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Children's health

Bleeding excema!

12 replies

Lj8893 · 20/03/2014 17:58

My dd is 5 months, she's had dry skin since she was born but in the last couple of weeks its flared up big time. Its all over her chest, back and arms. She's scratching her chest so much its bleeding and weepy.

I went to the doctors and got some cream which has sorted the dryness out a bit but she's still scratching it loads and its still very bloody and weepy.
She's also on a course of antibiotics to prevent it getting infected but she hates taking it and it all just dribbles out of her mouth.

I'm making her constantly wear mittens to stop scratching but she just rubs it instead which still makes it bleed.

Ill phone the doctors again tomorrow to get another appointment but has anyone got any help/advice in the meantime?

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Lj8893 · 20/03/2014 18:43

Bump!

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Pobblewhohasnotoes · 20/03/2014 21:02

Is it dry or inflamed? As you may need steroid cream for red sore areas. Have you got any Piriton to stop the itching? We used to give a dose at night to stop DS scratching. He had eczema at 4 months and got emollients, steroid cream and Piriton from the dermatologist. We also use oilatum in the bath and non bio wash liquid for clothes. Do you know what causes the eczema? For DS it's a dairy allergy. Oh, have you got scratch mits too?

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Pobblewhohasnotoes · 20/03/2014 21:02

Sorry, just seen you have, to my last question.

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Lj8893 · 20/03/2014 21:07

Thankyou! I will look into getting some piriton as I think if we can stop the itching, it will stop the soreness.

Not sure what causes the excema, I have wondered if it could be dairy or lactose allergy or intolerance.

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Iwillorderthefood · 20/03/2014 22:17

Hi, do all of the things that are being said here, and add, make sure that your DD does not get too hot. I was covered head to toe in eczema as a child and I can remember how awful heat made my skin feel. Have the window open at night. Anytime she is scratching loads put something cold, but dry on her skin, this could be metal spoon or anything, cold calms the itch. At every nappy change moisturise with something like epaderm, top to toe, forget aqueous cream, double base etc, this will not touch it. Ask about steroid creams, you could do seven day treatments and if the cream you have is strong enough, hopefully the eczema will have calmed down. Maintain this through weekend treatments with steroids so five days off and two days on. Any time it flares badly again, do another seven day treatment. Be very careful with steroids, in particular on the face, never put it on, unless the doctor tells you there is no other option.

I wish you luck, try to get a dermatologist referral, be persistent, not all doctors you see will know particularly what to do. This can be got under control, but it needs persistence every day.

One last thing, if you are planning to drive anywhere take care with the epaderm, holding the steering wheel will be hard.

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Pobblewhohasnotoes · 20/03/2014 22:25

Yes, aqueous is to wash with, not a moisturiser. If your GP tries to use it like this, there's a NICE guideline about it.

I second, get a referral to a dermatologist! I had awful trouble trying to get DS's eczema treated. The GP just told us to moisturise him, there was nothing we could do and he was too young for steroids. This is absolute rubbish.

If it's a cows milk protein allergy, you'll need to cut out all dairy and soya from your diet if you're breast feeding or get a hydrolysed (where the protein is broken down), or amino acid based formula (no milk protein used if the hydrolysed formula doesn't work) on prescription.

Your DD shouldn't be bleeding, get seen by someone. We see dermatology, allergy team and dietician.

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Iwillorderthefood · 20/03/2014 22:31

I am sorry I forgot the lactose part, definitely check this out.

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Pobblewhohasnotoes · 20/03/2014 22:38

Lactose intolerance is rare in little ones, far more common is a cmpa. I can't remember why.

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greencybermummy · 20/03/2014 22:42

Have you heard of scratch sleeves? Google them. Maybe some use. Try and get referral to specialist paediatric nurses or dermatologist. They'll be able to advise and support. GP's can be useless with this.

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mousmous · 20/03/2014 22:45

ask at the gp if they have an eczema nurse.
she helped us no end with treatment ideas.

dc had really bad eczema at the same age and same timeof year. in hindsight it's a pollen allergy (alder trees now) as dc ges it every year around the same time.

piriton really helped, we all finally got sleep!
we neve used mittens, just made sure fingernails were extra short.
light cotton clothing.
moisturiser: we used aveeno, let it sink in and then weleda skin food on top.

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mousmous · 20/03/2014 22:46

and don't be afraid of steroid cream if it's needed.

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Pobblewhohasnotoes · 20/03/2014 23:15

I agree. It's better to use a stronger steroid cream for a short amount of time too. There are loads of different ones. We have ones for small patches and general areas. It's not something I would expect the GP to know about, if I'm honest.

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