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Original poster

Measles, anyone know how to diagnose? Worried...

86 replies

Flllightattendant · 23/02/2008 11:06

Ds2 has had a bad cold, high temp for about 4 days. Yesterday his temp went back down, but last night he was up all night crying and obv in pain. He started pawing at his forehead, top of head like it hurt and then I noticed a rash on his front and back - it fades thank goodness...
Anyway off to a&e for the out of hours doc at 5am, who said his ear was red, throat looked sore too, but rash was just heat rash - he hasn't been hot though.
Have got antibiotics but am afra\id in case it is something else, why would he be touching his head if his ear hurts - the other side ear is the one that was red.
He's had calpol but is still in a lot of distress and crying.
rash is now all over hed and nek, behind ears etc.

I am just scared in case it is a complication or something, the brain can become inflamed can't it with measles?

I can't bear seeing him in pain.
Thanks for any ideas, it was a gp we saw whom I know was disciplined/deregistered a few years back? So unsure if I can trust him iyswim

sorry typing with 1 finger as ds on lap

OP posts:
yurt1 · 23/02/2008 16:02

I've never heard of measles without a temperature before and think your dr should have swabbed really as it's notifiable.

Vitamin A is a good idea in any case of measles imo (including pre measles jab). It's not a supplement you want to take all the time in it's pure (retinol) form as too much is not good- but you need extra when you are exposed to measles. The best easy way to get it is to buy cod liver oil (or the one I mentioned although that will take longer to arrive and you can get cod liver oil from Sainburys). Multivitamins contain vitamin A in the form of betacarotenes (which get converted into retinol/vitamin A by the body) but treatment for measles always uses it in the form of retinol so I'd go with cod liver oil in your shoes (which contains retinol).

The research on vitamin A and measles was carried out in developing countries where obviously nutritional status is poor but it cut complications and decreased recovery time.

yurt1 · 23/02/2008 16:06

Hope he;s better soon btw.

Don't worry too much about complications -0 my family medical book from 1989 says that measles is rarely dangerous, the only problems are the complications and they're easily treated by antibs- which you're having anyway. If you get worried about the ear infection go back.

The main problem with measles is that it lowers the immune system which is why secondary infections can be a problem. So keep fluid intake up, keep breastfeeding - as you've had it that will help - etc etc.

Original poster
Flllightattendant · 23/02/2008 16:13

Thanks so much Yurt
He had a high temp during the week, about 3/4 days of it, up to about 39 maybe more, I couldn't get a reliable reading partly because he felt so hot I was scared to know what it was I think!
I heard that it drops when the rash appears, might go back up, it's quite confusing. I will see what I can find in the way of a supplement. Anything that might help him has to be good, apparently babies under 1 are more at risk of complications than anyone else. I am trying to figure out where he might have caght it from, we aren't very sociable, must have just been a random exposure, shopping or something.
I am so glad my other one is immunised. I always hesitated about the MMR but am thankful it's done now.

OP posts:
Phoenix · 23/02/2008 16:35

My ds has got measles at the mo. He had a cold, barking cough, red eyes and temp last week then on thursday we noticed the rash on his front and back. Dh took him to the docs thurs evening and the doc took one look and said measles, although he didn't take any swabs to confirm it. Apart from been a bit more whingey than usual and not sleeping well he's been ok in himself tbh.

yurt1 · 23/02/2008 16:38

I thought it was mild temp hacking cough kopliks spots, temp drop then high temp with the outbreak of the rash.

If you haven't had a known exposure I really think the doc should have swabbed.

Don't worry too much about the complications in under 1's- that figure will include newborns with it, if a newhorn has it then you can kind of guess they've had no maternal antibodies - you've had it- so he will have had antibodies from you at birth.

belgo · 23/02/2008 16:39

I suppose it costs a lot to swab, so if the doctor is fairly confident of the diagnosis, then presumablyu they don't see any need to swab?

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 23/02/2008 16:45

Hope your ds is feeling better soon FA. And yours Phoenix.

If they don't swab then can the case be treated as 'confirmed' for statistics?

yurt1 · 23/02/2008 16:46

piccy here I just think there are lots of things that mimic measles and I always thought the temp was high in measles (it was when I got it). The symptoms given on this page (randomly found on google are the same as the one's I've memorised).

Worth treating as measles anyway (but might be worth swabbing if for some reason you decide you don't want MMR in the future for example, would be nice to be sure you'd had it). I suppose I just think its nice to be certain if it is measles.

yurt1 · 23/02/2008 16:47

oh don't read too much into the 'serious' in the link- -its serious if you're malnourished, it's very rarely serious if you're a healthy child in a developed country.

goingfor3 · 23/02/2008 16:50

The dd's both had a high temp for 3 or so days, one day of seeming to be better then the next day the rash appeared along with a high temp then after a couple of days they got better. They also both had a hacking cough. I didn't have any symptoms until the night before the rash appeared when I felt feverish, I had had a cervical suture that day so it could have been the aneathetic that was making me feel like that as my temp was normal. The next day I had a rash on my face and still no temp and was discharged from hospital. That afternoon I felt really rough and had a temp, I went to bed and only ventured downstairs two days later to go to the gp. I flet as of I ahd a throat infection and the gp gave me antibiotics and said my rash was viral. Went back to bed felt even worse the next day and then unfortunatley miscarried just before I was due to see the dr again. None of the dr's in A&E or on the gynea ward even considered measles. The gp wh pickd it up with my girls had never seen it before but knew what it was as soon as she saw dd2, she asked an older dr to confirm it too. The swabs where sent to us by something like the health protection agency, they arrived in the post about 10 days after seeing the gp so you may get the same.

Phoenix · 23/02/2008 16:50

Oh and my ds has just gone 2 and has had MMR.

yurt1 · 23/02/2008 16:53

Ah goingfor3 your dd's cases sound like classic measles to me (high temp then drop then rise with the rash).

Have you had measles or vaccination as a child (or nothing?)

goingfor3 · 23/02/2008 16:53

My girls didn't have the mmr which is why they caught it from me. DD1 had something similar just the week after her 1st birthday and a go then said it was measles but didn't notify the relevant agency so we didn't get confirmation, maybe it was german mealses that time. DD1 rarely gets ill but when she does she gets something really nasty!

goingfor3 · 23/02/2008 16:54

I had all of my vaccinations but didn't have measles as a child. I'm so grateful dp didn't catch it to, imagine how awful a man with measles would be!

yurt1 · 23/02/2008 16:56

Had you been vaccinated or had it as a child or anything though? Sorry being very nosey. It's only nosiness so feel free to ignore.... It is very infectious.

yurt1 · 23/02/2008 16:56

oh sorry cross posted. @ a man getting it.

Original poster
Flllightattendant · 23/02/2008 16:58

I'd be so pleased if it wasn't measles.
Phoenix, I hope your lo is better very soon too xx

OP posts:
Phoenix · 23/02/2008 17:00

Thanks FA, hope your ds is better soon too

Original poster
Flllightattendant · 23/02/2008 17:00

So sorry gf3. I didn't read your post before I wrote that. I am very very sorry for what happened to you.

OP posts:
goingfor3 · 23/02/2008 17:00

It really bugs me not knowing where I got it from, no one at the dd's school or nursery had it and they had it after me anyway so that is unlikely to be the source. The girls had it the week after they broke up from school so didn't pass it on to anyone else although one mum told me she wished she knew so she could have given it to her children, it was so awful I nearly cried as I said you really didn't want to do that.

goingfor3 · 23/02/2008 17:02

Thanks FA, the mc was probably due to the cervical suture but I'm sure that the pressure from coughing from the measles and the very high temp, 41 when I went into A&E and I didn't even think I had a temp at that point, didn't help.

yurt1 · 23/02/2008 17:04

It is very infectious, you could have got it anywhere goingfor3 I suppose you know now your dd's are likely to be immune for life (which isn't always the case with vax) so they won't go through the awful thing you went though (just realised what you meant about the cervical suture).

Original poster
Flllightattendant · 23/02/2008 17:08

I can't imagine anybody wanting to expose their children to this, if Ds really does have it. He is in a very bad way. Temp or no temp, this is the baby that never cries...he has been awake for 4 nights, in pain with his ear for the last two, though I didn't twig and thought it was wind as he wasn't really hot
Poor, poor thing. But if I had given him calpol last night, I wouldn't have realised how bad things were iyswim, so he might not have got the ab's by now. I am hoping they kick in very soon. I can't bear to see him in pain like this and miserable. he is the happiest baby I ever met!
Gf3, what a total nightmare. I too am wondering where this came from...
Thankfully my friend rang back and isn't too worried, we saw her a week ago and he was supposedly contagious 4 days before the rash, which hopefully counts her out of exposure. I could never forgive myself if she was affected...she just finished chemo.

OP posts:
NAB3wishesfor2008 · 23/02/2008 17:08

Only just seen this and it has made me all tearful. How is he now? Is it definitely measles? How old is DS2?

My youngest hasn't had his jabs yet....

Original poster
Flllightattendant · 23/02/2008 17:12

Oh Nab. How lovely to see you
He is 8 months old, so little. I was just looking at him in the mirror as I carried him about and he smiled up at me, and I just lost it thinking about what could happen, I have never loved someone like this! except my first of course. He never has been very ill, thankfully. I am quite scared actually in my more alone moments, but there's nothing more I can do, have to keep remembering that. I do tend to panic a bit

OP posts: