The Weird Just Keeps on Coming

We've had the herpes diagnosis (which, by the way, Reed continues to deal with every 9-12 months).

And the Henoch Schonlein Purpura diagnosis.

Now, what we have, is a downright mystery.

A couple weeks ago, Drew came home from school (on a Monday) stating that he needed bandaids for a couple of his fingers.  I took a look, saw a bit of dry skin, kind of poo poo'd it and said that bandaids weren't needed; he'd be ok.  The next morning (Tuesday), more fingers appeared dry and the skin had started to peel a bit and in order to keep him from picking at it, I granted him his bandaid request.  Four, to be exact.

 I texted my cousin, who's son is somewhat popular in these parts for having sensitive skin issues, and got a recommendation from her for a good lotion to use to combat such issues.

By Wednesday night, his hands looked like this...(the green is marker.  This was weird but not so weird his skin was changing color.)

and by Thursday, he was sporting seven bandaids.

Now, obviously, looking at these photos now, one can assume that this is more than just "dry skin."  Even looking at these photos myself, I'm kinda seeing what an idiot I was not to realize something more than weird was going on here.  It looks painful, too, doesn't it?   Drew was a good sport, thankfully.  They didn't hurt as much as they would appear to, and were only a little sensitive where they are the pinkest.  Good Toy Story and/or Lightening McQueen bandaids will take care of that, though. :)

So on Thursday I took these pictures in to a pharmacist and she confirmed that we're looking at something other than just winter weather's latest skin casualty.  She encouraged me to take Drew in to be seen, and because we haven't yet established care with a local pediatrician (shame, shame) to Urgent Care we went after school was out for the day.

The doctor there was nice, but UC docs aren't exactly schooled in all things weird, so while he considered a few different diagnoses (Raynaud's Syndrome, Scalded-Skin Syndrome or even a severe allergy to cold air) he really just wasn't quite sure as Drew presented with zero other symptoms.  He could have, quite possibly, caught a virus of some kind and it manifested itself only in the peeling of this skin.

Any way you slice it.... it's just weird.

So he sent us on our way with a consult to dermatology and instructions to keep doing what we were doing (lotion+bandaids).

Thankfully, we were able to be seen by a dermatologist the following Tuesday, but Drew's hands were starting to look quite different than they had the week before.  They were looking better, thankfully, but it probably didn't help the specialist in determining the cause.  They were still very dry and the skin continued to peel, but not to the severity of the above photos.  The doctor determined that, most likely, Drew very well could have contracted some kind of virus, which by this point had pretty much run it's course.  However, with zero other symptoms to speak of, it really is a mystery as to what exactly was going on with his hands.

So there you have it.  

Weird.

We continue to prove ourselves to be weird.

{No comments from the peanut gallery.}