1 year old with blue/purple lips with pic

[hannah345]

Hello! I'm desperately seeking advice and yes I have been to the doctors but they have no clue and referrals have been made.

I have a one year old, and each and every time he eats, his lips go purple/blue. He's absolutely fine in himself and perfectly happy
This has been going on since 4 months old but now he's just turned one, it's happening every meal time.

Has anyone ever experienced this before and know why? (Picture in comments)

Can't upload a pic

Xx

It’s probably just blood flow as he gets used to using those mistakes OP. Is there a remarkable difference between when he isn’t eating?

@Notgivenuphope yes, absolutely. His lips are so plumpy and pink. It's a dramatic change x

Can you show a before because that looks pretty normal to me.

Weird. If he is otherwise well and eating normally I can’t imagine it’s anything major. Perhaps a bit like an equivalent Asian flush (which affects certain skin tones after alcohol, not that kiddo has drunk alcohol of course)

My sons do this when he has eaten something salty or spicy? If he eats salt and vinegar crisps they go almost white with a pink outline. Doesn't seem to bother him.

Also if he eats any sort of haribo or sugary sweet he gets blotches on his face.

Both things disappear without help but it can be quite alarming.

Are they distressed at all when the lips change colour?

Sorry just read that they are happy.

Maybe just a little reaction to something they are eating?

This is his lips normally. He doesn't have any spicy, sugary, salty foods. It happens every time he eats. Doesn't matter what he eats

I'm really interested in this - I have a little girl who just turned 3. Her lips have randomly gone blue / purple several times in her life. But not after every meal at all - just every few weeks or months. She has an egg allergy and we think some other allergy to something as yet determined - nothing showed on the generic test they did but she gets random hives from other things. Anyway, today I picked her up from nursery and they said her lips have gone really blue - and this isn't the first time they flagged it (they flagged it maybe a few months ago) Anyway, today I just called the doctor. The doc was pretty unhelpful...hence why I'm googling! It wouldn't surprise me if she's having a reaction to something....and finding your post makes me wonder if this blue lip thing happens after she eats too...I just hadn't connected the dots before maybe?

Is there anything they eat at every meal such as bread, dairy?

I think I would start a detailed ingredient diary.

Is he having cold milk alongside his meals? I work with children and have seen a number of children react like this to cold milk. Otherwise have no idea, sorry

Sorry just seen you say it’s been happening since 4 months old so wouldn’t be cold milk

This happened to my son sometimes up until about two, it was his blood oxygen. Perhaps someone has a pulse oximeter you could borrow. Cold air helped. He has a tendency to atypical croup, which I’ve always thought was linked.

Yes that's what sent me to the docs today, worrying it was a blood oxygen thing after a quick google. Of course, by the time we get there hours later, her lips are totally normal and she's been running round like a maniac and her oxygen sats were 99. But that doesn't mean they weren't low when her lips were blue.....

what caused that in your little one? And he's absolutely fine now?

Presume they've listened to his heart?

We haven’t been able to find out, it is probably something in the throat that hopefully he will grow out of. We have to call an ambulance once or twice a year (from about age two to six now) because he can’t breathe but because the focus at that point is different nobody ever can look at what is happening during an attack. Perhaps it’s related, perhaps not. At this rate he will probably grow out of it before they can work it out

Is where they sit to eat chilly? My kids have reynauds (inherited from me) and their lips turn blue if they are cold. Even a cool breeze can trigger it. If they sit in the same place to eat their food and it is chillier than the rest of the house it could set it off.

Does he have any other medical issues? I’m wondering if you were advised to wean early and there’s something else that might be related?

Does he have large tonsils / adenoids? My daughter does....we only know that as she's been tested for sleep apnea (which she didn't have)...

Slightly enlarged adenoids but not large enough for surgery, and they went down is size in the last year or too but the problem got worse. Normal sized tonsils.

@hannah345 that's really interesting, there is a dramatic difference isn't there. (Love his sweet little teeth btw!) How long does it take to go down after a meal?
I wouldn't be too worried about the colour, I bet his tongue is pink and it wouldn't be if this were low oxygen levels.
It's more the swelling, which is obviously related to eating but not an allergy as it's happening with all foods so clearly something to do with the physical act of eating.
While you wait to see the specialist, is it worth trying an antihistamine before meals, see if it helps? Not that that will be the answer, but it might help the diagnostic pathway if it does/doesnt help

@Beccahm I will update you tomorrow as my doctor put through a urgent referal, got a phone call saying they have got my baby an emergency appointment tomorrow. I'll come on here and update you.

Just adding info... happens with everything he eats, hot cold, warm, soft, hard, he doesn't drink milk. Went off milk at 10 months, and don't even like cows milk, happens if he feeds himself, or even when I spoon feeds him. I've got an emergency appointment tomorrow, so I'll come back on and update you all with what ever they say.

Also... all the times I've taken him to the doctors about this, they've never checked his oxygen or listened to his heart. So ill make them do it tomorrow at hospital. And I'm making them watch him have his lunch!

UPDATE

went to the hospital appointment for the doctors to say, she's not concerned at all about his blue/purple lips. She said if he tongue goes the same colour at the same time as his lips then that's when he'll worry.

Thank you all for your advice