new to this..... 7 yr old with eczema/allergies

[Glace76]

Hello, I have an almost 7 year old who's suffered with bad eczema since he was about 8 months old. I've been able to keep it somewhat under control with different treatments.... until this last year. This past year he's been to the doctor numerous times for eczema, allergy symptoms, UTI's etc. His skin is constantly flaring up now and is all over his body as before it was just limited to the typical areas of bends in elbows/knees...etc. It's to the point now where I can't keep up with it. I have used the locoid steroid cream before as an "emergency" treatment for when it got really bad, but I am not a fan of using steroids with small children, or having my son on meds 24/7. I have taken him to a dermatologist, allergists, and several Pediatricians trying and hoping to get an answer for "what's causing it, not just treat the eczema. I feel like they all give me a list of 4-6 prescriptions each time and send me on my way without even considering that question. We've done anti-itching meds, allergy meds, steroids (oral and ointments), antibiotics, home remedies ...you name it. Here's my biggest question or concern and am hoping someone has experienced this. We have done all the allergy skin tests to try and get some sort of information. It turns out, he tested positive to almost everything on the list.....except for the basic foods. Is it possible to still have a food allergy, even if the test came up negative? He tested positive for pretty much everything else though..... now the allergist told me that since he's allergic to so many things, it'll be multiple shots each visit and there's only a %75 chance that it'll help. I'm worried that if he tested positive to so many things, that there's a high probability that what's really triggering his bad eczema and allergy symptoms could possibly not even be in that shot. I'm concerned before I put my little guy through all the allergy shots (cause that's a HUGE commitment)........, what other roads should I explore? Has anyone done any dietary changes that has resulted in success with their eczema. Thanks and sorry for the rambling, I'm just a very frustrated mother and truly feel bad for my child and what he's going through. If anyone has any advice, I'm open ears. Thanks so much! - E in Houston

[Marcie Mom]

Hi Glace,

I've a baby with eczema but tested no allergy, based on a skin prick test.

It's true that skin prick test/allergy test are not 100% accurate, generally, the likelihood of being tested positive to certain food but actually not allergic to it is higher than the other way round. I've asked a pediatrician who specialises in allergy a similar question for my blog and below is his advice:

Question I asked: There are a few allergy tests available – skin prick test, blood IgE test and patch test. Can you explain a little more about these tests, how it is done on a child and how can a parent decide which to bring their child for?

Dr Liew's reply: The type of allergy test recommended is based on the allergy symptom of the patient. As eczema is a mixed IgE/non-IgE driven disease process, tests for IgE like SPT and blood tests may be useful if positive, as targeted elimination may be attempted. If the tests are negative, empiric elimination of 2-3 weeks duration may still be considered if there appears to be a consistent food trigger. Prolonged avoidance however is not necessary and may result in malnutrition.

A skin prick test (SPT) is probably commonest and simplest allergy test performed in outpatient clinics. Essentially it is a scratch test with either a needle or plastic device, thus introducing a tiny amount of allergen protein under the skin surface. The test is completed within 15 minutes and measurement taken. A positive reaction appears as a small hive-like wheal and surrounding redness. It is good for identification of IgE mediated allergic reactions, and also for trending allergy sensitisation over time. Antihistamines would need to be ceased for 5-7 days, and there must be an area of clear skin (preferably the back in young children) for the test to be done. This is my preferred allergy test as there is minimal pain (especially with plastic devices), and results immediate. SPT also correlate better with allergic reactions if properly performed, as it takes into account the blocking antibody responses when the body is “outgrowing” an allergy.

Allergen specific IgE test can also be easily performed for IgE mediated reactions. This is sometimes preferable if the patient has severe eczema and unable to tolerate cessation of antihistamines, or has minimal normal skin to perform the SPT. Blood tests are generally more expensive, as each allergen protein tested cost around $30. Results are usually known within a week

Hope above helps!

[Glace76]

Thanks for the input. That's good to know about the allergy tests and how more likely to have a false positive than false negative. I had to take him in to the Dr. again today for other issues. We saw a new Pediatrician and she recommended getting an immunology blood test done. Considering all the allergy testing that we've had done thus far and my concerns about starting that process so quickly before really exploring more into other possibilities - So that was sort of helpful as to give me some direction on where to go from here. Thanks so much! - E in Houston

[yorkie2703]

Hi Glace
Some of your story sounds just like ours.....
I was so sure that something was causing my daughter to react. I did try to do a diary but she was so bad I was unable to make any link.
Apart from all the creams I was giving by my doctors , water and sand she would react to.

I would hound my doctors that something was causing her eczema , I wasn't been listerned to. I even done a York Blood test which came back negative also we seen a dermatologist who did bloods that came back negative .

It was very differcult to get hold of doctor who would listen and not just prescibe more creams and steriods.
Finally I started taking pictures of her while continuing to do the diary. I spent at least 1 day at the doctors for about 4 months then finally one of the woman doctors sent us to the hospital. From there we had blood tests which showed she had allergies to Soya, wheat, nuts, tree and grass
then that followed with skin prick tests which confirmed she had allergies to beans, pulses, melon and kiwi.

Can I ask what is allergy shots?
Fiona

[Glace76]

Hey Yorkie -
thanks for the input... it helps to know that I'm not alone. His problems move in waves....good then horrible with no rhyme or reason that I can link up. I'm going to yet another Dr on Wednesday. I'm having to do the steroid cream twice a day and wrapping his legs with gauze and tape...& cutting his nails to prevent more scratching at night. He tore his skin up pretty bad the last few days to where it's bleeding a little here and there. As far as the allergy shots go... I had him go through all the allergy panel testing (where they prick him on the back 60 times to determine if he's got allergies) - he tested positive to 50 of them. The shots would be the vaccine pretty much....that's where they basically take the pollen, trees, grass, dog...etc...everything your child tested positive too and stick it in a vile and inject it into your child's body. I'm just going nuts with this. I'm trying to be a good mother and do what's best, but nothing is working. I give him the tsp of local honey every day, a vitamin every day, & he eats extremely healthy compared to most kids we see/know (raw veggies, water, lots of fruit). I started the GF diet with him about 10 days ago as I was thinking that it could help with the diarrhea he's been having also on average 4 times a week. I'm sure these Dr's are starting to get irritated with me.... I keep asking them what's wrong, but I still feel like we're treating symptoms and no one seems even curious as to why my son has such bad eczema, constant diarrhea & urinary tract issues. I did get his immunology blood work back and nothing seems to odd. Platelet count was higher than normal range. WBC was on the lowest # of normal and his glucose and C4 Complement (whatever that is) came back slightly lower than normal. I'm hoping I'll get more help with the homeopathic Dr that came highly recommended. Thanks and hope you get some answers with your daughters' eczema. I know from our mess over here that it can be mentally exhausting and depressing sometimes.

[yorkie2703]

Hi Glace76
How is your son?

It is very hard I also find the doctors wouldn't listen to what I was saying. They use to make me feel as if I was wasting there time. They would always palm me off with a different cream or steriod. My daughter reacted really badly to Eperderm and they told me it was normal and I should continue to use as it would get better, but that never happened. - Never again

Could what he is eating causing him the diarrhea? I know with my daughter she can be on and off with the Diarrhea.
My daughter doesn't tend to get the urine infections but I know my friends daughter gets them alot and she has allergies and eczema.

Its extemely exhausting and depressing that everything is a battle, dealing with the sleep deprivation, Doctors who do not listern,talking to people who do not understand, a child who just wants to be normal, impact on your other children, your marriage, going out, friends the list is endless the change to your whole life is stressful and exhausting.
Fiona x

[Glace76]

Hey Fiona, Thanks for the reply. My son is doing worse since I took him off gluten. Now.... I have slipped up and done a few grains, but we do almost NO gluten. Everyone around me swears by that, and in my opinion, it's certaintly worth a try. I substitute coconut and almond flour instead of wheat/rice flour. I'm going to try and cut back even more and stick it out for another few weeks. I can't understand why it wouldn't have improved slightly - in fact it's going the other direction. For the first time in 7 years, I had to wrap up his legs - due to bleeding. I'm doing everything I know to do.... we use aquaphor/cetaphil/eucerin I'd say 3X's a day. We bathe sometimes in oatmeal, but typically do luke warm showers and cream up the moment he gets out. I limit him to how long he's outdoors....avoiding extreme heat/sweat (which is not easy to do, since we live in Houston, TX)
I truly believe that the Gastro-intestinal issues will be fixed with the GF diet, but I'm not so sure on the eczema. His symptoms of UTI are that from time to time he'll come tell me that his privates aren't working right and that it keep wanting to drip and that it burns. I have had Pediatricians test and look at him and pretty much nothing comes back on the urine testing and cultures. This problem has been off and on for the last 2 years. There's no rhyme or reason to that either.... he drinks water almost all day. ? It's a stinking mystery with all this.
I'm with you on the exhausting part - I'm tired, I feel like I have exhausted every possibility. Some Dr's make sense like our allergist, but then if I start the shots - it'll be multiple shots every week. AND the allergist told me that he thinks all the Homeopathic stuff is mumbo jumbo basically (and I definitely don't agree with that) so.... I'm in limbo trying to find the source of the problem yet again. I don't think that my son (after being outdoors his whole life) just got bad allergies to everything outdoors overnight. I'm sure he does have allergies, but I truly believe that his immune system is being comprimised and it's causing him to get sick more often, eczema, diarrhea, urinary issues...etc. So far he's had Roseola, Scarlet Fever/strep throat, earaches, stomach flus (about 4 or 5), bronchitis, molluscum contagiosum (sp?), random unexplained fevers (over a dz) where his fever gets 103+ for a day or two and then nothing else. This does not include the 3-5 times a year he gets a cold, the persistent diarrhea and common kid funk stuff. I'm just glad we're out of school - cause he max's out his sick days quickly. I have 3 children and neither of the other 2 have anything remotely this eventful going on. Thanks Fiona and I'll try to keep you posted when we see this new Dr. I'm really feeling good aobut this one. - Erin in Houston

[Meimuna]

Hi Glace,

Its so frustrating in the middle of it all- I totally understand! The thing is if you want to go the natural route you will have to do a few things simultaneously. Getting on a GF diet is going to help with the GI issues. But the thing is its not close to enough.

So I would get on a probiotic, and food-wise get some fermented foods in him to boost his ability to digest stuff. At the same time, I would get on a fish oil- a good one. AND a good quality multi. If his gut is as compromised as it seems from all the sicknesses, you are going to have to address it from all of these angles.

In terms of food, I wouldn't do too much raw- believe it or not. He needs foods that are super easy to digest, sometimes raw food, even though they have the enzymes, they still will irritate the stomach as the stomach has to break down everything. Slightly steamed veggies works better for us.

You are absolutely on the right track. Keep going with your instincts. In terms of what to eat, you will have to experiment a little since everyones body is different. But get him off of the 4 main allergens all at once for a week and reintroduce at the same time. (Dairy, Eggs, Nuts, Gluten/Wheat). I know- I know- what the hell the boy supposed to eat? We got really creative. Did lots of stews, curries, soups, etc..

If you want more details about the supps, I have a free guide on my blog that goes into a lot of detail about how to choose a supp, why you need those 3 and which particular brands I like. Also, I am going to be doing a free webinar in the next couple of weeks about healing naturally if you are interested. Good luck

Meimuna
Holistic Health Coach
www.abouteczema.org

[Glace76]

Hey Meimuna,
Thanks for the input. A lot has been going on with us over here... nothing very helpful unfortunately. I'm getting a little frustrated as to what the right path is on this whole mess now. I'll give you the run down on all issues and what we've done thus far. My Pediatrician seemed to think that my sons growing curve or lack thereof was more worrisome than I do. He's 7 and weighs around 38 pounds. I'm not too seriously worried about that right now. I've read that children with Atopic dermatitis and delayed growth play hand in hand Plus, I was very tiny as a child.
We have been seeing a Homeopathic natural medicine doc who told us that our son had a retrovirus and needed some cleansing... also some inflammation of the gut and intestines. We had him on a bunch of supplements: a detoxosode liquid, probiotic, okrapepsin, multizime, & an Er911 spray (for the mood swings). *amazingly enough I believe that's the only thing that truly worked* I'm a believer in that now! ha ha
I hadn't noticed any change in my sons problems. We made a follow up appointment and the doc said the retrovirus was gone, but now he was showing signs of Candidiasis.....a Detox process he described. - So I was told to add "Antronex" to the list of supplements. My sons skin got so bad that few days after the appointment that he was scratching so much at night...bleeding and crying. This is just heartbreaking when your child is so miserable. I contacted the doc yet again to let him know that things had gotten worse and he said to discontinue all supplements and start good old Benadryl for a few days. We didn't hear anything from him for about 5/6 days, so we have yet another appointment this Thursday, but was told by the staff at his office (by way of him) that this Paleo diet that we have him on could take up to 6 months b4 we see true improvement. This sounds just crazy to me.... has anyone heard of this? He called it "Hertz Heimer" otherwise known as the "Healing Crisis".

*in response to the diet - we've had my son on GF and almost no grains for over/around 6 weeks
I've slipped up a few times with rice mainly and I think corn twice. He's also been doing no dairy here the last 4 days. This is a tough diet and now that they told me we're treating Candidiasis.... that's a low fruit, sugar and low protein on top of what we're already doing. It's becoming more and more difficult, cause there's only so many ways to make a sweet potato. I have seen a slight improvement on the diarrhea complaint since going on the GF diet; although - for some reason once we started the Paleo on top of it (no dairy) - he's started back up. It's like it makes no sense. I sort of have this gut instinct that something else has compromised his immune system, but what? What issues could cause a child to start getting sick frequently, pimples everywhere, horrible eczema, diarrhea 3/4 times a week, urology problems.... and now Candidiasis? We did the bloodwork 2 months ago and found only a couple of #'s off (but not crazy) Platelet count was higher than the range given, WBC was the lowest # before being too low, glucose was a few #'s low as well. I have been making myself crazy researching and reading things off the internet. I have read several things about kids with eczema, antibiotics and making your WBC count ultimately lower. Who knows...cause you can find anything on the internet.
Here's who we've seen thus far:
We have seen dermatologists, allergists, many different Pediatricians, Urgent care physician, Natural/Chiropractic docs. I'm at a loss. My son has head to toe bad eczema. He has had eczema since 2 months old, but only a small patch here & there. It would flare in winter /spring and could easily be controlled with a dab of steroid cream/oatmeal bath etc.
This is something that literally happened quickly and is steadily going downhill. March came around and overnight my son developed head to toe eczema (so bad at times that we're having to wrap up his legs with cream and gauze - due to scratching and bleeding) I'm sometimes coming in there and putting more cream on in the middle of the night. So back to March - He started to complain about urology issues very often. Burning during urination & frequent urination. I have taken him in for Urinalysis.... basically slight trace of infection and they always want to put him on antibiotics... and here comes another yeast infection or a bigger UTI. My son has been on Antibiotics for the out of control eczema as well. I'm DONE with antibiotics. He's also developing these large boil like pimples randomly on his body in the last 2 weeks. We have lived in this house with the same detergents (free & clear), same fragrant free cetaphil soap, same trees are there that were there last year, same everything. My son eats unbelievable healthy. Breakfast is an omelet (no milk), veggies cooked in it with no cheese, fresh fruit and a glass of diluted juice. Lunch is typically something like non processed turkey rolls, an orange or blueberries, carrot sticks with almond butter. He drinks water around the clock and doesn't complain about anything other than the severe itching.
Does anyone out there have advice or ideas as to who we could go see next... Immunologist? I'm just simply in disbelief that a milk intolerance will take 6 months to see results or that my son (overnight) became allergic to 50 things and developed eczema 90% worse than he EVER had it. That's my hesitation with going through with the allergy shots. It is a HUGE commitment, 5 years, when you may see results after 6 months at best (depending on the person), and then I've read a LOT of testimonies online that state once they stopped the shots, the problem comes back full force. Another bandaid treatment. My gut tells me something is the root of it all (not necessarily a big illness, but I think something could be causing all of these problems to come on so sudden)
Any thoughts? Thanks and sorry for the long note here. - Erin in Houston

[yorkie2703]

Hi Erin
My heart goes out to you. It is so hard when you see your child suffer and you feel so helpless. Like you I have researched in to many things. Once you start looking into it the paths go in all different directions. Like you we have tried many different things and tried alternative without any luck.

Thankfully after about 3 months on a Wheat, Gluten, Soya and some other restrictions my daughter started to improve, but we still have a long way to go.

My daughter is being monitored also for her weight but she is eating really healthy I am not too worried. I sometimes think they use her weight as an excuse.

A few months ago I was recommended a book, which I had been reluctantly going to get as I have read so many different things. But I have just ordered it on Amazon so I am not sure if it's any good or not. I think basically it's going right back to basics regarding diets and allowing the Gut heal? It’s called breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet - Elaine Gloria Gottschall.

Keep strong xx

Fiona