth nail beds or chest area was not blue shes fine. She is getting enough oxygen as her stat was 100. My daughter did not have any signs of blue lip until she had a seziure. That disorder goes with a blue lip. But my daughter stays purple under the eyes. And blue on the top lip under the nose. Not the pink area of the lip. So with that begin said if my child has sinus problems it took a heart doctor to figure it out when a peds. or ear nose and throat couldnt. Just keep an eye on him and set him up an appointment with a ent dr. If the ent says its nothing see a heart dr and ask him/her if that is what your child has. Most kids are faired skin and it can be seen better cause there is vessels that are surfaced on fair skin kids. But I didn't take that answer I got a second oppion.
What all your symptoms were is what my doctor said to look for and if he had those go to the ER right away. My son just started blue lips after naps at daycare and a few at home so after the 6th time I made a doc apt for tomorrow so we will see what he says. Good luck to you I pray it is never serious.
My son just turned 12 months and is all of a sudden having the same issues, blue lips cold hands and feet and even a bit blue around his nose. Before he always had really warm almost sweaty feet so it's so weird. We took him to the Children's Hospital and a week later to our family doctor who both told us not to be concerned it's jut poor ciculation. What I did notice is this started right around when he started teething really bad. I know teething can cause some weird symptoms could this be associated with that? My doctor said no but some doctors don't believe a fever or a cold is brought in by teething either. Are any of the other babies teething??
Hello. My daughter is 20 months and also has had this since birth. My Doctors always said "she will grow out of it because some babies take longer to develop proper circulatory systems". Well, I am seeing less of the hands and feet if not at all anymore, but the lips ALWAYS turn blue when she cries hard or gets out of the water even here in the HOT HOT HOT Florida sun. She was born at 36 weeks and was on oxygen for a few days. She did have RSV at 10 months of age and she has only one kidney, but when she was born they checked her heart and saw no problems. HOWEVER, I am going to her 2 year checkup in April and will request an appt with a pediatric cardiologist....just in case. Let me know if you find anything that could be an answer. This is just odd. My 9 and 8 year olds NEVER had this happen to them either and my 8 year old had "undiagnosed" asthma but was on meds for that from age 6 mo until age 2 and has seasonal allergies, yet never got the blue lips. STRANGE....
WOW! It's amazing to me how common this seems to be. Just by chance, I decided to Google her symptoms, and this post came up. As with many of you, I have an almost 16 month old that frequently has cyanosis in her lips/mouth and slow cap refill in her fingers. It has been happening since she was born (mostly in the morning), but has recently gotten a lot more frequent. A little over a month ago, she began running a low grade fever along with sever head and chest congestion. We made several trips to see her pediatrician. He did seem a bit concerned, but wanted to try to clear up her congestion before getting too worried.She has been on breathing treatments for the congestion, but the cyanosis continues. I also have a 9 year old boy, and this NEVER happened to him. I have just been watching her closely and trying to decide when to contact her pediatrician again.
My almost 5 yr old has had this happen a few times over the years but just this morning it happened and he has been constipated for a day or two. He had just had a B.M. and when he came out of the bathroom his lips were blue, I agree with your vagal hypothesis. I typed in blue lips and vagal and it brought me to your comment. He also sometimes while running and playing hard will say "my heart is beating really fast" which I thought was odd for a 4 yr old to notice so we took him to his pediatrician and he said "some kids are just more in touch with their bodies"? Got a second opinion and she said she could not hear any murmurs or anything that would concern her. Luckily doesnt happen very often anymore but still worries me.
My son is 9 yrs old he also had a heart murmur. Doc's said he would grow out of it. When he was young the health dept gave him all his shots at once I was getting him in daycare and he normal doctor could not get him in for his chicken pox shot so I took him to the health department. Without my permission they gave him all his shots that he should have gotten over a period of time till he was 5 yrs of age. He became very Ill. he was sick for about a month almost lifeless, fevers and all. Docs said he would be fine and about a year later is when he started turning blue,Lips fingers and toes, cold to the touch. Docs gave me no incite to this. By the time I got him there he had no signs of anything. They thought I was crazy. He turned blue in the morning after swimming at school, sitting eating. As he grew older I realized with the blue spells he would spike a fever and then his body temp. would drop and he told me he was very cold. I started to warm him at that point and the blues would go away. Had him in er they would send us home untill one doc was releasing us and he had a spell I was so thankful he seen this only because I thought I would get and answer. At children hospital they watched him for 24 hours and sent us home saying i was crazy.I begged them to talk to the er doc that seen this. But they had never took the time to call him. I can say that he does not have them as often anymore he is always cold and in mid summer has a sweat shirt on and I always send a blanket with him were ever he goes even in 100 degree weather. I noticed that drinking milk and being around any one that smoked would worsen the blues. He has been wanting milk lately I let him start drinking it again and he has been swimming and went to a friends house over night and the parents smoked I let them know please don't smoke inside your home if he stays. But im sure they did. Because his blue spells are back. I still have no answers form doctors just that all tests are normal I monitor what he eats and keep him warm after swimming and baths. He stays out of air conditioned rooms and does not go to his friends house if there is smoking. The only answer I have found by doing research is Reynauds Syndrome. They say it is rare and no explanation for it. I am so amazed that so many of you are having the same thing going on. After all my years of worry I finally found people with the same issues as mine. I feel that it came from all them shots that he got at a young age. I hope all of you will find an answer soon. I am still searching.
Hi there,
Like many others on here I am shocked at how many people are experiencing this with their children and only slightly relieved. I tried to read as many as possible, I connect most with those whose children had pneumonia and will share with you my story of my, now 5 year old, daughter and my six month old son.
It was June 2007, I live in Northern Alberta Canada and its warm here during that time. One morning my daughter woke with a mild fever and she vomited clear fluid once. We were supposed to go to a BBQ that night but I figured I had to cancel as she was coming down with the flu. But a couple of hours later and no more vomiting episodes she was completely normal. We went to the BBQ, had a great time. When we came home I was dressing her for bed and I thought I noticed a faint blue line around her lips. She was happy, alert, normal. I asked my husband his opinion and we both determined it was likely the lighting. But mother's instincts are powerful and I didn't sleep a wink because I knew something was not right. The whole night I walked into my sleeping baby's room and picked her up and held her under the bathroom light, no more blue. I cannot remember what prompted me to call the health nurse line for advice, it was a new minor symptom and the details of the night before. Coincidently as I was on the phone with the nurse I fed my daughter raspberries for breakfast, let her out of the highchair and she set off to playing and then came up to me and she was purple. It was the most horrifying moment of my life and I still have nightmares about it. It looked as though she was sucking on a purple popsicle while in a bucket of ice water. Her nose to her chin, her lips, her hands, nails, feet, were absolutely purple. But she was alert, she was playing, she was talking, she was obviously breathing. The nurse told me to call 911 immediately. I did but they arrived 20 minutes later. At that point all that was left were blue feet and a dark blue line around her lips, as if I drew blue lip liner on them. The paramedics told me my child likely had a tantrum or held her breath and they would not take her to the hospital but if I wanted her checked out I could take her in my own car. I was confused and started doubting everything. I hopped in the car and went to the ER, the nurses looked at me like I was an idiot and didn't even assess my daughter for the next two hours because she was pink and happy. No oxygen stats were taken, no stethoscope was put to her lungs. My friend called while I was waiting in the ER and said "I got you a doctor appointment, go now." I showed up at the pediatrician's office, she listened to my daughter's heart and said she thought it was the cause. We went back to the hospital for an EKG and all was normal. The next morning the very same thing happened, minus the vomiting and zero fever but she has never ever been as purple as she was on that day. Nonetheless, this time she was a bit lethargic. I ran into the pediatrician's office and she admitted us to the hospital. All oxygen levels were normal, she was no longer blue at the hospital and never went blue the whole time we were there. Xrays came back that she had pneumonia. She was treated, life went on, but she continued to go blue every single day for months upon months. A second pneumonia only a couple of months later made us obtain a referral to a respirologist. He was determined that she was a chronic aspirator, inhaling fluid/food into her lungs continuously. He said, she has two of the three symptoms - her lungs make noise, they have "feathers" in the xrays, now lets see if she has the third symptom. For the next week you pay attention every time sheats and let me know anything abnormal. So I watched her like a hawk waiting for the light bulb moment that never seemed to happen. At a weeks end I called his office and told him I noticed nothing different, except that every time she drinks from her sippy cup she coughs. That was the exact answer he was looking for and from there she was diagnosed with Chronic Aspiration Syndrome. For the next year we thickened EVERYTHING to a pudding consistency, including her water. She had only one pneumonia the whole year. We were told she would out grow the aspiration around the age of 3.
To make a long story short, in the last 5 years my daughter has undergone an MRI, a million chest xrays, barium swallow test, endless blood tests, EEG, EKG, holter monitor, echocardiogram, neurologist evaluations, allergy testing, all absolutely normal.
My daughter now suffers from chronic lung disease, undiagnosed. It is frustrating, angering, and heart wrenching. Living a relatively "normal" life, she has at least one to three pneumonias a year on top of other respiratory infections like asthma attacks (although she is not a formally diagnosed asthmatic because she doesn't express the classic symptoms), pneumonitis, bronchiolitis, etc. She is hospitalized every single year yet still no answer has been found, no prevention possible.
Last December (2010) she suffered from the worst infection she's ever had and when she showed up at the hospital, which was a casual decision between my husband and I because she didn't appear to be that ill, her oxygen levels were so low she was oxygen dependant for the next 24 hours.
Last month we saw an ENT who is going to perform a sleep apnea test. I have demanded a new pulmonologist, and finally a pulmonary function test which takes place next week.
In the mean time, my fourth child who is now 6 months old not only looks like my daughter, acts like her, he has started to turn blue like her. I believe he is an aspirator, we see the specialist next month to confirm. He coughs frequently, he turns blue after he eats, but nothing more. This morning his lips were purple so I went into the ER knowing I would be treated the same as I was years ago. I was hoping a chest xray would be performed, but it wasn't. He sweats very easily, but it's always cold despite the temperature and can soak a blanket if he cries for more than a minute.
I understand the frustrations of every parent who has gone to the doctor with a blue child in tow only to have that child be completely normal when the doctor sees them. It's like a child trying to tell an adult something they saw and the adult saying, "yah, uh huh, okay sure honey," and not truely believing them.
My word of advice is persistence. Second, third, fourth opinions. I research continuously, I've demanded tests, I've bought an oximeter which I know has helped immensely in my care for my daughter during times of illness. She is resistent to two types of antibiotics now because of all her infections. There is a reason, there is an answer, I just have to find it.
Like many others on here I am shocked at how many people are experiencing this with their children and only slightly relieved. I tried to read as many as possible, I connect most with those whose children had pneumonia and will share with you my story of my, now 5 year old, daughter and my six month old son.
It was June 2007, I live in Northern Alberta Canada and its warm here during that time. One morning my daughter woke with a mild fever and she vomited clear fluid once. We were supposed to go to a BBQ that night but I figured I had to cancel as she was coming down with the flu. But a couple of hours later and no more vomiting episodes she was completely normal. We went to the BBQ, had a great time. When we came home I was dressing her for bed and I thought I noticed a faint blue line around her lips. She was happy, alert, normal. I asked my husband his opinion and we both determined it was likely the lighting. But mother's instincts are powerful and I didn't sleep a wink because I knew something was not right. The whole night I walked into my sleeping baby's room and picked her up and held her under the bathroom light, no more blue. I cannot remember what prompted me to call the health nurse line for advice, it was a new minor symptom and the details of the night before. Coincidently as I was on the phone with the nurse I fed my daughter raspberries for breakfast, let her out of the highchair and she set off to playing and then came up to me and she was purple. It was the most horrifying moment of my life and I still have nightmares about it. It looked as though she was sucking on a purple popsicle while in a bucket of ice water. Her nose to her chin, her lips, her hands, nails, feet, were absolutely purple. But she was alert, she was playing, she was talking, she was obviously breathing. The nurse told me to call 911 immediately. I did but they arrived 20 minutes later. At that point all that was left were blue feet and a dark blue line around her lips, as if I drew blue lip liner on them. The paramedics told me my child likely had a tantrum or held her breath and they would not take her to the hospital but if I wanted her checked out I could take her in my own car. I was confused and started doubting everything. I hopped in the car and went to the ER, the nurses looked at me like I was an idiot and didn't even assess my daughter for the next two hours because she was pink and happy. No oxygen stats were taken, no stethoscope was put to her lungs. My friend called while I was waiting in the ER and said "I got you a doctor appointment, go now." I showed up at the pediatrician's office, she listened to my daughter's heart and said she thought it was the cause. We went back to the hospital for an EKG and all was normal. The next morning the very same thing happened, minus the vomiting and zero fever but she has never ever been as purple as she was on that day. Nonetheless, this time she was a bit lethargic. I ran into the pediatrician's office and she admitted us to the hospital. All oxygen levels were normal, she was no longer blue at the hospital and never went blue the whole time we were there. Xrays came back that she had pneumonia. She was treated, life went on, but she continued to go blue every single day for months upon months. A second pneumonia only a couple of months later made us obtain a referral to a respirologist. He was determined that she was a chronic aspirator, inhaling fluid/food into her lungs continuously. He said, she has two of the three symptoms - her lungs make noise, they have "feathers" in the xrays, now lets see if she has the third symptom. For the next week you pay attention every time sheats and let me know anything abnormal. So I watched her like a hawk waiting for the light bulb moment that never seemed to happen. At a weeks end I called his office and told him I noticed nothing different, except that every time she drinks from her sippy cup she coughs. That was the exact answer he was looking for and from there she was diagnosed with Chronic Aspiration Syndrome. For the next year we thickened EVERYTHING to a pudding consistency, including her water. She had only one pneumonia the whole year. We were told she would out grow the aspiration around the age of 3.
To make a long story short, in the last 5 years my daughter has undergone an MRI, a million chest xrays, barium swallow test, endless blood tests, EEG, EKG, holter monitor, echocardiogram, neurologist evaluations, allergy testing, all absolutely normal.
My daughter now suffers from chronic lung disease, undiagnosed. It is frustrating, angering, and heart wrenching. Living a relatively "normal" life, she has at least one to three pneumonias a year on top of other respiratory infections like asthma attacks (although she is not a formally diagnosed asthmatic because she doesn't express the classic symptoms), pneumonitis, bronchiolitis, etc. She is hospitalized every single year yet still no answer has been found, no prevention possible.
Last December (2010) she suffered from the worst infection she's ever had and when she showed up at the hospital, which was a casual decision between my husband and I because she didn't appear to be that ill, her oxygen levels were so low she was oxygen dependant for the next 24 hours.
Last month we saw an ENT who is going to perform a sleep apnea test. I have demanded a new pulmonologist, and finally a pulmonary function test which takes place next week.
In the mean time, my fourth child who is now 6 months old not only looks like my daughter, acts like her, he has started to turn blue like her. I believe he is an aspirator, we see the specialist next month to confirm. He coughs frequently, he turns blue after he eats, but nothing more. This morning his lips were purple so I went into the ER knowing I would be treated the same as I was years ago. I was hoping a chest xray would be performed, but it wasn't. He sweats very easily, but it's always cold despite the temperature and can soak a blanket if he cries for more than a minute.
I understand the frustrations of every parent who has gone to the doctor with a blue child in tow only to have that child be completely normal when the doctor sees them. It's like a child trying to tell an adult something they saw and the adult saying, "yah, uh huh, okay sure honey," and not truely believing them.
My word of advice is persistence. Second, third, fourth opinions. I research continuously, I've demanded tests, I've bought an oximeter which I know has helped immensely in my care for my daughter during times of illness. She is resistent to two types of antibiotics now because of all her infections. There is a reason, there is an answer, I just have to find it.
I may have a possible consideration that you may want to explore. I am an adult. I do have allergies and asthma and my lips tend to get blue when I have an asthma attack. I don't always wheeze when I have one. I know I am having one when I get super tired or my lips turn blue or I am short of breath.
You have mentioned all the gamet of tests run on your children, those that posted, that rule out the other possibilities. The last one I am considering would be possible food or airborn allergies? Process of elimination or getting the child tested for it might be a good idea. My thought is that if they are allergic to something in the air or that they have eaten or drank that this could cause some asthma and that could create lack of oxygen and that could attribute to the symptoms. Many reasons a baby could have blue lips though. Many. That could be a possibility. Go to an immunologist and discuss the possibilities of this and what kind of tests can be run.
As for Perioral Cyanosis, that is a condition where the "around" the lips turn blue. Not the inside. It is important to note when checking the child that you also look at the tongue, gums, nails, and under feet. ER doctors can only do so much. It is best to go to a specialist. Since they don't have blue doctors, and you have went to the heart doctors and so forth, the next course should be to speak to a doctor dealing with allergies.
I hope this helps. Good luck.
You may not realize this, but allergies can be fatal if left untreated. Not always but anaphalactic(sp?) shock can be a sudden symptom. It would be a good idea after you have ran the tests on heart and blood to go for testing of food allergies. Speak to an immunologist. I believe that is the category of doctor that could help with allergies and treatments.
When I think of blue lips what comes to mind are lack of oxygen, lack of circulation or anemia. Blood or air disorders come to mind. It is not normal for lips to turn blue. You may have to research many conditions and ask that your child be tested for various things.
Did the child eat anything with barely, peanuts, strawberries, yeast, etc? Do you have animals in the house or a lot of dust?
You have mentioned all the gamet of tests run on your children, those that posted, that rule out the other possibilities. The last one I am considering would be possible food or airborn allergies? Process of elimination or getting the child tested for it might be a good idea. My thought is that if they are allergic to something in the air or that they have eaten or drank that this could cause some asthma and that could create lack of oxygen and that could attribute to the symptoms. Many reasons a baby could have blue lips though. Many. That could be a possibility. Go to an immunologist and discuss the possibilities of this and what kind of tests can be run.
As for Perioral Cyanosis, that is a condition where the "around" the lips turn blue. Not the inside. It is important to note when checking the child that you also look at the tongue, gums, nails, and under feet. ER doctors can only do so much. It is best to go to a specialist. Since they don't have blue doctors, and you have went to the heart doctors and so forth, the next course should be to speak to a doctor dealing with allergies.
I hope this helps. Good luck.
You may not realize this, but allergies can be fatal if left untreated. Not always but anaphalactic(sp?) shock can be a sudden symptom. It would be a good idea after you have ran the tests on heart and blood to go for testing of food allergies. Speak to an immunologist. I believe that is the category of doctor that could help with allergies and treatments.
When I think of blue lips what comes to mind are lack of oxygen, lack of circulation or anemia. Blood or air disorders come to mind. It is not normal for lips to turn blue. You may have to research many conditions and ask that your child be tested for various things.
Did the child eat anything with barely, peanuts, strawberries, yeast, etc? Do you have animals in the house or a lot of dust?
unbeleivable how many kids are going through this- with such similarities! and there doesn't seem to be an answer for it. so bizarre! my daughter is 15months, has been congested quite alot (more than normal, i would say) since she was 6months old or so, has had purplish and cold hands and bottoms of feet several times since newborn, and has been on soy formula w/added omega3 and 6 (she had some digestive/gassy issues as a newborn). it has happened about 3 times over the last couple of months when i have noticed her lips and fingernail beds turn bluish/purple. it has happened twice after she ate in the morning, yesterday it was accompanied by her chin trembling. i picked her up out of her highchair to hold her and get a closer look at her. she was acting totally normal, so i let her go play thinking (hoping) it was just maybe she caught a chill. when i layed her down to change her diaper a few minutes later, her lips and nailbeds were still purplish and her chin trembled again. it went away a couple of minutes later, but i noticed also that as she was running around her tongue looked purplish as well...i have to look that up. i kept a VERY close eye on her all day and she was just as playful and energetic as usual. she did just get over a serious bout of congestion last week (very runny nose, clear mucus) and had a mild fever two nights ago which came and went for reason being i thought might be her teething. taking her to the doc tomorrow- will post if i have any new info. my heart goes out to those babies having seizures and passing out- and to their parents... i can't imagine how scary that must be! let's hope for some answers SOON!!
Amazing - my daughter is 16 months old and her daycare has witnessed 4 episodes where right after lunch her lips and hands turned blue, got cold (temp was 96.4). Her attitude and activity level was normal and it disappeared in under 10 minutes. One time her arms turned ashen in color. Two pediatricians are trying everything and are stumped, cardiologist says heart sounds great and EKG is perfect. Pediatricians now want us to have a camera at the daycare to take pictures of the episodes. I have never seen it at home and was wondering if it was something related to the daycare. I have also been told of Raynauds, which I will be talking to the peds about on Tuesday. I was recently told about a book called China Study and how episodes like these may be related to diet....
I am researching everything - why hasn't a study been put together so we can find the common denominator!
I am researching everything - why hasn't a study been put together so we can find the common denominator!
The most sense I've heard in a long time. Thank you. My 30 month old son frequently has very blue lips and chin when he is cold, especially in the mornings. He is very pale skinned so its probably made more noticeable by that. He is also very rarely ill and even on the 2 occasions he has had a cold it never seems to get him down and he has never had a raised temperature. I am sure that he is perfectly well and yet the wealth of information about, regarding symptoms, makes it easy for me to worry. My GP has also advised me that his heart and lungs sound fine. I do always worry however and feel it prudent to keep on checking.
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