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Toddlers: 24 Months+
Pelusa214
member
Eczema help, please :(
Pelusa214
member
My poor kid has been suffering from genital/anal eczema for 10 months now, and nothing is helping. A few months after it started, she started getting it on the corner of her mouth, too. That's the only two places she has it. We brought her to the pedi 3 times, they finally sent us to a dermatologist, and finally we took her to an allergist on our own. All 3 say "It's a strange, uncommon place for eczema, but that's exactly what it looks like", then they just keep throwing different creams at us - aquaphor, hydrocortizone, steroid creams, etc. The only thing that seems to help a little is the steroid cream, but I hate to keep using it, especially since the two places are her anus/vagina and her mouth.
Now, she has gotten to the point of scratching herself bloody. She's got a fissure on her perenium and one at the top of her butt crack, and now one on the corner of her mouth, too. The eczema on her mouth looks a lot worse than the eczema down below, but she must be scratching more down there because she's splitting her skin open. I found bloody underwear twice in the past week. She waits until she's in bed or alone, because she doesn't want us to see her scratch 
I don't know what to do. She doesn't want me to even touch down there because it hurts, so it's hard to even put creams on it. I have her soak in aveeno oatmeal bath, and she only uses Cetaphil Restoraderm cleansing lotion on her skin.
Her 4 year checkup is Monday, and I can't stand this anymore - SOMEONE needs to help my little girl. I just don't know what to ask for. Should I see another allergist? The one we saw only tested for 5 things (all negative, scratch test only, no bloodwork). We've since started suspecting several foods as irritants, none of which he tested for, but we're not sure because she's still getting rashes. I even wondered if it was pinworms, but she has it on her mouth, too. Should I see another dermatologist?
I feel like there's got to be things triggering it, and because it's only showing up where the food goes in & comes out, I really feel we should look at her diet. I don't even know what to feed her anymore We've been keeping her from eating tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, peppers, eggplant and a host of other things, but I don't know if it's for nothing. And it's not like she's 1 or 2, she's 4, so she's really feeling deprived when we keep telling her she can't have things.
Can anyone offer advice or help of any sort? She behaves horribly when she has flare-ups, too, and I don't know if it's the steroid cream, if it's the agitation triggering the eczema, or if it's the eczema irritating her & making her act out. I just want her to feel better, and don't want the poor thing to have to show all her private parts to doctor after doctor all the time, OR to have to have me spreading cream on them all the time
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Eczema help, please :(
I get nervous every time I take her to the doctor, too, because of where it is. I know there's no abuse or anything like that going on. I've been SAH since it started, I'm with her almost 24/7, and she doesn't go to school yet.
I really suspect food issues, as I said, because her only eczema is where the food goes in & where it comes out. Plus, she had a milk protein intolerance until age 3, has seasonal allergies, and my DH has multiple food allergies (moderate/severe to soy & shellfish and mild to cherries, carrots, hazelnuts and several other foods, plus he's lactose intolerant and has asthma). I think I'm going to ask them to do allergy bloodwork, and then take her to another allergist for more extensive testing than just milk, oats, peanuts, strawberries and eggs.
Does it go away if you take her back off dairy?
Have you tried an elimination diet or at least a rotation diet to narrow down likely culprits?
Blood testing will NOT tell you everything about allergies, or intolerances, or sensitivities, and you may have to figure it out via trial and error the hard way.
Like you, though, it sounds like it could well be food related, or environmental (something else she's getting into her mouth - paint, toothpaste, etc...- that later has to come out the other end).
I am sorry you are going through this, it sounds awful for you and her. Hugs.
Two things you could try. The GAPS diet is an elimination diet that could help you systematically figure out if/which foods are causing this.
Also, have you noticed if it gets better after being in a pool? My oldest has had what the doctors call eczema since she was 6 months old. Lucky, it doesn't bother her so I haven't tried to actively get rid of it. Since we have started going to the pool frequently it has gotten significantly better. I did some research and it has something to do with helping regain PH balance and/or killing off bacteria. You can also google bleach baths. I know it sounds crazy, but my cousin just started doing them with her son, along with going to the pool once a week, and it has almost completely cleared up his severe eczema.
Get the toxic products out of your home! I found that what I was using in my home, including Huggies "natural" care baby wash and my Tide detergent were the main causes of my daughter's eczema! She no longer suffers and we have so much more peace of mind now that we don't use those types of products. I was introduced to a company that doesn't have any caustic ingredients and at the same time has saved me a lot of money! I am passionate about educating others about the toxins in their homes and I'd love to share where I shop with you!! Message me or email me at bwithfamily@live.com to learn more or you can visit my blog at https://www.amberlymauszycki.com/toxin-awareness/
Looking forward to talking with you!