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Meningitis rash?

SmT97

Does this looks like a meningitis rash? My son has had this rash for 2.5 weeks now. It stayed on the rib cage on one side until it hit the 2 week mark and then it started spreading. I’ve gone to the Dr 3 times and finally at the third appt they gave me a cream and Zyrtec. I haven’t noticed much of a different due to me having just got the meds yesterday. I google everything �� and google says the meningitis rashes start out as blanching rashes which is exactly what my son has (it goes away when you press on it) but then they don’t stay that way. When I look up pics I can’t fully tell if it looks like this? Anyone know or anything.

Also, my son is not having a fever or acting sick. He is acting normal as well as eating normal!

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homogentisicacid

if this was meningitis, your child would not be alive for 2.5 weeks with no medical intervention aside from allergy meds. Especially if he seems perfectly normal.

Your only other recourse is to reach out to dermatology or an allergist.

Show 3 Previous Comments

homogentisicacid

@SmT97,

maybe two weeks?

SmT97

@homogentisicacid,

don’t be sorry. My anxiety has been through the roof with this rash. So I apologize for taking it the way I did lol. How long did it take your sisters baby for it to go away?

homogentisicacid

@SmT97,

sorry if it was a bit harsh, I couldn’t think of better phrasing. Yes, Dr. Google can be a resourceful tool, but if it is not used correctly, it can cause more harm than good. As the other poster commented, your child would have additional signs of illness, which is why I added the part about him seeming perfectly fine other than the rash.

My sister’s baby also had a rash that looked like this and they called it viral as well.

If your baby seems to be his normal self, I wouldn’t work myself up too much. If you’re concerned the rash is something more and you feel your doctor isn’t listening, try making an appt with an allergist or dermatologist.

I pinged my dermatologist friend about a rash my baby has that I’m assuming is eczema and he said they can’t do much to treat for babies other than manage symptoms and that’s what it sounds like your doctor is already doing.

SmT97

@homogentisicacid,

I know you probably didn’t mean this in the way that I took it but after reading on google really anything can happen. I know I shouldn’t go to google but I couldn’t help it. But that is why I came to here to see other peoples opinions on what the rash looked like to others or if that rash could possibly be. I have had the run around with this rash. And at first it was viral supposedly and now it’s an idk what it’s from.

aacaac

I'm not confident I can identify a meningitis rash versus a more benign cause, but I am confident that meningitis always causes additional symptoms like fever, vomiting, irritability/discomfort, and listlessness. I wouldn't worry about meningitis since he's acting fine, and consider more environmental causes like laundry soaps, new foods he's tried, or even whether he's been sweatier than usual in the areas that have the rash.

Pinebeauty

Looks like an allergy to something. Have you changed anything recently? Detergent?

abay387

Maybe a roseola type deal from a virus. Prob not meningitis, they’d probably be very sick at this point

kirkii1990

have you done the glass test?

Smj5085

I had to join to ask what ever happened with your son and his rash? I am dealing with the same thing! I suspected it was viral but it seems to be spreading to the other side. On Friday we will be going on two weeks. This past Friday the pedi said either viral or contact dermatitis.