Small patch of what I think is petechiae on DD back. I am spiralling with healt anxiety

[miniworry]

Just noticed this on my daughters back- it doesn't blanch. I have health anxiety and I'm now i'm spiralling it could be something like leukaemia.

No temp, she does bruise easily but not in unknown places really.

Can anyone tell me what I should do next- should I call 111?

Hi OP. My daughter got a petichial rash on her arms earlier this year and we went to the GP the next day, who sent us for blood tests at the hospital. I was terrified about leukemia too, but it turns out she's got ITP, which I'd never even heard of. So I'd say take her to be checked at the GP tomorrow, but if she's well in herself then it's very unlikely to be leukemia. I totally understand the fear though. Let us know how you get on x

OP make an appointment to see your GP. If they’re concerned after examination, they’ll do a blood test. I don’t think this is an unreasonable course of action if you’re worried, but having had experience of a family member diagnosed with Leukaemia - albeit several years ago - IIRC there were other symptoms which appeared first and several blood tests came back abnormal before the rash appeared. If you can feel the spots - if they’re raised or rough, then that’s not petechiae. They are under the skin so can’t be felt and they don’t disappear when pressed.

Can I suggest that you put 'petechiae' into Google, then click 'images'? You'll see that the rash you see on your DD is nothing like the rash they are talking about when they use the term 'petechiae'. It is worlds apart.

@Rosscameasdoody it doesn't feel rough and I can't feel anything when I press it, it also doesn't blanch under a glass as I've tried it xx

It doesn't look like petechiae at all. Take a deep breath and keep an eye on it. It doesn't look sinister.

I'm a meningitis and septicemia survivor myself, and I understand your anxiety. I used to be overanxious if I became unwell, and would be calling the GP surgery. I have a son (who is 14) and when he was younger especially, I would worry if he became unwell. Your daughter isn't unwell in herself, and this mark could quite easily be a mark due to the gym bar. I don't know how long ago it's been since your son was unwell, but it does get easier as time goes on. However, in your situation, I would seek help from your GP to be referred to speak to a therapist. You are holding onto all that fear you experienced, and probably haven't resolved the feelings you had when you son was unwell. It's called Unresolved Trauma. Speaking to someone will allow you to let those emotions go.

What you need to do is get help for your anxiety. Not every rash that doesn’t blanch is meningitis, especially when it comes with zero other symptoms.

@IfHeWantedToHeWould it's not meningitis I'm worried about but more leukaemia.

@Sassylovesbooks sorry to hear you also went through meningitis! Thank you for your support I really appreciate it xx

@Rosscameasdoody I'll try and book a GP appointment for tomorrow morning if I can actually manage to get in!

I really wouldn't worry about something like this if it popped up on my child tbh.. unless he was acting funny/unwell etc I've had been sweaty and had similar marks on my skin because I've been itchy

@Emmzie2130 she hasn't itched at all and didn't know it was there.

@Rosscameasdoody thank you very much for offering your advice xxx

Just been in to check whether it's spread anymore and got a closer photo- it's about the size of a 50p

I get these if I just scratch an itch, especially on my boobs! My youngest daughter managed to get them on her top lip once from sucking on a water bottle so it stuck to her mouth (as you do when you're about 6, which she was at the time!). I remember my brother getting them after I scratched him during a childhood fight. They're definitely not difficult to produce, especially if your skin is a little sensitive, or you bruise easily, as I do. I end up with then frequently. None of us (my brother, my daughter, me) has ever had leukaemia. It's just one of those things and far more likely to be a symptom of a small bump or scratch than anything else.

I get petechiae all the time as a known side effect of a medication I'm on. Mine are much darker and more distinct than that, more of a deep purpley colour, like dots from a fine-pointed pen. I totally understand why you're worried but I honestly think she's rubbed or scraped that, or something has irritated it. Hopefully it will have gone by the morning or your GP/pharmacist will be able to reassure you.

Thanks @spiderlight I really appreciate you giving me something to compare to. It's the fact it doesn't blanch , the only thing online for non blanching is petechiae or purpura.

Does she wear a backpack to school? Some kids get this from the weight of the backpack on their back.

@realsavagelike she has a satchel but that would involve her actually carrying it for herself on occasion 🫠

Still there this morning, but hasn't gotten any bigger 🥺 going to try and phone the gp this morning to get her an appointments

How is she in herself? If she's eaten a good breakfast, has no temperature and is skipping about, I'd send her straight to school.

However @miniworry I would make yourself an appointment with the GP, tell them all about your fears and seek some suppprt and healing for yourself.

OP isn’t worried about meningitis - petechiae can be a symptom of leukaemia.

I think the best way OP can settle her fears is to have the GP examine her DD and confirm it’s harmless. OP has admitted to some health anxiety but that doesn’t change the fact that petechiae can be a sign of leukaemia, although l would have thought there would be other signs and symptoms, but it’s possible they may be so mild as to be missed. Better for everyone to have it cleared up and possibly then for OP to address her anxieties.

It does look very similar to a rash which our relative had prior to being diagnosed with leukaemia. The spots are caused by bleeding under the skin and are sometimes accompanies by the tiny spider veins present in OP’s photo. OP has confirmed that they can’t be felt on the skin and they don’t disappear when pressed. The medical advice is to get rashes with these properties checked out as other symptoms can be vague, mild and frequently missed. Leukaemia is only one possibility and on balance it’s probably not the cause but better to be sure.

Constantly seeking reassurance isn't the way to address health anxiety though - it just entrenches the pathways that tell the person that there's something to worry about.

I'm reluctant to ever suggest that someone doesn't seek medical attention for themselves or their child but I would also like to put across the point of view of someone who grew up with an anxious mother. My Mum worried about every mark, every minor thing. She tried to keep it light as she quizzed me about whether I was experiencing symptoms of leukaemia/diabetes/whatever her current worry was, but children are sensitive to emotion and I could sense the underlying anxiety.

In my teens it spiralled to constant anxiety about where I was. Once I was at university, she'd ring and ring and panic if I didn't pick up. Even into my 20s she'd 'accidentally' call my boyfriend if she couldn't get hold of me within an hour. Once she called my work.

Her anxiety has affected my life in so many ways. As a young child I became physically timid because she'd convinced me I'd hurt myself if I tried anything. I developed health anxiety in my teens that I needed therapy for. My teen years were also massively socially limited by needing to manage her anxiety. It also forced me to become 'the coper', suppressing my own needs and emotions in order to handle everyone else's.

OP your anxiety has an understandable root but failing to address it might not just harm yourself, it can affect your children. Please try to get some help for yourself too.

@RosesAndHellebores she's absolutely fine in himself other than a cough and a cold. She does have lots of bruises in bony areas but this has always been the case.

Waiting for 8am to call and try to get an appointment.