My 4 year old daughter has had molluscum since August th...

Hi

I think everyone here knows exactly how you feel and it's not good.

I have posted on here a few times since my daughter (age 7) got Molluscum in May this year. She has eczema and had scratched a lot which caused the molluscum to spread really quickly. Within a week both her arms were badly covered in the spots and they had started to appear on her legs and face. Our GP gave us the usual "they'll go away on their own speech" but we were really worried about the rate at which they were appearing and like you were keeping her arms covered etc.

We looked on the internet at all the various "cures" which were being touted and saw Thuja being mentioned. We have used homeopathy successfully in our family before and decided to give it a go. We have a homeopathic pharmacy in our city (Glasgow) and I spoke to the pharmacist who recommended 2 Thuja tablets per day and Thuja ointment to be applied twice daily also.

He had told us that it could take a few months for the remedy to begin working but the result we got was almost unbelievable. We started to see an improvement within 2 weeks - the spots stopped appearing and within 4 weeks they were gone!

I hope our experience gives you some hope and I would wholeheartedly recommend using Thuja. Good Luck!

Cath

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Thank you for this info. I am going to buy thuja tomorrow and start using on my daughter straight away. Just hope it has some effect. Would you be able to tell me if you told anyone about your daughter having Molluscum. I am in such a state as I am scared she will pass it onto another child or that someone will ask what the spots are.

Any advice would be so appreciated as I am very down about the whole thing.

Thanks

Lou

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Hi Lou

We did not tell anyone about the molluscum. We told her that if her friends asked what the spots were she was to say that it was eczema. They did ask and accepted the answer she gave. However, we bought her long-sleeved shirts for all of her activities so she would not have loads of people asking her about it everywhere she went. My advice to you would be to do the same sort of thing.

When the molluscum first appeared it was only a month till her dance show and I was really worried about her taking part because her arms were so bad and the costumes were sleeveless. I bought some special make-up concealer and planned to use it to try to cover them up that way so she could still take part but in the end I didn't have to. The spots were all gone. She had some slight red blemishes left where some of the worst infected spots had been but they were hardly noticeable and disappeared within a few weeks. Now looking at her arms you would never know that she had ever had molluscum.

It's probably also worth mentioning that her older brother (who she climbs over and sits closely with to watch TV etc) did not catch molluscum from her even though he also has eczema.

Just so you know, the Thuja ointment may slightly stain bedding or pyjamas so I bought some cheap ones and changed them every night to help keep her comfortable.

Believe me, I know how down I was about the whole thing but we were really diligent about applying the ointment and making sure she took the tablets correctly and the result was well worth the time and effort.

I hope this helps a bit and that Thuja works for your wee girl too.

Cath

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Its good to hear that the Thuja has worked for you. Your message has made me feel abit better, just to know that someone else has experienced the same thing. I have bought thuja today and have started giving the tablets and put some ointment on tonight. My concern with the ointment is that it has a strong smell, just wondered if you applied it during the day or just at night.

I am desperate to tell my friend about the MC as her daughter and mine spend alot of time together and we take it in turns to have them for an afternoon most weeks. I have been trying to put her off from having my daughter as I am worried she will see the spots and ask me or my daughter what they are. I am also very aware of the fact that they are contagious and dread her best friend getting them due to me not warning. I am convinced that that is how my daughter got them, from someone not telling me what the spots were!

My neice has MC very badly and has had them since February. We didnt know what her spots were until our daughter got them.

It is the not knowing of how bad the spots will get which is driving me insane. She still has all the original spots and 3 have got quite big on her tummy. I wonder if you ever considered squeezing any of the spots. When they are like pin pricks I just wonder if they could be popped more easily.

The pharmacist didn't seem terribly encouraging about using the thuja and said it would take a long time to have any effect. Is there a chance that your daughters MC was on its way out anyway or are you convinced it was the thuja. Is she completely free of it now.

I have never heard of this virus before but by looking at this website it certainly seems to be a very common thing. I just wonder how common as maybe if some childrens is hidden with clothes you wouldn't even know they had it. I just have this nightmare of my child being the only one with it and suddenly loads of kids catch it from her.

I probably sound neurotic but I have never had to deal with something so strange before and so much out of my control. That is why I just have to try and do something and cant just accept that it will go eventually. I am praying that the thuja works for us otherwise I just don't know how I will cope.

Lou

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Hi Lou

We applied the ointment morning and night. I know what you mean about the smell but you only need a little bit on each spot and rub it in well. I don't think the smell was noticeable on her at all and would try not to worry about that.

I hope the pharmacist explained that when taking homeopathic tablets you should not eat or drink anything (except water) for about 20-30 minutes either side. This allows the remedy to be absorbed fully.

We did not consider squeezing the spots - we worried that it might leave a scar. My daughter had only had molluscum for about 2 weeks when we started using the Thuja but in that time it had spread at an alarming rate. When we started using it the Pharmacist said he had prescribed it on many occasions and had had a good success rate with it but that it might take a few months to take effect. Honestly, we saw an improvement within 2 weeks and 4 weeks later they were all gone. She was definitely just at the starting point of the molluscum.

Some people can be a bit sceptical about homeopathy and its benefits and perhaps the pharmacist you saw was a bit like that but I am absolutely certain that it was the Thuja which cleared my daughter's skin and saved my sanity. She has been clear of them ever since (touch wood!). Even when the spots were gone we gave her the tablets for about another 8 weeks or so as the pharmacist said that stopping them too soon could possibly mean that the infection might come back.

Take heart and go with the Thuja. Let me know how it goes for you. Good luck.

Cath

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Thank you so much for this info. Does make me feel abit more positive. I did not know about not eating or drinking 20-30 mins either side so that is very much appreciated. I am going to be very strict about the tablets and the ointment and hope it does some good. Can you give me an idea of how the spots progressed. Did they get worse before improving, did they scab over and did they get any bigger.

I wonder whether you were concerned about the spots being contagious. I am trying to be positive and thinking that it seems that the spots are most easily spread through water, eg bath and swimming, therefore, if I keep her covered up she will not pass them on. I just can't work out just how contagious they are and no one really seems to know but I would think there would be an epidemic if they were really that contagious. I just keep thinking that my daughter is the only one with them! Do you have any idea where your daughter may have got them from?

I have never used homeopathy before so it is all new to me, I just wish we had started trying it back in August when the MC first appeared. I just wonder whether homeopathy can have any side effects?

Thank you so much for all your advice. I appreciate it so much as any info I have gained elsewhere has been so vague and negative. I am really struggling with it all but you have given me some hope of sorting it out.

Thanks again

Lou

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I have just noticed that we have been prescibed the 6c strength and told to give 3 times daily for first 2 weeks. Do you think this will be any good or should we really have the 30c strength. I don't know how much difference this would make.

Thanks

Lou

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Hi Lou

My daughter's spots just started to get smaller and eventually disappeared, they did not scab over. She did have some which were infected by her scratching and so the tops of those ones were broken but in the end they reacted the same way as the rest. Our GP gave us some Fucidin H cream to put on the infected spots and had also prescribed her some oral antibiotics to counteract the infection. (We used these at the same time as the Thuja tablets and ointment - it was a bit like painting by numbers for a few days!) Maybe if your daughter has some which are very red and angry it might be worth asking if your GP thinks antibiotics could help.

We have no idea where she got the molluscum from. She had just finished her first 10 week swimming block with the school so we thought that was the source but don't know for sure.

I would not worry about side-effects from homeopathy, anyone I have asked says it does not have any. We had the tablets but i'm not sure what difference the strength would have.

The homeopathic pharmacy I use has a website. You should have a look at it and maybe contact them to ask what they think about the different strengths of tablets. The pharmacist was really kind and helpful.

I'm glad you feel our experience has helped you a bit. Do let me know how you get on.

Cath

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Lou

I had said in my post above that the tablet strength we had was 30c but this seems to have been removed before it was posted. Website address has been removed. I don't know why this was done but the e-mail looks pretty stupid without this information. I don't know if this will get through this time I do hope so.

Cath

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Cath

Thanks very much for that. I have since rung my pharmacy to ask about the different strengths and they said that as my daughter is only 4 they recommend the 6c rather than 30c for older children and adults so I will stick with it. It will be 1 week tomorrow and I can't see any difference as yet which is disheartening me. Its interesting that your daughters didn't scab over as all the other info I've read said that this is what happens so I will keep an eye on the size rather than anything else.

I did visit my doctor again the day before yesterday as she is back from maternity leave and is so nice. She said that MC is so common, her nephew has it at the moment and her daughter is with him all the time and she's not bothered if her daughter gets it. Some children will get it and some won't. She said you'd be surprised how many have got it but keep it covered and you wouldn't know they had it! So I am really trying to get my head round it all. She also said that as I am reluctant to see friends and let my daughter go to their houses that I should tell them as at the moment I feel like I'm keeping a big secret. I think my daughter is picking up on my anxiety and it is making her worried about the spots too. As long as I keep the spots covered there should be no risk and she only has about 13 at the moment. Apparently some children will get it worse than others and particularly children with eczema as they scratch more and the MC spreads easier due to broken skin, like your daughter I imagine.

I am still not happy about it but in case the thuja doesn't work I have to try and live with it. I guess at the end of the day it is not a serious illness and I should be thankful for that.

Lou

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Hi Cath

Just wanted to update you as I can't thank you enough for recommending Freemans pharmacists. I have rung them today and spoken to the head pharmacist and he was amazingly helpful. He said that he would never prescribe 6c tablets as they are not really strong enough but as I have them already I should up the dose to 4 times a day instead of 3. This could prove to be quite tricky to get so many into her in a day so I am going to call him next week and possibly get the 30c sent to me. I do have stronger ointment of 10% strength and he normally only prescribes 5% so this may help. I wish I had gone straight to Freemans in the first place. He also had first hand experience of MC as his daughter has had it.

My daughters don't seem to be improving and I have noticed a few more appearing but they are growing at a very slow rate so I'm hoping that the thuja may start to take effect soon.

Kind Regards

Lou

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Dear Cath and Lou,

Reading your messages has been really helpful in starting to deal with my daughter's MC. Like many I didn't know anything about the condition - nor treatment. Following your advice I have bought the Thuja tablets and ointment and have started with these this morning. As she's had this since May, I'm hoping to accelerate the 'spontaneous resolution' that the GP assured me of.

Helen

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Helen

I hope Thuja works for your daughter as well as it did for mine. It's definitely worth persevering. Good luck!

Cath

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Glad that you have found the info helpful as if you are anything like me you feel so helpless and alone with it all!

I have today ordered the 30c tablets and am getting the ones which dissolve on the tongue (didnt realise they were available before until the wonderful pharmacist at Freemans told me). Apparently you give these twice a day as I was finding it impossible to get 4 of the 6c ones into her in a day! As yet I haven't noticed any difference but she doesn't seem to have any more spots and has about 15 in total so no worse. Fingers crossed!

Keep us updated on progress.

Good Luck

Lou

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Just wondered if anyone has any experience of thuja making MC worse before getting better. We are noticing that our daughter has a number of tiny spots appearing and thought maybe this is because of using the thuja.

We are using the 30c tablets (as of today) as we had previously been using lower strength for the last 2 weeks, along with the ointment, but I feel so impatient waiting and wondering if the thuja will do any good.

Lou

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