Little Man with Eczema... HELP!

[han23]

Hey guys,

I'm completely new to this site and have no idea what I'm doing so hopefully this ends up where its supposed to be, and apologies if it doesn't.

I have 2 boys, a 2 1/2 yr old with perfect skin and a 7 month old riddled with Eczema.

It first became a problem at around 3 months and since then its been Hell.
I'm looking for anyone who is or has been in the same situation and just wants to chat about it! I could write an essay on the things we've tried and the creams/lotions/ointments/steroids we've used but don't want to scare anyone off by writing too much to the point where no-one bothers reading!
I feel like all I think and talk about is Eczema and am slowing driving everyone I know crazy I think :-)

anyways we're trying the all natural approach at the moment along with seeing a Naturopath, will hopefully see some improvement soon but basically he's just covered!

I don't want anyone else's little bubs to be going through this but would love to talk to anyone who is and just share stories, idea's etc...

ok, hopefully hear from some people soon!

:-) xx :wave:

[TripleTime]

Have you tried qv intensive grease/cream?

Both my girls have eczema & it's the only thing that works. They also see a dermatologist.

[2Bboys]

Paed told me to buy the biggest cheapest tub of sorbelene cream I could find and apply at every nappy change. It took a few weeks but worked for my DS1.


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[MissPoss]

My kids don't have eczema, but my nephew did. He had it so bad he would scream in pain. He had to be circumcised at about 6 months because his foreskin was covered and blocking things off, poor little man. I don't know everything they tried, but I know they got a special cream made. They kept him away from a lot of foods such as citrus and broccoli, diet is certainly good to look into. They also washed his clothes different detergent. It cleared up completely by the time he was about 18 months.

I hope your bub gets some relief soon.

[ladybug11]

Creams like dermeeze & moo goo. can offer some relief. I wouldn't reccommend sorbolene as that can sting. No hot baths, no woolen clothing, sensitive bath stuff & laundry powder. Also hazelwood necklaces can help. If its severe you can do wet dressings 3 times per day to repair thr skin, they work great but are time consuming. Most importamntly try & find what they r sensitive to & avoid it.

[han23]

Hey Ladies,
I haven't tried the QV intenstive cream but have tried the QV lotion, It was the first thing the doctor told me to use but Kai would scream every time I put it on him.
I've used Hydraderm for the last few weeks which is mainly Sorbelene, Its great at keeping his skin hydrated but doesn't stop the flare ups at all!

at the moment we're using Alpha Keri intensive ointment to moisturise at every nappy change and Alpha Keri oil in the bath, As of yesterday I've started putting Rosehip oil on the bad spots to see if it makes a difference.

I can write a list of the things I've tried! not sure how long it will be lol.

We've seen 3 different GP's, A pediatric Dermatologist 3 times ( i see him again in feb) and have had allergy testing done. He's allergic to Eggs and peanuts but being fully breastfed up until a month ago, I haven't had these foods in my diet since we saw the Dermo in October!
I know that there can be food 'triggers' that aren't allergies but can still cause flare ups, which is why his solid food diet is very very limited at the moment.

The naturopath has me taking Zinc, a herb mix which tastes lovely (not) and probiotics. I'm now on a gluten free diet for the next 2 weeks to see if that makes a difference!

Its insane how hard this skin condition is to treat without steroid creams, which I should mention do clear it up almost overnight but it always comes back even worse around 3 days later and within that time he's no less itchy or irritated so I just don't see the point using them anymore!

Thanks for the replies,

and MissPoss, thats terrible about your Nephew, my heart breaks every day for all the little ones out there dealing with it! I do like to hear the stories of the kids that grow out of it tho!

[han23]

Hey ladybug,
I started with Dermeeze, which again is awesome for moisturising but doesn't stop the flare ups.
I should Also mention that since we discovered his Eczema at 3 months:
*he's been in nothing but 100% cotton clothing/bedding
*we use soap nuts for washing (100% natural and they're awesome)
* I haven't worn perfume or make up (besides mascara)
* I vaccum every day and dust like a mad woman
*no soaps or shampoo's on him
* I've also eliminated for 9 weeks, dairy, nuts, eggs, and for 3 weeks, wheat and soy. then we got the allergy testing done!
* we only use vinegar and bi-carb for cleaning around the house

Lol. sounding like a crazy person yet??

[TripleTime]

The QV lotion stings like CRAZY! My legs ended up worse than they were before hand. The intensive is like a grease, it doesnt rub off just very slowly soaks in & water beads off it.

[VintageLover]

Hmm.. Poor little guy :-(

You mentioned bicarb for cleaning (I also use all natural stuff) but have you considered giving bub a bicarb bath? It lowers the acidity in the body.. Generally start with about 1 teaspoon per bath every other night then move amount up to 4 or 5 teaspoons by a month or two.. Can be very effective in treating excema and dermatitis.

Also... Could he be allergic to milk??

Quite common in excema sufferers is a lactose intolerance...

I hope you find some relief soon xxx

[han23]

I haven't heard of bi-carb baths for it but will give anything a go, would it be 1-2 tsp per baby bath or normal tub?
when we took him to the hospital in november during a bad full body/face flare up they told me I had to do bleach baths which I'd also been told 3 weeks earlier by my dermo to do and refused because it just sounded wrong, we ended up giving them to him for a few weeks but again didn't really see any difference, It seemed to control the severity of the flare ups but thats about it!

I did go dairy free for 9 weeks with no change, and was reading labels for everything, my sisters a vegan so I know how hidden milk products can be in all kinds of foods. hopefully the gluten free diet that I've started 4 days ago makes a difference.

will def give the bicarb in the bath a go so thanks :-)

[1979nic]

Sorry your little one is suffering through this :( My DD#1 was the same, we had her allergy tested at 1 year (they wouldn't see us before she turned 1) and she was allergic to dairy, fish and egg. Did the allergy testing you had done come up with anything?

We also saw a dermatologist and were prescribed an ointment called Advantan Fatty Ointment (going by memory, I'm sure that's that name though). I always found that the creams dried her skin and we also used pretty much everything on the chemists shelves (QV etc. etc.) We were also told to apply the ointment, cover with dermeze and then do wet dressings. They made a huge difference to my DD's skin. If you google Royal Childrens Hospital Wet Dressings it will give you the instructions on how to do them.

Good luck, I hope you find what works for you. I spent a fortune on every miracle cure I could get my hands on and it turned out that a cream and the wet dressings and dietary changes were the "magic cure" for my DD.

[VintageLover]

Sorry meant to write tablespoon... And that's for a normal tub so you could probably work on a teaspoon for a baby bath..patch test if you need to. Can't believe the natropathy wouldn't have mentioned it! Very effective in excema treatment..make sure to dab bubs dry not wipe (as I'm sure you already know xx) and moisturise him up straight away..vegetable oil is also very cheap and effective.. There is a lot to be said for natural remedies and education on natural based should be expanded.

Bleach would have been suggested to you as it is used to prevent infection in the wounds. It's a small amount per bath and very effective in reducing severity .. Stops progression xxx

Alternate... See how he reacts.

Best of luck to you xxx

[LilPetal]

Oh your poor little guy! My DD is 5 months and has it. We first discovered it at around 3 months. Just before Christmas one patch got an infection and we had to use Bactroban cream to stop the infection. Apart from that we bath her in Qv flare up oil when it's really bad or just plain water with a bit of Qv gentle wash on a sponge. We use Qv cream (the one in a tub) and a tiny bit of Dermaid on any very bad patches. If we skip managing it for even one day it flares up.

[han23]

Thanks ladies, You're all awesome,

i'll be giving the little man a bath with the bi-carb soda in it today, my theory with the naturopath (as much as I like her) is that she's only telling me certain things when I go and then asking me to come back, where I get more information. I've seen her 3 times now and every time she's told me to try something new which in my opinion she could have just charged for a couple of hours the first time and told me everything. It wouldn't surprise me if she eventually mentions Bi-carb soda. I've just been googling it tho and there are quite a few comments about it in relation to ezcema and I'm surprised I haven't come across it before! I honestly think ive spent over 100 hrs researching it online.

We also have a heap of Advantan fatty ointment, which works wonders and does clear it up, i'm just trying really hard this time not to use any steroid creams because I want to fix it from the inside!

@Lilpetal, your poor bubba, its even worse when it gets infected, the bleach baths that we did honestly did stop the eczema from getting infected so if you want the measurements for a bath that the hospital gave me please let me know! It just smells like a little pool so really isnt as scary as it sounds. Kai has been on oral steroid 3 times and antibiotics 5 times for infections but we've managed to avoid having it infected for a couple of months now!

@ 1979nic, Kai's allergy testing came back positive for eggs and peanuts but these havent been in our diet for 3 months now so we're trying gluten free! Its insane how many foods can trigger flare ups and almost impossible to tell. I know its just a matter of figuring it out and we'll probably (hopefully) be looking back one day amazed that we didn't clear it up sooner.. I can only hope!

I have no idea how to private message or anything on here but if anyone wants to chat further and keep each other updated on progress my email is hannac@telstrashopaltonagate.com.au.
i'm always looking for new mums to chat to about anything too.. not always Eczema! I love how friendly everyone on here is and all your info is much appreciated.
will also be trying MooGoo!! xx

[VintageLover]

I also have a tip from my hubby for you..

A product called Protat.

You can buy it online. He's a tattoo artist and we sell it in our shop. People also come in to buy is specifically for excema as it promotes new cell growth.

Yes about naturopath wanting more coin.. Unfortunately that's what the word has come to.

We ca all do ourselves a favor by studying nutritional medicine and naturopathy.

Xxx

[crazybaby]

My two eldest girls suffered from eczema. When bathing your baby you could put some oats inside a stocking (that has been previoudly washed in a mild washing powder) let the stocking with oats soak in the bath while you bath your baby in the bath water. Have you completely stopped breastfeading? If so you could try giving bubs goats milk formula and cut out all dairy products. These tips worked for me, but all babies are different. Also when my children turned 12 months i started giving them fresh goats milk from the supermarket. I hope you find a solution for your bubs soon.

[Mrs Leto]

I would suggest maybe getting a hazelwood necklace. It has helped my DS a lot and it doesn't hurt to try (it looks cute too!)

ETA I've just re-read my post and I hope it doesn't come across wrong or trivialise your problem. I was just thinking that it is something else you can try.