Coping with my Child's Eczema - Our Story

The itch that doesn't go away.

It has been some time since I last wrote about Bubbles' eczema. My post on LactoGG has garnered a lot of interest, and I have been answering questions about our experience with Bubbles' eczema, and the type of products we use to ease her discomfort.

Unfortunately, while that post described the containment of her eczema then, we have since gone through many more rounds of flare-ups. 

The truth is, we are still very much grappling with her eczema, and during flare ups, it is very tough on her, and on us. Through this painful process however, we are learning a lot more about what eczema is, and various ways to help make things better for her.

I have therefore decided to write more about coping with her eczema, starting with this post. I am hoping that these posts will help others who have children that suffer from eczema too, and perhaps serve as a platform for further discussions and sharing of coping methods.

This first post is a long one, as this is the story that most parents with children suffering from eczema wanted to know. 

If you have any questions or advice about coping with eczema, I will be happy to hear from you in the comments, or through email! 

Our Eczema Story - Till LactoGG

1. The Start of Her Eczema | At around 11 months of age, eczema appeared on Bubbles' arm and leg joints. Whether relevant or not, I noted that the rashes appeared exactly when I fully transited her from breast milk to formula milk. Her regular pediatrician referred her to do a skin-prick test to see if she had any underlying allergies that was causing her eczema. We had her tested for the common allergens, as well as a couple of others that I thought she might be allergic to. Surprisingly, the results were all NEGATIVE. It was a bit of a letdown as we were hoping for answers.

2. Consultations with a Dermatologist | Her eczema continued to get worse despite being on a strict moisturizing routine. Her skin sometimes got bloody and weepy. It was awful. Upon a friend's recommendation, we took her to a family doctor cum dermatologist. I mentioned him in this post. The doctor prescribed his own clinic-made creams and washes, and also a daily dose of LactoGG. We had to follow a tedious wash - moisturise process 2-3 times a day but her rashes did completely clear.

I stopped sharing about her eczema on the blog around this time.

Unfortunately, Bubbles' eczema - her rashes, came back with a vengeance, once we stopped the tedious cream and shower routine. We repeated the process I think three times. Each time her skin cleared, but came back again once the creams ran out. I suspected that the medicated creams containing steroids were spot healing the rashes, but not hitting at the root causes. I was fed up, and needed to find out how to stop her eczema from reappearing.

Our Eczema Story - What has happened since then?

1.  Examining Possible Allergies | Sometime last year, we took Bubbles to see a pediatric allergy specialist. This doctor ordered a skin-prick test again but only for inhalant allergies and a few key foods (wheat, milk, eggs). She explained that food allergies get better over time, and so since the previous test was negative, she said that it was unlikely that Bubbles had food allergies. This time, tests for foods turned out negative again, but in the test for inhalant allergies, dust mites came up positive. I was elated that we found an answer, and religiously followed instructions to reduce Bubbles' exposure to dust mites. We had her mattress covered with anti-dustmite sheets, increased the frequency of washing her bedsheets, removed stuff toys from her room etc.

Unfortunately, this doctor also prescribed a whole lot of creams, including those with mild steroids, that we used as instructed. Heeding her advice, we also did wet wraps for Bubbles at night, to ease her discomfort and to aid her skin's healing. Managing her eczema was a really tedious affair.

Like before, her skin healed beautifully, but the moment we stopped the medicated creams, the rashes gradually came back, along with all the accompanying pain.

2. The Terrible Itch and Discomfort | By this time, I felt really helpless as a mother. It was a terrible time for her, as she was so often itchy that she regularly woke up in the middle of the night to scratch for 1-2 hrs and not be able to fall back asleep. I would find dead skin and blood stains on her bed. The discomfort of itch and pain was affecting her mood and her learning too, as she would sometimes refuse to do an activity because of the pain of broken skin. I was exhausted from being woken up every night, staying awake for 1-2 hours. creaming and putting cold compresses on her.

3. The Non-Allergy Revelation | Upon another friend's recommendation, we decided to take Bubbles to see a much more senior pediatric allergy specialist. This doctor asked once again for a skin prick test to be done. This was Bubbles' 3rd skin prick test. Like the pediatric allergy specialist before, he did not think she has food allergies (even though I spoke to him briefly about my suspicions), and only tested her for inhalant allergens. This time, her dust-mite allergy showed up again, but in reduced figures compared to the 2nd test she did.

Then, the doctor told us something new: He said that Bubbles' eczema is not so much an allergic eczema but an NON-ALLERGIC eczema. I was taken aback and confused by this statement! He then explained that her case is more of a skin condition, where her skin barrier is not effective at retaining moisture. With this dryness, the skin is more susceptible to bacteria, which cases rashes and itch.

He then told us to take her swimming 3 times a week and to put a mild antiseptic on her rashes twice a day, together with her usual moisturizing routine. Unsurprisingly, he also prescribed mild steroidal creams. In addition, we were given many bottles of Zrytec, and told to give it to her daily. We followed his instructions and in 2 weeks almost all her rashes cleared up.

My elation was short-lived however, as (as you might have guessed by now), her rashes came back once we stopped the medicated creams.

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In the next few posts, I will be sharing about products that we have tried to help ease Bubbles' discomfort caused by her eczema. When ready, I will be sure to post updates about how we are coping, and what other steps we have been taking to help find relief for her.

Do you or your children suffer from eczema? You could leave a comment on this post, or drop me a line. Your sharing may encourage someone else on a similar path!

If you haven't already, you may want to read:
Coping with my Child's Eczema - The Creams & Lotions