Addie's Struggle

Addie has struggled with excema since she was a baby. We first noticed a rash on her face when she was only a couple of months old. And unfortunately, this frustrating skin problem has worsened over time. Her pediatrician kept telling us to treat the red, itchy rashes with cream and assured us she would probably grow out of it by the time she was two.

Well, she's 3 1/2 now, and we still don't have a handle on this problem. Her excema flares up more in the winter and summer when the temperature is more extreme. It usually shows up in her creases- her elbows, her knees, her ankles- and itches so badly she scratches them till they bleed. It is pitiful, and makes me so upset for her. She gets so uncomfortable that she can't sleep well, and then wakes up and starts screaming which makes her itch and scratch even more. It is an ugly cycle.

It is a real struggle for her and for us. We have tried every cream under the sun. We have taken her to the dermatologist who wants us to treat the problem areas with a heavy steroid. We have taken her to the allergist to see if the excema is allergy-related (in many cases it can be). She was tested for allergies, and the results showed she was extremely allergic to dust mites and cats/dogs. So we came home and immediately tried taming the dust mites in our house. I removed all dust-catchers from their rooms- the rugs and curtains went away- and toys went into plastic bins. All stuffed animals were removed from her bed, and now I wash all her bedding in hot water once a week. We had our carpets deep-cleaned and have hired a regular cleaning service. We are trying hard to remove all the dust. But after we went to those extreme measures, she had one of her worst flare-ups of all time! We can't figure it out.

But then the question came up- wonder if she could be allergic or intolerant to a food? Specifically, milk? Apparently (in my talks with friends and research) it is common to have an intolerance to cow's milk because it is one of the harder things to digest. So despite my sweet Addie's love of pizza and ice cream, we decided to take her dairy-free to see if that would help her skin.

I think it has really helped, but I can't be sure. It's hard to completely eliminate dairy because butter is in many things and sometimes cheese gets snuck into things. But I can't convince Brian that dairy is the problem. He wonders if it's environmental and if we will ever figure it out. The whole thing is maddening.

My fear is that physiologically and emotionally this skin struggle is going to affect her negatively long-term. Whenever she gets stressed out or anxious or upset about something- she automatically starts scratching now. And she has become very self-conscious when someone mentions her rashes. She tells them to "not talk about it" or tries to hide herself from them. It breaks my heart to see her struggle with this. It worries me all the time.

So, we are in the dead heat of summer right now- normally a time of year that really bothers her skin. We are managing things okay for the most part right now with a flare up here and there. I think the chlorine in  the pool is not good for her, and the continual sunscreen application at the beach is hard on her skin.

To manage things- I am trying to keep her as cool as possible both during the day and at night. We're moisturizing her skin twice a day, keeping baths short, and staying off dairy for the most part. If anyone has any advice for us, we will gladly take it.

I pray that she will outgrow the excema soon, but I have no idea if that will happen. In the meantime, we will keep searching for an answer and trying to keep our beautiful Addie as comfortable and as happy as can be.