Hi Moms- Ok, my question is re my 13 month old son. He has had eczema since he was an infant. As most eczema goes, it gets better then gets worse. It seemed to get better until I started introducing solid food to him. I notice that the eczema was and is the worst on his torso. It was so bad that when people noticed, they were in shock. I moisturize and use all of the correct soaps and oils/lotions trying to use things that are pure without any unnecessary, harmful ingredients.I started thinking it was food related because he would have flare ups like I said after eating foods...When I first started him on baby food, i waited the 4 days and never saw a reaction. Then 1 week before his 1st birthday he got ahold of some peanut butter when my daughters were eating it with apples. He had it on his hands and face and he broke out in hives just on his face. His eye turned red and he was scratching it. We gave him benedryl and he is ok but then i was worried he had a peanut allergy. We don't have insurance now so all I have been able to do that is affordable is get his blood-work done to test for the 8-10 most common food allergens. I just got the results today and the test came back negative for all of them for a food allergy. So now what? His pediatrician told me he may just have food intolerance's and just have sensitive skin. He said we can introduce peanut butter to him in 3-4 months. I guess I'm just still confused ... maybe it is just skin related but now I want to know if he has any food intolerances. Is there a test for that? And just so you know, I had him on a food elimination diet for the most common allergens for almost 2 weeks. Saw a little improvement in his skin but he still had flare ups mainly on his torso. I am still nursing and realized days later that I am supposed to eliminate the foods from my diet as well so the whole diet for him was pointless i guess. I have not introduced milk to him yet and his doc said i should go ahead and let him have milk for the calories, nutrition, etc. Until we get insurance, there is not much else I can do unless I do a diet for both of us which has already been hard enough. Any ideas/experiences/helpful opinions are appreciated.
I would really focus of the laundry detergent, fabric softener, and any products that you use on his skin. Eliminate those as possible problems first.
There is a huge difference between allergies and intolerances. My son was tested for allergies. He has none. But if he eats dairy, gluten, or almonds, he is a totally different child. In a very bad way. There is one company that I know of that does intolerance testing. Their name is Metametrix. (I am not sure of the spelling.) The test itself is very extensive, but also rather expensive. If you can go to the library and check out "Special Diets for Special Kids," they talk about the cost and the testing process. Good luck!
All the doctor's really care about are true allergies...the kind that can really harm a child. Intollerances are different and they are much trickier to figure out!!! You're better off trying to figure out his triggers on your own anyway. When you can afford it, People's Pharmacy has a test they can run that checks for all kinds of random intollerances. We haven't done it yet because it's pretty expensive (I have a child with suspected food intollerances). I do have a friend who's daughter was tested and she has seen major improvements by eliminating the foods she is supposedly intollerant to.
I suggest you start keeping a very detailed food diary (of what you eat and what he eats). It's going to be time consuming but when you see your little one with eczema like this, it's worth it. Eczema is basically the result of the immune system going haywire due to something it's being exposed to. Have you thought about laundry detergent and fabric softeners too? Or the soap you use in his bath? Maybe go to non-scented and all natural. Watch ingredients like aloe too (we can all have issues with even the most natural substances). I would recommend doing this very slowly, rather than eliminating everything at once because you want to be able to figure out exactly what is causing the problem. It could take many months before you figure it out and it could be numerous things he's sensitive too. Good luck! I know how frustrating this can be.
Take a look at People's website. http://www.peoplesrx.com/ns/DisplayMonograph.asp?storeID=...
Go to the library and get the book "Is This Your Child?" by Dr. Doris Rapp. She is a pediatric environmental allergist. Your son's eczema definately sounds food related, but other factors contribute to it as well. Dr. Rapp recommends a rotation diet and slowly reintroducing foods and monitoring for reactions. If your library doesnt have this book many health food stores have it. You can probably get it on Amazon.com
If you can't afford health insurance for the kids right now they may qualify for a medical card through the state. That way he can get the allergy testing he needs. Also a dermatologist might be able to figure out why this rash is occurring like this.
If it's not his food it could be the soap you use for even you. Do you bath him in the same tub as everyone else or do you use a baby tub still. My neice that is not 8 has eczema and she reacts when she baths in a tub that has soap residu for other people soaps. My sil has to have her use a differnt bath that anyone else. I know my mom said I would break out if I rubbed against her cloths if they where not double rinsed in the rinse cycle when washing as well. Hope that helps.
Good luck and God Bless!
I have eczema, as do my kids, and none of us has any food allergy. Sometimes people do just have really sensitive skin. For us, the weather can trigger flare-ups - wind, heat, whatever. I've had fabric softeners and laundry soaps that caused it. Anyway, I don't know if you've been made aware, but pretty much the only thing that will make the flare-up go away is hydrocortisone cream. For my daughters and me, we use plain Ivory soap and then hydrocortisone cream on any spots that have a rash. Usually the rash and/or any flaky spots will disappear within a day or two. Without the hydrocortisone cream, it almost won't go away at all, no matter how much lotion or oil or whatever we put on there. That's my experience, for whatever it's worth. Good luck, and I hope you can find some relief for your little guy.
http://www.nationaleczema.org/
My Mom gets eczema. But ONLY if she eats anything with Oatmeal in it or oats. And citrus also brings it on in her.
Each person is different.
Get the book by Dr. "Is this your child?" and read it. The best book I have ever owned. She gives very detailed instructions for the food elimination diet. My son was anaphalytic to cows milk, so when my daughter was born, we waited until she was 2 to introduce cows milk. If your son has skin issues, I would totally skip the cows milk and get the fresh goats milk in the dairy section. Goats milk is very similiar to mothers milk, but it is high in fat, so after 2 years of age, you will probably need to switch to something lower in fat, like soy, rice, almond or coconut milk, all readily avaiable in most grocery stores nowadays! I nursed my kids way past 2 years of age, as it is the perfect food. Just make sure that you are doing the same rotation/elimination diet as your son.. Also, cetaphil soap is really good for sensitive skin. One more idea on laundry detergent.....we use a natural detergent with lavender essential oils, found at sam's club, called ecos plus. It is fairly cheap, all natural and can do an unbelievable number of loads of laundry. You are doing a great job trying to figure out your son's issues. Kudos to you! Not every child is blessed with such a wonderful, dedicated Mother!
Updated
Get the book by Dr. "Is this your child?" and read it. The best book I have ever owned. She gives very detailed instructions for the food elimination diet. My son was anaphalytic to cows milk, so when my daughter was born, we waited until she was 2 to introduce cows milk. If your son has skin issues, I would totally skip the cows milk and get the fresh goats milk in the dairy section. Goats milk is very similiar to mothers milk, but it is high in fat, so after 2 years of age, you will probably need to switch to something lower in fat, like soy, rice, almond or coconut milk, all readily avaiable in most grocery stores nowadays! I nursed my kids way past 2 years of age, as it is the perfect food. Just make sure that you are doing the same rotation/elimination diet as your son.. Also, cetaphil soap is really good for sensitive skin. One more idea on laundry detergent.....we use a natural detergent with lavender essential oils, found at sam's club, called ecos plus. It is fairly cheap, all natural and can do an unbelievable number of loads of laundry. You are doing a great job trying to figure out your son's issues. Kudos to you! Not every child is blessed with such a wonderful, dedicated Mother!
I am 46 years old and still have eczema flare ups. For years, I avoided scented laundry detergents, used only Dr. Brauner's Castille soaps, or glycerine based soaps, etc. etc. I was able to "branch" out into other soaps and such in my 30s but there are still brands that tear me up--it took me weeks a couple of months ago to finally figure out that a new laundry detergent was making me itchy. :O
I should have bought stock in cortisone cream - I would be retired by now.
I am affected by the weather - winter is worst for me as I dry out and break out. So moisturizes are my friend. I am not bothered by most foods but I avoid walnuts always, and sometimes avocado makes me itchy. I keep Benadryl on hand at all times just in case.
Long way around the bushes to say, that sometimes, with eczema, it is a matter of trial and error with products and food. Put yourself and your son back on an elimination diet and see what happens. There may be just a few food triggers that you can easily identify and avoid. Also, do a laundry and soap "diet". Start with the mildest products that you can find, and work your way through a few brands. While oatmeal bothers some people's eczema, I still find the Aveeno products work well for me.
Consider goats milk instead of cow's milk at first - my son had a cow's milk allergy at that age, and went through goat, then Lactaid, until he could drink cow's milk. He also had eczema when he was young, but, has mostly outgrown it - because that does happen also - rather I think the body learns to repel the eczema enzymes in the system so breakouts are fewer.
Have you checked with any of your local sliding scale medical clinics to see if they can offer allergy testing? Also, check with the local dermatologists and hospitals and see if there are any medical studies being done on children with eczema that he could participate in.
Oh, one last ramble - when I get a small outbreak that is particularly bad, I combine an antibiotic ointment and cortisone cream and cover it with a non-stick bandage overnight. Much improvement the next day. Maybe try combining both on your son's torso.
My GD used to break out in an excema type rash if her clothes were not double rinsed in the washer - it was the detergent I guess.
If you're using regular detergent, try double rinse or use Dreft and see if that helps.
