Seeking Info on Children with Eczama

Updated on June 22, 2009
S.W. asks from Fort Worth, TX
18 answers

My little girl is 5 and she lives with a very bad case of Eczama. We have tried everything known to man and it doesn't get any better im starting to not know what else to do! i try to be so strong for her. Em does not sleep at night she scratches so much that she get's Staph all the time that takes for ever to go away we do not let her play outside because she just get's sick because she has allergies to so many things outside and when she use to go out she would come in wheezing she can't do inside things in other places because of the dust.Now her doctor is sending her to so many other people because he thinks all the steroids have messed up her up and she can't fight her own infections anymore. This past week has been a night mare em has been to her doc and cook's children several times to get infected boils drained. The antibiotics are not working and making her sicker. I have never been on one of these sites before but i guess i need answers if its not Eczama what could the rash all over her body be that she has had her whole life? One thing that is strange is she can't get into water we give her a bath with just water once a week and she screams as soon as she touches the water she can't even wash her hands without screaming a scream that you would only see on someone getting torchered (sp) I don't know what else i can do for her and i hope and prey the doctors can help her!

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A.S.

answers from Dallas on

My son had Eczema when he was a baby that I bought all kinds of creams and went to several different doctors. I did find a good pediatric dermatologist (Dr. Ghali in Grapevine) and he finally cleared it up.
http://www.pediatricderm.com/AboutUs/

Good Luck

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K.P.

answers from Dallas on

Have you looked into trying an elimination diet with her to see if adjusting the foods she eats will help? My son has a mild case of eczema ans we've had some family members who have had success eliminating gluten and milk products from their diet. My son so far seems to do better when he is on a gluten free diet, but I'm still learning and experimenting.

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J.A.

answers from Dallas on

I feel your pain. My son is 5 and has severe eczema....he's currently on an antibiotic to fight staph. Go see Dr. Ghali if you aren't already. He'll probably have you do "wet wraps" and bleach baths. They work tremendously well. The wet wraps are a pain but will give her instant relief. I even talked with an Eczema research center for children in San Diego - Dr. Ghali is who they recommend to see in this area. And everything Dr. Ghali is having us do is what the hospital in San Diego would recommend also. Hope this helps.

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J.B.

answers from Dallas on

I read your post. I am so sorry you are going through this. I'm just throwing this out there. I do nutrition response testing and I am helping with the most amazing things you have ever seen in your life. Hepatitis, Lyme's, autism, ADD/ADHD, thyroid problems, heavy metals, you name it! It is quite amazing. It sounds like your daughter may have metals and parasites. Its a guess, but that is what it sounds like. I don't know, I would have to test her. Call us if you want. ###-###-####

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R.N.

answers from Dallas on

As for the eczema my daughter is 8 and has battled this as well. Her doctor switches steroid cream with nonsteroid. She is only aload to use the steroid cream for 3-7 days depending on the type and the rest of the time the non steroid as needed. The steroid cream is for the enicial breakout then the other is for everyday use if need be. We also only have her shower with Dove soap, the white bar. If she takes a bath she has to play 1st then wash herself then emediately rinse with clean water and get out. She ALWAYS has to keep lotion on. We use Vaseline intensive care, no fragrance, or the Eucerin brand thats not oily. Can't remember what it's called. As for the Staff, my daughter used to get it bad, especially when potty training or a certain brand of pullups for night time. We ended up using the Dollar General brand or Kroger brand. They don't have a lot of stuff that the other brands did. We would give her a baking soda bath once a day. We would put 1/4 cup of baking soda in the tub, of course with the water. She would only soak in that for 20 minutes. No washing. That actually kept the staff from coming so much and would help heel it faster when it was present. When doing all this combined she stopped scratching as much and reduced the Staff cases. Oh and we also use All free and clear detergant and free and clear dryer sheets as well. Hope this helps. Good Luck with the search for relief.

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M.C.

answers from Dallas on

Hi S.,

Bless her heart...she needs some help! First of all, I would address her immune system issues. I market a great product that puts real fruits and veggies into gummie treats for kids and capsules for adults. It is the most researched nutritional product in the world and has been proven to help restore the immune system to its proper working order. It's done the trick for my family's allergies, plus we rarely if ever get sick anymore. Call me if you'd like more info on that: ###-###-####.

I can also put you in touch with a great nutritionist or a great naturopathic doctor, depending on which route you want to take. They know things that most MD's never learn about addressing causes, not just symptoms.

Now for relief of the major symptom, I know Arbonne makes some external products that people swear by for eczema. You probably know a rep or two, but if not, call my friend Angie at ###-###-####. Tell her I sent you!

Good luck and God bless...keep seeking answers and you will find them!

M.

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B.A.

answers from Dallas on

I have an 11 year old girl who has a dairy allergy. Have you tried to eliminate ALL dairy... even the hidden dairy? Beleive me dairy his hidden in EVERYTHING. (like chicken flavoring in different food items... Ramen, etc... who knew)

My daughter breaks out in the worst hives/eczema!!! It is horrible... painful, burning, etc. We discovered her allergy when we switched her from Soy formual to cows milk and it is to this day a learning process.

Another food ingredient that can create similar reaction is GLUTEN. Again, a hidden ingredient in many foods.

I went with an elimination diet. Started with all rice diet(very few people have rice allergies/intolernece) and then when she was better added one food back into her diet at a time. Get used to reading labels, labels, labels. Do research on the internet to acquaint yourself with other names for wheat/glute/dairy etc. (in hte case of dairy, whey, milk portiens etc.)

Hope this helps! Good Luck

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V.B.

answers from Dallas on

Have you taken her off all dairy including eggs and go to Soy or Rice milk??? It is usually food allergies and will clear up. Also try oatmeal bath for soothing the itch.

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K.M.

answers from Dallas on

Read my other post I just sent to another mom looking for homeopathy doc on Coppell for her child who has eczema; I have two kids a/ it too! Get off steroids creams especially at her age; get allergy tested and for things she is sensitive too; get desentizers at health food store in frisco (family health is the name of store); use fish and flax daily (Nordic naturals and barleans make great tasting one's for kids: reduce her milk intact promptly and you will notice huge improvement; get cheese out of her diet too; a lot of this can controlled with diet and nutrition; use extra virgin olive oil; freederm ( which u can find on the Internet);calendula cream; and if u don't water treatment on your house consider it or get filter for her bath tub to remove chlorine; chlorine is the worst for their skins; and after bath make sure lotion is applied within 3 minutes of getting out; ask me if u have any other questions (I am ony iPhone and typing quickly)

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R.D.

answers from Dallas on

Hello S.,
I'm sorry to hear that your daughter is going thru this nightmare. My children have excezma as well and it's the worst in my soon to be 4 year old. No, none of the over the counter meds work, triemcenelon worked for a bit b/c it was pertoleum based; it worsens in the summertime. I've been giving my kids about a teaspoon of honey in the mornings, I started this a few months back and it's made a difference in their allergies, especially with the youngest one. Her excezma and allergies have really gotten better than my other daughter (9). I let them eat it with crackers or fruit as well. Also, apple cider vinegar is literally magic in a bottle. Great fro excezma and you can put it in the bath water. Use about 3/4 cup in her bath water and DO NOT use any other soaps. It has natural cleansing agents in it that work wonders for the skin and many other things. My oldest son is 17 and he puts it in his bath water to soak in after workouts and it works better than any cream or ointment. Let me know how things work out and if you have any questions please call me, ###-###-####. Also watch what she eats...chocolate, anything with acid is not good either. Best of luck.

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S.C.

answers from Dallas on

I once heard about someone being allergic to water. I have no idea if this is what's going on with your daughter, but I looked online and found this article.

http://thedermblog.com/2008/03/18/the-girl-who-was-allerg...

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K.C.

answers from Dallas on

I would recommend that you cut all gluten (anything with wheat, oats, or barley), dairy, and soy from her diet. This will be very difficult, but you can go to any health food store and they can help you find good alternatives. She will probably show improvement within a few days. After a week or 10 days you can try a little bit of one thing: gluten, dairy, or soy. If she doesn't react, then she can eat it. Then try the next and the next. It is extremely likely that it is one of those. You can also start her on a probiotic supplement, which will help with her ability to digest her food. And everything else that the first lady said.

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R.M.

answers from Dallas on

Wow, you have my deepest sympathy. I have suffered from severe skin eczema all my life but have not had staph infections and the problems your little girl is having. Usually children grow out of it, I did & got it back when I was about 10 my older sister never did get it back. They didn't give me my first steroids until I was about 13. The steroids lower your immune system so bad that after my children received their baby shots they had to be sent to their Grandmother's for 3 or 4 days, because I could catch polio or whatever they were immunizing the children for. Water was and sometimes is my worst enemy. They started me out on Benadryl for sleeping & itching (when you still needed a prescription for the stuff)I had to take Oatmeal Baths (Before Aveeno came out with their Oatmeal Baths) because the slimy stuff on oatmel sticks to the skin and holds in the moisture and eases the burning from the water. If I sweat it feels like someone is pouring Acid down my neck. We always had to put a little bit of bleach in my bathwater to reduce the risk of impetigo or other infections. Another big trigger was grass so I didn't go outside much either. I would sleep with Saran wrap around my arms and legs, especially behind the knee where it gets so sweaty, you can scratch somewhat to relieve the itch but not enough to do any damage unless you just rip it off. I had a very bad outbreak this year and for the first time, I used aloe vera straight from the plant. The aloe vera taken out of the leaf has a gooey, snotty texture and again makes it kind of hard to itch. But it actually relieved the itching but again I would put saran wrap over the aloe vera. If I have an open wound, I DO NOT put cortisone cream on it, but neosporin because the cortisone cream on an open wound can cause infection. I absolutely had to have cortisone cream and not ointment. Ointments and oils make it really easy to scratch yourself raw. I thought I had it bad but by no means as bad as what your daughter is going through. One of the worst things about the steroids is that you get relief temporarily but you need more before they will prescribe more and during this waiting period it is pure hell! The only soap I could use was Johnson's Baby Soap or Ivory. I use only Lever2000 now. Other than what I've told you, I'm clueless as what you should do now especially since they started her on steroids so young and with the staph infections. I also never took antibiotics during my childhood and teenage years, which also lower your immune system along with the steroids. Bless both of your hearts, I hope you get a good dermatologist that can bring some kind of relief, soon.
God Bless, R.

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J.

answers from Dallas on

I would go to an allergy doctor and have her tested for food allergies. My children have eczama and they are allergic to foods. My daughter is allergic to yeast, and my son is allergic to yeast, soy, and eggs. We have limited those foods in our diet, and the eczama has cleared up significantly.

Good luck. My prayers are with you and your daughter.

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D.S.

answers from Dallas on

The boils are very painful. I had them very bad at the age of 5 and the remedy for me from an old Army doctor was to strip me down and put me in lots of sunshine. I still have many of the scars from them but no boils. I have always required extra sunshine to feel good. Have you tried Amway soaps? Detergents? Also, if you have access to clean running river water will be good for her skin and help with the healing.

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R.H.

answers from Dallas on

I'm so sorry to hear it's been so bad. It sounds like the worst case of Eczema. As you probably know eczema can be caused by almost anything-allergies, food allergies, not enough essential fatty acids (omegas) etc. My son had a bad case and I didn't want to put him on steriods because they suppress the immune system and for all the other side effects. We used all kinds of commercial eczema products and other products people recommended and nothing worked. His case wasn't as bad as Em's but we did find something that worked and now his skin looks like regular skin! It's a homeopathic creme sold at Whole foods for Eczema called Florasone. It's $9.99 and there is always a one dollar off coupon inside. I recommend taking out the coupon and using it on your purchase. I already called the company and it was safe to use on an infant. It sounds like you need to find out what is causing all this-we never did find out with our son. I hated just treating the symptom. In Em's case whatever is the culprit is causing all types of problems.

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W.L.

answers from Dallas on

I do not have any advice, I grew up with a severe case and eventually outgrew it so I pray the same will happen for your daughter. It is an illness closely related to asthema and usually found in people whit severe allergies. As a child they would put me under sun lamps and that helped a lot. I never had a problem with water and did not get staph infections but they were not as widespread 40 years ago as they are today. Keep trying, sometimes it just takes the right doctor. I will continue to pray for all of you, having an ill child affects the entire family.

S.M.

answers from Dallas on

we have Eczama also but not nearly as bad, my Grandmother used to have it bad as a child and she swears by vitamin C. I use it for my two boys that get "the ichies" I give them large doses of the stuff and it does work! I give 1-4 gummys a day depending on how bad, then 1-2 a day to maintain, but if I forget a few days it often starts back up again. this may not solve your problem but it might help manage all that is going on. Prayers to you and your daughter, I know what it is like to be up all night with "the ichies"

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