Have to do TED-really need help (itchy, eczema baby)

[Acugirl]

My babe is now 10 monhts.
He itches ALL NIGHT long. I am living on 2 hrs of sleep a day-it is really really bad. He doesnt look all that bad at all-has mild rash on his cheeks, but otherwise is pretty clear, but he itches all the time at his head and scalp.

The eczema problem has been going on for months and months. I have taken him to 2 allergists and 2 peds and mostly they just tell me, cause unknown, here's some steroid cream etc.

He was allergy tested, both blood and skin and all that came back was peanuts-but I know the test is not accurate.

I was on a eliminated diet for a while-none of the top allergens, no tomatoes, no gluten but nothing improved so I must have missed something.

So, now, what do I do. I am already underweight from lack of sleep and constant all night nursing. I don't have any energy and very little will power.
But, I need to find out the cause of this. My little guy is suffering so badly it is insane.

I need a healthy diet for me that will help me identify the problem. Can anyone tell me WHAT to eat (not just what not to eat). I am not sure I can survive on rice, turkey, lamb and squash for 2 weeks! What do I eat for breakfast?
also, last time I cut out wheat and gluten and started eating lots of rice, I got really constipated.

Finally, I don't know what to eat for fats..I think avocado, and banana bother him too.

Thanks for the help. I am really desperate here.

[Caden's Mom]

For fat, you can use coconut oil, you can also add in a fruit in there like pears. In fact if fat is a big concern, you can eat a spoonful of the coconut oil a day.

When you were on the initial elimination diet, how long did you stay on? At least two weeks, right? If you keep getting constipated with the rice, I would probably add some prunes to your diet.

Have you tried giving him any bendaryl at night to help with the itching?

What sort of laundry detergent are you using? Are you using bath soap (you shouldn't)? What about moisturizing creams? How often do you bath him? Do you use fabric softener?

[shannon1975]

Okay, I am no expert, but this is what has worked for us.

I have tried many, many things and this is the diet I am on now, along with my thirteen mo old and his symtoms have drastically improved (bloody stools and light eczema).

First, we are both on dairy free probiotics and FOS, a prebiotic to help 'fertilize' the probiotic. Second, I got my son's allergist to write me a script for Pancrease Mt4, a pancreatic enzyme, that breaks down the proteins in your milk before it gets to baby. You take two w/meals and one w/snack. I read the study for bloody stool babes, but they did the study because they were using it for severe eczema babes first. If you can't get the script, I also take CompleteGest by Enzymatic Therapy that works just as well.

I am also on a rotation diet. For meats, I eat chicken, turkey, and pork (not my fav, but I am down twenty lbs for prepreg weight) every three days. I also rotate my grains, amaranth, quinoa, and millet every three days. I eat most fruits, except banana (ds is allergic) and try to stick mostly with lower allergenic ones, making sure not to over do it on any particular one. I also do most veggies, but not over do it on any particular one.

My son is on a strict rotation diet for now until I can introduce more foods. I rotate the three grains, he then rotates his days on these foods: Buffalo, zuchini, apple. Chicken, carrot, kiwi. Lamb, asparagus, grapes. Turkey, spinach, pear.

This rotation, not this specific one, but any one, has been very helpful in pinpointing which foods he is allergic to, along with his IgG blood tests.

The TED is harder to pinpoint things because of the sheer volume of those certain foods. I have heard of this happening to so many people, including us, but their kid wound up being allergic to one or two of the TED foods. My son is allergic to potato and rice. He is allergic to many other things, but some you would never think of, like avocado.

Also, write down everything, physical symptoms and behavioral (sleeping, crankies) to see if you can get a clearer picture.

My son's eczema has never caused him great discomfort, but we use cetaphil cream and it has been really helpful when used a few times a day.

[Acugirl]

Everything I eliminated was taken out for at least a month, most things for 2 months.
We use free and clear detergent, no fabric softener, no perfume, bathe with water and very mild soap-california baby sensitive skin.
I put vasesline or aquaphor on his skin and now a cortisone cream that the ped gave me...
Ped told me to try benedryl at night, but I can't give that forever...
we do have a dog, but his skin test for dog was neg.

[Sugre]

Hi,

I have used elave on my two little ones, their baby range is great for dry skin and you can get it online too..

www.elave.co.uk

[SAmama]

Your story sounds like ours. We also only started to see a little bit of a change after six weeks, better after 8. But my dd still has bad eczema. I did the TED and I think it messed us both up more. We are now working on getting into a rotation diet (in the meantime I am just avoiding the common allergens). It doesn't sounds like the TED works for many people. Too hard to get good nutrition, which is essential for healing.
We are slowly working our way into the world of enzymes and finally got our dairy free, filler free probiotics and started them today. From all that I have read I think these two things (and enough essential fatty acids) are very important for kids with eczema.