At my wit's end.. I hope you call can help - Skin Problems Message Board

Mommyof4 · 03-24-2004, 08:39 PM

My 20 month old has had severe eczema since he was about 2 months old. He has areas that are now scars due to all of his scratching. He does it more at night so we have had numerous times of going in to get him out of the crib and there is blood everywhere. That is how bad it is!!

Today was the wonderful appt with the Dermatologist. This man spent less than a minute with my son, didn't touch him once, and told me that everything I was doing is wrong. He has been on everything under the sun. Elidel, Elecon, Dermatop, Benadryl treatment both oral and cream. When all of that didn't work we tried Atarax syrup which is for anxiety disorders to try to get him to stop scratching. He is also on an ointment called Triamcinolone. Both worked well for a few weeks then stopped working. I give him oatmeal baths and only use Aveeno unscented products. I can't think of anything else to do

This dermatologist was more concerned with Botox and chemical peels to look at the posters in the room. Needless to say, I am none the smarter now.

Does anyone have any eczema tips beyond what we have tried ? I wonder if it might be an allergic reaction to foods or something and he needs allergy testing? If anyone has any ideas, I would appreciate them. TIA

quincy · 03-25-2004, 01:03 AM

Hi Mindy,

Where on the body is your son's eczema mostly, and where does he tend to scratch the most?

What detergent do you use and what fabric softener? Is he wearing anything with polyester against his skin?

It's possible that too much sugary foods, carbs, etc can exacerbate an outbreak as well as citrus and milk. His system can definitely be taxed since he's been having reactions for a long while.

Is it possible for you to keep a running diary of food, vitamins, etc in comparison to his reactions? Lots of work for you, but it could work.

I would also suggest you not use ANY soap in the bath, but just water. You can use a bit of soap on a cloth to clean his genital area....but not at all on his body for a while. Another option is to use Cetaphil as a soap replacement. I have tried aveeno, and found it OK in areas of my eczema, but what has really done well for me is the Lubriderm for sensitive skin as well as the Neutrogena body moisturising lotion (unscented). I use the Lubriderm sensitive all over after a bath and on the eczema areas I use the Neutrogena body moisturising lotion. I've gotten through this winter not so bad at all.

It's a difficult thing having eczema, Mine are mainly spots on my torso and hips. I inherited it from my mom's side of the family, as well as the asthma it's connected with. Autoimmune disorders are definitely difficult to deal with at times.

Hopefully, you'll find products that will help your son so that he'll be able to get good sleeps and finally break some of the cycle of the added stress caused by itching.

Best to you,
quincy

Genabeena · 03-25-2004, 12:54 PM

Are you sure it's eczema? What appearance does it have- other than the scars and bleeding from itching? Any welts (or hives) ever? Is there any type of rash?

I ask this because based on what you're telling me about your dermatologist, I question his ability to diagnose.

I feel soooooooo bad for your little boy. I can relate to what he is going through. I too tend to scratch areas of my body until they bleed, but it is because I have a condition called Urticaria. Basically, it is a chronic case of hives. Sometimes the hives are visible, sometimes not. Sometimes they take on the appearance of what is called a "wheel and flare" like a red circle with whitish center. But sometimes it looks more like a typical red rash. And sometimes it even just resembles bug bites (like mosquito bites).

Also, I noticed that you said he had it more at night, and that also bears similarity to my case. I see an allergist/immunologist for my condition. I can't really claim that it has done me much good so far, but we at least have an accurate diagnosis, and we havn't really gotten into some of the better treatments- I think- because up until this point I have been breast-feeding.

If it is Urticaria (which is becoming increasingly common as I've learned) then as a last resort, they can put a sufferer on steroids. I have been on a short-term, tapering course of steroids on a few occasions (especially at the beginning of it all) and when I was on it, there were no hives, no itching what-so-ever.

Let me know if you have any questions about any of this- if it sounds like a possibility he could have it. I'll keep checking back here. The most important thing is- get him a new doctor. Get him an Internist or General Practitioner in Pediatrics who can make an accurate diagnosis and make a referral to an allergist/immunologist.

Take care!

Mommyof4 · 03-25-2004, 03:29 PM

Thank you both so much!! I am going to make sure to go perfume free for everything. No soap and perfume free detergent. The Triamcinolone ointment is a steroid ointment but the Derm said it wasnt strong enough.

He has one or two other areas that are really small and he doesnt seem to mess with them much. He just has the one area on his ankle that is constantly open. I am going to look up that condition. Thanks for offering the information about it.

I did talk with the Developmental Pediatrician's office today and told them about it. They are talking to me about it only being the one area. They mentioned the obsessive nature of it so they want to see him to check it out. Thanks again

Genabeena · 03-25-2004, 06:23 PM

Yeah, keep us posted as to what you find out. Sometimes my hives seem to stick to certain areas more than others, but if he's had it for 18 months, I'd think you would see it migrating around. Still, it's different for each person, so do look it up to see if there are some significant resemblances. Glad you're getting a second opinion!

And about the steroids I mentioned earlier. The steroid treatment I had to have was actually the pill form you injest (prednisone). It's good to avoid if at all possible because there are some considerable negative long term effects, but doctors do consider it "safe"- at carefully determined doses- for children. Just so you know. Hopefully it won't come to that- but I just want to give you a sense for the fact that there are other possibilities and treatments for these kinds of things. There's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Hang in there!