Vin & Annie have skin lesions that look like a cross between a wart and a pimple. They blister up, get really ugly looking, and eventually go away. Then more appear. It's a virus called molluscum contagiosum. It's very common in kids and spreads by skin to skin contact, sharing a bathtub or towel. It's no surprise that they both have it!
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| I didn't take any pictures of their own lesions. Just can't do that to them! |
We took them to the dermatologist in November. We knew exactly what to expect, as Vera was treated for the same condition last spring. The dermatologist, whom I love, barely touches each lesion with the extract from the Blister Beetle...aka Beetle Juice. Then he covers the lesion with medical tape. In four hours, when we get home, we remove the tape and wash the areas. Sounds easy, and painless, right?! Wrong!
Treating the spots in the office is painless. It's quick, and really it just tickles. But, when it's time to take the tape off at home, it is miserable. The Beetle Juice essentially blisters the skin under the tape, so when I rip the tape off, I rip off a piece of skin with it, exposing raw, sore skin. It stings like crazy! We always have them soak in the bathtub to soften the tape, and then try to rip off as much tape as we can in the tub. Not easy at all. They scream and flail and plead to not touch them anymore. They refuse to sit down in the water because it stings. The tape on their bottom pulls their skin. They're miserable.
The first time we went, Vince must've had 15 spots treated on just his butt. I had to hold him down, beg, bribe, and call Adam for a pep talk to get the tape off. It must've taken me an hour. I had tears in my eyes, and I forced myself to push on with removing the tape. Just get it over with, right?! I know I'm inflicting the pain, but I know I have to get this done.
The treated, exposed sores are the most pitiful sight: red, seeping, and stinging. After the tape was off, Vince laid naked, face down in his bed and refused to move. His sores were stinging so badly that he wouldn't put on clothes. He laid in his bed with no clothes, covered with a sheet, and watched a show on the iPad for at least an hour. After about 2 hours, I finally convinced him to put on a pair of mesh shorts without underwear. He reluctantly agreed. For the rest of the evening, he would not sit down. Sitting on the toilet made him scream. He knelt at the dinner table & couldn't climb the stairs. Every movement made them sting. Then, because he still wears a diaper at night, we have to cover the sores with a Desitin/Neosporin mix to keep moisture and bacteria out. Achieving this is another Olympic feat filled with screaming, flailing, restraining and bargaining.
After they're treated, we follow up in 6 weeks. Usually, the doc finds a few more spots to treat. Today was their third treatment. They're no dummies and know exactly what's going to happen. Assuring them that it's all going to be ok is a complete lie. They know the doom 4 hours will bring. Today, I gave them Tylenol right after I put them in the car to go home as they cried in their car seats. After four hours I had to force Vince to sit down in the tub. He screamed and there was no way he was going to let me touch him, let alone take the tape off. I asked him to turn around. He looked at me with giant alligator tears dripping off his cheeks and sobbed, "No! You're going to trick me and take off my tape!" My eyes filled with tears as I knew he didn't trust me and he was in a super-vulnerable state. Mom guilt and heartbreak overtook me. Again, I knew I had to push forward. I prayed out loud as I restrained him and ripped tape from under his chin and buttocks. It took me almost an hour to bathe them, take off the tape and dress them again. Everyone is exhausted when it's over! As my luck would have it, I always miss a piece of tape and find it hours later, which prompts more pain and screaming all over again.
Annie has been treated with an equal amount of spots. Same narrative as Vince. I finally convinced her to wear a dress because stinging legs and buttocks are not clothing-friendly. It was a Motrin, nap and movie kind of day. Tonight, as I pulled off her diaper to cover it in ointment before bed, I nearly cried at her 18-ish screaming ouchies.
It's good to tag-team these kinds of things. I asked Adam to take them to the second treatment. He got the full experience of Operation Tape Removal. He gets to go to the next appointment in 6 weeks.
But, I remind myself that this is short-lived. In about 36 hours, they will be back to themselves.
After the sores scab over in a day, they're painless and heal nicely, though healing is slow. At most, there's a bitty scar or dimple that remains. I must count my blessings. This is completely treatable, non-threatening. The doctor is wonderful. (He's known as the Tape Doctor in our house.) We know that they will eventually go away completely, as Vera's have.
I'm sure when we have a house filled with teenagers, I'll look back on this and think, "That was a hard mom day?" There are much worse things to watch a child go through. Be strong for them & count my blessings!
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