Cannot cope with DD's eczema any more...

[Schulte]

...is there a support group somewhere? A hotline where I can cry down the phone? Or can you lovely people cheer me up a bit?

[WhipMeIndiana]

ah bless you X

[WhipMeIndiana]

Im sure there is support available, have you googled?

[K999]

My DD suffered terribly from excema when she was younger. Started at 5 months but she grew out of it by 3. It is awful though.

[K999]

How old is your DD? How serious is her excema? Is it all over or just in certain areas?

[Schulte]

She's 2. It started when she was 4mo, then somehow we managed to keep on top of it throughout last summer (only her legs were affected), and it was completely gone all winter. Came back in March and this time it's much worse, it's pretty much all over her arms and legs and all her fingers are raw flesh as she scratches her hands in the night. Now she's developing a patch in her face too. I have tried all sorts of creams and steroid creams occasionally, but they never sort it out completely and it comes straight back the moment I stop using them.

She keeps telling me it hurts.

Everything I thought I had learned about controlling her eczema seems to not make sense any more, nothing I try works.

[Schulte]

I have asked for a referral and we will get seen in July but that's still ages away.

[Schulte]

Maybe someone here knows how you are supposed to use hydrocortisone - everywhere it says don't use for longer than a few days but what if the sores are still there after a week? Do you stop and watch them come back, or do you persist with the hydrocortisone until it's all cleared up? Even if it takes, say, 3 weeks?

And then when you have stopped using it and it does come back, how soon do you use hydrocortisone again?

Because at the moment, looking at the state of her skin, I could use it pretty much non-stop.

And I am desperately trying not to.

[Schulte]

And a similar question... I give her Piriton at bedtime to stop the scratching but I can't give it to her for weeks and weeks, can I???

[K999]

What has your GP prescribed?

[Katisha]

Personally i dont have a problem with using hydrocortisone non-stop. Better than having weeping skin.

I have had excema all my life and use strong steroid creams whenever necessary. DSs also have it. When DS1 was tiny we had a referral and they explained the concept of wet wrapping which really helped very quickly. Basically you put the steroid cream and a load of diprobase on and then wrap warm wet tubular bandages round the affected part. You have to do it for a while but we saw an almost immediate improvement and it enabled us to get back on top of things.

[PigletJohn]

IIRC (we have not had to use hydrocortisone recently, Persil non-bio and a calmer lifestyle seems to have helped a lot) you are not meant to use it continually as it makes the skin thinner, and gets habituated to it so as soon as you stop, the skin erupts again.

Be sure to wash your own hands very thoroughly after applying, or the same will happen to you.

The antihistamine syrup is labelled as OK for 2-yrs plus, and many people take it right through summer, as it works on hayfever as well as skin inflammation.

However both of them should say on the leaflet inside the packet "if symptoms persist, consult your doc or pharmacist" or similar, so you ought to do that. Well-meaning people on the net are not so reliable.

BTW have you tried soft cotton PJs and gloves to cut down on scratching?

[zookeeper]

Have you applied for DLA for her? She sounds as though she may qualify

[K999]

You can claim DLA for excema??

[zookeeper]

yes , depending on the severity of course. I have soldiered on with my dd for years and applied this year (on recommendation of her consultant) and got it.

[trixymalixy]

Right, go and bug your GP to get referred to a specialist. It sounds like you need a stronger steroid to be used for a short period to clear it up, and better/different emollients. GPs are fine for a bit of excema, but it sounds like you need someone with a bit more knowledge.

Feel free to vent on here. So sorry your DD is so badly affected, but it's bloody hard on the patents too.

[trixymalixy]

Doh, parents!!

[Schulte]

Thank you everyone. GP has prescribed things like Dermol (which seems to help a bit), Cetraben (which feels nice but seems to make it worse if anything), Unguentum (not sure whether it helps or not but it's so bloody messy). We have Hydrocortisone 1% and Eumovate and I haven't really noticed that Eumovate would clear it up better or quicker so I tend to use Hydrocortisone instead and use it twice a day.

I will change our washing powder back from Fairy non-bio to Persil. Who knows.

I have started giving her fish oil, and I have tried to cut down on dairy but she hated the soya yoghurt.

She only wears cotton clothes.

Don't know what DLA is (I am a foreigner) but will have a look.

[Schulte]

Oh. I have also tried... Aveeno, Lush's Dream cream, calendula cream, cream with omega3 in it, cream with urea in it (but it stings so had to stop), Diprobase (still our emollient of choice), Oilatum in the bath (made it worse), E45 cream (ditto). Still need to try Epaderm but GP tells me it's very similar to Unguentum.

Is there anything I haven't tried and should?

[K999]

Disability Living Allowance

[zookeeper]

It's disability living allowance

[K999]

I used to fill leg of tights with oats, pop over tap when running bath. Very soothing. DD liked it.

[Schulte]

And I have started giving her those probiotic drinks.

Really it's probably harder for the parents than the children at this age, hence my question about the helpline!

[Schulte]

Oh yes, brought some oatmeal bath stuff home from Germany too. I should try that. Thanks.

[K999]

Just use ordinary oats. Buy them in the supermarket.

[LadyDamerel]

Pure Potions Skin Salvation cream is the only emollient that sorts Ds2's eczema.

I found that hydrocortisone 1% just isn't strong enough to deal with bad outbreaks. Ds2 has eumovate for ordinary eczema and fucibet for the areas that are particularly bad, ie, have thick, scaly snake like skin on.

Will you tell us through how/when you treat the eczema and your bath routine, etc?