tips to combat nighttime scratching i am sooo tired

[forevermore]

i have spent the last 3 weeks spending half the night preventing my daughter tearing herself topieces. its heartbreaking. She is 19 months and has moderate excema. we have just seen a consultant and waiting for 'dermasilk' pyjamas.

at the moment i am giving her a seasalt bath moisturising with hydromol then applying hydrocortisone on hot spots then pj's bottle of milk bed.

she is fine for first 3-4 hours then up scratching from 2ish - 5ish. I spend that time holding her hands, re-moisturising and terying to comfort. she isn;t crying really just up and quite alert and when falling back to sleep scratching which starts the cycle all over again.

any tips appreciated. i am on the cotton comfort website looking at their sleeping garments. thinking of getting the all in one suits with mittens?? soooo expensive but desperate...............

Do you live in a hard water area?
One of the most important factors with eczema is water.
My DH suffered from appalling eczema and even a shower hurt him.
We bought a water filter that attached to the shower/bath and he found an instant improvement.

A friend's baby also suffered badly. I invited her to bathe her DD here in our filtered water and it made a real difference. They too bought a filter and their DD's eczema has been brought completely under control.

forevermore, I've got 2 or 3 well-used stripey Cotton Comfort Comfymitt PJs in size 90 if you're interested (for just the postage cost). My 28 month old DD is now into size 100. I don't know what I'd do without them! I've also got some outgrown Scratch Sleeves (which I use for daytime naps) if you're interested.

It's interesting that you say that your DD's eczema has got worse in the last 3 weeks because my DD's has actually got better, which I put down to the central heating going off. Do you have any idea what is making it worse?

Have you tried piriton. I give it to my DD regularly (more in the daytime though) in an attempt to combat itching and she even asks for it sometimes. I'm not sure whether it helps but it makes us feel better.

PS. I've just read the size guide on the eczemaclothingcompany.com and see that size 90 is for age 2-3 and size 80 for age 12-18 months (I don't know what happened to age 18-24 months!). I'm not sure what size your 19 month old DD is but I've probably gotsome old size 80s too if you're interested.

I would give her an antihistamine for night time scratching

I take one myself when the scratching is really bad. There really isn't much else you can do when the itch is that bad.

Definitely get the sleepsuits with built-in mitts. Did your consultant talk you through wet wrapping - that can really help break the itch/scratch cycle.

Never found Piriton helped much with DS1's scratching (though I take it myself when hay fever keeps me awake!), we did get a prescription for Vallergan for him so might be worth asking for?

Scratch sleeves have been a great help for our six month old as he can't pull them off, would definitely recommend them

We got our all-in-ones from Snugglepaws, don't know if they're cheaper but the one top we got from the Eczema Clothing Co wasn't a very good fit.

I take phenergan when it's really bad but I'm not sure from what age you can get that prescribed. It definitely works but it's a sedating antihistamine. You obviously can't use it every night though but worth keeping back for when it's really bad if it can be given at that age!

Another recommendation for Scratchsleeves here, too. Also try swapping the seasalt for a big handful of porridge oats in a muslin, tied round the tap so that the bathwater runs through it. Has always helped me and my children, hope it gives some relief to your DD.

I think Vallergan and Phenergan are basically the same thing? Vallergan is technically for 2+ but we had it prescribed when DS1 was under a year.

no experience of eczema but i second the poridge sugestion . i used this on dd2 and myself when we both had chicke n pox recently - what a relief! hope yoiu find something that works...

Yay! I heart MN. Just got some good tips. My DSs flares up now and again and has just got worse in the heat. I feel I should put him to bed in just a vest so he'd be cooler, but am so worried he'll scratch, scratch, scratch.

I am going to try porridge and look into the scratchsleeves (never heard of them until now). Thanks.

We r up now and to be honest I am at breaking point. She woke at 12 and has been itching ever since. Ordered scratch sleeve and going totry to get an emergency appt tommorow with dermatology nurses for wet wrapping. She is a big girl and off growth chart (as am I). I measured her at 95cm and she is 19 mths ! Feel really scared confused tired and concerned all at once. I have to go back to work soon and my DH is away for a week so really not sure how to cope. Scratchsleeves won't arrive for now as BH Friday and Monday. My only hope is dermatology nurses if I'm lucky tommorow. Fingers crossed. As for tonight .........

Oh honey- this sounds terrible - poor you!
while you wait for the suits can you just buy her a big cotton sleepsuit and sew up with sleeves - would it work? Could you swaddle her again? When my mum was a baby she had terrible eczema, my gran used to put toilet rolls on her arms to keep her fingers away from scratching - maybe we're not allowed to do things like that anymore ;D
Good luck you

Have you tried a dose of piriton at bedtime?
That helps dd2 as well as a fan, minimal clothing and very short nails. But it's hideous. You have my sympathies

Hi forevermore - sorry you are having such a difficult time and struggling with it all a bit. Lack of sleep is a killer!

I am quite surprised if you've only recently seen consultant that you are only using hydrocortisone as her steroid cream. The dermatologist I used to work with gave hydrocortisone no credit whatsoever, saying that for most children with anything other than infrequent, mild and small outbreaks of eczema it was about as useful as water! He started children on Eumovate or similar, which is still classed as a mild steroid but is about 2.5 time stronger than hydrocortisone. It might be worth investigating whether your GP or consultant can prescribe you something a little bit stronger for her itchiness. We also used to recommend to parents that they apply the steroid cream to affected areas before slathering their child in emollient, but waiting a good 10-20 minutes if you possibly can to ensure that the steroid is thoroughly absorbed first. If you are putting in on top of a layer of emollient cream, then it may not actually be getting to where it is needed.

You mention sea salt in her bath, but no emollient in the bath itself. You must also use a bath emollient as both water and salt will likely be very drying by themselves. I believe (someone may be able confirm for me...?) that the hydromol is like epaderm and (a thumb-sized lump) can therefore be dissolved in a glass of v hot water while the the bath is running and then added to the water. It will make the bath quite slippery but she needs moisturising treatment in the bath too. Start seeing the bath/shower as a treatment in itself.

Baby Gap used to do all in one pyjamas with long-sleeves and built in feet up to size 5 years. We found these so useful for my DD who scratched a lot at night. She used to put long socks on her hands under the pjs. However they are no longer available in the UK, but US Gap stores sell a wide range. If you have a US contact, these may be useful and are not such a cost as the Cotton Comforts ones.

Feel like I've given you fairly random bits of advice, but even so, I hope this helps. MPD

I saw a fantastic consultant at The Chelsea and Westminster: Dr Staughton. Very progressive.

You do have to try what works for each person but E45 bath oil has always been a lifesaver. But yes, be careful of the slippery effect.

Steroids are effective but ultimately, they thin the skin. So I am not a fan.

I take it you've stopped using washing powder on her clothes and using a natural prodcut like soap nuts and have stripped your washing machine?

Washing detergent can be a huge irritant.

As someone with asthma and occasional eczema I and a HUGE fan of steroids - I'd likely be dead (or as good as) without them. But they do need to be used appropriately. If the need outweighs the risks then steroids are an absolute must with inflammatory conditions, of which eczema is undoubtedly one.

There should really be a 'step-up, step-down' regime with them and they must be used specifically where there are areas of inflamed skin (rather than slathered on thickly, as with an emollient). There is a risk of thinning of the skin, but this is more of an issue with high potency creams and ointments used for a long period of time, but if used well and properly even if you are using a potent cream, the condition should improve and the strength of steroid can hopefully be stepped down again. Significant risks of 'skin side effects' are actually more likely to be experienced by parents applying the creams and not washing their own hands after application. Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after applying them. MPD

you really need her to get allergy tested to find the cause of the allergy. You are just treating the symptoms.
My dd was up sctratching every 1-2 hours despite taking a lot of antihistamines for her first year. It drove me to depression.
She was blood tested and found to have an allergy to egg and dustmites. Instant improvement after egg eliminated from her diet.

This may of interest to any who think I have just been a bit controversial... MPD

Fascinating - thanks for the link. I do wonder if it is because children's skin is easily renewed - younger, fresher etc? Theories change all the time - don't they? I was urged to use aqueous cream and it was awful. Again, now it is not recommended for some. Allergy testing via the blood is also a little controversial - but patch testing directly onto the skin is interesting.

I have similar problems with my ds, waking scratching for 2 hrs or more at night. the docs kept saying it is excema but i soon realised it was when my child was suffering from trapped wind. some sort of nervous reaction to the pain inside i suppose. He only settles when he passes wind or finally gives in to sleep. the sores on his skin are the result of him scratching not caused by excema. I have stopped his night time bottle (he is 2 now) and then stopped his night time drink altogether to prevent wind and he is starting to improve. He now only wakes up every other or third night. I also bath him and put cream on before bed as I read that just putting cream on repeatedly wihout bathing can block pores and cause more problems. Just a thought for those who have been told it is excema may not be entirely correct.