OUR STORY

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WHAT IS THE COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF ECZEMA?

What is Eczema? Most immediately think of a rash induced skin condition. Others think of it as dry skin and an itch. So which is it? Is it a rash or dry skin and an itch? Let's talk about it.

If you ask me, my answer would be neither. A rash, dry skin and itching are symptoms of eczema. They are how eczema presents. Eczema is actually an overreaction of your immune system to irritants and allergens, but the majority of specialists are incredibly reluctant to speculate or see it as an autoimmune problem. 

However it is my opinion that we should be sent to an immunologist for the problem, in conjunction with a dermatologist to treat the symptoms. I say all of this to lead you into the premise of my own story. I am no specialist or anyone remotely in the medical realm of this condition…I just speak on the observation of my own experience.

OUR JOURNEY

My daughter Sun began presenting symptoms of Atopic Dermatitis around 4 months of age. Her skin would become inflamed, dry, leak and crack. I brought up the possibility of allergies early on, as I had noticed that she would get red and throw up when she had formula, milk based, but was brushed aside. I was told to let them (her pediatricians) advise, because “how did I know”? They advised that eczema was quite normal and to use a light cream they recommended.

By 6 months she was constantly scratching and could not sleep well at night. We went to her doctor again and we were told it wasn’t that bad and that they had seen much worse. We were advised to put her on an otc steroid cream and that was that. We started applying the cream, as directed, which was three times a day. It would take the edge off of the rashes, but would not do much more than that. By 8 months we were back at the doctor once more and were given another steroid to try. This time one that was a prescription. We were advised that it would sting upon application, but would help. At this time her skin was getting worse and not better. 

She was scratching even more vigorously, to the point we would wake up and there would be blood on her pillows. She would scratch her skin off…literally…in an effort to relieve the itch. It was a very heartbreaking time. We would wake up to a massacre of skin, scales and blood. 

I once took her to the pediatric urgent care twice and a hospital in one week because her whole face was swollen. They gave her a steroid and anti-inflammatory and once again, that was that. We were advised to start giving her a small dosage of benadryl on the worst days and given a referral for a dermatologist. When I again asked about allergies I was dismissed and told that the dermatologist would give her a stronger steroid. It was at this time that I made the decision to wean her off of the steroids. All of this and nothing was getting better, it actually got much worse for a time. We now started looking into a holistic eczema doctor and allergy specialist.

I had already started taking notes of when her skin would react the most. It was shortly after meal times and even though I had been advised to not speculate on allergies on my own, I started to adjust her diet. I had asked for an allergy panel before, but was told she was too young and it would not help much. I had also started using a natural oatmeal cream in conjunction and started to see improvements in her skin. 

When we transferred doctors, we were finally given an allergy panel which showed an abundance of allergies. Including the ones I had already observed. We immediately made the adjustments to her diet and the difference in her skin and quality of life has changed incredibly. We manage her symptoms with natural creams and ointments so as to not add to the problem and she has an allergist and holistic eczema doctor that are addressing the overreaction of her immune system, skin and gut health. I was finally able to see an end to this journey.

It took almost 2 years to find this resolution. I know any parent's worst nightmare has to be seeing their child in pain…and not being able to do anything about it. We cried almost everyday with her. We had to go everywhere in pairs so keep her from damaging her skin even more so. We hid away, from the judgment, from the looks, from the shame. The shame of seeming to fail as new parents unable to help her get better. However, with these feelings of failure came a strength I never knew we could have. Without these trials we would not be as strong as the unit we are now. Without these trials we would not have the voice we have to try and advocate for those going through the same trials, but unable to breathe enough to speak about it. 

CONCLUSION

As long winded as my story is…in conclusion, I say all of this to say. Looking into more than just the symptoms of eczema should become the norm. Any cream, steroid or otherwise, may assist the symptoms, but we need to address the actual problem, individually. We need support when traditional medicines are not effective. Allergies may not be the complete answer for all, but it may be the starting point for many. We need an open ear to address other courses of action and we need empathy.