Very itchy skin but no signs of eczema?

[Nicadooby]

Hi there, a little back ground first

My DS is now 13 months old and is intolerent to dairy and soya, he has been on nutramigen 2 since he was 5 months old. He had awful reflux when he was little and was on lots of meds but has now been off all of them for 3 months and is doing brilliantly.

The thing is he has had itchy skin since he was tiny, I firsty thought it was milk related, then I thought it could be because of his meds but it's not that either.

To look at his skin you can't see anything it's not red, dry or bumpy. But as soon as his clothes are off he starts scratching (even drawing blood) it is mostly the tops of arms and legs, his tummy and his bottom. Whenever I change his nappy he goes straight for a scratch (not good when he has pooped)

We have been using Acqeus (sp?) cream twice a day and oilatum in the bath every night but it doesn't seem to help the itching.

I was just wondering if anyone eles has experience of this and if anyone has any ideas on what eles could help?

Also forgot to say DS also suffers from hayfever and has been perscribed chlorphenamine, could this help with the itching too? i think it is an antihistemin (sp?)

Thanks Nic

hi nic, i have eczema & so has my dd (3)
your poor little ds, have you tried AVEENO cream its very soothing on the skin & can be used on newborns , the antihistamine will help him with the itch as well as his hay fever , but if he is very itchy & does NOT have a rash i think you should take him for a check up with your gp just to be on the safe side as it could be a reaction 2 his medication . i have just checked out the chlorphenamine online & it is definitely an antihistimine .

Hi thanks for the quick response.

He has been off all his reflux meds for over 3 months now so it's not related to them as I thought it might be.

It was the doctor who prescribed the aquesus cream and the oilatum bath stuff but that was months ago, so maybe we need to try something new. Can you buy AVEENO over the counter or is it just on prescrition?

Thanks Nic

you can buy AVEENO over the counter in tesco's or dunnes , i really think you should take him back to the gp , the fact that his skin is itchy but he has no rash would concern me , AVEENO is just a moisturiser lotion but my dd hosp nurse recommended it for my dd & i found it amazing , ask your gp if you could have your little 1 patch tested to see if he has any other allergies or maybe a blood test just to be on the safe side . hope he is ok

yes it is an antihistamine-its the same as periton. I would say it could be pollen related. My dd has been itching lots more during the grass pollen season. She does have signs of eczema though which has worsened. Alot of people do not get along with acqeus cream by the way, my dd gets along very well with diprobase cream emollient for her eczema and dermol lotion as a soap substitute in the bath. Has he had eczema before? Sometimes I think itching is habbit forming if they have being bad in the past. My dd always went for her skin when she could when she was little but always has had eczema and allergy problems. Make sure he has some antihistamine on high pollen days and yes I second getting a little more help and advice from your doctor. How often did they sugest he have the antihistamine?

I'm not one for the doctors but in this case i think it would be wise to get it checked out as it could be unrelated to allergies etc.

Thanks again,

They gave it to us for ds's hayfever, (he gets very blotchy on his forehead, watery eyes, sneezing ect) it says on the bottle to give 2.5mls at night or three times daily when required.

Do you think I should just stick to once a day for now?

He has never had eczema, he once had some dry skin on the top of one of his arm but apart from that his skin has always been very clear. He has a little bit of a rash on his face at the moment but i think that is due to using some cheapy wipes last week.

I think i'll have to go back to the doctors again but i'm sure they think i'm being neuortic, the amount of times I have been down there over his reflux and persistant cough's is just silly.

ooh I know. We all feel like that! Dd was the same with all her problems. I think when they are allergic to things, problems come to fold!! Nothings simple. I dont always think some doctors are much help either but what more can we do? I know it is awful to dose him up all the time on antihistamine. I suppose it is just trial an error. If you want to try it once a day for his hayfever you could and see how it helps him, I suppose dependant upon how itchy or distressed he is as to whether you want him fully dosed up or not. Another point worth considering though is that the antihistamine will hide his bodies reactions to things, so you may not be so aware if he is reacting eg to certain foods given. Worth thinking about.

Just looked at our periton (chlorphenamine) and it says max daily dose 2 small 2.5 ml spoonfuls daily for a 1-2yr old. You may have a slightly different one though or they may be giving him a higher dose

hi nic , i would try giving 1 dose a day to start off with , see how he gets on with that , many doctors make mothers feel like they are over protective , he is your son & you have the right to seek advice if you are concerned about his health ,

Hi there,

we have been back to the doctors yesterday morning and he said he still thinks it is eczema as there is now a little red patch on the top of one of DS arms (about the size of a 5p)

He also has/had some tiny little spots/rash on his cheek and bridge of his nose that the doctor thinks is infected eczema.

He has given us hydrocortisone cream for his face and one for his body, and another antibiotic cream for his face.

Although i am not convinced that it is eczema the antibiotic cream has worked wonders on his face and after only two days his spots/rash are almost gone.

Do you know if it is possible to get eczema but not in the normally places and to not have the telltale red blotches?