So I have question. My boy friends daughter came over today. We get her every weekend. She after dinner shows me her leg. On her upper thigh on back of leg is a perfect circle. It's red, kinda flaky, darker around egdes. She said...."i shoes it to my mom a few days ago and she said its exzema." Well my son has eczema so bad I have persciption steroids cream for him. I know what it looks like and her leg does not look like it. It a perfect circle. He has never had a circle. So I think instantly of ring worm. I don't know what it looks like so I look up pictures, and her leg looks like pictures. I try and show her dad pictures and say he needs to take her to doctor to get cream cuz I think its ring worm, and I don't want anyone else in house to get it. His daughter, almost 8 cries cuz I say doctor and asks if something is wrong. I said nope hun, I think you need a special cream, that's all & she was fine, however he believes his ex, her mom, that'd its eczema. And yelled at me for making a big deal and making his daughter cry. I thought I was trying to help. Her mom last summer sent her over, knowing she had head lice but told her dad it was fleas, not lice. I told him no way its fleas its lice, he got angry and believed her it was fleas and brought her over anyways. I made him take her to doctor where he laughed about fleas and within seconds of looking at hair said she had lice. She went back to her moms house, thought she took care of it, but she came back 2 weeks later so infested we had to take her back to doctor where we got a prescription strength stuff, all the while I had baby and 6 yr old to take care of, and deal with that, all cuz her mom did nothing. Now this. I understand kids get stuff, but I think her mom should know more, and not send her over infected, contagious, when she knows I have 2 other kids here. My question is, since her mom is claiming its eczema, and her dad believes her, does she have to go to doctor to get it treated? Of not what works to cure it? Also does it sound like ring worm? Thanks and sorry so long.
Edit: I have lived with her and her father since she was 4. She has never had any signs of eczema while being with us. We have her after school on Friday till Sunday, every weekend, and every other week during summer, that's why I did not think eczema either. Her dad has never mentioned ever she had eczema, even when our son together has it and we have been dealing with it since birth. Her mom has never said anything about eczema till now. So I guess I assumed it was not since I have never seen perfect circles on my son. Any other parent dealt with eczema that looks like circle? Maybe I am wrong about ring worm?
Thanks so much for all advice. Her mom has never taken her to doctor to say its eczema, she just "thinks" that is what it is. I have steroids cream for my son eczema I have put on it. If not looking better before we take her home Sunday, I will buy her cream for ring worm & send it home to her moms. Also her mom has Medicaid insurance for her, its 100% paid, so her not being able to afford to take her to doctor is not a issue.
I went to the doctor today for the EXACT same thing on my arm. She told me it was nummular eczema, not ringworm. I'm pregnant so I was freaked out that it was ringworm, but it's not.
Just an FYI - ringworm can be successfully treated with OTC creams, the same ones used for athlete's foot. Perhaps some of the issue for this other mom is being able to afford a doctor visit. Using an OTC lotrimin cream would eliminate the need.
Yes sounds like ring worm to me. Does it look like the shape of a cheerio? No you don't have to go to the dr. to have it treated. Get Lotrimin cream or anything anti-fungal over the counter and apply it a couple times a day for several days. If you have any questions, go to the pharmacist.
I have eczema and it does sometimes form a patch roughly resembling a circle BUT the circle is full not empty...does that make sense? With Ring worm the circle is the ONLY dermatitis the inside of the circle is usually pretty clear. Does the little girl have a new cat? That's always my first question. Because it's easiest to get the stuff from an animal though it does transfer from human to human too. Anyway, if the little girl caught it from an animal the animal will need to be treated too and I don't think you can count on this Mom to follow through with double treatments from the sounds of your letter.
I very well can be and probably is eczema. I had it as a child, and still get it on occasion and I'm almost 50 years old. I was missed diagnosed repeatedly until my mom took me to a dermatologist and I had a skin biopsy. Look up NUMMULAR eczema.
Of course you are not wrong and any mother should want to get it checked out no matter what it is. If you do not have the authority to take her to the Dr. maybe you could call the nurse at school and explain, let her look at it and then contact the mother. Blended families are hard and you need to talk with the father about respect for you and all the kids involved, this is best done during a down time and he is not defensive and no kids are around. Bottom line you need to be the adult and protect the kids. Good Luck
First.. good for you. This mom must be really stupid and your boyfriend needs a reality check. He needs to realize how much of an unfit mother his ex is. My daughter has had eczema since birth and uses steroid creams as well. NEVER has it been a perfect circle. It def sounds like ringworm. You can buy over the counter anti-fungal medications for her and make sure you wash her sheets daily. Ring worm is really contagious. You can get it by simply coming in contact with the fungus via couches, sheets, clothing, or physically touching the infected area. You can try these over the counters antifungal or drying powders, lotions, or creams that contain miconazole, clotrimazole, or similar ingredients. GOOD LUCK!
My son recently got a rash that I thought was eczema and it ended up being ring worm. His doctor gave him a cream that is for athletes foot/ring worm. It's not special prescription it looks like a simple over the counter cream that they put a prescription lable on. My husband said tinactin would have worked too. I would suggest going to the pharmacy at walmart and ask them if they have any suggestions for a cream for ring worm. I'm sorry that your bf is so defensive, not trying to be rude but he is in a relationship with you now and should really work on respecting your opinion and not take it so personal. I hope things get better and that the little girls moma starts taking better care of her. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas with your family!
My 3 year old daughter has eczema and a couple of her patches actually do look like ringworm. When her dr first diagnosed her, she said it was ringworm so we treated it as such. However, that treatment didn't touch it. So, she re-diagnosed as eczema, got her a new prescription for eczema, and it works! So, your little girl's patches may not be ringworm. At any rate she needs to be seen by a dr. And maybe her mom has actually taken her and that's why she says it's eczema and not ringworm. Dad needs to talk to mom to be sure what's up with the patches.
Eczema can look like anything & start any time. My sons eczema started at 18 months and is a chronic rash for example & has been diagnosed with a skin biopsy by doctors at Children's. That said, she needs to go to the doctor.
My daughter had ring worm. It sounds similar to what you described. I'd have it checked out. We waited not knowing what it was and it spread pretty bad. The cream took it away in a few days!
There have been a lot of comments with good input, suggestions, and information. I do have another idea that I didn't see mentioned, though. You said that the spot is "a perfect circle. It's red, kinda flaky, darker around edges." My husband has psoriasis, which is a skin disease related to eczema. Psoriasis happens when the skin cells produce more rapidly on an area of the body, causing the skin to flake and the skin to become irritated. It's not harmful, just uncomfortable. There are a variety of treatments for it, and you will usually have to try several to find out which will work best for the type of psoriasis you have.
Eczema and psoriasis run in families. So, if your son has it, it is possible that your daughter could have one as well. Almost every member of my husband's family has a form of one or the other. If you're really concerned, you could try taking pictures for a doctor to look at, just to make sure what it is.
I hope this helps :)
get athlets foot cream and put it on her leg! it will work
You're over thinking this. Yes, it's ringworm and it's not a big deal. It's not comparable to headlice. Go to the drugstore and get some tenactin. You're done. Even if it isn't ringworm (which I'm sure it is) she will not be harmed by putting a spot of tenactin on her skin.
Sounds like ringworm to me too. I had it as a teen. Mine was on my upper thigh too, right on my lap area. I do remember having some sort of cream/liquid to put on it, but yes the doctor had to prescribe it. The girl needs to go to the dr.
Here's a link on ringworm, esp in children: http://www.babycenter.com/0_ringworm_68229.bc
And this link I have bookmarked for any and all bumps that my kiddo gets:
(Picture 25 has the ringworm http://www.babycenter.com/101_visual-guide-to-childrens-r.... )
Yes, kids get stuff. Including ringworm and head lice. Ringworm is very contagious. It's not a worm, but a fungus. It's found lots of places in the environment, so really not something to be ashamed about, but definitely needs treatment. It needs an anti-fungal cream stronger than anything you can buy without prescription, so a doctor is necessary. All bedding as well as towels and such that have come into contact with it need washing - also hands, frequently. It can spread and get very bad.
Lice are a common problem, and need treatment too. In schools, people are usually shocked to hear that there are head lice, refuse to believe that their own children could be affected, therefore don't participate in treatment programs. That's why the lice are never wiped out.
Both of these problems would happen less if people would quit making moral judgements about the mothers trying to cope with them. These things happen.
We don't presume that people are morally lax when they turn up with a cold, even though there are things they could have done to avoid it, and it's also contagious. We don't say, "How could they be so thoughtless as to go to school or work and spread it?" No, we make them a nice cup of honey and lemon, tell them they're good people for trying to carry on with work even though they feel rotten, and do all we can to help. If the mother can't afford medical bills, she will probably convince herself that it's a bit of eczema, and leave it alone. This isn't a moral issue, it's a triumph of hope over good sense. If she feels you're being critical of her parenting skills she may argue with you about it for a long time.
I'd be worried that the mention of a doctor made the child cry, and that dad shouted at you for raising it.
It could be ringworm, but if it is, it isn't that big of a deal. Just use the over the counter anti-fungal cream.
It just sounds nasty, but it really isn't any different that athlete's foot. That is caused by a fungus, also.
Someone also posted about nummular eczema...... I've had that off and on, and yes, it is a small round circular patch....
Ring Worm is in the same family as Athlete's foot. So any athlete's foot cream generally will be effective against ring worm. The challenge is if it is severe, or in really sensitive areas, you need to see a doctor for sure. And if it doesn't go away within a few days, see the doctor. Good Luck!
My son got ringworm lady year from the damn cat! We called the doctor and they said to buy lotrimen for athletes foot and jock itch. Wr used it twice as day for about a month. It worked. I know it can take a while to get rid of. They said to make sure you wash hands and bedding often. The rest of us never caught it.
If it's ring worm then putting an over the counter anti fungal cream on it then covering it with a bandaid for a few days should clear it up drastically. If that doesn't help, it's something else. If it starts to clear up, then keep using the antifungal for a couple of weeks to make sure it is gone.
As far as not sending her to her dad if she is infected with something... well, I have to disagree on this one. He is her dad and should be equally involved with parenting, her mom shouldn't have to keep her just because she isn't in perfect health. She is his kid as much as yours are, and you wouldn't send away one of your kids when they were sick just to protect the other one, would you? He can take her to the doctor and figure stuff out when it is his time with her just like the mom *should* when it is her time. If mom isn't stepping up to the plate, instead of making her keep the kid, have your husband do what the mom isn't.
My daughter had dermatitis that I could have sworn was ringworm. Circular. Upper leg area and behind the knees. All kinds of tests were run. Doctors had no idea what it could be and just called it eczema. Turned out to be dermatitis from a non-allergic rubber sensitivity.
Also, I agree with Kathleen R., Dad needs to step up.
Edit: I just googled nummular eczema and that looked exactly like what my daughter had. That's the first I've heard of it.
