Feeling like I am letting DD down

[Rollonbedtime7pm]

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

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.

Oh and also have you heard of probiotics? Oral capsules? There's some good research out there now about how so much of our problems as humans is related to our gut.. have a google..

Doctors are not useless! Unless you meant your own GPs

I'm a GP with an interest in treating eczema.

It may well be infected.

She probably needs something to wash with , as well as a moisturiser - Dermol is good - it is antiseptic & can be used for both

something for infection - Fucibet is an antibiotic plus a fairly strong steroid - fine for little ones for a week every so often

milder steroid for between the worst flare-ups - hydrocortisone or eumovate

don't be frightened to use steroid creams in short bursts

moisturising is the main treatment - at least twice a day all over

perhaps oral antibiotics - flucloxacilin is good but the children's liquid tastes awful - erythromycin is a palatable alternative - it makes the bowels loose though - plenty of barrier cream needed on the bum

something for itching - piriton is good & can be bought OTC - can be used from one month of age, though chemists won't sell it for under one year

something to keep her from scratching it & also to protect bedclothes etc from the vast quantities of cream - Tubifast leggings, long-sleeved tops, socks, mitts etc (I think that's the name - I forget every time & have to look it up!)

You see dermol was appalling for my ds and lots of what you've said *furry. I really don't think anyone can advise what worked for them.. however yes if it's 'weeping' it's likely to be infected so fucidin would be recommended.
My sil had it so badly when she was little she was bandaged up at night with ichopaste funny clay stuff..!
Do you know what works for her as an adult?! Sun beds! I know - bad.. but it's personal.. her triggers are stress and wheat.

My DS ia asthmatic/exzeama

Could your daughter be teething? DS always had vile green runny nappies that made his poor bottom bleed whenever he was teething.

His exzeama was also much worse when teething.

To treat exzema you need to smoother every bit in a good emolliant. I think they are trial and error. One of mine responds better to diprobase, the other cetreben, and they both complain that the other cream stings but their one doesn't!

Any "active" patches need treating with steroid cream twice a day. I find DS often flares up at the end of day, but by morning the steroid has settled it down.

I've also always bathed mine every night. I don't usually put anything in the water, but if they are bad, I will add dermol, oilatum or a spoon of coconut oil. They wash with a non-fragranced baby wash like simple.

Bepanthan is good for severe nappy rash, as it makes a waterproof barrier, but it's a bugger to get it off, so watch out for clothing, flooring and furniture when nappy changing!

It is very personal, agreed. If the triggers are not obvious, then a dermatology referral would be a good idea.

For the poster that didn't get on wwith dermol - the hospital dermatologist said to put it on before getting in the shower, then rinse it off. Don't use as a normal emolliant.

We are still not keen on using it though!

OP try the Child's Farm range for kids, there are many reviews with before and after photos of children who have been medicated by the doctor which has failed and this stuff has cleared them right up. Look at their Facebook page

Do get referral OP, my son suffered for 4 years being given treatment from local hospital treatment for acute eczema, we paid for private consultation and saw Professor John Harper nxt to Gt Ormond St who transferred him to his NHS list at GOSH immediately (only paid 1consultation) he was admitted within a week for their own type of wet wrapping etc which altho isn't long term cure it allowed his skin to have a break from the awful itching etc and to sleep! Sounds drastic but further down the line he was prescribed immunosuppressant s which did help and also bleach baths as they believe the staph on the skin also causes itching it's only 10mls in a bath and has really helped and doesn't sting !Although your LO hopefully will get relief soon if not treated properly it can be such a debilitating condition and GOSH really helped and still do my son. So maybe start with your GP but if you feel it's not improving see a specialist try and nip it in the bud I wish we had listened to our instincts, sadly NICE guidelines are not always right for everyone , good luck OP

Sorry big granny pants but all that stuff pure potions/lush dream cream/farm stuff is stupidly overpriced and probably won't work no 'natural' cream can vanish eczema. You have to look at the triggers/root causes.
If you want to desperately try natural then you'd be better off spending £5 on cold pressed organic coconut oil or oats in a sock under running water.

Yes prof Harper - good

Referral is the only way

Hi - I know exactly how you are feeling. My ds suffered with awful eczema for 3 years and it was emotionally and physically exhausting. His started off as classic eczema in the usual places and gradually escalated to full body rashes that were seriously effecting his quality of life and our family life. We struggled on with increasingly strong steroids and tried pretty much all the creams, lotions and potions suggested above - both prescribed and alternative. We wet-wrapped and dry-wrapped, he wore silk undergarments and we cut out all chemicals etc. We kept food diaries and he was allergy tested. Nothing helped and eventually even the strongest steroids stopped working - his dermatologist even admitted she'd run out of ideas. We were desperate and I spent hours googling for something else to try - eventually I came across Dr Aron www.draron.com a South African dermatologist who does online consultations. He takes a different approach to the treatment of eczema - he prescribes a compound of regular emollient, steroid and antibiotic. His treatment is based on the fact that 99% of children with eczema have staphylococcal infection, hence the antibiotic element. This along with the steroid are significantly diluted in the compound and applications are tapered down really gradually to avoid rebounds. It has been completely life-changing for us. We now have ds's eczema completely under control and he's only applying the compound about 4 times a week. I would definitely recommend looking into his treatment if you feel nothing else is working. I realise it might sound a bit crackpot but it is honestly the best decision we ever made. There is a Facebook group for patients too which you might find useful. It's absolutely full of success stories!!!

The waiting time was long when I was taking my son, I spoke to the doc about private treatment and got booked in a few days as my son was in a lot of discomfort. The appt cost about £100 but it was money well spent. The specialist we saw was a nhs doctor and he then got my son into his nhs clinic for check ups. We only needed a few as it really did clear up quickly once we got onto the creams that worked for him. There is help there don't struggle on. Start with your Gp xxxx

@lavenderpekins it's has worked for many children (and adults) with severe eczema. It would be worth trying. I don't think £3.50/£4.00 is stupidly over priced either. Especially if it gave some relief. As I said on their Facebook page there are many reviews (with before and after photos) so I don't see why it wouldn't be worth trying. I use their stuff on my own kids and have found it to be excellent.

Please don't listen to the people telling you to cut out dairy. Eczema is not usually affected by diet (although many will tell you differently, the facts are otherwise) and you should never cut large food groups out of a childs diet without proper medical advice.

The only thing that works for my little girl is child's farm moisturiser. We've tried everything else including Aveeno and prescription stuff. Nothing else touches it like this, it's great stuff.

Hey!

Listen, you are doing the best you can.

I hope she feels better soon

Eczema can be linked to food allergies, so if you can't work out the triggers, it's worth getting allergy testing done through a GP. But arbitrarily cutting out food groups or trying random products is a terrible idea. Go via the doctor.

As has been said, you'll need to use steroids to treat the flare up. The warnings on the instructions are horrible, don't let them scare you. It is fine to use steroid creams sparingly on a regular basis to treat a flare up. It's what they're there for. See a doctor, because your child might need something stronger than what you can buy over the counter. A steroid that is too mild for the outbreak is pointless.

As a practical, non-medical measure, long socks on hands will upset your DD, but they will stop her from scratching. (Short socks are easier to pull off.) If you can stop her scratching, even for a bit, you are WINNING.

She may find a clean, cold wet flannel helps alleviate the pain/itch. She may not. Eczema is personal.

If a cold compress does help, a doctor may be able to prescribe something you can soak bandages in and wrap around the flare up. Try the water first and if the cooling sensation does help, see the GP for something on prescription.

PS Never blame yourself.

Friars balsam and sodocream mixed together really soothes! A recipe that mum swears by

What eventually sorted out my DS was finding a moisturiser that was bearable for him so we could use it twice a day and the right corticosteroid for flare ups. Emobase is (I think) the moisturiser that worked. We went through various different corticosteroids before we found the one that suited him. But really it's the moisturiser that makes the difference, twice a day every day. Oats in a sock tied under the running bath tap is really good. Bathing not very often. We do a bath twice a week and flannel wash the dirty bits every other night. You'll get there OP. I can remember putting on cream that made him cry because the excema hurt so much, and crying myself with him in frustration not to be able to make it better. But now several years on he hardly has flare ups and when he does they are nowhere near as bad.

We cut out dairy and acidic foods like tomatoes, oranges (and anything that was flavoured with them - ketchup etc). Massively improved his skin. Daily baths in Oilatum too.

So sorry for you OP, and for her, it's awful.

I'm cautious of lots of these little cottage businesses claiming they can disappear eczema. They really probably can't. £3.99 isn't bad but I'm not particularly impressed with their ingredients #biggranny*
I think there are safer free emollients to try through a nhs dermatologist. Also there are often allergies involved. For instance my ds has a nut allergy and some have stupid things like almond oil in their little miraculous pots of magic.

After 1 year we went private and the dr gave us mometasone furoate steroid cream. He was covered from his forehead to his shins. Basically a red blob of eczema. After 3 days of the cream it had gone. Now we use it when it looks to start again and next day its gone. Maybe ask your gp? We had tried every cream on the market and from gp. Homeopathy. Made my own cream. Bath emolliants everything. We went private he gave us that cream and he is now very happy. Eczema even sfunted his growth as he wouldnt eat or sleeo properly just scratch and cry and now hes caught up. Ask your gp about that cream or an alternative steroid.

@lavenderpekins they are a major manufacturer/supplier, this is not some teenager making soap in their bathroom