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Original poster

Please, please help. I am at my wit's end with this nappy rash

53 replies

kittywits · 13/11/2006 22:47

My dd3 has had an ongoing prob with very runny poos and horrendous nappy rash.

We have been to the dr's twice and have been given all these lotions and potions and a poo sample has been sent off for analysis. She poos so frequently, a least every half an hour that her poor bottom is now red raw and bleeding and I am facing ANOTHER night of agonisong screaming whenever she poos or wees and watching the sore patch get worse and worse.
The real problem is that I desperately need to find something that acts as an effectiver barrier to these acidic poos. Barrier creams don't work, I have tried the lot, the medication doesn't stay on long enough to be effective because I have to wipe it off to clean the poo.
I am now getting to the end of my tether and losing my trust in the dr's who keep giving me stuff that makes no difference abd in the meantine she suffers more and more .

There must be SOMETHING that will protect her skin.
I was thinking in desperation of buying those spray on plasters
Please help

OP posts:
ponto · 13/11/2006 23:55

You have my sympathy kittywits.

Does the rash look at all spotty? If it does, she could have developed a thrush infection in which case the best thing is a combined steroid/antifungal like Daktacort or Canesten HC. Both my dds on a couple of occasions have had nappy rash so bad it bled and this was the only thing that worked. It shouldn't be used for more than a few days as it's got a mild steroid in it but it really calms down the inflammation. You can buy it from a pharmacy to treat sweat rash in adults but they would probably be reluctant to sell it to you for nappy rash. I have to admit I have in the past pretended to buy it for myself in order to avoid waiting to see the GP to get it.

If she needs a barrier as well you can put that on over the Daktacort. HTH

LadyOfTheFlowersIs1Baby1Bump · 13/11/2006 23:56

if it was me, this is what i would do, dont know if im repeating someone:
clean it all well.
smother it in vaseline.
each time you change, very gently dab as much poo off as you can but dont be too scrupulous, if there is enough vaseline on it wont touch her skin too much.
top up the vaseline again.
give her a warm bath in morning and evening to just let the vaseline and any poo soak off with minimal touching.

obviously the best cure is to wear no nappy but unless your house is fully lino'ed throughout it is not practical.

soapbox · 14/11/2006 00:16

Sounds really horrible

It does sound like an allergic reaction to me - DS used to get contact nappy rash if he ate tomatoes which it turned out he was very allergic to.

Have you introduced anything new to her diet recently?

One of the exzema creams might work better and if you get a bit tub you can really smother it on.

Good luck

Original poster
kittywits · 14/11/2006 07:06

Thankyou so much everyone. We had another bad night. She is very chirpy in between poos. I am going shopping this am armed with a list of all the things you have suggested. The worst area is in her bum crack sadly. This doesn't really get air and is of course constantly chfing as she walks. I have been given daktcort, but i can't get anything to stick in that area. She also developed impetigo. i don't know whether this is a;; symptomatic of a general infection or what.
Where do I get the Fuller's earth from?

OP posts:
sandcastles · 14/11/2006 07:13

The Fullers Earth Cream came from a high street chemist, can't remember which one, but I ma sure you could get it in Boots.

Original poster
kittywits · 14/11/2006 07:44

Thanks sandcastles, does the fullers earth stick to the wound?

OP posts:
jalopy · 14/11/2006 07:52

Kittywits, definitely look at her diet. If you try replacing dairy with soya milk, give it longer than 24 hours, perhaps a week. It will give you a good idea whether it's a digestion-related problem.
There are lots of really good suggestions here. Let us know how you get on.

Original poster
kittywits · 14/11/2006 08:57

I will thankyou

OP posts:
sandcastles · 14/11/2006 09:20

it seems too, my dd has a heat rash on her bum(she is 3 and still in nappies at night) which was quite bad. I smeered her in Earths & by the mornng she was fine. Although it porbably wasn't as bad as you LO's & my dd didn't have toxic wee/poo! Deff try the pearl barley too, it will neutralise her system, so the poo & wee will sting less.

Good Luck!

3littlefrogs · 14/11/2006 09:27

Impetigo is a staphylococcal infection. If her skin is really badly infected the nappy rash may well be infected with staphylococcus as well. Your GP really should take skin swabs for analysis so that you can be prescribed the correct topical treatment. My dd's eczema got infected when she was about 8 months old and she had to have a course of antibiotics. I know your dd has just had some ABs but different ones are specific to different bugs and it sounds as if you have 2 problems here - the diarrhoea and its cause, and infected dermatitis due to the damaged skin surface.If that is the case, applying creams etc, then putting the same fingers back into the pot of cream is going to transfer the bacteria, so i would advise seeing gp again, careful handwashing, decant correct amount of cream/vaseline or whatever onto clean saucer for each nappy change. Then wash and dry the saucer with paper towel. That way you wont be putting germs from the skin into the pot. (Sorry - you may already be doing this).I do hope you manage to get sorted out soon.

Original poster
kittywits · 14/11/2006 13:59

Ok, I have trawled the shops this morning, got everything but fuller's earth
I have given her no milk today, she's had some pearl barley and I've brewed up some fennel tea. She's covered in vaseline and later we'll try an oartmeal bath, although this mornign she wouldn't sit in a shallow bath and screamed when the water made conact with her skin.

OP posts:
PinkTinsel · 14/11/2006 14:37

good luck kitty, i hope she's feeling better soon, if nothing else a day without much in her system and the barley water should give her poor sytem a bit of a break

sandcastles · 14/11/2006 23:20

I will ask my aunt where she got the fuller earth from.

Poor baby, hopefully someting you have wil help her, she will protest at first, as it will now be all getting a bit too much!

Let us know how you go!

mummycan · 14/11/2006 23:44

Probably already been said but try drapolene - it really is fantastic stuff.

Good luck
x

Original poster
kittywits · 15/11/2006 06:55

HOORAY!! she slept through all evening and last night, no poos, no screaming. Thankyou SO much everyone I'm sure it has been the mixture of teas, waters, potions and creams that has given us this break. Don't know what today will bring but thanks to the sleep it will be easier to stand. I've got so much stuff I could open my own chemist shop m!! .
When do you think I you start some milk again? Give it another day?

OP posts:
jalopy · 15/11/2006 07:54

Fab, Kitty! Give the milk a miss again and see how her skin is.

sandcastles · 15/11/2006 09:20

I'd not temp the milk just yet. Think I would give her some more time hours to clear her system. Glad she slept, something has worked!

meysey · 15/11/2006 15:14

hi - you've had lots of great advice already but here's one more thing to try. we used it as a last resort for infected nappy rash and now it's a first and brilliant resort for everything. gentle, soothing and also antiseptic.

1 drop lavender oil
1 drop tea tree oil
10ml sweet almond oil
(mixed together)

good luck!

Original poster
kittywits · 15/11/2006 17:27

Thanks mesey does it have to be almond oil? Can I use other natural skin oils like bio oil?

Dd still has v sore bum, but poos are more solid and obviously don't burn like they used too, they are also no longer every 1/2 hour. That was such a nightmare. I still feel shattered. As I said thanks to all your kind adivice we have got through this

OP posts:
mummydoc · 15/11/2006 17:30

haven't read the whoke thread but i had similar when dd2 was about 15 months and the only thing that worked was and organic lavender based stuff, i bought it in waitrose and iam sure it was called baby salve and made by a company called organics - it was inthe baby care area and was vvv expensive but overnight almost cured it and i had tried everything and dd2 botty was bleeding it was so raw...hope it helps

Original poster
kittywits · 15/11/2006 17:52

It must be the lavender thing then eh?

OP posts:
MamaApronstrings · 15/11/2006 17:57

sounds just like my dd - also haven't read the whole thread but...
my dd had constantly runny poos and turned out to be sucrose and lactose intolerant...even when solely breast fed she pooped 8ish times a day.

Also hse was alergic to cotton wool that wasn't pure cotton....we had never switched to wipes because she had such a horrendous bleeding backside - and that turned out to be the cause, a friend saw her bum oneday and said she had seen a case like it before and the baby was allergic to cotton wool. it cleared up in about 4 days!!!

So even if its not cottonwool could there be some other product you habitually use that she might be allergic too. Good luck with this - you have my sympathy - it made me want to weep at the time - and makes baby very miserable

frumpygrumpy · 15/11/2006 17:58

Haven't time to read all your thread so sorry if its been said......but just a note on Metanium, lots of people put it on thick thinking it will help, it won't. It must be really thin, dot it on and pat it about to spread. It will stick to the really open bits and don't worry about wiping it off too well. As long at the poo is wiped off the metanium will remain sticking on the really sore bits.

My DD1 had awful nappy rash after 6 weeks of runny poos when she was about 10 months. We also gave samples etc but never got to the bottom of it. I ended up holding off on all dairy products (temporary lactose intolerance was mentioned) and re-introduced slowly. She was great afterward.

I still use metanium as my children get sore bottoms at the first hint of a cold and I've found it to be a life saver. Good luck.

Original poster
kittywits · 15/11/2006 18:03

Thanks for the ideas mas

FG do you know if metanium applied thickly doesn't actually work then? I think i've been doing it qiuite thinly, I hope. I just wondered what happened if it was laid on with a trowel

OP posts:
frumpygrumpy · 15/11/2006 21:46

I think if its thick it doesn't let air at the skin which is the aim. It should look like you've dusted the bottom lightly with talc or chalk. It will stick to the really sore bits longer than the other bits to protect them most. A tube would last me months and months and months and I used it for 2 bottoms at the same time and 1 occasional bottom .

Squeeze out the tiniest drop onto the tip of your finger, dot it on all the sore bits and on the whole bottom area then pat it to spread (a bit like you would if you were dusting food off your clothes - is that bit a helpful description?? )

I hope she is better soon, its awful. I gave my DD1 about 4 days off dairy produce before re-introducing. See if her bottom is better tomorrow and if her poos have regulated a bit before slowly re-introducing. My DDs was a temporary intolerance and she is fine with dairy now. Good luck.