I am a mother of three fantastic children aged 14, 5 and 4 (my youngest child is a severe sufferer of eczema and has been since her toddler moments), and I have enjoyed a career in sales and marketing for twenty years. My career has spanned both the not-for-profit and in more recent years in the pharmaceutical industry, heading up the sales and marketing functions, where I have gained experience in rheumatology and extensive experience in dermatology, with a particular focus on acne, clinically dry skin, and eczema with an in-depth knowledge of emollients and topical preparations.
I am not a medic; I am a mum with many years’ experience of both industry and child, pushing for the best treatment and probably like you not giving up! I have also learned a few tricks along the way which may or may not work for you, but I am happy to share.
In my spare time (which is rare), I take my crew of 3 down to Devon for family time and we hang out on the beach, attempt some sailing with our wider family and hit the parks like everyone else. The summer sun can prove to be a problem for my youngest one, but we are finding ways to combat the sun, suncare and the combination of eczema also.
I am passionate about dermatology and the access to dermatological services (with knowledge, education and freedom of choice) driving the move toward the expert patient. I am fully aware of the distress that eczema can cause to both the sufferer and the family and we are still as a little family unit coping with the ups and downs that eczema can bring to everyday life.
I believe that with help, support and the right mix of treatment eczema can become a part of everyday life but without the right guidance and knowledge of where to go and what is available, eczema can take over your life. I hope that through my blog I will be able to offer some help and non-medical guidance and support to help you cope with the everyday trials and tribulations that coping with eczema may sometimes bring to you or your family.
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On 25 Sep 2011, at 10:44, Kristie wrote:
Hi Anna my names kristie, I live in the uk and have a 8 month old son josh who has eczema. Im intolerant to dairy so there was always a possibility Josh would be too. We had a very traumatic birth and Josh was in special care for three days mostly due to be not being strong enough to look after him. He was given formula as I was so Ill and I feel that may have triggered his eczema. Once I was well enough a few days later he was breastfed, when he was about three months we tried him on a little formula as I was unwell and that’s when the eczema appeared, his whole body was covered in it, he looked like he had been burnt. We never gave him formula again, I completely cut dairy out of my diet (I was able to tolerate small amounts), we were under a dermatologist who also suggested cutting out soya which I have done and this has made a world of difference. He is now fully weaned which finding foods suitable had been hard, I’m cooking all his food and he usually ends up having the same things. I found out along the way he’s allergic to tomatoes, pumpkin and Avacardo which he reacted to last weekend and flared his neck and arms and we are struggling to get that under control.
He has tried so many creams, the doctors here keep giving us steroid creams which I hate using but sometime we have no option. We are also seeing a homeopath which seems to make a difference.
How did you treat your little one and when did you stop breastfeeding? I’m worried ad I have to go back to work in jan not sure what I’m gonna do as I know he will still need my milk
A worried mummy much in need of advice
Kristie
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on October 4, 2011 at 6:58 pm Kristie parkerHi Kristie
Firstly let me say I totally understand. When my daughter was brand new she equally could not tolerate any normal formula milk and I was unable to breast feed. Thankfully I had a fantastic health visitor who suggested I tried lactose free SMA milk which was available on prescription. This was a miracle, not only did it make a huge difference to her eczema but it enabled me to try to gain some support from my family and friends. It also was available in handy little cartons for bobbing out and about. I had both my girls who were at the time 11 months old and one brand new one (Issi-May who had severe eczema) so I would steralise and boil the water, make up the bottles around 18 a day – refridgerate and then add the different formula for each child as needed. Having the SMA lactose free formulae for Issi-May simply meant that I could have a life of some proportion. I would bath her everyday with an emollient additive or if I could not face the bathing I would wash her down in a diluted version (a couple of capfuls in a small bowl of water then clean very gently with a soft cotton flannel) then pat dry with a towel, use a good emollient cream (Kristie remember to use one that is free of Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) in the morning and then after twenty mins use the steroid cream as directed by your GP/Nurse. Try not to worry to much about the steroid creams, we have been using them for years now and if used carefully and as instructed by your GP/Nurse proffessional they are fine. At night time gently clean and if your feeling up for it, jump in the bath with your little one (the bath additive is harmless and can be a great moisturiser for you also), enjoy the time to relax with Josh and have a cuddle then use a heavier ointment on Josh and get him all snuggled in for the night and then hopefully if the SMA lactose free works that will make a huge difference. My daughter is still very intolerant of many food groups now and we still shoot for a plain jam sandwhich (no spread) in times of need. Try hard not to worry to much, it’s important for you and Josh that you know there are lots of us mums out there all trying our best and often very frustrated with the end result, but hang in there and I have lots more suggestions if these dont work. Go see your GP and try the SMA Lactose free now before you go back to work and start to try the emollients morning and night and maybe again in the middle of the day if you have time. Let me know how you get on and stay calm, if it gets to much log on and blog me! Anna
on October 4, 2011 at 7:52 pm Anna