I've posted before about this but I am really feeling like I need more guidance and support about this. I'm almost ready to go down the hydrocortisone route that our Ped and even our holistic PCP recommended. We 99% of the time would never use allopathic medicine unless needed, but I think our holistic ways are not working on this ezcema!
DD (11 months old) has one (just one) spot of ezcema on the back of one knee. She used to have a few different areas but they all went away except this one. But this one main spot has been there for months, maybe 5 or more?! It has slowly progressed from just dry and scaly to bright red and shiny like a burn, with some areas that look like they are about to bleed. It looks so painful that it makes me almost cry to see it. it is also getting a little larger each day. Strangely DD does not fiddle with it but maybe it is because she is so young that she hasn't learned to scratch yet?
So I have used:
Coconut oil (I think it makes it worse but not sure)
California Baby Calendula creme (no change or slight improvement
California Baby Sensitive skin lotion (no change or slight improvement)
Oatmeal baths
Grandma Els Diaper ointment (which also says for ezcema use--It's Lanolin and Petroleum based and now I've stopped using it because I've read Lanolin and Petroleum can aggravate ezcema.)
10 days of topical Bactroban ointment (because Ped did a swab and it showed a secondary bacterial infection--but after the 10 day course no change was noted.)
We bathe her about twice a week with California Baby sensitive skin soap. We use only Planet detergent for her clothes, only 1/4 a cup and we wash on cold with 2 rinses. She only wears organic cotton pants or stockings, no synthetic materials touch her eczema.
She is still BF. As far as food allergens, I did a 2 week dairy elimination (both me and her) and didn't see any change. However, I decided tonight that I am going to do it again but this time for longer, maybe 4-6 weeks? Perhaps 2 weeks wasn't enough for the dairy elimination to show change. My MD said that dairy is the most common cause of allergenic eczema, so it's worth a shot, right? I am soy free as well and DD has had only soy (tofu) once but she didn't like it so I haven't re-offered it. As far as others, I am Gluten free too, and DD has had gluten in the form of oatmeal, but it didn't seem to change it for the worse. I eat nuts, she hasn't had nuts yet. I do eat eggs about 4 times a week, and she does eat egg yolk from our own flock of organic chickens about 1-2 times a week. She eats 1/4-1/2 an avocado every day so is getting some good fats, I also add olive oil or coconut oil to her veggies sometimes. I take Cod liver oil daily and eat lots of good fats, hemp, pumpkin seed oil, etc.
She is taking and has taken probiotics daily for 5 months. They are the Udo's infant and toddler probiotics. They say that they have "trace of milk and soy" should I stop them too? What could I use instead? I really want her to have probiotics for immunity and digestive reasons. She also takes 400IU Vitamin D per day.
What I plan to try:
Shea butter (I read it might help?)
maybe another brand of Calendula?
Flax oil? I read this in the Sears Baby Book. How much should I give?
The dreaded hydrocortisone cream? (Just once to maybe try to get control of this ezcema, calm it down and then start trying to keep it better?)
Anyway, I'd love to hear some thoughts about what I am doing and plan to do. I know that maybe you may think just one area of eczema isn't much but it is so persistent and is just slowly getting so much worse looking (and larger!)
DD (11 months old) has one (just one) spot of ezcema on the back of one knee. She used to have a few different areas but they all went away except this one. But this one main spot has been there for months, maybe 5 or more?! It has slowly progressed from just dry and scaly to bright red and shiny like a burn, with some areas that look like they are about to bleed. It looks so painful that it makes me almost cry to see it. it is also getting a little larger each day. Strangely DD does not fiddle with it but maybe it is because she is so young that she hasn't learned to scratch yet?
So I have used:
Coconut oil (I think it makes it worse but not sure)
California Baby Calendula creme (no change or slight improvement
California Baby Sensitive skin lotion (no change or slight improvement)
Oatmeal baths
Grandma Els Diaper ointment (which also says for ezcema use--It's Lanolin and Petroleum based and now I've stopped using it because I've read Lanolin and Petroleum can aggravate ezcema.)
10 days of topical Bactroban ointment (because Ped did a swab and it showed a secondary bacterial infection--but after the 10 day course no change was noted.)
We bathe her about twice a week with California Baby sensitive skin soap. We use only Planet detergent for her clothes, only 1/4 a cup and we wash on cold with 2 rinses. She only wears organic cotton pants or stockings, no synthetic materials touch her eczema.
She is still BF. As far as food allergens, I did a 2 week dairy elimination (both me and her) and didn't see any change. However, I decided tonight that I am going to do it again but this time for longer, maybe 4-6 weeks? Perhaps 2 weeks wasn't enough for the dairy elimination to show change. My MD said that dairy is the most common cause of allergenic eczema, so it's worth a shot, right? I am soy free as well and DD has had only soy (tofu) once but she didn't like it so I haven't re-offered it. As far as others, I am Gluten free too, and DD has had gluten in the form of oatmeal, but it didn't seem to change it for the worse. I eat nuts, she hasn't had nuts yet. I do eat eggs about 4 times a week, and she does eat egg yolk from our own flock of organic chickens about 1-2 times a week. She eats 1/4-1/2 an avocado every day so is getting some good fats, I also add olive oil or coconut oil to her veggies sometimes. I take Cod liver oil daily and eat lots of good fats, hemp, pumpkin seed oil, etc.
She is taking and has taken probiotics daily for 5 months. They are the Udo's infant and toddler probiotics. They say that they have "trace of milk and soy" should I stop them too? What could I use instead? I really want her to have probiotics for immunity and digestive reasons. She also takes 400IU Vitamin D per day.
What I plan to try:
Shea butter (I read it might help?)
maybe another brand of Calendula?
Flax oil? I read this in the Sears Baby Book. How much should I give?
The dreaded hydrocortisone cream? (Just once to maybe try to get control of this ezcema, calm it down and then start trying to keep it better?)
Anyway, I'd love to hear some thoughts about what I am doing and plan to do. I know that maybe you may think just one area of eczema isn't much but it is so persistent and is just slowly getting so much worse looking (and larger!)
