We don’t usually get much sleep as it is but this last week or so has been harder than normal. We have been struggling with MyItchyBoy’s itchy eczema a lot over the past few months as it is, but at the moment it has been causing more trouble for us all than usual.
Rather than large, red, angry patches of eczema, he seems to be suffering more with the smaller, almost spotty type but with flaky dryness that is causing the incessant itching.
His shins, wrists and lower back are places that he regularly scratches and are usually never entirely free of eczema. So, the first clue that he’s flaring up is when he gets eczema on his tummy or thighs. When that happens, we know we need to get on top of it super quick.
When MyItchyBoy is this itchy, it’s hard to know what to do for the best. His skin is our responsibility at his age and there is a lot of pressure to get it right. When his skin is bad I am reluctant to try anything new on him. At the same time, I am desperate to try anything new that might work! I look at every available lotion, potion or product that may give him some relief but am too worried about using it in case it makes it worse. It is hard to know what it really feels like and what feels good or bad when being put on it. It’s a hard decision to make as it affects so much of his and our lives and if I choose the wrong thing, it could takes months to get his skin back to normal.
For that reason, I have been sticking to the prescription products that have generally worked for him over the past two years or so. Although now, he seems to get itchy and fidgety when I put some of them going on his skin.
Over the last month or so I have been using wet wraps on his lower legs and forearms as I just couldn’t get his skin to absorb anything moisturising. His legs in particular are in a permanent state of crocodile skin, regardless of how many layers of emollient we slap on. The wet wraps helped in that it was much harder for him to scratch in the night, but ultimately they still didn’t seem to be getting any moisture into his skin.
For the moment I am trying to patiently wait for his consultant appointment to come through. In the meantime we are trying our best (despite the constant tiredness) to reduce the amount of stress in the house that eczema can cause, give him extra sympathy and cuddles and be extra vigilant about what he is eating.
We are also trying out a few different ways of tackling the problem, which I will get around to telling you about soon.
But, for now, keep your fingers crossed for us that it is perhaps just the pollen in the air and as such will sort itself out soon and that our NHS letter will drop on the mat any day now.
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.
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