Molluscum Contagiosum

Kids, unknowingly, put us through so much. I'm lucky. My little ones rarely get sick. They generally use their manners. Neither are concernedly shy. I love watching them grow up together. Both of my kids are certainly not perfect but I do know they could be a heck of a lot worse.

I just finished helping Ryder and Arabella shower off the horrible blisters they have as a result of a visit to our dermatologist. We had no other options. In the last couple years I have been dealing with this problem, I have only met two other mothers who knew what this skin condition was. TWO. So this post is for you. 

If your little ones are going through this I want you to know that: 

1. I know what it is, you're not alone. 

2. I know it's not any one's fault your child has this.

3. I know your child isn't "dirty". I know your house, your car, your existence, is not "dirty". 

And 4. You're a great parent.

Almost two years ago, right after Ryder's four year immunizations, he developed this tiny bump on his right hand. It looked like a skin tag. The dermatologist told us not to worry, it's call "Molluscum Contagiosum" (MC), it's incredibly common in preschool aged children and would certainly go away on it's own. 

Great! Now we knew what it was, no big deal, don't worry about it, if it swells make sure to put a band aid on it until it disappears. 

Except....his didn't disappear. He got another bump on his side, near his ribs. We went back to the dermatologist and were prescribed Imiquimod cream. It was supposed to help his immune system target these annoying little bumps and make them go away.

Except, it didn't work. He got more bumps on his ribs and stomach. Back to the dermatologist we went and this time we were given Tretinoin cream. It started to work, one of the bumps swelled, I put a band aid on it and in a few days it was gone. This was such a relief. Honestly, Summer was approaching and MC is not a pretty sight. I felt like I had failed him somehow. He was itchy. The Tretinoin started to bother him and he formed large raised patches of dermatitis and eczema around the affected areas. It was heartbreaking. 

I took him back to the dermatologist again and this time we had the MC burned off. Ryder was so brave. It went so well! The bumps swelled into blisters, scabbed over and within a few months he was cleared up. I cried a lot during this ordeal, but remained thankful Arabella didn't get it. He had some very mild discomfort, mostly itching. By August, it was over.

Fast forward to early November, Arabella had just received her four year immunizations and sure as sh*t, there it was: a bump on her left hand. Ryder developed a tiny one on his hip. 

They spread SO fast. She had them on her upper arm, a few on her stomach. He had a few on his elbow and two on his hip. I really didn't want both of them to have to go through the burning and blistering.

This time we tried apple cider vinegar. It made them itchy and flaky. They developed these awful red, angry looking patches of eczema. We tried oregano oil. That started to work but to no avail. I added more and more and more carrier oil. They developed the worst case of dermatitis I have ever seen.

I didn't want to take them back to the dermatologist. Seeing those tiny burns broke my heart in a way I'll never understand. But we had to. She tried freezing one on Ryder's elbow but he couldn't stand the feeling so back to burning we went. Arabella wanted the same thing her big brother was getting so she got hers burned too. 

He is fine, a little itchy but Arabella is stunned. She is so uncomfortable she won't get up and walk around. Getting her into the shower was traumatizing for us both.

I've been crying and wondering and searching for a cure for so long. Hopefully this is the end. It could be worse, so much worse. Hopefully in a few weeks they will only have tiny white marks where the MC used to be. In the meantime, I wanted to write this for everyone who has gone through this with their children; especially for those who have gone through it alone.