Talk to me about eczema

[NotSoThinLizzy]

So DS is nearly 2 has some nasty eczema on his hand and the crook of his elbow. We've been doing the steroid cream and it's not working. Diprobase every 30 mins. Also given piriton for itching. Oat baths and oilatum. Have doc appointment on the 1st. Any ideas to help hes up at night scratching. Will attach pics of flare ups. 2nd pic is after a a week healing.

I'm dreading waiting for a referral pretty sure sure gp will just prescribe more steroids that dont work and referral will take months 😢 worried he'll have no skin left

Hes still feeding too so going to try some breastmilk on it.

Steroids should work eventually if the right kind used in the right way. Sadly not many medical professionals ( esp GPs) know what that is

Lots of really good advice in all these posts. The key thing I picked up on was the definite reaction to tomato. Tomato is a high histamine food. So think, has the rash coincided with the barmy, hot weather, when we had high pollen counts daily. We are all being bombarded by triggers that cause our body to release histamine and if we surpass our own personal histamine threshold then we will present with symptoms. Like my son, who has been suffering greatly ever since the pollen season began. It is like he is reacting to anything and everything. You will begin to see a reaction to foods that you never reacted to before, not because you are allergic but because many foods contain histamine or histamine releasing chemicals. Google histamine sensitivity and read multiple sights to get a broader insight. It is very complicated but there is no doubt that watching our children suffer inspires you to persevere through. Infections, illness, antibiotics, the food we consume will all impact on this elusive and ridiculously difficult to pin down value that is our histamine threshold. And also, I second the advice with re. the books the excema diet and the excema detox by a fully qualified dietician from Australia called karen fischer. Finally, pure vit e oil is great for healing the itch and omega 3 oil for healing from within. My 17yr old daughter can vouch for the benefits of applying a calcium betonite paste to the areas which are inflamed and itchy.

Yep already not doing tomatoes been a week since his last one.

i took my DS when he was 2 to the Nightingale Allergy Clinic on Wimpole Street and his eczema cleared up pretty quickly (from all over his body to clear within 2 weeks!). Recommended by family - it worked for us - but this was 20 years ago!!

So sorry for your poor little DS - and sorry for you too. A really tough break for you both.

I'm a long-time eczema sufferer - it's a bugger. And I've passed it on to my daughter Loads of good advice already. A few extra bits from me:

Baby wipes & handwashing can irritate. Try to keep one warm wet facecloth on the go for clean up.

Short nails. Short as possible.

Someone mentioned tomatoes irritate. Also, citrus juices - not ingesting, but coming into contact with them physically. Lemon/orange juice on my fingers causes a flare up within hours, so try to hold off giving him mandarin segments, etc.

Don't fear steroids. The stronger, the better. My GP said I could give my daughter a short blast with my own medication (betnovate) to try and get a particularly bad patch under control. Thankfully, it worked. What do you want to do is get a flareup under control asap, then move to a maintenance routine. Appreciate others have a different view here - I'm just telling you what worked for us.

The good news from my end is that dietary restrictions have zero impact on my eczema (again, all individual). The bad news is that cat hair is definitely my biggest trigger.

Good luck.

So how long would people recommend to be cat free? We are away for 5 days next week should I see an improvement or should it be longer?

My niece says this has worked for her

I've suffered from severe eczema since very young, I've only recently started to have completely clear skin and I think going "nearly" vegan has a lot to do with it as I'm staying away from everything milk (which is in everything!) and always flare up if have some.
In other words, could be dairy? (Consult dietician/hospital see what they say re allergies intolerances etc as eczema usually linked to intolerances.

To soothe the itching, try Aveeno bath products.
Or an old (clean!) pair of tights - chop the foot off and fill with oats and run and squeeze under the warm water for a bath oil.
Milky and very soothing!

100% cotton clothing, no synthetic fibres at all.
Damp dust - duster and wet cloth surfaces, no polish, just damp cloth.

Non bio washing powder always and no fabric conditioner.

5 days with no cats you should see an improvement, if that's having an effect, but it won't have healed completely in that time. It might be worth eliminating tomatoes from your diet for a bit as you're still breastfeeding.
I also second happyinlondon's advice to get the flare up under control with strong steroids and then maintenance. In my experience, GPs are a bit rubbish with really bad eczema - too scared of the steroids - and your little one's is really bad as it's open and weeping. Let us know if you manage to get a GP appointment tomorrow and be firm about asking for stronger steroids and a referral. Good luck.

Bloody, pissing eczema. It’s a sod and will sneak up on you when you think you’ve cracked it and BAM it’s back again.

Massive sympathy for you and your little one. We are constantly battling it with my DS, we can go from mild dry skin to nasty flare ups pretty much over night. It was a nightmare when he was a baby - seriously hellish. Finding out his triggers was the only savour for us.

Please note dairy and sou protein are similar so if cutting out dairy go for something like oat milk and be careful with rice milk I don’t think it’s recommended until they are 5 because of arsenic levels

Oh and other advice:

PUSH for Dermitology - GPS will think they know what they are doing but really don’t!

Don’t be afraid of stronger steroid - the trick is how it is used hence the need to have a Dermatologist.

In my world steroids and antihistamines are wonder drugs.

Have you got hydrocortisone cream? I’d wet wrap him tonight.

We’ve got the much stronger steroid for dc when They were three. The dermatologist was horrified at how bad the GP had let it get - like your DC’s skin. The 1% stuff is far too gentle.

Have you got private health care?. DC was allergy tested using it but didn’t find anything obvious. Same doctor prescribed the stronger steroid though.

Many years ago ds had this. Dermatologist prescribed steroid cream, but also pointed out that the eczema was in areas that got more sweaty, so suggested using a special powder (like a v fine talc) in these areas a few mins after we put the steroid cream on. I can't remember the powder name, but am pretty certain it began with Z and was specifically for use by people with heavy sweating. It worked wonders.

Good news for you us that ds grew out of his eczema after a couple of years, so there is hope the same might happen for your ds.

More recently I have discovered an emollient cream called Stelatopia and use it where I get eczema flare ups. It's v gentle & intended for use by babies, but has kept me eczema free for the last 6 months which is quite a record.

Zeasorb! Just remembered the name of the powder.

Thanks everyone wee man has just gone down because of scratching. Hopefully should be him now till morning. The back of his hand dosent really sweat much. I've taken to moisturizing his whole body for fear of it starting in the sweaty parts.

Ouch. Poor baba. I swear by diprobase OINTMENT. This is v different to the cream in the big pump. Can buy without prescription for a few pounds.

What strength steroid cream do you use? If it's hydrocortisone 0.5 or 1 per cent then it's just not enough. They're mild steroids and he has severe eczema.

You can buy eumovate over the counter (not sure if they'd be happy to give to you for a child but they def would for an adult) which is a moderate steroid and can use sparingly twice a day for a week. After that if you have control just use it twice a day at weekends only. Once stable for a good month then go back to hydrocortisone twice a day at weekends.

Look up scratch sleeves. They're really good for nighttime itch. In short time whilst awaiting scratch sleeve delivery use nappies on his hands, you can use tabs to make them tight. Don't believe pharmacist saying to not cover overnight. You need to stop itch scratch cycle!

Stop using any baby wipes on his skin (common to have an allergy to preservatives in them) , go to water on a muslin /cloth/kitchen roll only. (if his bum is ok then baby wipes would still be ok for nappies).

And I find diprobase the least greasy and least allergenic of the emollients, but whatever works for him is best.

Good luck, eczema is horrid, poor boy suffering

He needs a stronger steroid then. Also ask about protopic and an ointment style emollient. Cream him as soon as he's out of the bath and don't wash him everyday.

Eczema is the bane of my life so I feel your pain.

My daughters flares up with black currant, oranges, strawberries and tomatoes.
I think sweat makes it worse too so I try extra hard to keep her in the shade in this hot weather.

We avoid swimming pools and seawater during a flare up, but to be honest, once we cut out the foods above flare ups are rare.

Guess who's in my bed 😢 poor manny was up and scratching. At least in my bed I can keep an eye on it I'm a very light sleeper

@Reversiblesequinsforadults

Yeah GPs are really rubbish with steroids. I dunno whats so terrible about them. I was getting teased for my skin in primary school, really made me miserable until I was prescribed Betnovate when I was 12ish. Cleared it up' immediately and barely had to use it afterwards. So frustrating. I also think this is better than cutting out half your diet.

When DS had it really badly, the GP suggested emollients and then wrapping in clingfilm. He couldn't sleep in clingfilm (there's a surprise!!) but even an hour of intensive intensive moisturising made a BIG difference. Could you do that and then watch a film or something together, so that you can make sure he doesn't pull it off?

Pat dry only with towel after bath. Apply emollient in a downward direction so that skin scales are not irritated

I've had eczema for most of my life but it wasn't until I saw a locum GP who had just done his Dermotologist rota that told me how to actually apply it. He described it as how you would stroke a dog with the flow of fur, so yes in a downwards motion away from the head. I've got OH to do my back like this now rather thsn rubbing in a circle.

When my DS was a baby we had to wet wrap him at night. Not nice for them but does stop scratching.

I've had reccuring eczema that cracks on my hands for a while now and someone recently suggested Sudocreme which has had an effect. I also try and wash my hands as little as possible so use rubber gloves on my hands when going to the toilet or cleaning

I would be tempted to go and get some hydrocortisone from Boots. they sell the ointment at 1%...stangely the lesser one you dont seem to buy. I hope you find something for your little one. It's horrible seeing them in pain