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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Feeling like I am letting DD down

74 replies

Rollonbedtime7pm · 25/04/2017 21:35

DD2 is nearly 1 and is currently having a horrible eczema flare up - her trigger seems to be illness as she developed the full body rash a couple of weeks ago when she was quite run down after a spell of bugs and colds.

We seemed to be beating it and bar a couple of patches that she repeatedly scratched and kept making sore, she looked much better. She now seems to have an upset stomach as her poos are awful and the rash is back and her bum is red raw Sad

I just feel so sad when I look at her poor red blotchy skin and feel like I am failing her by not being able to help her and get rid of it for her.

OP posts:
Original poster
Rollonbedtime7pm · 25/04/2017 22:18

I just wish I could sedate her for a month, cream her up regularly and without her scratching, could probably get it sorted!

OP posts:
Allthebubbles · 25/04/2017 22:20

My sister was advised to run all her little girls washing through a couple of extra rinses just to ensure no soap residue.
Also don't be scared of steroids, sometimes they are what is needed to help the skin to get back to normal. Just follow advice. My friend spent ages underusing them on her son as she was nervous of them but the specialist reassured her.

steff13 · 25/04/2017 22:21

Bleach bath.

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147954.php

Wolfiefan · 25/04/2017 22:21

What exactly has been prescribed and (this sounds patronising!) what's your routine with applying it? When? How much etc.

Chemicalrainbow · 25/04/2017 22:21

Why are you only using the steroid cream on the really sore bits and not the rest? Would it not clear up the less serious bits quickly? Or was that not a cream prescribed by the doctor?

Justaboy · 25/04/2017 22:24

Don't be too hard on the Doctors! Eczema isn't that well understood even its been around since the Justinian Plague. Its an inherited thing my sister had it and very bad too, her poor arms were red raw most times when younger and its been passed onto my 2nd DD but she doesn't get it too bad.

Do experiment a bit with diet and you'll probably find more useful advice here on MN than most other places!

BrutusMcDogface · 25/04/2017 22:24

Don't fancy bleaching my child, haha! How about you, op?! Grin

steff13 · 25/04/2017 22:26

Maybe read the link before you scoff. It's worked wonders for my daughter. The results in the study were so dramatic they stopped it early so the kids in the register baths could benefit from the bleach baths.

JustRosieHere · 25/04/2017 22:26

My dd had awful eczema from young. It was so bad it looked like she had been burnt. The thing that helped us get it under control was porridge baths. Take a handful of oats, wrap in some muslin and put it in the bath. If you squeeze it a 'milk' comes out. We washed her with the milk and it made a huge difference. I read about it on here I'm sure, would be about 7 years ago now though. She still has them now if it flares up but its very rare.

Original poster
Rollonbedtime7pm · 25/04/2017 22:29

We were given Zero cream to moisturise and told steroid on the very sore patches - sparingly and nothing mentioned about using it all over.

She's creamed all over when she is dressed and at bedtime and again on the exposed bits when we do nappies. Piriton twice a day for the itch.

OP posts:
Original poster
Rollonbedtime7pm · 25/04/2017 22:30

As a PP has said, I wouldn't be comfortable just taking a food group out of her diet with no formal advice.

OP posts:
jemsywemsy · 25/04/2017 22:32

It sounds like her eczema might be infected - I would see the GP as she might need oral antibiotics to clear it up. It's so horrible seeing them so uncomfortable isn't it. I felt useless with my DS but just kept persisting with doctors visits and asking them to step up the treatment and we did get it under control.

amysmummy12345 · 25/04/2017 22:33

Hope I'm allowed to share this post I saw on Facebook, if this stuff is as good as they make out it might be worth a try? I know they sell it in boots and Asda...

Wolfiefan · 25/04/2017 22:35

No I wouldn't remove a food group either.
Right steroids used sparingly. But do use them. Not just on the very worst bits but on all eczema. If they don't do the trick get a stronger one. Better a stronger one for a shorter time then a weak one all the time.
Emollient. Not at the same time as steroids. At least half an hour or so after steroid. But bloody lots. Slather it on. When DD was bad we would do it every half an hour all day!
Don't bathe every day. Water and cotton wool if needed.
The most important thing? Find the right emollient. Dermol suits my kids and actually works to kill the itch. Double base suits my mum. Both make my eczema worse if anything. Diprobase suits me.
Nails short
Don't let her overheat.

Camelsinthegobi · 25/04/2017 22:36

Use steroids, get it under control, then step down the steroids gradually and try different emollients for a few weeks at a time until you find something that works to keep it under control without steroids if poss. In my experience you have to request specific emollients from the GP. We've had success with Aveeno after trying Cetraben, Oilatum and Hydromol. We stuck with each one far too long, wish we'd been better at asking for new ones quicker.

iLoveCamelCase · 25/04/2017 22:36

We used SOS Rescue Cream by Barefoot Botanicals when my son was little and it cleared it up www.barefoot-sos.com/green

kelpeed · 25/04/2017 22:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OverOn · 25/04/2017 22:37

Daily baths were not good for my DC eczema. We stuck to top and tailing with a bath twice a week, which helped the flare ups.

Hannahfftl · 25/04/2017 22:43

Have you tried skinnies pyjamas?

www.skinniesuk.com

One of the children I look after used these with his cream and the difference was unreal. I used to feel like crying just looking at his sore skin, but after a week or so he was still red but not sore, after two weeks almost back to normal.

He still has the occasional flare up but these have really helped him.

Lea060398 · 25/04/2017 22:46

I was speaking to one of the tissue viability nurses I work with about my daughter's psoriasis and she mentioned that GPs can prescribe a sort of starter pack of emollient samples which you can try, hopefully finding a couple of products which help. Might be worth speaking to your GP to see if you can get one for your daughter? For my daughter I use a combination of diprobase ointment and aveeno shower wash and piriton for the itch.

aintnothinbutagstring · 25/04/2017 22:49

My ds has suffered similar recently. He is predisposed to allergies, eczema, asthma, what you call atopic. Has had really awful nappy rash when younger, which resulted in significant pigmentation loss. We had a referral to the dermatologist for it who prescribed a steroid/anti-fungal cream which worked great and the pigmentation slowly returned. We've always tried to avoid too much cow's milk as we noticed it exacerbated his itchy skin and asthma. He drinks lots of goats milk. He went for a long while of having great clear skin but has had a bad flare up recently after a nasty chest infection. Started as a hives type rash all over then went very dry, red and patchy. We've been using a steroid cream which has really worked well, taken all the redness out but is still very dry. I'd really recommend using the steroid cream all over to kick off the healing process and reduce inflammation then switch to a more general moisturiser. Lots of eczema sufferers have switched to goats milk, it's nutritionally very similar to cow's milk but without the irritating proteins. We also supplement our ds with fish oils and extra vitamins to boost his immunity.

Phoenix76 · 25/04/2017 22:49

Another coconut oil fan here, I bought the one in Aldi for cooking (100% pure). My dd2 had the worst nappy rash I'd even seen after a nasty tummy bug, I tried everything on the market and from GP but nothing worked and she was in so much pain she cried so much (and so did I in sadness/helplessness for her). Anyway, a lovely member of staff in Holland & Barrett suggested coconut oil for her bum and wow! Her relief was instant and very quickly healed her wounds. I was chatting to dd's nursery staff about what a miracle it what and another mum over heard me and said "oh yes! I have eczema and so does my dd and this is the only thing that helps". Good luck op.

TooMinty · 25/04/2017 22:52

We did get a referral to the dermatology clinic - however it took so long for the appointment to come through that he had grown out of the eczema by then Confused

lavenderpekins · 25/04/2017 22:52

At night does she have access to her hands? Silk pjs with mits are good.. I think I even got them prescribed by my gp. My son had it terribly, he's now 10 and it's now only on backs of knees.
I'm sure you already have her in 100% cotton in the daytime?
Problem with eczema is it's completely personal-one size does not fit at all!!
When it's really bad you have to get it under control imo with steroids and allergy tests are only properly done through blood tests (don't even bother with skin prick tests.!)

Don't mess about with diet until she's had blood tests..

It sounds like you probably know the trigger anyway (when's she's run down) because you're her mum and you know her best and have an instinct about it so take faith from that. Well done you!

Why not while it's really bad give her foods that really aren't messy so you don't have to bathe her? My ds only showers about once a week even now!

tava63 · 25/04/2017 22:54

What seems to have helped with my dd is:

  • using a non bio clothes washing power and a double rinse cycle on anything that could touch her skin.
  • avoid any bath/shower wash / soap with sodium laureth sulphate
  • reducing amount of oranges / tomatoes and strawberries in her diet (didn't eliminate but when it was suggested to avoid 'nightshadey' foods I realised that she was having a lot of this type of food)
  • filing hand nails so no sharp edges
Eczema is a pain and everyone's skin is different so what worked for my dd may not work for yours, best wishes