Skin, skin, beyoootiful skin

On Wednesday of last week, Nik went to the beach.  On Friday, he started complaining of some itchiness on his arms.  I looked, didn't see anything, and went on my way. 

Saturday, Sunday.  Same thing.  Except now he had raised red dots.  It was kind of hard to see the dots, because his skin was so red from all the itching.  Hmmm, well, let's give you some benadryl for all the itching.  It has that unfortunately sedating side effect, but I think we can struggle through it. 

When he woke today, the rash had spread.  It looked completely different from our case of hot tub folliculitis two weeks ago, so I pulled up my trusty friend Dr. Google.  I was immediately grossed out, looking at all the disgusting possibilites.  I called the doc and made an appt, and we were at the office right on time.  Actually, we were early - 11:15 for an 11:30 appt.  The front desk nurse looked at his arms, the spots on his neck, and the ones on his stomach.  "We've seen a lot of weird stuff lately. Lots of skin rashes.  Especially from people at the beach.  I'll bet it's sea lice."

Wh-what?  I'd never heard of such a thing.  Sea lice, indeed.  We weighed and measured him and were sent to the room to wait.  He sat on the table.  He stood on the table and discovered that he wasa tall enough to touch the ceiling.  He laid down on the table.  He walked around the very spacious room.  He opened the cabinets, playing with the gauze pads and the ear cleaner outer things.  (Yes, that is the medical term.  Shut up.) He opened up the door and stuck his head outside.  When I yelled at him, he walked away and left the door open. 

Ten minutes, twenty minutes.  Tick, tick.

He laid back down on the table, and put his feet on either side of the door, swinging it back and forth from one sweaty foot to another.  He rubbed the door handle with his feet.  He jumped up on the table and tried to push the ceiling tiles up, and discovered that the space up there was empty.  I fantasized about hiding out up there. 

Thirty minutes.  Forty minutes.  Tick, tick, tick.

He opened up the blinds and stared at the people sunbathing in their backyards that abutted the back of the office building.  He criticized the reading selection and made fun of the Highlights magazine.  He grabbed a rubber glove and blew it up and released it, letting it fly around the room repeatedly.  He balanced a tongue depressor on his nose and read the LAB order out loud twice, in different voices.

Finally, FINALLY, the door opened and the doc walked in.  Two minutes later, and we had a diagnosis.

Sea lice, indeed.  Different from the HTF that Riley had, but caught at the same place - the beach.  I'm beginning to think that the beach is not for us.  We left with the advice that you really can't do anything about it, but he could take 20 mgs Claritin in the a.m. and then 3 T Benadryl in the p.m., and coat it with hydrocortisone.  Just to make it stop itching.

The entire time we were there, I could hear other parents dealing with their kids.  Almost all of the patients today were young, and there was lots of screaming and crying.  I promised the Doc that there would be no screaming in THIS room, unless it was done by me.

Taking a teen to the doctor is so different than a baby, but at the end of the visit, I was still stressed out, sweaty and tired.  Just like when he was small.

Comments

[Stephanie C.]

That is so gross; I've never heard of it, either. Not much you can do about it, according to the link you provided. I read it all.

[Jodi@OC]

Ewwww. No wonder the pools are so busy.

I hope he stops itching soon.

[Hayes]

oh
my
goodness
I had no clue such a thing even existed! Glad it's Nik at least, and not a little one!

[EK]

Ugh, maximum bummer. I had heard there were more and more *infectious* stuff at beaches this summer. You certainly have gotten your quota!

Hug!

[Diane]

Boy, does that visit to the doctor sound familiar. I brought my two year old (covered in hives) to a "quick-fit-us-in" appointment and was forced to bring my other three children with me. We waited 15 minutes in the waiting room and 55 minutes in the teeny-tiny exam room. Four children. And me. In a tiny room. No toys, no books. Aargh.

The doctor apologized profusely for our wait. Turns out the kid in the room next to us had a paperclip in his throat.

[kalisah]

was it like little blistery bumps? I have that too but I thought it was caused by some reaction to the sun. Did the doctor say why only one person would have been infected? B/c my husband and child got nada.

[kalisah]

was it like little blistery bumps? I have that too but I thought it was caused by some reaction to the sun. Did the doctor say why only one person would have been infected? B/c my husband and child got nada.

[Philippa Alan]

Blech. That's gross. Poor kid. I hate when stuff like that happens. And the article said it could last for weeks! Geesh! Double yuck!

As for the wait, maybe someday I'll have enough guts to bill the doctor for MY time at HIS office. Especially when I'm ON TIME and the FIRST patient!

[Jess]

Sea Lice? YOu guys catch the most interesting things. I hope it goes away quickly, and I'm glad your hubby's so handy he fixed your power cord problem. My hubby's annoyingly capable like that, too. So, I figure, why try? He'll only just come in and do it right, after I mess it up more in trying to fix whatever the problem is.

[Christina]

This is popular here in Hawaii with all the surfers. Luckily we haven't experienced it yet but we use a product that is supposed to repel sea lice and jellyfish.

[Andie]

Hello! I came across this link and thought about your daughter and son's recent skin problems. Looks like its more common... thought I'd share:

http://www.bloggingbaby.com/2006/08/05/mysterious-mass-rash-emerges-from-a-mud-pit/