talkhealth Blog

And at the moment, it’s not even my eczema.

I read the reports in the press earlier in the week about how all parents are pretty much screwed as a lack of sleep is apparently so bad for your health.  This was met with another groan from me: What am I supposed to do with that?  Should I read it to MyItchyBoy?  Will it persuade him to stay asleep longer?  Wake us less?  I somehow doubt it.

As if parents need more reasons to feel rubbish about themselves, but now they know that every time they drag themselves out of bed in the wee hours to attend to their children their own health is suffering.

In our house, sleep is often elusive: see here.  However, the last few nights we have been able to get a solid 6-7 hours in a row – woo-hoo!  This at least makes me feel vaguely human.  Although MIB has slept from midnight til morning, it’s only after I’ve been up and down the stairs or in and out of bed 5 times to slather on another layer of emollient.

Yesterday evening I was on my second trip upstairs whilst trying to get MIB to settle when I had a bit of an accident.  Having already covered his legs (again) in Epaderm and put the cream back on the shelf, he asked for some on his hip.  I grabbed (probably a bit grumpily I’ll admit) the tub of cream and a cloth and turned to go back to him.  Instead though, in the darkness, I mis-judged the distance between my knee and the very solid corner of his very solid bed frame.

Everything went a bit black for a second as I clutched at my knee.  Thoughts that went through my head in the next few seconds:

• Is my knee bleeding?
• Can I still move it?
• Oh dear, MIB scared of Mummy shrieking and crying
• Oh dear, I still have a handful of cream in my hand
• Ah, need to pull trouser leg up to check lower leg still attached
• Need to keep jeans cream-free for weekend
• Grab cloth to wipe cream on
• Pain
• Won’t have time to wash jeans
• Must keep cream off carpet whilst lying there clutching leg
• So much pain
• Lovely MIB has brought me his favourite bear and a cuddle – how nice
• Husband arrived on scene, light on, MIB comforted
• Pain
• More pain

I spent the rest of the evening on paracetamol with frozen beans on my knee.  Thankfully, the knee is still working today, but is a little tender.  There’s not even enough of a bruise to be able to demonstrate just how painful it was.  Next time, will have to negotiate harder with MIB about the possibility of ‘making him go blind’ by putting the light on versus breaking Mummy’s leg by putting cream on in the dark.

How do you manage?  Light on?  Light off?

Note: Apologies for no picture of a gruesome bruise to illustrate this post.  Sadly it is actually quite small.  I am sure it is very deep though.  Probably goes through to the other side.

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MyItchyBoy

My son has atopic eczema and he reacts badly to dairy, soya and we are slowly working towards him eating eggs again. He's had a mild anaphylactic reaction to peanuts and has regular flare-ups to random things that we rarely manage to pinpoint. I started the blog to share my experiences and frustrations of having an itchy boy.