The Eczema Tribe

[Parthenia]

Do you or does your child suffer from eczema? What have you found are the triggers? What helps soothe? Introduce yourself and tell us about your journey.

I'll start, I have 2 dd's. Bea is almost 6. She had mild eczema and I never quite figured out what triggered it. She had rashes under her armpits, behind her kness, and on her chest (which was worsened by drooling). I used Eucerin and Aveeno oatmeal baths. It went away at around age 2. Bea also has a constant runny nose, which may be dairy related. I could really use some suggestions on how to help wean a school age child off one of her favorite foods, if only temporarily. She *hates* soy milk.

Ingrid is 3 1/2 months and has it much worse. She has it in the same places, as well as on her cheeks, where it is most severe. She has a diaper rash that follows the pattern of her flare ups. She has recently developed impetigo on her cheeks. We've tried mostly locally made creams and salves. The best one is a diaper rash salve with calendula, chamomile, olive oil, and a few other soothing herbs. We bathe her in ground oatmeal and chamomile tea. With the impetigo I've used bacitracin, bactroban (which worsened it) and at my wits end, reluctantly am using Ceflex antibiotics. The impetigo is going away and she now has mildly weepy patches on her cheeks. Diaper rash salve makes the redness go away in minutes! I also use California Baby diaper area wash on her cheeks. It seems to be very soothing and keeps the itching down.
I think dairy is the culprit and am cutting all dairy out of my diet. I was allergic to dairy as a child.
I'm also taking evening primrose oil. 500mg/day. I don't know if it's helping dd, but it's making my skin healthy.
I don't have eczema, but I have mild rosacea, which is also triggered by food. I can't use anything but water and oily moiturizers on my face. Heat, stress, coffee and wine are my triggers. I'm sure there are more.

Ingrid's eczema has been a source of grief and frustration for us all. We can't kiss her cheeks! I am always asked "What's that on her face?" And while I don't think people necessarily judge *me* for my daughter's eczema, it's so frustrating that I judge myself. Why can't I help her? What more can I do? Am I ever going to get a photo of her without big red angry rashes on her cheeks? How do I help her stop rubbing and scratching (thus causing impetigo).

I've spoken to a local herbalist who is going to be making an eczema salve with some of my suggestions. When he finishes up, I'll let anyone know who wants to try it.

Let's hear from more Eczema moms!

[bonberi]

Ooooooooooh, I'm so in

HI everyone- this is my very first post after much lurking!

We've been dealing with eczema on my 5 month old dd for a while now. I'd have to look back at our photos to be sure, but it's at least 3 months. Rosie's eczema is mostly confined to her sweet cheeks, but she has a quarter-sized spot on one arm near her elbow, and a few other rough patches in sundry places. DH and I both have eczema histories, although mine has been clear for a long time until recently. Now I use my patches to test treatments before I try them on dd.

It started to get really bad in mid-March. I went to a LLL meeting, and they advised me to give up dairy and soy (actually they said all legumes- but I just did soy at that point). Things got worse. I went to a homeopath, and she said Rosie was reacting to my long vaccine history (for international travel), and it had nothing to do with diet. Stopped the diet and treated her with thuja and something else that was supposed to counteract mercury. Things got worse. I went back on an elimination diet, this time following the Dr Sears site suggestion- rice, millet, chicken, turkey, lamb, squash, pears, honey, plus the neuromins DHA supplement that they recommend. After my third bout with mastitis, I started probiotics for both of us, did gentian violet for 4 days, and started grapfruit seed extract and fish oil. Whoo hoo! Things got really good! I relaxed the diet a bit, and things got worse. Panicked, reigned in the diet, stopped the GSE and went from the fish oil back to the neuromins DHA. Things got okay, and then got worse again even though I hadn't changed much. I realized that I was restricting myself to veggies high in salicylates which have been shown to exacerbate eczema in some folks. So, I turned that around and now things seem to be getting better again. But, since this is the 3rd time I've crested this wave, I remain barely cautiously optimistic.

Right now we're giving her baking soda baths once a week- about to increase this because of pollen season. Oatmeal baths made her splotchy all over. This week, we're using Florasone on the bad patches and Shikai borage pediatric formula as an emolient all over and on the bad patches between florasone treatments. The Florasone really seems to help, but I wonder if things will get bad again after we lay off of it for a while- I worry about using it for too long.

I'm sure I've left holes in my story- I've tried so many different things. I'm glad to be hanging out with a bunch of other mamas to know what it's like to cringe when a stranger wants to peek into the sling to see the cute baby. I try to keep up good, positive energy, because I know that she needs that from me in order to heal, but the ED is so wearing.

[jeanieloz]

My youngest son has eczema. It really went away once I eliminated all dairy and tomatoes, and other acidy foods from my diet while nursing, and once he weaned we still kept all dairy and acidy foods especially tomatoes at bay. However he has a current relapse which is annoying the heck out of me. His left ear is red, splotchy, weeping, and icky, it hurts him and itches. He also has two other spots, and I don't know what the culprit is this time. I tried everything natural, and actually broke down and took him to the dr. and got a perscription which really didn't help much. I stopped putting the rx on him and used Balmex diaper cream, it was all I had, and it started to get better. Then last night he started itching other places and getting "hivey" looking so I broke down and gave him antihistimine, this morning his eczema spots were about 60% better.
I still don't know what is causing his current outbreak, other than plant and outdoor allergies, he hasn't had anything new or different added or taken from his diet in almost a year! Oatmeal baths seem to irritate him, and we've tried all the eczema friendly soaps, and no soap too, and creams, and techniques, etc..., just didn't seem to make a difference. I gave him antihistmine again tonight to see if it has cleared up completely by morning, but I really hate to have to give him this stuff, but we've tried all the natural alternative stuff already, and it doesn't help that all the trees and bushes around us are blooming and budding with pollen and the kid wants to be outside playing.
Donna

[Undercover Hippie]

Wow, I am glad to find you ladies!

My son is almost 4 and his eczema appeared during his first winter--about 6 months old. It was just a dry patch or two on his legs that year, then it got worse every winter, until it didn't completely go away last summer and got really bad when winter hit. It crept up from his legs to his arms and back and tummy and even a patch by his neck. By that time we'd tried every lotion and soap and no-soap and everything I could find, so I took him to the derm. The mild steroid cream works great for him but I hate to use it, so I use it to clear up the worst patches (it only takes a few days) and then use more natural remedies until they get bad again and the cream has to be used. I hate using it though, is it horrible for him in small doses?

His legs are flared up really bad right now and have not cleared up at all in the warm weather, so I just got the prescription refilled. I feel so bad for him and I know others look at his legs and wonder what it wrong with him. I think it is time to really look into the cause. I wonder if it is a dairy allergy but he will HATE giving up his morning cup of milk for me to test my theory. He's also shown signs of some outdoor allergies this year so who knows...

So far my DD shows no signs and I hope hope hope that it stays away from her. As a mom it makes me feel bad because even though it's not my fault, I think to myself that I breastfed and delayed introducing solids until the right age and why does he still have this autoimmune problem? I did everything I was supposed to do and couldn't prevent it. : But I know it's genetic too, my DH has allergies and asthma, so I tell myself that DS's problems could be worse if I had not breastfed and I should just look at the positives. Do you all deal with those feelings too? I guess as mamas we are quick to blame ourselves for anything that befalls our children.

[Aura_Kitten]

i have Pompholyx (sp?) ~ mostly on my left hand, on my middle two fingers, but sometimes it spreads over both my palms.

stress is the biggest trigger for me. outbreaks are maddening. : and toward the end of one, when my fingers are all crusty (sorry if this is TMI) i invariably get people who give me looks like i ought to be quarantined. blah. i want to shout at them, "It's not contagious!!"

i've been trying to find natural remedies for it for awhile but so far nothing. i'm in the process of making a rosemary tonic for it now... :

[Aura_Kitten]

WAIT you know, i just remembered something ~

before my daughter was born, i had a flare-up and i expressed some colostrum from my over-zealous breasts ~ and it cleared up the Pompholyx bumps like magic! unfortunately breastmilk has not had the same effect.

also, i've found relief in rinsing the areas with hydrogen pyroxide... "relief" as in, for about 10-15 minutes the area doesn't itch, and it just stings a lot, then it dries out a little...

[bonberi]

adenlilysmama,

Do you all deal with those feelings too? I guess as mamas we are quick to blame ourselves for anything that befalls our children.

Yes, I fully expected to bypass this problem via exclusive BF and didn't give it much thought beyond that. Now I wonder if I had avoided dairy during pregnancy and taken a probiotic if things would have been at least slightly better. It's hard not to look at dd's itchy, red cheeks and think "whatever the genetic contribution is, this is exacerbated by something I'm doing or not doing- if only I could figure it out!!!"

[Owens Mama]

Joining in!

Hello mommas. My almost 5 mo DS has been struggling with eczema since he was a month or so old. At first I attributed it to newborn skin issues but looking back I can see that it was the beginning of his eczema battle. THe worst patches are on his cheeks and back of his neck. He also has patches on his shoulder and arms. These dont seem to bother him much though, or at least he has'nt figured out how to itch there yet

Right now his skin is looking great! We have really figured out how to keep the rash from blowing up but I know we have'nt elimintated the irritant because he is still itchy. This to me is the hardest part! He is of the age now that I should be able to set him down to play and just be a baby, but I have to constantly hover over him to keep him from scratching. I can put mittens on him, but not only does the rubbing still irritate the skin but I hate to limit his tactile exploration now that he is finally figuring out how to touch and feel things.

Here are the things that work for us. I LOVE California Baby's Calendula cream- it soothes the redness instantly and brings back beautiful baby skin. We use florasone too, but honestly it is hard to tell if it helps sometimes. I wonder how much of his itching at this point is merely psychological/habitual and how much is really from irritation.

It seems to be super important to keep him from scratching at night, so here is what we do and it really works (note- Owen is either in a cosleeper or with us in bed so we can watch him- I wouldnt necessarily recommend this for someone who does not sleep close to their baby) At night we use the heavy duty old fashioned diaper pins and pin the sleeves of his sleepers to his side so he cannot rub his face all night. He doesn't mind at all and wakes up with much clearer cheeks.


He also has a very itchy scalp- and I find that aloe vera gel mixed with a Calendula infusion helps to keep this moisturized, although he still is scratchy. Way less messy than Oil though!

I am taking Evening Primrose Oil, Borage/Flax Oil, and Owen is on Jarrow's Baby-Dophilous becuase I was told probiotics don't necessarily pass into breast milk. I have been off dairy for a long time which seems to help. I am also off wheat and soy. I have gone back and forth on the elimination diet and I get so stressed when I think of giving up so much and I really dont think it is good for me so I havent overdone it. So we try to put things into his and my body that can help instead of depriving me of things I enjoy.

The most frustrating thing about the whole eczema deal is not knowing if the sacrifices we make are helping. I can give up all these foods I love, get rid of my pets, never take my baby outside, etc- all things I dread, but it may be all for NOTHING. if these things are not triggers for ds : IT IS SO FRUSTRATING!

Lets all hope our babies grow out of this!

[Owens Mama]

O yeah- one more trigger for us all to think about is the metals in the snaps on baby clothes. i am thinking that Owens eczema on his back and shoulder may be from where the snaps on T-shirts (either on the back or left shoulder of the shirt) are rubbing on his skin. Metal allergies are really common. Does this make sense to anyone else?

[AdoptChina]

I have 3 kids with eczema---2 of my boys and my daughter. The boys aer 8 and 23 months, DD is 5. The all have different forms of eczema (one looks like rug burn, one looks like little tiny spots, one looks like big circular patches). My 8 yr old never seems to be free of it.....and right now my 5 yr old is having a bad outbreak as well

[irinam]

Joining the Tribe

My DD going on 5 has developed a mild (so far ) eczema just recently.

What could have messed up her liver in only four years of her life ?

Started with about a quarter-sized "patch of dry skin" as our Ped called it : above her knee

Since December it spred almost around her leg and she developed another patch on her butt cheek.

Reading MDC a lot more than I post I realize how clueless I was on many subjects before - vax, food additives, antibiotics, sugar, etc.,

All the rest of our family - me, DH, DS and mine and DH's parents and siblings never even heard of eczema so I am searching on my own and with your great help ladies.

So far, we both (DD and I) do cultured yogurts and kefirs, take primrose oil and flax seed oil (helps). I am shopping carefully for natural and organic foods now.

It seems like I am finding *some* triggers - strawberries, artificial coloring (DD "helped" me find it by eating all the food coloring straight from the tubes while I was in the shower : - no more artificial coloring in our house! )

I am watching honey and bananas. Avoiding triggers helps

I add to her baths steeped herbs that are known to help skin conditions (one of them is calendula, others I know only in our native language, but will copy down the latin names and post) - helps significantly

I mosturize immediately after bathing - helps

Tried the Dr prescribed Hydrocortizone in the beginning - makes it worse. Tried one more time when we had a big flair-up - made it worse again. Done trying Hydrocortizone :

Hugs to all of you mamas - thanks for making this a Tribe

[jstar]

my 1 yr ds has eczema. it started out as a few scattered dry patches on his legs at a few months old (sounds like this is common).

he has a bad spot on the side of his neck which he scratches sometimes. the backs of knees and inside of elbows are the other main spots. we have really battled in the past with diaper rash eczema in the creases of his legs but that is not an issue right now

i haven't figured out the triggers (foodwise). i have figured out that i can't use the aveeno or the j&j baby bath washs that i have. i only use the burts bees milk powder in his bath. and i moisturize after baths to try and keep flareups down. i bathe him every other day or 3 days.

i use the steroid cream (it is something stronger than hc with a really long name i can't remember) when it gets bad and just use moisturizer in between. i know the steroid creams can cause thinning of skin but it works so effectively in 2-3 applications. i end up using it about once a month for a day and a half on his neck spot.

i guess it has a genetic component and my dh's side of the family has it

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

Originally Posted by Parthenia

I could really use some suggestions on how to help wean a school age child off one of her favorite foods, if only temporarily. She *hates* soy milk.

what about rice milk maybe?

Originally Posted by Parthenia

Let's hear from more Eczema moms!

i have it on my hands and lower arms.

i use a combination of natural oils/creams and a prescription ointment for mine. i try to use the natural ones first, but i have to occasionally use something stronger. i have been dealing with it for over 6 months now- never had it before, dont know what triggered it either.

i tried elimation diets with only mild success at reducing flareups.

[Leatherette]

My daughter is 18months old and has had eczema since about 5 months. She has it on her cheeks, neck, forehead, elbows, forearms, behind her knees, on her shins and on her stomach.

We have tried everything mentioned by the mamas here, and it just seems to get better or worse when it feels like it.

My daughter was adopted, so I don't know if this runs in her family, was a result of not being breastfed, etc.

I really stay on top of it, and have been lucky enough to not have to deal with any secondary infections, but it is quite nerve-wracking. I am so tired of avoiding dairy and wheat, which have been highest on our suspect list, but really, it doesn't seem to make any difference. We are vegetarian, too, so that makes her diet all the more prohibitive in terms of going out, visiting people, etc.

She wears socks on her hands at night, under her cotton long john pajamas. But I can't keep anything on her hands in the car, which is the other time she will really scratch. Drives me nuts. And trying to keep the nails super short and lubricate many times per day, on a very active toddler......ack!!

Thanks for starting this thread.

L

[violafemme]

Leatherette -- I love yoyr sig

DD is 17 months old. She started with a couple of pencil eraser sized patches of 'dry' skin on her legs at around 3 months which cleared up and then came back with a vengence around 9 months. It started spreading to her arms and then her back by 12 months. The doc didn't seem concerned but it bugged me. So I took her off dairy, it helped but didn't completely erase it. Then she got the roto virus and after being back on a diet of only breastmilk for 3 days it all cleared up. ALL of it. So we re introduced foods slowly and now know that her triggers are dairy, gluten, and eggs........and I think artificial color but she gets so little of that it's hard to tell.

It never seemed to itch for her and we never got to the weepy stage. In all honesty what I'm worries about is her developing celiac disease later since gluten is one of her triggers.

We use aveeno oatmeal baths and calendula baby oil on her skin and I've just started taking evening primrose oil. It seems to be working.

[Owens Mama]

sorry for the sloppy message....nursing

I'm curious if any moms with older children that have had eczema for a long time have noticed any secondary stuff develop. That is something i am worried about since i have heard that suppressing eczema rashes can lead to other autoimmune issues like asthma. that is the biggest reason i havent used hydtocortisone on ds.

also wanted to share sumthin interesting i read yesterday about elimination diets. it mentioned about how important it was to STRICTLY adhere to elim diets if you want to eradicate the sensitivity to the food. if you are strict about not eating the allergen in all its forms than you are much more likely to be able to reintroduce it later without the symptom reappearing. This was from this website http://kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html
that Siana posted in the allergies forum which was super helpful, Thanks! So, I for one need to get a lot more strict about my diet, I did pretty good but was still eating to many derivatives of stuff... Read those labels close. it is tricky.

(Ah- he fell asleep-) But, he is an eczema baby so I cant put him down or he will scratch. sigh.

Meanwhile, ds is doing pretty good these days altho i discovered i had been eating lots of corn since i gave up wheat and he had green diarrhea for a couple dasy so i think that is a no no too. :

o well, anything for a non itchy baby!

[CAyogamama]

Lack of Omega Fatty Acids

I have been told that eczema can occur in people who do not have enough Omega fatty acids in their diet.

My friend's daughter had a fairly bad case of it and she gave her hemp oil (orally) and the eczema has completely disappeared. She continues to take the hemp oil on a daily basis.

Just my two cents.

[Aura_Kitten]

btw ~ i'm finding tea tree oil helps relieve some of my symptoms as well.

[JordysMom]

I get to join this tribe, unfortunately. My DS has had it since he was a few months old. It used to be really bad, especially on his little cheeks. At that point, his ped gave him an rx for Elidel, which we promptly started using on him. : It did help during his flare ups, but then I heard about the fact that it's been linked to increased cancer risk, and stopped using it right away (whole 'nother thread about how pissed I was about that ).

But it's actually been under control with us just using Eucerin after his bath. He has one patch on the inside of one of his elbows, but that's really the main problem area. His upper arms tend to feel bumpy, but I just try to keep them moist. I also use All Free & Clear for laundry, but am looking to go more natural with that (like I have with the rest of my cleaning products). And I use vinegar in the rinse cycle, which helps to get all the soap residue of the clothes.

[tinaq]

Here, on the eczema tribe.

My dd has had eczema since about 6 wks. She's my 2nd. My 1st has no evidence of such. DD seems to be responding to daily latherings w/ Cetaphil Creme (like Eucerin). I've been introducing Fish Oil to my diet & that helps. When things get really bad we've use Florasone. We've also used Graham's Natural Alternatives Calendula Creme, but (although it's effective), it's also a bit expensive. The options the dr.'s have prescribed are ineffective. We use Kirkland (Costco) Free & Clear & natural cleansers around the house. I also try to eliminate her exposures to unnatural perfumes.

Glad to have found this tribe.

Tina