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Children's health

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Original poster

Meningitis rash but only slightly unwell?

13 replies

lisad123 · 09/12/2011 08:53

Woke this morning to find dd2 (who's 4) with 3 marks on her leg. Thought it was pen but it's not and marks don't fade under glass.
Called GP and told to come and sit and wait, here now but massives of others are too!

Now she's had a cold cough and a slight temp but doesn't seem very unwell.
What else could it be? Do I just sit and wait or should I be considering the drive to children's A&E??
Tia

OP posts:
AvadventKalendar · 09/12/2011 08:56

They want you to sit and wait?? Ffs.

Either demand to be seen now loudly saying you think it could be meningitis so everyone hears you in waiting room, or yes get to A&E

Really hoping it's not Sad

Original poster
lisad123 · 09/12/2011 08:58

Surely she would be more unwell if it was. Problem is rash wasn't there when I put her to bed last night and it's on front of thighs so odd place to bruise Confused

OP posts:
jaffacake2 · 09/12/2011 08:58

If this is a non blanching rash she could deteriorate quickly and needs penicillin to stop it progressing.
Time to be assertive and ask to be seen now.
Hope shes ok x

winnybella · 09/12/2011 09:00

I think that it's unlikely to be meningitis as septicaemia is the later stage/complication of it and as you say she's feeling well. OTOH obv. am not a doctor. I would go to the receptionist, show her the rash, tell her your worries about meningitis and demand she's seen pronto.

Original poster
lisad123 · 09/12/2011 09:12

There is 1 GP seeing all emergency walk ins and there is 7!! In front of dd2. Will keep close eye on her and of she goes slightly down or rash gets worse, I will make trip to A&E Confused

OP posts:
DeWe · 09/12/2011 09:33

Ds has had this several times. With him it's always a viral rash. I was told that although they like to keep an eye on it, in practice they could see it wasn't meningitis (so they did blood test rather than lumber puncture) as by the time the rash comes out they're clearly very unwell. Lost count of the number of hours we've sat in A&E waiting for blood to say its a virus.

Actually one of them told me that he thought it was ludicrous that so much was focussed on the rash as that is a latter stage and in some cases too late. Sometimes parents didn't bring the child in because they had discounted meningitis because of no rash, hence leaving it too late.

Quick test apparently is to get them to kiss their knee. If they can do this then their neck is moving enough to show it isn't, because the neck stiffens up. (I'm not medically trained, so don't take that as read)

Doesn't need antibiotics as it's viral btw.

larrygrylls · 09/12/2011 10:10

There are plenty of other things that can cause it, some not so serious.

The general rule is non blanching rash + seriously unwell=A&E
Rash but not too unwell=see GP same day.

I was told this on a GP's talk on children's health.

I think (not medically trained so take with pinch of salt) that meningococcal septicaemia and meningococcal meningitis are two separate conditions caused by the meningococcus bacterium invading the blood and meninges respectively. Thus, you can have septicaemia without brain related symptoms or brain related symptoms without the rash. Equally, they can occur together.

Original poster
lisad123 · 09/12/2011 10:24

home now thank goodness.
GP doesnt know what it is. She does however have swollen tonsils so came back with some anti biotics. GP has told me to keep close eye on her and the rash, and if it gets bigger or she gets worse to come straight back. She has also told me she will be calling us between 3-4pm to check on dd and her rash.
DD2 is now eating biscuits and yelling at dh iphone so i know shes fine.
Very glad i didnt waste a&e time, but certainly would have considered it if dd2 was appearing unwell.

OP posts:
rosy71 · 10/12/2011 09:14

Ds1 had a non-blanching rash recently on his legs. We took him to A&E although I didn't think it could be meningitis as he was otherwise well. It was diagnosed as Henloch- Schonlein Purpura which is basically a post-viral rash. (He'd had a dreadful stomach bug a week earlier.)

DeWe - how many times has your ds had it? I thought it was a one-off sort of thing. Is it quite common to get it several times?

VerityBrulee · 10/12/2011 09:28

When ds was 3 he had a non-blanching rash, but was fine in every other way. Our GP totally pinicked when she saw him as another child at the practice had recently died from meningitis. She gave ds a shot of penicillin and called an ambulance. Ds thought it was a great adventure to be in an ambulance with sirens and flashing lights. I was utterly confused. It turned out he had a condition called ITP, low levels of platelets. He was kept in hospital for a week, by day 3 the rash covered his whole body, he was purple. He had to have a transfusion in the end, but made a full recovery. He had had a virus/cold the previous week which had sparked off the ITP.

Original poster
lisad123 · 10/12/2011 09:38

thanks for all the advice. DD2 is still snotty, coughing but rash has remained the same.

OP posts:
Marne · 10/12/2011 11:23

Hope she feels better soon lisa, both my dd's have had it, dd1 went to the doctors yesterday and was told its viral and could last up to 3 weeks Sad, hopfully we will all be healthy by christmas.

DeWe · 10/12/2011 21:55

rosy71- I've lost count how often he's had it. These were the main ones:

The first time was at about 2-3 weeks. A large red mark about 1" long on his arm. The Gp thought he'd been accidently knocked by one of his sisters. I suspect he thought dd2 had bitten him, although he nicely didn't say so, because i was in a bite sort of shape. I know she hadn't btw.

2nd time he came out in what looked like about 1cm in diameter bruises all over his legs. He was about 10 weeks old. You could watch them coming out but slowly. Luckily I was with dd1's friends, one parent was a GP and she diagnosed him and arranged for bloods to be taken straight away. He was very alert and cheerful so you could see he was fine.

Similar happened at about 12 and 14 weeks.

I think at about 15 months he came out in tiny pin prick spots starting on his forehead and spreading rapidly to the rest of his body. The only time we've really been dashed to hospital because he had an ear infection and was unwell, plus the speed they were coming out was alarming.

In between, and since, when he's unwell there's a very good chance that he will have several pin prick red spots. They're typically on his ear, temple and forehead, but occasionally spreads further. If it gets below his head, or becomes very extensive then they usually want to do bloods, otherwise it's just something that he does when unwell.

It's obviously something he has a tendancy to.

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