Flushed Cheeks/Face

[Mehita]

DS has been having flushed pink cheeks and nose every day around dinner time. It looks like he's feverish or just exercised, but his temp is always normal and he feels fine. I don't think it's a rash per se because it doesn't itch or bug him and it goes away just as quickly as it comes on.

It's been happening since starting Remicade, so I'm attributing it to that, but am wondering if anyone else has experienced this?

And that brings up a second question, do we need to be careful in the sun while on Remicade just like when he was on Azathioprine?

 

[Jmrogers4]

Sorry I'm no help I did find it listed as a possible side effect on several sites. Hope it is minor and goes away quickly. We are always careful in the sun being so pale so no help there either.
From http://www.rxlist.com/remicade-side-effects-drug-center.htm

Less serious side effects may include:

stuffy nose, sinus pain, headache;
mild stomach pain;
mild skin rash; or
flushing (warmth, redness, or tingly feeling).

From http://www.drugs.com/sfx/remicade-side-effects.html

Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking infliximab:

More common
Abdominal or stomach pain
chest pain
chills
cough
dizziness
fainting
fever
flushing of the face
headache
hives

 

[steve55]

Does he drink alcohol at dinner?

 

[Mehita]

Nope, no alcohol at dinner. He's only 13.

 

[Farmwife]

Grace went though that too.
Mostly in the evening and only when flaring.

 

[Jennifer]

Since he's on Remicade my concern is that it could be drug induced lupus yet it is less common so hopefully its not. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000446.htm Is the redness on his face butterfly shaped?

Yet it could just be a side effect from Remicade. "The side effects that happened more in children were: anemia (low red blood cells), leukopenia (low white blood cells), flushing (redness or blushing), viral infections, neutropenia (low neutrophils, the white blood cells that fight infection), bone fracture, bacterial infection and allergic reactions of the breathing tract." http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm089023.pdf

Hopefully its nothing serious but if he starts getting more symptoms then be sure to contact his doctor.

 

[my little penguin]

DS had flushing
Sometimes his stomach or torso
Sometimes his face but he had other skin rashes due to remicade or just general allergies - he is very atopic .
Our GI was not over concerned at the time but still wanted to know about rashes .

 

[Mehita]

Not butterfly shaped... or at least doesn't look like the pics I googled. We were outside today in the heat wave (40 degrees, woohoo!) and it didn't get any worse in the sunlight either.

I looked for other rashes or areas of redness and didn't see anything. Hmmm...

Lupus sounds rather scary

 

[Catherine]

Heat wave?? Are you trying to confuse me. It a hot winding 38C here. Trying to stay out the sun.

 

[Tesscorm]

Yeah, Mehita threw me for a minute too... 40 degres Fahrenheit is quite different from 40 degress Celsius... I'd rather have the 40 Celsius!!

 

[Mehita]

Sorry, yes, 40F. That's really warm for us at this time of year. It's supposed to be -20F on Sunday though. I'll let you do the math

 

[Jmrogers4]

No Math needed on that one, its freaking cold where ever you are. Stay warm on Sunday. Sounds like a good day to bundle up with a load of blankets and a good book

 

[Catherine]

We don't do cold. Waiting for the cool change in come though, expecting the temperature to drop 8 to 15 c with the change.

 

[Tesscorm]

There's a simple 'approximate' calculation to go from celsius to fahrenheit - double celsius temperature and add 30 - gives you a fairly close conversion. However, doesn't work when you throw in negative numbers!

 

[Twiggy930]

My son has had the flushing of the face you describe. He used to get it fairly frequently. GI was unconcerned. I think it is an inflammatory response type of thing.

 

[crohnsinct]

Yeah Lupus sounds scary but typically the Lupus kids on Remicade get is due to the med and once it is discontinued goes away.

 

[Mehita]

That's the scary part - discontinuing Remicade. There is no way DS could handle injections of any sort like with Humira. If we ever have to stop Remi, we'll be in big trouble around here.

 

[crohnsinct]

I now right?! Isn't it funny how we fight so hard to keep the drugs we fought equally hard not to start. I swear the docs must have a good laugh at us all. I get a little pit in my stomach whenever I read that Remicade only lasts a while before it stops working. Going on two years here and hoping like crazy we can go another 10 or more!

 

[Snickerdoodle]

I'm an adult on Humira and get the face flush all the time. I got it before going on Humira, so I've always just attributed it to my flare. It looks a lot worse than it feels...you just feel like maybe an ice pop or cold drink would be nice but in the meantime everyone is starting at you with concern asking if you're ok...

 

[imaboveitall]

V has hemifacial flushing, R side only, when inflammation is high.
It looks like she was slapped in the face and is hot to the touch, but not painful.
It used to happen ALWAYS around evening time.

Since she also has dysautonomia, it was attributed to a cardiovascular cause, aggravated by inflammation. We ruled out Horner's syndrome as well.

 

[Mehita]

Just a little follow up... the GI took a look at the rash and is not concerned. He said even if it is the start of psoriasis, the benefit of Remicade for IBD usually outweighs skin issues for most people.

I did ask if it could be an indication of inflammation like in V's case and he said not likely since he's never presented with this before. He said it's more likely puberty, but he noted it in his file and we'll just watch it.

He also showed me more pictures of the butterfly rash and said if it starts looking like that to take a picture and email him. But even then, if the rash is the only sign, many people still opt to stay on Remicade.

 

[crohnsinct]

hmpf! That is for sure in our case...have you seen the pics of O's psoriasis? GI still keeps her on Remicade. Derm hates it but concurs...don't want to wake the sleeping giant.

 

[Mehita]

Are they in your album? Going to peek now...

 

[Mehita]

Wow... poor thing. Is it painful?

Yes, probably best to let the sleeping giants snore away.

 

[crohnsinct]

Funny thing is it used to not itch or hurt her. Those pics were from last year. She looks worse now and it is spreading. Now it itches like crazy and scratching it she has broken the skin open and it is bleeding and hurts. Try telling a kid not to scratch, right?

The one thing that works for her is $130 a small tube and my insurance doesn't cover it! Only the generic equivalent which we tried for $5. We are in the middle of fighting with them and they are saying cosmetic. That made both docs so mad they are in the fight now to.

 

[momof8yrold]

My son also gets flushed cheeks and ears regularly. However, he never had any before he had GI problems. When his symptoms started, he started getting flushed cheeks. He still gets them. However, he isn't in remission yet.
During Remicade infusions too, he has got flushed face (reaction to Remicade). They stop the Remicade, wait for sometime and then start Remicade. He is always premedicated with benedryl and tylenol. Last couple of infusions, the doctor started Solumedrol too.

Does your child still get facial flushing? Just wondering, if it'll go away or not!!

 

[CrohnsKidMom]

My son often had flushed cheeks and eas in the evenings poor to diagnosis, actually prior to any IBD symptoms. No fevers though. After treatment began he no longer has the problem. Curious.

 

[CarolinAlaska]

My nonIBD child has this too. Weird.