Impetigo - so fed up

[IlanaK]

My son (4) caught impetigo off a friend last year after never having had a case of it before. We had it for months with many many visits to the GP and it took ages to get rid of it. Now, with the first cold of the season it is back with a vengance. A week or so of ficidin cream has started to clear it up, but today a large new patch has appeared on a different part of his face.

How do we ever get rid of this?? He has missed nursery photos as he looked too aweful to have them done, cries when we put the cream on as it really hurts, and I am always worrying he will pass it on to my 15 month old. Am I doomed to a life of this??

No-one has any advice????

I found this for you it says that in more severe cases oral antibiotics may help maybe you could ask the dr for these impetigo Hope you manage to get rid of it for good soon. xxx

have you had the oral antibiotics?

I read an article recently (in the doc's surgery) about how difficult it is to treat impetigo. Do you think he picked it up from school?

I would also wash all the towels/pillows/face clothes at 90C until it goes because it's so contagious.

I have not taken him to the GP this time. But last time he had every treatment going including antibiotic cream and three different doses of varying oral antibiotics. I just can't face it again.

poor you - it is horrid

You have to get treatment though - it's caused by a bacteria so it will not go on it's own without antibiotics and I believe the best regime is the cream + the antibs.

He can only pick it up off someone who has it or more rarely, off clothes/towels that have had the bacteria on so perhaps a word in the nursery's ear?

i tried antibiotics and it went but only temporarily and then came back...at which point i used graphites and hepar sulph (alternately in 30c 3 times a day each) and it cleared and hasn't returned.

you may not buy into homeopathy but thought i'd say as it worked for me.

takes longer tho

fucidin is an antibiotic cream but if you feel it's not working, I really would go and get the oral stuff.

DD suffered with this frequently on her face. She had it 5 times in the space of a few months.

I find that only the oral antibiotics clear it up. We have now started using a nasal cream for impetigo as soon as we see a suspicious looking spot below her lip. The Dr said its fine to do this.

Has your gp done a swab test to check he's giving the right a/b, Ilana? The other thing I wonder is whether your ds is carrying staph aureas in his nose and thus constantly reinfecting himself. Staph aureas is eliminated from the nose by using a special a/b cream.

I had that a couple of yrs ago(in my groin) it was so painful- Your poor ds-my sympathy goes out to him.
I had the fucidin cream & anti-biotics.
Was told not to use the same towels etc & like FS says boil them all.
but would def say something in the nursery.
I spread mine to my face, which is very easy to do.
Is his immune sysem abit low dya think.
I would go back to the drs & see what they say, also would keep ds away from nusery until it clears, to save re-infecting others.

His immune system is low - always has been and he gets constant respiratory things. We have him treated regularly by a cranial ostepath.

I suspect he is infecting himself now from his nose. It definately is occuring when he has colds. ANd like all 4 year olds, his finger is never far from his nose. He has dry skin/excema so gets dry patches which is probably where the infection is getting in.

I bought the homeopathic treatment today that Sophable recommended - thanks! Hopefully that will help.

Last time, we did have a swab done, but the incompetant GP did the swab while he was already being treated on antibiotic cream and another GP told me this would render the test useless.