The girl's showed up first and developed slowly. I took her to the doctor on day 3 and probably would've waited even longer, except she was headed up to the cottage for the weekend and I wanted to rest easy. Our doctor, who is almost one year into a two-year break to accompany her husband abroad for work, was back for a holiday and was working (I'd love a job that I loved so much that I'd choose to work on my vacation, instead of relaxing, visiting family and friends, etc.) so it was a great surprise when she walked into the room.
I also thought it was good, because she knows our medical history and could have that in mind while making a diagnosis, but I think she was in a vacation frame of mind and had socialising and catching up as a priority, instead of more serious doctoring. As it was, the girl has had various minor but annoying (and mostly unexplained) skin issues for her whole life, so the doctor, using that aforementioned knowledge of our medical history, and no actual examination of my daughter that I noticed, chalked it up to "she's just got really sensitive skin, and is having a reaction to something," and sent us on our way, assuring us that we were fine to see other kids. She suggested some benadryl if I felt like it. In the way that some people, particularly me, do when confronted with questionable opinions from authority figures, I adopted an "I'm totally listening, and agree with everything" expression, nodded seriously, and left it at that.
When the rash had dissipated only slightly in three more days and one cheek had adopted a somewhat alarming circular-shaped rash (okay, yes, I'm neurotic, but I have a "thing" about rashes - I have a hard time convincing myself that they are not (a) an allergic reaction that's about to lead to throat swelling and death, (b) necrotizing fasciitis, or (c) some kind of exotic microscopic insect, laying eggs under the skin), I called back, and was told by the nurse to try more benalyn and re-assess in the morning. Does benalyn cure flesh-eating disease?!
A week after the girl's rash made it's first appearance and was largely gone, the boy's cheeks turned red, and I had them back to the doctor, since it was obviously no longer simply her sensitive skin reacting to something. We saw another doctor this time, and this time it was deemed viral, the clues being the boy's slightly red throat, and that he got it a week after his sister. Neither had any other symptoms of any sort of virus.
We were assured, again, that we needn't worry about being contagious, and sent on our way.
I gather this was the more accurate diagnosis, given that the boy's rash followed the same course as the girl's, although I'm still not 100% convinced. Either way, we are now, knock wood, rash free.
