Help Wanted Please!

[rylansmum]

I have a 6 month old son who has been diagnosed with ezcema. he has been perscribed dermol bath products and lotions. I use surcare washing products, have changed his bedding and it doesn't seem to help. any clues as to what else i can do next or try? stuck for ideas so could use some help please!

[AnnaB]

Hi, I have many posts on this site, both my children have had it since tiny babies. Have you been given any steroid creams to use? If after using the Dermol the eczema does not improve, you should see in a week or so, then go back. There are much more moisturising creams you can use. Do try not to let your son get too warm and wear only 100% cotton clothes. This site provides so many areas of help and support.

anna

[Jimbob]

My son who is 5 and has atopic eczema is not able to tolerate infaderm or simple baby shampoo so it just goes to show that every eczema sufferer is different. We use epaderm as a soap substitute and that seems ok. We were once advised by a paediatric dermatologist that if an emollient is stinging then ask for a different one. She believed that if a child was in agony when emollient was being applied then they would develop a negative relationship with being creamed and therefore it would be harder to get a child to comply thus making the eczema harder to keep under control. My son's eczema was severe from head to toe but we did eventually find a combination that helped. Wet wraps also helped especially during the night.

[AnnaB]

Hi

I totally agree with wooden floors, Massive expense but certainly worth every penny it clearly helped my children. My son used to sit as a baby and scratch rather than play with toys. I see an instant flare when in friends houses with carpets. We have even taken up the carpets in the bedrooms. My children after were tested and it shows they are alllergic/react to the house dust mite. So we also have all the protective bed coverings and pillow protectors. Washing at 60degrees also kills the HDM and removes the creams from clothes and bedding.

Eumovate Ointment is a steroid classed as Moderate Potency so has to be used under certain rules from the DR who prescribed it, it should be used in conjunction with a good emollient/moisturiser.

Yes keep going back to your GP a cream will show in a week or 2 if your going to get a result from it. If you still feel things are out of control or you are not happy then you must insist on a referal to a dermatologist, set a time limit for the GP to get things sorted or after trying their next creams and get them agree to work to this. Don't battle on sinking with a GP who thinks they are doing everything and refuse your requests like me. Make them listen to you. Eczema has a knock on effect to the whole family and your son has a right to the best medical care. Our GP said they were doing everything. They weren't. I even felt let down by the hospital I was refered to and through meeting staff from another hospital changed hospitals. I now feel fully supported from our dermatolgy team and easy regular access to help advice and support. Don't end up at the emergency doctor at 3am like we did. Make a plan and be strong, eczema is a long tough road.

Good luck and keep in touch

Anna

[tylersmummy07]

hi all im new on hear my son is two and a half and was diagnosed with ezcema 10 weeks or so ago, been in two different hospitals and was givin alot of different creams and meds for him. but what is so different about this ezcema is he has never had it before mind you his two and a half, its on his bottom to his front, his legs hands arms tops of his feet head in his ears on his genitals but not in the creases like normally ezcema would flare up, i wet wrap him after smearing the creams on, and have to put stents on his arms, trying to get his meds in i have to pin him down and fource it in, im in a living hell not sleeping much because his up most nights crying and itching to the point of bleeding, i put oil in the bath that the doctors told me to do, im following everything they said but nothing is helping, i have to say its not as angry as a few weeks ago but its still very infected and sore for him. im not coping at all and running out of money fast im at the point i dont know what to do anymore.
im only 19 married to my sons father, his working alot to bring in some money but for the hours he does it isnt enough.. i feel like im crashing and burning at this point... how did u all get through i just dont know what to do anymore....

[Sammie]

You have my sympathy. Children who have eczema is awful. And even more so when they are to young to understand what is happening to them. Have you tried changing your washing powder? Surcare is non-bio and has fewer allergy triggers, so is better for sensitive skin. Also try looking at what else your child skin is coming into contact with. Something may be triggering the flare ups or aggrovating it. Ask your G.P for a referal to a dematologist. They can carry out patch tests and blood tests and can often indicate other triggers.
I had eczema for 20 years and do not use any chemical products on my skin, and have not had an outbreak for many years.
Try to stay calm, young children sense that you are upset and it is very hard to understand as an adult let alone a child.
Let us know what you are using, from the doctor, washing powders etc.
Do not feel bad, you are doing all you can to help your child, and with time you will both learn to cope with this disease.
Also try talking to your Health Visitor, she may be able to put you in touch with a local support group?
Hang in there, stay strong.
I wish your child well...x

[tylersmummy07]

hey there,
i have changed my washing powder to a sensitive amolin, the doctors said its not allergy or food as he would be breaking out alot around his mouth which there is no ezcema at that site. im in the middle of changing everything to natural or ezcema safe products.
his on a cource of anti biotics which he has been on quiet a few anti biotics. i am using hamalton bath oil, dermez and fatty oil script from hospital. with wet wraps he is up most of the night scratching to the point of bleeding. im having finacial troubles and cant afford to see dermatoligy clinics untill i can get some sort of help i am stuck, and my peadiatrition is only on once a fortnight, the only help i can recieve is the hospital an hour away and i must sit in emergency to be seen. i dont know what else to do

[AnnaB]

Hi

I too have nursed both my children from birth with severe eczema they are now 3 and 5. I have just dropped my 3 year old off with relatives for her 1st nights away from home while her brother goes into hospital. Before I left she was tearing at her skin, they have carpets which bring with them the dreaded house dust mites!! It is heart breaking. It is really tough on the whole family and I hate it. Sorry that probably does not come across as suportive but I want you to know your not alone, I have spent hours on my knees crying, feeling like my whole world spins round eczema. Is your son due to start pre school soon? 2 1/2 to 3yrs. If so visit a few and pick one which will support the care your son needs. A good pre school will give you the chance to get some time out. You need it and deserve it. Friends ask me why I get up so early or why the kids go to bed when they do. So few people understand the care, creams and routines eczema takes.

My son had tried so many creams that I decided to try cutting out the bath oil and just put the emolient in the water instead and use that to wash him with as well. As soon as I cut out the bath oil the fire/burn to the surface of his skin calmed down. It may be worth a try. When our dermatologist tries a new oil he reacts so we stick to washing purely with his moisturiser.

Hang in there, how lucky is your son to have a mum who cares. Keep in touch. Anna

[tylersmummy07]

hi anna sorry i should introduce my self, my name is rowena, im 19 yrs old married to my husband daniel for 2 and a half years. our son is tyler.

today was horrible, my son is having trouble trying to pee because the rash is over over that area, and he came out of his play room covered in blood, he was scratching and tore his skin apart, i took him straight to my mums and i ended splinting his arms and bandaging his hands up so he could not scratch so badly. i feel like im totally broken im getting no where with community support as they dont understand how bad excema can be its so frustrating for familys out there like im learning at the moment,
the chemist gave us a stronger seditive to get him to rest his body, i am booked in for next thursday to see my peadiatrition its the next best thing for us at the moment but its a long wait for us.
tyler was in kinder 3 days a week happily but due to all this i had to remove him as they could not hold his possition because i didnt know when he would be well enough to go back, his very upset about that!
im so tired and frustrated but i do feel a little at eas knowing other mothers out there have been where im standing today, and its so hard to cope with..
thankyou for being a listening ear its been a huge relief to have someone who has been in my shoes and knows what im going through..
`rowena

[Elaine]

Just my opinion .....

Has anyone considered the microfiber clothing? Almost everything from sleepers to car seats to toys to mom's workout clothes to dad's fleece jacket, to towels, to couches to the endless lines of clothing for babies -- all made of this petroleum-derived synthetic. There are properties of microfiber that need to be acknowledged and avoided whenever possible. You won't see much about the "attributes" of microfiber when it comes to clothing because its properties would be adverse to baby skin. But if you want the truth, read all the bragging about microfiber as a fabric for household chores. There are reasons microfiber is good for dusting and cleaning and soaking up large amounts of liquid from a spill.

Microfiber has a positive electrical charge that attracts everything to it. It also has absorbency abilities which may be great for floors but not so great for protecting the natural oils of a baby's skin. It also has adherence properties making it a magnet for dust and chemicals. If you wash microfiber baby clothing with your husband's no-iron shirt, it is not far fetched that the chemicals of the shirt will adhere to the fibers of your baby's clothing. And if you do not wash microfiber at the proper temperatures, the ends of the fibers will not open sufficiently to release the dirt and whatever else has adhered to it.

More than this, mold spores can be attracted to and well-established in microfiber. "They" say no but we recently tested and found alarming amount of spores per gm of dust representing 7 different molds -- all hanging out on a toy stuffed dog imported from China and sitting prominently in the baby nursery. All these things shipped from China get packed in boxes, crates and cartons with other products and carried on dank wet ships where any possible combination of contamination can occur. And this is before you consider just how long the stuffed dog was sitting in the store, handled by others all walking into the store with the outside on their shoes and attracting anything that came into contact with its surroundings.

Always try to buy clothing made in the USA (to avoid the importing issues) and read labels carefully. 100% cotton isn't necessarily great either if it has formaldehyde or pesticide residue within the fabric and this happens. The world is a scary place. We shouldn't be afraid of the clothing we put on our children but we need to be just that.