My 3 yr old boy has had redness on the apple of his right cheek every afternoon/evening and sometimes during the day for 2 weeks. The first day it was on both cheeks, he felt a little warm, but not feverish. A few days later he had a very slight runny nose, a few days later he had a little cough, then he was feverish (100.1 oral). His cough got a little worse, now it's a lttle better and he has a little more of a runny nose. I kept him home from preschool last Thursday since he had the fever the night before and we have been laying low the last several days. His almost 2 yo sister has had a milder case of runny nose/congestion, not really much coughing and no red cheeks, one night she felt a little low grade feverish.
My thought was/is that this is a viral thing and it will pass, we have not gone to the doctors office. They still play and eat and sleep and don't seem terribly sick and I wouldn't want antibiotics especially if it's viral.
Just wondering if anyone has seen this red cheek thing before, or if there is some childhood illness i may be overlooking that may need attention.
Thanks for any advice or input!
If it is indeed Fifths disease, and it sounds likely, I wonder if there is any reason to see the doctor. Sounds like they would not do anything except write it in their charts.
Thanks for the advice and info ladies, what a wonderful resource and support system!
It may be Fifth's Disease. If so, just wait it out as it's viral. My son had it and ran a very low grade fever off and on. He had the rash on his face off and on, but he also had a "hive" looking rash on his torso and arms. Some of the rash was itchy at times. It really didn't slow him down much at all. Once the rash has appeared it's no longer contagious.
Agreed, sounds like Fifth's to me also. The cheek gets that "slapped cheek" look, so they call it. Check his hands and feet for any lacy-patterned redness, also a telltale sign. Unfortunately by the time the redness comes out they have already exposed whoever they've been around recently, but not much you can do about that. Call your ped.
I agree with fifth disease. We just went through it. My 3 YO had same symptoms. He kept getting red rashy cheeks off and on...fatigued, but still with energy....
what we did to make sure his skin was comfortable for him while he went through it.... (we were in NY at the time on holiday right before the snow) -- keep cheeks moist and don't overheat rooms. we got as much fresh air as possible. also, plenty of water to drink....
while not contagious at this stage, we were advised by the dr. to stay away from pregnant women and those with low immune systems.
It goes away on its own after about 2 weeks or so...
Fifth disease. It's a viral disease that will need to run it's course, but it is contagious. Treat it like you would any other cold or virus.
Make sure you don't have her around a pregnant woman. Here's a March of Dimes link for you to read:
http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/complications_fifth...
Dawn
I agree with possibly Fifth's. Google it.
Fifths Disease was my first thought too! I agree the doctors might just write it in their chart, but if nothing prohibits you from going to the doctor (like no insurance or high co-pay), you should go anyway. My 4 year old recently had a string of illnesses and since we had pediatrician records on all of them, they were able to piece together a strange puzzle when certain symptoms recurred and helped him get better. It's almost impossible to remember illnesses after the fact though, so having an accurate chart can be helpful when you least suspect it. Good luck with your little cuties!
my 2.5 yr old had it two wks ago, same as cindy r said. took abt a good wk to clear up.i guess this os the time of yr to get it.
