Now that I had Internet, I finally got around to researching Sophia's rash and the medicine that had been given to her. On Saturday I googled "cold rash" and found a forum where parents were discussing rashes on their children that sounded pretty similar to Sophia's.
While it is perfectly true that someone can develop a rash in reaction to cold, dry weather, I was stunned to learn that it is also perfectly true that someone can be allergic to the cold. Not develop a rash that looks like an allergic reaction (what happens to me when I wear jewelry; I doubt I'm actually allergic to every piece of material that touches my skin; my skin is simply sensitive and easily irritated). But it is possible to have an allergic reaction to the cold--your body has a histamine reaction to the cold. Wow.
So I decided to try giving Sophia Benadryl every night. I still had a decent-sized supply of Children's Benadryl that I had brought with me from the US. For a short while, I had been giving it to her every night, but since I didn't think her rash was due to allergies, I had stopped. The rash had started before she had been exposed to anything in this environment--clothes, food, etc--other than the cold weather and water (which she doesn't drink, she only uses to brush her teeth in and take a shower, which she does rarely). So I had highly doubted that it was an allergy.
Her rash was getting worse--very red and spreading all over her body, even on her neck and starting to get on her face. I was applying lotion at least once daily, which she hated.
So I started, once again, to give her Benadryl nightly. I even stopped applying the lotion as much, not out of any experiment but because it was such a hassle. (And the rash is not due to the lotion, I got the lotion about 2 weeks after the rash had started.)
Remember how earlier I had thought that the rash was going away? During that period, I had been giving her the medicine prescribed by the school nurse and Benadryl. I had stopped giving her those medicines.
To my surprise, her rash has been improving! While she still itches, it is not terrible and you can barely see a rash on her body.
I checked the medicine that the nurse had prescribed--it appears to be a Russian form of Zyrtec. Of course, had I known that earlier, I probably wouldn't have given it to her, as I highly doubted it was an allergic reaction. And I was a bit angry that I hadn't been informed as to what it was--I had been double-dosing her on allergy medicine without knowing it.
So my daughter's rash is due to an allergy. I'm still skeptical of the allergic-to-cold theory, although it is definitely the best. And, of course I have to laugh. What kind of a mother am I? My daughter is allergic to the cold, and I bring her to one of the coldest places on Earth!
I checked the other medicine that the nurse had prescribed, the black tablets that dissolved in water and Sophia hated. I had assumed they were some kind of vitamin. Wrong. They are "activated coal"! Used to purify gold, treat sewage, treat poisoning in people, and in some folk remedies for irritable bowel. Really? Well, I don't feel too bad now that Sophia didn't take that much.
So I double-dosed my child on allergy medicine (for a while), gave her coal that is used to treat sewage, and took her to one of the coldest places in the world when she might have an allergy to cold. Wonder what I'll do next?
(Update: We have completely stopped using the lotion. Her rash is almost non-existent. She takes Children's Benadryl nightly and I take the Russian Zyrtec for my allergies.)
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