in taking DS to the doctors for the 4th time in 3 weeks

[ChazDingle]

Sorry this has got abit long.

DS is 3.4, really really healthy, hardly ever go the doctors, last time until the last couple of weeks was prob over a year ago.

Anyway about 3 or 4 weeks ago he fell, just minor, couple of tears but soon distracted. He had a bump and red mark on his head so i was mainly concerned about that at time but i noticed the next day he also had a small graze on his thumb, no probs he seemed fine. Anyway the graze went all manky so went to doctors who gave us cream as said graze had become infected. Cream didn't seem to be working so went back and was given oral antibiotics. At this point he also had a few spots which doc said was linked to the infection in his finger.

Finished the antibiotics and finger more or less cleared up. Whilst taking the antibiotics he got a red sore looking patch on his nipple and then about a week later got a really red sore looking patch at bottom of back which looks sort of like a red sore looking burn mark. Went docs on monday and said it impetigo and has given oral antibiotics again. He's taken them for 3 days and it doesn't seem to be getting any better, if anything it looks worse and he's got quite a few more spots coming and the patch on his back just looks awful and is now weeping, its at least a couple of inches across. He had impetigo once before but that time he had more spots and it looked more like chicken pox.

In himself he seems perfectly fine, no signs of illness.

Anyway should i go to docs again tomorrow/ Friday or should i wait until he's finished the course of antibiotics? If i don't go by Friday then would have to leave it to monday which i think is a long time if its no better- but like i said above DS is really really healthy so maybe i'm over reacting as i'm not used to him being ill.

No yanbu, I'd definately take him back if he is continuing to get worse despite ABs. The doctor surely won't mind, that's what they're for.

Go back asap. This should be getting better, not worse. It's not in your imagination if it is phydically there and your GP would be able to reassure/treat whatever it is.

As a GP, I would always want to review a patient with impetigo if the rash is spreading. I might well not change the treatment (if I was satisfied that it just needed longer to work), but I would want to check the patient over.

Don't worry about having been 3 times in quick succession - I have loads of patients whom I don't see for years and then suddenly get a cluster of health problems. It's just one of those things.

If it is impetigo have you hot washed all bedding, soft toys etc as it may be getting re infected.

My ds had this over the Summer and it really did take weeks and weeks to get better as well as 2 x courses of antibiotics and he's 10 so knew to be clean, not touch it.

We did buy some amazing plasters from boots called hydracolloidal plasters which completeley sealed the wounds and helped it heal. Also for good measure used Graphites cream and also tea tree oil to treat wounds.

Is he OK in himself?

My son has impetigo at the moment. Our GP said to give it 5 days of antibiotics to start to work.
Well they helped in that he was less grumpy, but more spots kept appearing. So we took him back, and she has changed the oral antibiotics and started him on a cream as well.
So I would give it till tomorrow, and if he is still getting more spots go back. It may be he needs to change antibiotics or include the cream.
Hope your son is better soon (and mine - he has had it over a week now!).

ok thanks think i will take him in the morning. I posted and then immediately after read the thread about ppl struggling with appointments but luckily our surgery is quite good at giving appointments if you don't mind who you see and you don't need before or after work time. Do antibiotics usually start working straight away then?

Sorry see that you've said he is healthy and ok in himself otherwise.

I have to say I got to this point then went completely gung ho on it - lots of effort but really did work!

Just googled (know i shouldn't) as it doesn't look like the impetigo he had before. On wikpedia there is a pic of the back of a mans neck, DS's is more like that but prob a bit redder and then with more spots round the main patch.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impetigo

They usually start to work within 48h but it is variable and you can develop satellite spots even if the antibiotics are starting to treat the main infection.

Also, impetigo (which is a bacterial infection) can occur in other rashes. For example, you can get a cold sore or shingles then get impetigo on top . So it's possible that your DS has two rashes - impetigo plus another. As he is fine in himself, it's clearly nothing serious but, as a GP, I'd still want to check him over again as the rash has spread.

MY Ds's was just like that - it all started from a grass burn on his leg from Rugby then just went on and on wouldnt heal , then started to get it up his nose ( wonder how that happened ) then spots all around original wound which was very gammy and weepy most of the time by this point....

Then as it was summer where he had a an insect bite or anything really that started to turn so does sound very similar

Why don't you ring the surgery in the morning and talk to them? That's what I do when I'm worried after having seen them about something and they always call back.

3 little words

TEA TREE OIL

clears up impetigo brilliantly, no stinging, just dab it on.

DH had recurring impetigo that 2 GPs failed to diagnose, then one gave him some cream reluctantly - when it still wasn't clearing up, the 3rd GP was horrified it had not been diagnosed by her colleagues! and gave ABs. it got better but did not go. then came back again properly.

we were being really careful about hygiene (no one caught it!) but DH was suffering on and on - tee tree oil did the trick where creams and oral ABs had failed,

so now, first sign of any slight red sore, out it comes again and finally after 2 years of impetigo on and off, always on he same area, with DH knowing there was still something there even when the surface looked healed, it does not come back.

well thanks for the comments, took DS to the docs today so thought i'd give an update. Doc seemed puzzled that the antibioitics hadn't seemed to work at all and thought it looked worse than monday, she even asked one of the others doctors to come in for a 2nd opinion. She is not sure if it is definately impetigo now so has taken a swab to send off for analysis and until the results of that come back i am giving him double the dose of antibiotics he was on. She said if it stays the same till next wednesday then to just keep taking the antibiotics but if it gets any worse or he gets medically unwell then to come back before. Fingers crossed it all turns out ok, so glad i decided to go now.

I do like the doctor he saw, alot of people don't like to see her because she is always running late, today we weren't seen till 40 minutes after our appointment time, but she is very thorough if needs be and today we were in there for a good 20 minutes on what should be a 5 min appointment.