The Mystery Rash

Since Pk started daycare in September, our lives have been a journey in disease.  Nothing too serious, but with a child who doesn't sleep well at the best of times, it makes for some pretty restless nights.  We have done several bouts of stomach flu and more colds than I can count.  Now, we have the mystery rash.

It showed up on Friday.  I noticed one big spot on her arm.  It is big and round and red.  It's probably the size of a mosquito bit but it looks dry, especially in the middle.  I was a bit concerned that it was ringworm, actually.  That idea passed when, arriving in Owen Sound to visit dh's family on Saturday, I discovered a strange rash all over her stomach, a bit like hives - it wasn't red or blistery, just raised and irregular.  I worried that we shouldn't expose people to her but was reassured she was fine.  Saturday night at the inlaws, I did something totally stupid.  I wanted to put lotion on her to ease it a bit.  I am very picky about lotions and don't use anything with parabens, ptalates, petrolium or DEAs.  I doubted that the inlaws would have anything but they did have this big bottle of Aveno.  I decided to give it a dry and put a big blob on Pk's tummy.  Turned out it was body wash.  I got it off as best I could but when she got up on Sunday morning, her tummy was a firey red mess everywhere I had put the wash.  That kind of covered up the other rash, anyway.  We came home, called the sitter and she assured us that as long as Pk didn't have a fever, she could come to daycare.  Now, today, the rash has changed and spread again.  What was a mild soft pink is now very red and has spread to her neck and back.  She doesn't seem itchy although the sleep has been awful the last couple of nights.  The sitter told Dh today that she is sure it is chicken pox and that we might want to keep her home tomorrow.  That was good enough for me so off we went to the walk-in clinic.  It's 45 minutes away and we waited a bit more than that to see a very nice doctor for less than 5 minutes.  She assured us that it probably isn't chicken pox, measles or rubella but she has no idea what it is although she suspects it is viral.  Now, we don't know what to do - daycare or not?  The sitter said she could come but made it very plain that she doesn't believe the doctor that it isn't chicken pox.  I'm sure she caught it there and one of the other little boys has had four spots on his face since last week.  Ugh - what's a poor working mother to do?

You know the worst part?  I am doing what I always do when a child in my class gets lice - I am itchy all over!!!!  Scratch, scratch, scratch.