baby ezcema support thread.

[happyathome]

just been talking about my nine month old DS on the steroids 'weaning off' thread.thought,if anyone wants to moan or just chat,give tips/support on here about their babies with ezcema(probably been done before...but anyway...),please feel free.
It would be comforting to stand together on this dreadful disease.
anyone?

Am with you all the way.
Dd2 has terrible excema from about 8 weeks till about 1yo.
It hasn't vanished but is a lot better now managed by diet and creams.

It was truly horrendous and Mumsnet really helped me deal with it.

Even knowing someone else is in the same position is a comfort.

hi girlsyearapart.sorry you DD2 had it so bad too.glad it is a bit better.did you have tests done?.if people have had tests done,has your babies had other symptoms beside ezcema like vomitting,i'm wondering if that's why they got a referral eventually?
hope your dd2 grows out of it eventually
xx

My DD is 17 months and had had eczema since she was a few weeks old.

It is not a severe case, but when it flares it is bad enough to keep her awake at night.

A couple of things that I have found helped (from Mumsnet of course ) -

1. Aveeno - bath oil and cream (available on prescription).

1. Also cutting out cows milk - I resisted this for some time because I thought it would be a nightmare, but it has improved her skin quite significantly. She drinks loads of milk, but the swap to goats milk hasn't bothered her.

One thing I am still struggling with is the dry skin in her hair. She scratches at it all of the time and has cuts on her scalp and her hair is thinning in patches. The best thing is to slather her in Aveeno, but it doesn't look very attractive on a day to day basis! Anybody found any scalp treatment that works?

Great thread idea BTW .

Hi Happy- the dietitian we were (eventually) referred to said straightaway it was a cmp allergy and started her on Nutramigen AA that day.
She had RAST bloods at 8mo and skin pricks at 1yo. Avoid lots of foods due to allergy.
When it was really bad we kept her hands covered all the time and used a variety of steroid creams, emollients special clothes.

She honestly was so bad people used to gasp and recoil when they looked in her pram

I wanted to post some photos of her then and now to give others hope that it can improve but can't seem to get them on my page.If you want to give me an e mail I can send you some if you like. x

sorry you had/have trials and troubles nigglewigglethanks for the tips.sorry can't help with the scalp.my DS has what looks like cradle cap again(had it earlier in life...got rid with olive oil,then tried dentinox...cleared quite well,but now back).Didn't carry on with dentinox though as gp said the perfume in it may irritate.She said moisturize the scalp,but like you say it's horrid isn't it...makes hair all greasy(ds seemed dry up the back of neck/scalp and keeps scratching).
those with allergies to food,did you already have symptoms beside ezcema that made you suspicious of said food and hence got tested ?....wonder if gp won't refer me because ds doesn't show any other food intolarance signs...but want desperately to pinpoint triggers and get rid of the daily hell of steroid creams.
Just seem to spend all day,chained to the house messing with the creams.I try to leave ds with no clothes on for quarter of an hour,before emollient,but he's either scratching,or doing somersaults...he's so feisty these days,he's trying to crawl as i cream him.Takes me ages too to steroid him...at least quarter of an hour because of the flapping and i stand there with 3 different creams not knowing which to use really as it is popping up all over in various severities.Any of you find this..the rigmarol of creaming??!So in effect i feel like i am spending anything up to a hour each morning messing and up to that at night.I do a diprobase bath with emulsifying wax as soap substitute then try and get doublebase on within 3 minutes.Heard air drying skin is disatrous.Hard to pick a good time for steroiding,because he's either too tired or hungry and resists it.Heard you should do it after a bath,but how can you as you have to get the emollient on quick don't you.Also ds would get cold as steroid was soaking in waiting for emollients?!!.
I worry too about using them everyday,,,and not getting a 'clear' patch where i can relax...it's like one constant flare.Sure that can't be right?gp said it's under control,but how can it be when he needs constant steroids.Has anyone been advised on how to stop when skin clears a bit...tapering off,or just stopping abrubtly?.Either for me doesn't seem to keep it at bay.The minute i try once a day,it's back!.
I am confused,because,other gps and some net info says that only a few babies with ezcema will be food allergic or it will not usually be the only trigger for ezcema,therefore,it may be futile testing,as there may be other triggers,but others say food allergies are very much to blame.
why did your gp not refer you straight away.mine said if they can get it under control then they usually don't refer,but i feel that the triggers are not being acknowledged at all.how come your DD had skin prick at one girlsyearapart?.Was she too young previously and how were the RAST tests,painful/tricky etc?(and the skin pricking)Personally i want to go on a milk exclusion in my diet as i am still bf and don't want to give up yet.Anyone with experience and what calcium supplements did you take?
phew.....
sorry long rant.
thanks for listening
happy x

oh,also,how did it go with weaning.did you introduce foods at the usual time or delay them because of the ezcema.i've seen a chart on which to introduce when,but gp said introduce as usual.anyone with tips from a dietician or want to share your experience of weaning?
my DS just eats...porridge with banana everyday,then later a mix of potato,carrot,broccoli and either chicken or turkey...all mashed up really.Sometimes pear too or apple or those fruitpura pots(apple and pear flavour),sometimes when out those hipp carrot and potato jars....but..nothing else.i wanted to see the effect of the enviroment on his ezcema(but it could be complicated by my breastmilk i suppose anyway?!) and i wanted to stabilize the ezcema before introducing anything else..but it's not stabilizing...so makes me wonder if indeed it may not be food related and wonder whether to just start trying new foods.(suppose could be something in my milk?!)...makes you really sad when you hoped you would protect them by breastfeeding.I sometimes see my milk now as poison rather than nature's food,even though it may not be the cause.
BTW my oldest DD(7),was FF and had much milder(emollient only)ezcema and grew out of it before 2 i think,so i know they can grow out of it.Someone told me once boys can be worse inflicted with ezcema than girls?!.
Girlsyearapart-good idea about the photos.Don't know how to give e-mails privately though.

i have just read your piece about the sheer nightmare of creaming. My son is a year now and since 5 weeks has had severe eczema all over. he has since been diagnosed with multiple food allergies which i wont bore u with. But how I can share and feel every word you wrote...now my lil boy is even stronger, I find myself chasing him around the bedroom, covering myself , the floor etc in creams. I have to smile really at the chaos. And like u, I am armed with 3 different creams which i dab at various bits depending...i feel so sorry for him now in the start of winter as he is practically wet with cream once his pj's are on. Still, its what keeps it under control so we have to soldier on...nice to read your post. Sorry so hard for u too...but good to share...

We found the only effective steroid creams were Eumovate and Elocon. Have you tried either of them?

I was told that there had to be 15 mins between the Diprobase/Epaderm whatever you're using and the steroid cream.

We usually bath her then put the Diprobase on then her pjs and put the steroid cream on just before bed.

Have you tried wet wrapping? we did it for a while when the excema was v bad and it really helped. We used comfi fast vests/tights and propaderm cream. She hated having it done but it was well worth it as she slept through every night she was wrapped.

As for weaning- we didn't see the dietitan until she was about 7/8 months so had already begun weaning. Go slowly and introduce foods one at a time to try to identify what makes flare ups worse.

Our dietitan said food allergy is the most common cause of bad excema in infants under 1.

Dd2 had RASTs at 8mo as I insisted on her being tested. They normally prefer to wait until age 1. Think results are clearer after 1. The RAST is a blood test they take quite a few tubes and we had a playworker distracting her at same time. She didn't cry. Results take a while though- aboout 6 wks.

Skin pricks she could have at age 1 and the arm is stretched out and the forearm scratched with a needle and the potential allergens are dropped onto each scratch. She only cried a little bit at the end.

Then you wait 15 mins- getting them not to scratch their arm(hard!) and go back to have results immediately which are measured in milimetres.

Dd2 will be re tested at 18mo to see if she's outgrown any.

My e mail is ellenbowers1 at hotmail dot co dot uk if either of you want to mail me I'll return your e mail with some photos of how bad she got and what she's like now.

Hope I've answered everything!

happy, I would def push for the allergy testing. Like girls, dd's eczema was v severe (esp on her face ) but once she was swapped onto nutramigen, she became a different child.

I'm not saying food allergies are the answer (wouldn't want to give you false hope) but I do think they seem to cause a lot of eczema especially in very young babies.

thanks zeered,girls and fox,
just had a nasty session trying to decide which steroids and somehow like you say zeered,dot them on ds as he does 'demented crocodile rolls'(as i call them )in the cot and headstands.Got so frustrated i've even given up to it and will wait till later.Zeered i thought it was just me baby fighting/chasing.anyone else find creaming stupidly hard/time consuming.?don't even know if the right creams.ezcema is like a chameleon isn't it?!...seems to change colour ridiculously and forms.I have got Eumovate.gp has baffled me.started on 0.5 hydro,then 2.5 hydro for bad bits,then Eumovate..then it got infected,so flucloxacillin orals and Fucidin,which turned into Fucibet for bad bits...OMG.gp said basically last time use Fucidin for red bits and hydro for orangey bits.but isn't steroids meant to treat red bits...how you supposed to know whether to use antibiotic cream.Anyway i'm going to gp on Monday to have it out with her i think and ask for testing.How did any of you gets the gp to refer...what did you eventually say.I am feeling a bit timid to be honest...not the most pushy person going,but i know i've got to do it for ds.
thanks again everybody,i feel like you are all behind me.
have a good weekend!
happy xx

If it's that bad you should at least be seeing a dermatologist at the hospital. Tell your GP you need to be referred and would also like to see a dietitian. We got the dietitian referral via the dermatologist but it all takes time.

We wasted months going to the GP they are not specialists and do not have the answers you need.

DS1 had severe eczema as a baby and we slept less than 1 hour at a time for about 5 months in a row from his birth... so I am completely in sympathy with you all. The funniest thing he did was when he was two he showed all his 2 yr old friends how to put his cream on his and their faces at a coffee morning... it was EVERYWHERE!! He is now 11 and the eczema is in remission (it never goes away apparently) but my hot tip is Wet wraps, wet then dry bandages over loads of EPADERM cream... but take them off in a blood temperature bath, so that they don't stick. Doing this method means you use a lot less steroid cream.hsmil

.you had it really bad didn't you mrsk40.you must have been beyond exhausted.
thanks for the wrap tip.what bandages do you use? and do you wet them with ordinary tap water?do they have them on at night or during day,or both?.
girlsyear...that's what i thought,they only say try this cream and you are left somewhat in the dark about everything and not very hopeful that their creams will get rid

has your babies ezcema ever got infected?and did you have oral Anti-b's.ds had a few weeks back,because it was so widespread.infection gone now thank god but it was horrendous getting antis down him...even with a syringe.any experience.would be interested to know,for if it occurs again.i also give him oral antihistamine liquid(allerief)(supposed to be for over ones,so makes me a bit wobbly about it...but i'm sceptical as to whether it even stops him itching as he still scratches after having it and it doesn't seem to extra sedate him during the day.it is based on chlorphenamine maleate.gp said that if the ezcema was an allergy reaction at least it might dampen it down and prevent the itch/scratch cycle...makes me think gp is acknowledging that there is a link between ezcema and allergy.any of yours on anti-hists?..and have any of the pros you've seen got any opinions on them?
night everyone.going to get an early night.
another question...has anyone noticed any link between flare ups and viruses or amount of sleep that the baby has or any other noticable triggers?.my ds got a lot of sleep one night and his ezcema was much improved next day.
also do you ever get the skin to near normal colour or does it always look orangey at best?
hugs to you all
happy xx

Epaderm is what I use on my skin - I don't know what I'd do without it tbh

Dd's eczema has virtually gone (other than specific allergy related outbreaks). We don't even need to put diprobase/epaderm on her skin now at all and I can't remember the last time we used steroid creams but her skin was ENTIRELY related to what she was allergic to. That much is clear to me now. She does get outbreaks but they are related to things like hayfever, dust, eating food she has a problem with. When she does have an outbreak, then yes, we use an antihistamine (either piriton or phenergan, depending on how bad it is).

I also use an antihistamine myself if my eczema is bad because the urge to itch wakes me up = being tired = eczema being worse. I almost always get eczema when I am run down or ill too. Dh too. His skin is far worse than mine as he had to use v strong steroids as a child/young adult and it has thinned his skin. Last time he got a bad outbreak, it was when he was ill. He uses Eumovate (and when v bad, Betnovate but he hasn't had to use this for a while).

and re the skin colour, dd's skin goes back to normal, mine does eventually (but once I get an outbreak, it can take 6 months to get back to 'normal' - ps girls, Elocon is my dream ointment too!) and dh's especially doesn't.

Tbh, think the antihistamines help a) if there's a clear allergy reaction and b) at night to stop the scratching so you can get sleep (and then they need to be sedating to achieve this)

should also say that although dh's skin problem in the first instance was related to allergies, he has eczema as a general skin condition (as do I but not nearly as badly as him). Dd appears to not have it the same way as either me or him but that doesn't mean she won't go on to get it worse again as she gets older (because her diet is entirely monitored by us now - no doubt as she hits teenage years/adulthood, she will choose her food herself and I'm sure this will result in problems).

but I do consider her lucky at this stage as I'm aware that most people with eczema, the skin condition is not entirely related to allergies so I think we're probably in the minority

Hi yes we do give antihistamines Allerief and have been since she was about 4 mo. When I questioned the over 1 recommendation the doctor said it's available over the counter over 1 and on prescription for under 1.

Now have Ataract (?) anti histamine which is apparently stronger but I still prefer Allerief.

About the sleeping there is a link between excema and sleep in that if they are better overall they sleep better if they sleep better they itch less if they itch less the excema appears better.

Yes it has been infected we gave her oral antibiotics and an antibiotic cream.

We give any meds in s syringe- let her start drinking from her bottle,swap for syringe, replace bottle.

Elocon is by far and away the best steroid cream we've had.

Please e mail me on the address I put in previous post so I can send you some photos it will help you to see that it can get better.

Lots of people said to me that their child had bad excema which improved and I just didn't believe it.

Happyathome, yes my DD's eczema on her face has repeatedly been infected (not for a few months now fortunately). The GP gave us Fucibet but, once we'd been referred to the dermatologists, they always gave oral antibiotics. They took swabs to check out what bacteria (or whatever the word is) were present and then worked out the best type of antibiotic to fight it. Does your GP do that? If not, then that might help fuel your argument for a referral to a dermatologist. When I finally got my referral I stated the number of visits I'd paid to the GP in the previous few months (it was practically in double figures) about my DD's eczema. When the GP said that the dermatologist wouldn't give me or tell me anything different, I said that I least wanted an expert, second opinion. And he finally gave in (I'd asked for a referral at every visit before this too).

One thing that might help get a referral is to ask your GP lots of indepth, technical questions about eczema that you think they won't know the answer to. Wish I'd tried that.

I had to wait a few months for my appointment with the dermatologist to come through. It might be quicker where you are, but just to warn you that there might be a wait.

thanks so much foxinsocks,girlsyearapart and sheilsie...such a lot of useful information.
my DS skin is a fair bit better today,but i am still not confident.
I will e-mail you soon if i can girls...thanks.
my gp didn't take swabs,just had flucloxycillin and fucidin cream.it did clear up nicely though,but i dread a re-occurence.
i will certainly arm myself with all your tips and feel much less wobbly because of it.
thanks
happy x

fox, what strength of steroids do you have to use for the skin to thin and is it noticeable?

babybarrister,
didn't go to gp today as DS much clearer and it was last day of my DH's holiday and fine weather,so we all went out for day out.
made all the difference!...DD really enjoyed it and DS was really 'good' too.Tried his cosytoes for first time and funny enough it never even bothered his skin.though he might get too hot in it.how do you all go on for the horror of winter dressing versuses trying not to overheat e.t.c and obviously the palava of removing at least 2 layers every time you cream?
also do you just do steroids morning before you leave and at night.do you emollient during a trip out.?i worry about not keeping up with it as much when you go out.nowhere to really keep stripping them and creaming in winter round shops is there...well i suppose baby change rooms.
i am going to wait a little longer as looking at it now,gp may do a at me for asking because to be fair it's not even scratched to bleeding point.You lot have made me realize that maybe my DS's skin isn't exactly the worst case ever.Sounds like you have had it a lot worse.But maybe it would if i hadn't steroided everday and so that's my point...maybe the issue still needs addressing so no,i won't be fobbed off next time i go to gp,which may be end of this week or even next week..would be easier as my DD is back at school then and then i can concentrate on DS.
thanks for your support babybarrister and others.I would consider Nutrimigan,but i am breastfeeding still.Are you/were you doing formula then?Guess DS would have to come off BF and i don't want to give up yet,mind you i may do if this nonsense continues.It certainly makes sense to try.
going to stick to olive oil for head by what you say babybarrister.
i was wondering that too pointyhat.welcome to the thread.
have a good day tommorow everyone.i will be back to check for posts as usual.
happy x

My Ds had it right round his mouth as a 2 to 3 year old. I cut out all citrus, tomatoes and anything acidic and it cleared by 50%. One of my friends whose Dd had it from head to foot suggested I cut out yogurt which I did and within 4 days ~ GONE!
I tried him on the various things every 3 to 6 months and it was only really this year that I found they no longer affected him; he's now 11.