Parents Molluscum Contagiosum- (disclaimer- not seeking medical advice)

[GymGirl's Mom]

So, my DD has been battling molluscum contagiosum for over a year now. Once we have it cleared up a new one appears. DD has been to PCP and dermatologist and we are doing everything they say to prevent the spread of it. Both PCP and Derm say it's from the gym. Anyone else with a DD who has it who just can't seem to kick it? Anyone else familiar with it? I have told the gym and keep the exposed ones covered during practice- but it's driving me crazy- the lice post made me think of DD's own "close quarters" predicament. Bascially there is no "cure" you just have to wait it out and keep your kids clean..... and still we wait.....
Molluscum contagiosum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[my4buffaloes]

I just looked at the link and that is weird looking. My first thought was I wonder if your dd is a carrier for this - you know like some people are carriers for strep? No idea if that is even possible, but if it is, that could be the case if she has been battling it for awhile. Then I don't know what you do. My second thought was what is the cleaning routine at the gym? My old gym I don't think they ever cleaned. Our new gym I think they clean each week and once or maybe twice a year they close the gym and do a very thorough deep clean.

If the doctor's say she gets it from gym, what is the proper procedure to get rid of it on the equipment? Can you find out and either ask the gym to do that or possibly volunteer to go in and do it yourself (if it isn't an ongoing thing). Also have you looked online to try and find away to prevent your dd from getting it? Like with the lice, tea tree oil is a way to prevent it. Just wondering if there is anything like that. Those are my only thoughts, I hope she gets rid of it soon.

 

[ejgymmom]

My daughter had it for about 2 1/2 years and drove me crazy. All of them were on one leg underneath her butt cheek. I had her wear shorts over her leotard until it finally went away. Her pediatrician also told us that it would go away eventually and told us that we could have them burned off (or maybe frozen off...can't remember), but we opted to not do that. After a couple of years for waiting for them to just go away we finally researched it a bit more (in hindsight I'm not sure why we waited so long) and found a few things that I think really helped.

We had her stop taking baths and start taking showers. Apparently sitting in bath water can help them spread, which seems logical, but it didn't occur to me at the time. We helped her scrub around where the bumps were as hard as she'd allow (not very hard..) while she was under the water. This way if one popped, the liquid would quickly be washed off rather than be allowed to sit on her leg and produce new bumps. She dried with a clean towel every night and never used the same towel or washcloth twice (lots of towel laundry, yuck.).

After shower we would see if any of the bumps could be popped and then you have to make sure you clean up the liquidy stuff right away so it doesn't sit on the skin. I think we maybe only popped 1 or 2 because she wouldn't let us try most of the time.

We put tea tree oil on each and every bump using a q-tip and then covered up the bigger ones with bandaids. At one point she probably had 30 or so on her leg so we had to make sure to get every single one.

When we started doing those three steps every night we started to see improvement after a few weeks and then they just started disappearing. They've been gone for over a year now and haven't returned. I think the key to the above steps is consistency and not expecting to see any change for a week or so. I think they may have even gotten worse before it got better but slowly it did get better.

Good luck. I feel your pain and know how annoying those stupid little bumps are. I'm glad my daughter was young enough that they didn't really faze her or embarrass her. If she was older I'm sure they would have.

 

[mariposa]

Disclaimer: NOT offering medical advice, just sharing a natural treatment that worked for a friend's daughter.

My daughter's teammate had this. She used 2 natural remedies and it worked for her daughter. She had just been covering it while at gym and waiting it out (for a few months) until we decided to Google it and see if there were any natural treatments. She used Nature's Pharma Anti-Molluscum treatment and gave her Olive Leaf Extract tincture (we use this during cold season at our house, not that bad when mixed with OJ) orally. Within 2 weeks it was gone. Both are natural anti-virals. She hasn't had it come back since and that was a few years ago.

Good luck with finding something that works. It is a very frustrating condition since the medical community's answer to it is just to wait it out. Hugs.

 

[GymGirl's Mom]

Yay!

Thank you everyone! I hesitated posting this on here as it's kind of a gross thing- but Dr assured me it's super common (and super contagious) in kids. DD is 7 so she's not too horrified by it at this point. All reoccurances have been in the same spot behind one knee- I guess also a common place. I am going to get those herbal remedies stat! We are already doing the washing towels, leos, clothes, etc. after each use- and yes I have a TON of laundry all the time- lol. Keeping it covered when at practice. But it really feels like we are going in the wrong direction with it- never seems to 100% resolve itself. The gym, I can attest to, is not the most sanitary gym I've ever been in- lol. Honestly, I really don't ever see much cleaning of equipment- but I am not there 100% of the time so I really for sure can't say what the cleaning procedure for equipment is. I appreciate the advice and can assure you that without a doubt she is under a Dr.'s care (more like observation- b/c there's not much to do for it the Dr. tells me) for it. Off to check out where I can get the herbal remedy and give it a try. Thanks again!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

yep, blame the gym. that's why everyone in your gym, my gym and everyone elses gym has THOUSANDS OF KIDS with mc. and then we have have lice...

p.s. i'm not unsympathetic to the problem.

 

[Blackie6]

I am not able to read all the responses so sorry if this is a re-post. My son is a wrestler and he had this last year, We had to use those new pointed looking Q-tips that you can find in a pharmacy or beauty supply store like Harmon's and we had to dab one little dot of Compound W wart remover on each and every little pimple. This is not easy, it is burning and not for the little ones probably. My son is 13 and pretty tough. Don't use the liquid Compond W it gets too gloppy everytime it is exposed to the air. Use the gel type. When I say a little dab, I mean just a little dab on the pimple itself! Not around it! It will burn a little at first and then a white crust/film will be over it. We did this every night until we noticed a change. It took a couple weeks and he is 100% cleared up. Wrestling season will start up again soon so I am sure it could make a possible comeback, but keeping my fingers croosed. he most likely got it from gym mats or another child he wrestled with that had it. yes, the doctor told us it could clear up quickly or last for years! Glad our experience was short. Nothing on his face, mostly in creases of arms and arm pit area. some on his belly and legs. Good luck to your daughter!

 

[ginnymac]

This has been an ongoing struggle for my dd for two and a half years. Tea tree oil has helped. She also uses tea tree oil soap. We tried the anti viral that mariposa mentioned, but didn't notice much of a change.

My dd's is worst behind her knee. MD said this is because of skin to skin contact. In gymnastics, when really bad, she would wear leggings to cover. The most stubborn of the last few she just had frozen off, like warts.

She is a little older (12) and was very upset by these. Within the last week they are all for the moment gone. Some were around so long that she named them (lol). I have been told that some people are just more prone to them. Dermatologist said that she will probably get it again

 

[emorymom]

My son had it when he was about 4. The doctor said to ignore it and it would eventually go away, which it did.

My daughter got it a couple of years later (despite massive contact with her brother's lesions when he had them, sharing baths, etc). I ignored it based on previous experience. Maybe six months goes by.

The problem showed up when one of her friends got it, and the mom didn't know what it was, doctor didn't know what it was, kid ends up on antibiotics just in case it's MRSA, etc. Basically it was clear that this good friend was going to worry about any lesion her kid got. You know everybody has their things they worry about more than others.

So I started giving her vitamin A and using tea tree oil on each lesion for about 4 days straight and they all went away.

 

[mndl]

My son also got it at 4, I have no idea where he picked it up from, but it lasted about 8-9 months and then went away. Of course by the time I figured out what it was it had spread to my DD who was two at the time(darn baths). At its worst she had about 7 of them, it's been 2 yrs and she now as only one; it's right on her inner thigh where her underwear hits-darn thing just won't go away. I'm definitely going to try some of the remedies I've read here. So glad to know I'm not the only one dealing with this

 

[gymgal]

ds (8) has a patch of about 15-20 of the bumps on his shin. It has been about 6 mths and it's not clearing up. He is homeschooled and only goes to swimming, which I doubt is the cause so I am not sure where he picked it up. He used to go to a kindermusik class, where I suppose he could have picked it up from sitting on the carpet? I don't know. He's a boy and doesn't really care about it but it does look strange and is prominent on his shin. I am going to try the remedies even if they shrink them or decrease the numbers so there's not so many. the dr. said it could take a yr or two before it completely went away. my niece had it several years ago and it took a yr to clear.