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Jul 9, Day Camp In Singapore For Child Eczema Sufferers

A hospital in Singapore is running a day camp for children who suffer from eczema. The KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital run a one day camp to help children learn about treatment. But even more importantly, to help them deal with the emotional aspects of living with eczema. The camp allow children and their families to socialise with other sufferers and their families. I think it is a great idea. It can feel very isolating as a child to feel ‘different’. To feel accepted can seem very important to a child. The camp also gets families talking. That support can be so beneficial. It would be great if other camps like this appear internationally.
Eczema Blog

Your Child And Atopic Dermatitis

Eczema is never easy, but think of what it’s like for a baby or an infant. For babies this can be found on the facial areas as well as scalp, buttocks and creases in the body.Some babies also have eczema patches on their feet and palms. As kids get a bit older the areas include the wrist and neck and the sensitive areas behind the knees and the elbow. Think about how your child must be itching, feeling self-conscious in front of friends and getting a hit to their self-confidence.

When allergists recommend blood work to be taken, often the immunoglobulin level is requested to be tested.

There is usually an elevated level of IgE which is an antibody for those with atopic dermatitis. These antibodies are created to try to fight off viral and bacterial issues. Also this can be high if one has an allergic response to pet dander, milk or other substances such as pollen in the air. I know as an adult when I had a bad allergic rash my IgM was very high. Though they never pinpointed the exact allergen that caused the rash reaction, they believed it to be either an insect bite or a reaction to a chemical or metal that had touched my skin and caused the eruptions.

Though it may seem hard to adjust a diet a bit for kids, finding substitutes for milk products is not as hard as it was in the 70s and 80s. There are so many substitutes made with rice milk, almond milk, soy milk and other grains that have vanilla and other flavoring which taste very good. If your child has problems with seasonal allergies and gets respiratory issues from asthma, then that is an important sign there can be an allergic tendency which also takes the form of dermatitis on the skin.

When you introduce new foods, don’t set it up that your child is on a restrictive diet or deprived. Tell them that they are getting to taste something new with their cereal and they may surprise you with their reaction. I have seen children enjoy almond butter more than peanut butter. Many kids can’t eat peanuts but can digest almonds without any skin or allergic reactions. Change a few foods to test this out with your kids and remember to use a good moisturizer a few times a day to help the skin heal.

Help Your Child Cope with Eczema and Other Skin Rash Problems

Stop by Toddler Eczema for tips on helping your child and see Eczema Photos.

 

Find More Atopic Dermatitis Articles

Caring for a child with eczema: Jasper’s story

Looking after a child with severe eczema can be exhausting for parents as well as the child. There’s so much to consider, environment, clothes, weather, treatments, financial implications – the list goes on. Sorrel Ronan faces a relentless battle every day to keep her son’s skin healthy and pain-free.  She has kindly shared her story with the British Skin Foundation to help raise awareness of the impact the condition can have on both children and their families.

Jasper very clearly had dry skin since birth which was treated with olive oil as advised by health professionals. It wasn’t until around two months old that I noticed the coin sized patches were not going away, even after he moved on to stronger medications.

For four years we pretty much never detoured from the circle we were traveling around. Jasper’s eczema worsened so we went to the doctors. We’d be prescribed a new cream, the cream didn’t work and his skin became infected. Next we’d be prescribed antibiotics and wet wraps to treat the infection. Around and around we went… we were on first name basis with all the receptionists!

You name it, Jasper, now six years old, has tried every cream possible for his age. Creams that themselves have turned his skin red raw, stained the bedding and ruined clothes. And that’s just the prescribed treatments. I’ve spent hundreds over the years buying each and every ‘miracle’ cream and/or oil.

That’s the thing with eczema – someone always has a friend or family member who swears by a certain cream. There is so much out there that it’s very hard sifting through all of the ingredients to see which ones can actively help contain a flare up. The only respite he has ever experienced was one of the many times he was prescribed Prednisone.

Every single day we have to consider ‘How will what we are doing today affect Jasper’s skin?’

Can he play that game because he may get to hot? Who can he sit near in case strong scents irritate him? Will he sweat and scratch if he doesn’t get fresh air? Will an adult be watching him, and I mean really watching him so he wasn’t secretly scratching away his skin? Will there be a new trigger to add to the list? The mental checklist is never ending.

Starting school introduced a whole new batch of issues for Jasper and I believe the biggest one was how his eczema affected him emotionally. Children pointed and stared for a while, but I taught my son to explain that it was eczema and as children do, their minds moved on. The adults in the playground were a different story, with one man declaring in front of Jasper and I that his skin looked like road rash.

We see the dermatologist every three months or so. On his last visit Jasper’s skin was the best it’s ever been in his life. This is due to a combination of being moved on to Protopics, alongside me having two weeks off work so I could cream him almost hourly. It was also probably the sunniest two weeks he’s ever experienced, so shorts and sunshine helped.  

As soon as the cold weather set in I began to see his skin worsen each day. Nothing I do prevents his skin from deteriorating. I’m currently saving up to buy a special washing machine, one I read about online as it helped another family with their child’s eczema. Her story is very similar to Jasper’s, down to him having a server house dust mite allergy.

As well as the pain that eczema causes Jasper, it also has a huge impact on us financially. I feel the guilt that comes with me being unable to afford private care for him, the air purifiers, DermaSilks and all of the fancy bedding. I buy cheap and often, I just throw bedding and uniforms away weekly.

Sometimes I feel guilty when I think it is just eczema and things could be so much worse… but then I’m angered when people who do not live with this daily refer to it as ‘just eczema’. Unfortunately, we are yet to find the ‘right’ combination of creams to help with his eczema, and as I’m told, he’ll probably grow out of it. But that does not help right now.

The best way I have found to explain life of being a parent of eczema is this; just visualise a character, usually a comical one, moving to fetch an item up from the floor, only to kick it further away each time. That is life with eczema.

At the British Skin Foundation we believe that research is the key to fighting skin disease. We’re the only UK charity dedicated to raising money for all types of skin disease, including eczema. Our unwavering commitment to funding quality research means we won’t stop until we’ve found cures for common skin problems like eczema and acne, through to potential killers like malignant melanoma. To date we’ve raised £15 million to fund projects since 1996. For more information about eczema, visit the British Skin Foundation here.

Are you caring for a child who has a skin condition? British Skin Foundation experts will be answering your questions in a unique one-day clinic on Wednesday 18th January. Submit questions from Monday 16th January – more information here.

talkhealth Blog

The Christmas gifts that keep on giving (gifts for an eczema or allergy child)

Present ideas for an eczema or allergy child

It’s that time of year again when all my relatives are asking what the girls want for Christmas.  I would love to pretend that all they want is family and world peace and that we don’t really get into the orgy of consumerism that is Christmas in this country, but the reality is somewhat different.

Perfumes and lipbalm

Miss T from Everything for eczema with an eczema flare up caused by a nylon sleep mask.  A sore, red rash under her eyes.

Miss T – the youngest of the EfE clan, has just turned 9 and is beginning to be more interested in perfume and pretties.  She’s an outdoorsy, sciency kid, and loves nothing more than making her own concoctions with petals and a pestle and mortar, and would adore a stash of natural oils and waxes to make her own perfume and lip balm.

She would also love a replacement sleep mask, after I had to take away the one she was using, due to a recent eczema flare up across her eyes.  I’m still not sure if it was simply the nylon or the soap powder it had been washed in (she had bought it from a charity shop).

Natural fibres

But if she has a sleep mask, it must be silk or bamboo and its likely she would be allergic to natural oils in a lip balm set too (I am).  Even grinding up grass and leaves can set her allergies off in the summer although I’m not so mean as to stop all potion making generally.

Christmas can be a bit of a minefield for us, as well-meaning family love to give gorgeous, much wanted pressies to the girls, which they simply cannot have.

Previously confiscated Christmas gifts include

  • A box of quality street – Russian roulette in our house where we have a severe nut allergy
  • Face paints – Nightmare
  • Nickel jewellery
  • Dress up polyester
  • Bubble bath and ‘beauty’ products
  • Bath crayons and playdoh
  • Polyester nighties and pyjamas – often with branded pictures that they would love

Eczema & allergy flare-up risks

I am the Grinch. Snatching these goodies away.  I’ve tried letting family and friends know that some things just aren’t OK – but it’s not easy to do this without causing offense.  I’m sticking to my guns this year though.  Two nights in polyester nightie can mean a month of sleepless nights in our house and don’t get me started on face paints…

Your tips on a happy eczema & allergy Christmas

How do you manage Christmas?  Are you prescriptive about gifts, detailing exactly the thing the children want?  Do you take your own food to family gatherings?  Please share your hints and tips for making it work for you.  We would love to hear from you.

 

 

Everything For Eczema

“Will my child outgrow their eczema?” A clinical perspective of the development of atopic dermatitis

By Fatima Lakhani, BS and Peter A. Lio, MD (see bio below) Eczema or atopic dermatitis (AD) is often thought of as a skin problem mainly affecting infants and young children, most of whom will outgrow the condition [Abuabara]. However, relatively few studies have been conducted to validate these beliefs, and the concept of “outgrowing […]
It’s an Itchy Little World

Navigating the bumpy road of weaning an allergic child.

We often get asked for tips on weaning babies with eczema and allergies.  So we asked Emily who writes the great blog afreefromworld to tell us about her experiences of weaning her daughter Elianah who suffers from multiple food allergies and eczema.

Weaning onto solids is an exciting milestone in any child’s life. Celebrating the first moment they open their mouths readily at the sight of their favourite food, signing ‘more’ when they’ve already devoured a whole banana, picking up a spoon and aiming it in the approximate direction of their salivating tongues. All these occasions are times to be treasured by parents of all children, with allergies or without.

 

Elianah

However, for some parents, weaning decisions have to go far deeper than choosing whether to follow Gina Ford or Annabel Karmel, wean at 4 months, 6 months or later, use spoon or fingers, follow baby led weaning or make purees. When your child has food allergies, every meal time becomes a moment of potential allergy triggers. Parents’ hearts racing as new foods are introduced. Making a mental note of the procedure if my daughter were to show signs of a reaction. Piriton at the ready. Mobile phone to hand. Eagle eyes watching every inch of my daughter’s face, preparing to note any change in colour or size. Cautiously moving foods into the safe column after a few days of testing with no reaction.

 

Determined to eat every spoonful…

I have honestly found the whole experience stressful, frightening on occasion and full of guilt. The time I tried my daughter with blended chickpea with her usual safe vegetables, only to end up running into the doctors surgery screaming for medical attention. The first few months of my daughter’s life, before the blood results came through, when she was reacting violently to the allergens in my breastmilk.

 

Food is such an integral part of life. It’s also wound so tightly with our emotions. We share meals together when we celebrate occasions, food provides comfort when we’re feeling low, it lifts our blood sugar levels when we lack energy, it forms a significant part of Christmas festivities. Food is both essential nourishment and family time; a quick snack on the go and a hearty replenishing dinner; an offer of hospitality and a business meeting. You can’t get away from it. Our little ones can’t hide from their allergies. As parents, we have that privilege and responsibility of helping them face their food battles, learn how to read for hidden allergens on ingredients lists and show them a love for food that doesn’t have to be hindered by their challenges.

 

My daughter, Elianah, is now 13 months and has food allergies to wheat milk egg soya and nuts. We are waiting for further test results after other recent reactions. At times, we have been fazed by the scale of her allergies. She is still breastfed as for her, the best milk has proved to be diet controlled breastmilk. As she eats more and more solid foods and we look for ways to get all her calcium and fat needs from foods, my husband and I have discovered a wealth of adaptable recipes and food ideas. We have come to share in her free from world, and the diet she is on is pretty balanced considering key missing foods. I started a blog to encourage other parents or eczema and allergy sufferers in a similar situation that there is no need to face the ‘free from’ world alone.

 

How much mess can I make with this banana!

Ten years ago, the choice of food for allergy sufferers in supermarkets was poor, and the medical awareness and treatment of eczema was far from the standard it is now.

 

On my blog are posts on which supermarkets stock the best free from selections, a whole stash of recipes free from wheat milk egg soy and nuts, and regular blog posts on eczema and allergies in the news, and generally how we get on as a family in our free from world.

 

There is no getting away from the fact there are added complications when weaning a child with food allergies and eczema.  There is also no disputing the fact that ideas and support are out there.  There is no need for our children to face their free from world alone.

Top tips:

  • Increase one new food at a time
  • Add a food to the safe list if no symptoms show after 3 days
  • Adapt existing recipes
  • Rice milk should be used from aged 6 plus
  • Try not to show your child you’re worried or stressed during meal times (I play music to distract me and make me show silly faces and dance moves to my daughter as she eats)
  • Let your friends know about your child’s allergies so they only give safe food
  • I have found baby signing a great way to have fun during mealtimes (signs for ‘please’, ‘thank you’, ‘more’, ‘all done’ help your child be in control of food time too)
  • Treat yourself and your child with delicious free from snacks

https://afreefromworld.wordpress.com

 

 

Everything For Eczema

Potty Training a child with Down’s Syndrome – our journey

Potty training is a rite of passage and a skill that most children conquer between the ages of 2 and 4 years of age.  And, just like every other life skill children have to master, some get the hang of the potty straight away and for others, like us (and for lots of different reasons) it takes a little more time, perseverance, patience and understanding (and a lot more floor cleaning, wet washing and ‘never mind’ moments!).

Our potty training journey began around 2.5 years ago when Ella was around 3.  With Lucy arriving a few months before and life beginning to settle down again, we decided to give it a try.  Having never potty trained a child before, the task of potty training a child with additional needs suddenly seemed very daunting to me. I had no idea where to start but decided giving her some no nappy time to see how she did and to introduce the potty were both good places to start. Things didn’t go well, Ella didn’t ‘get it’ and I decided to wait a while before having another go.  I was a little disappointed but knew that there was no point continuing if she wasn’t ready.

We kept the potty around and I would sit her on it at bath time.  We had a couple of fluke wee’s on the potty (cue lots of praise, clapping, singing and dancing from us!) but mostly she would sit there for ages then wee as soon as we put her in the bath.  I didn’t push it any further during this time as knew she wasn’t aware enough of her bodily functions and wasn’t ready to try again.

When she was almost 4, she started pre-school and they were great with her.  They took her to the toilet at specific points in the day and when they changed her pull-up.  She became much more confident with the toileting process during this time.  She was able to put her own pull-up on (high five for independence!) and could follow the toileting trip with independently washing and drying her hands.  Looking back, I see I could have been better at following their lead and implementing a better toileting routine at home but for one reason and another, it never happened.

By now, Ella was in size 6 pull ups but was rapidly becoming too big for them.  I consulted our Health Visitor (HV), wanting some advice on how to approach potty training and also to find out if she could be referred to the local continence team.  She gave me a toileting diary to complete and said Ella could only be referred to the continence team based on what the diary showed or when she was 5 (free continence products in our area are only available to children 5 and over – it was 4 and over when we moved to the area but this has since changed to age 5 due to funding cuts). My mum (who is also a HV and has also had 3 children herself) was also a big source of advice and support for me too.

It was also becoming more difficult to change Ella out and about. Changing tables in public toilets were now much too small for her and having to take shoes and trousers off to change a pull-up standing on a public toilet floor is neither hygienic or nice.  I’m a great fan of the ‘changing places’ toilets that provide space, bigger areas to change older children and adults and also provide hoist facilities for those that need it.  These toilets are becoming more common but are still few and far between – the one I used at children’s museum Eureka was fab, clean and had lots of space. I stood Ella on the big changing table to get her changed rather than the floor (which although it looked spotless was still a toilet floor).

Picture courtesy of Eureka website

You can search for your nearest Changing Places toilet here, before you head out and about – I am sure there will be many more of them about in the near future.  Such a much needed and cost effective resource that more companies should be providing these facilities for their customers.

My biggest issue was the pull-ups – Ella was soon too big for the size 6 supermarket bought products.  The only place to find a bigger size was online from a continence product manufacturer.  And they weren’t cheap – tesco were around £4 for a pack of 34 pull ups and the size 7 packs of 16 pull ups came in at £5.90 each.  A big price difference!  We had no choice at that point than to buy the size 7 pull-ups as that was all that was available to us. You can see why there is pressure being put upon the major supermarket chains to produce nappies and pull-ups in bigger sizes at a more affordable price point.

 

I was told by the HV that even once referred to our continence team, they only provide nappies and do not provide pull-ups any longer, again due to budget cuts. As Ella had outgrown the nappies, the options that would be available to us as a free product from them would be a size XS adult pull-up (which I could almost squeeze into so way too big for Ella) or net knickers with pads.  Whichever product you got free from the service you would only be provided with 4 per day.

I had several issues with this:

  •  4 products a day is not enough when you want your child to be clean and dry (Ella had poor bladder control and was just constantly wet so I could change her 6-7+ times a day depending on how wet she was).  We were also battling with constant nappy rash due to her being wet all the time so I had to keep her as dry as possible.
  • Ella was able to put on her own pull-up and that had taken a lot of hard work – input from myself and her teachers at pre-school and also a lot of determination from Ella, who is very fiercely independent.  To then be told our option was a pad in a pair of net knickers was just not good enough – there was no way Ella would be able to do that by herself and all that hard work would be undone.  This was something the continence nurse just didn’t ‘get’ when I eventually spoke to her when Ella was referred prior to starting school (and that conversation led me to get so frustrated that I haven’t felt able to contact the service since).
  • I’m a nurse and have used net knickers and pads professionally with patients and know that they are not comfortable to wear, they are cumbersome (I wanted Ella to fit in with her peers as much as possible – wearing a pull-up is not ideal but having a bulging gusset just would not do).
  • And in all this, I want to protect and uphold my daughters dignity.  There is nothing dignified about net knickers and a pad for an adult let alone for a child and definitely not for long term use.

 

In the end, I felt quite unsupported by our local service and our HV and wondered how on earth I was ever going to get Ella out of pull-ups.  My goal of having her potty trained before she started reception didn’t happen although we had another try during the summer holidays of 2015.  I could see she was beginning to understand what the toilet/potty was for and she was able to tell us when she had done a poo (but not before).  All good signs that gave me hope she would one day be nappy free.

In February 2016 at half term, Lucy was 2 and 9 months and I decided it was time to try potty training her.  And at the same time I thought I could try Ella again – school had been keeping up the toileting process at specific points in the day.  She knew the process really well, we just needed to crack the control aspect and waiting until she was on the toilet/potty to do things.

 

 

Lucy was more than ready and with just two accidents on the first day was dry day and night from then on. Ella still wasn’t ready and obviously just didn’t have an idea of bladder control although she was much more aware of doing a poo and doing them on the potty.

School (who have been amazing and have never put any pressure on myself or Ella for her to be continent) continued their input with taking her at various times during the day and then during the summer term, Ella suddenly started asking to go and became drier for longer. The reports at the end of the day that she had asked to go or had done something when they took her to the toilet were becoming more frequent.

And now, at age 5 the size 7 pull-ups were getting too small – our only available option was the size 9 night time pull-up from the online supplier (they don’t do a size 8 pull-up product and couldn’t tell me why).  The size 9’s also come in a pack of 4 but are £10 more expensive than the size 7 4-pack.  There are also 16 less products per 4 pack (size 9’s come in packs of 14 and size 7’s packs of 18).  The cost of buying them was becoming ridiculous.

So, with it being the summer holidays again, I had had it in my head for a while to give things another go.  And I don’t know what made me choose this particular day but on a Thursday morning I got Ella dressed into knickers and told her ‘no more pull-ups’.  I didn’t know what to expect – to be honest I wasn’t expecting to get any further than our previous attempts but knew we had the time to try again.  I was also feeling much more confident about the whole situation having now potty trained Lucy, although I know we were lucky with how well she picked it all up.

Ella did really well with just a couple of accidents during the first day.  I could see she was beginning to understand the sensation of needing to have a wee and was having a fuller bladder as her control was better.  There were lots of chocolate buttons to keep things going but they had now turned into a reward rather than a bribe. I was better placed to know the signs of when she needed to go to help her as well.

I put her in a pull-up for bedtime but was astonished when she woke up the next morning completely dry and she did a big wee on the toilet (more chocolate buttons and a few happy tears from me).  We went to her cooking class the next morning (none of this staying in the house for a week malarkey!) and I did put her in a ‘dry like me’ pad just in case.  She was fine for the whole class but then had an accident at the end.  I subsequently found if she was wearing the absorbent pads she would wee instead of using the toilet so I ended up not using them again, although they were great during Lucy’s early post potty training days.  I just took plenty of spare clothes everywhere with us along with the potty and had plenty of toilet trips when out and about.  There were, of course plenty of days where she wasn’t as good and we had lots of accidents but on the whole she’s got the hang of it all very well this time.

 

She has now been dry day and night for 3 weeks.  So super proud of her and I am excited that she can go into Year 1 wearing knickers.

I’m pleased we didn’t rush things and although its taken 2.5 years from starting our potty training journey, she has got there in the end. As she always does.

I’ll hopefully get around to writing some hints and tips for potty training that have helped us along the way soon. For now, I’m off to iron and label next weeks school uniforms!

 

 

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talkhealth Blog

“Will my child outgrow their eczema?” A clinical perspective of the development of atopic dermatitis

By Fatima Lakhani, BS and Peter A. Lio, MD (see bio below) Eczema or atopic dermatitis (AD) is often thought of as a skin problem mainly affecting infants and young children, most of whom will outgrow the condition [Abuabara]. However, relatively few studies have been conducted to validate these beliefs, and the concept of “outgrowing […]
It’s an Itchy Little World

Parents – Issues You May Face When Your Child Has Eczema

If your child was recently diagnosed with eczema, also commonly known as atopic dermatitis, you have a long road ahead. Although eczema is easily treated at home, there are many hard issues that you, as a parent, will face.

Nighttime Itching

You might assume that nighttime itching is the same as daytime itching for children with eczema, but it can be very different, especially in small children. Although they do not fully understand the complications that can arise from constant scratching, children are aware of their actions during the day. On the other hand, many small children continue to scratch in the middle of the night, without even being aware of their actions. This type of eczema is difficult to treat, as you cannot spend every night grabbing your child’s arm before they itch.

To combat the nighttime itching that is common among children with eczema, look for doable alternatives. If dust is a trigger factor, keep your child’s room clean and dust-free. If sweat is a trigger factor, dress them in light clothes and keep their room a cool temperature. If you don’t know the cause, try to keep areas susceptible to itching, such as the arms and legs, covered.

Pain

An eczema outbreak starts out relatively pain free. It typically begins with a simple itch that can’t stop. Soon, your child may find themselves literally digging at their skin. They mistakenly believe this will make the itch go away, but it doesn’t and it only gets worse. Severe rashes and the open wounds caused by constant scratching can lead to pain and discomfort. No parent wants to see their child in pain. That is why you must stop it at the source. Work with your child and his or her doctor to determine your child’s trigger factors. These are what cause the uncontrollable urge to itch. In the meantime, keep your child’s skin well moisturized.

Concern from Other Parents

Although eczema and atopic dermatitis are common among small children, you are likely to get many stares on the playground. This is most common if your child’s eczema rashes can be seen by other parents. Although you should keep your child’s open wounds covered to prevent infection, don’t just cover them to please others.

“Is eczema contagious?” That is a common question that many parents may ask. Unfortunately, some parents don’t even ask, they may automatically assume it is. You and your child owe no one an explication, as eczema is nothing but an inflammation of the skin. However, you may want to spread the word. As heartbreaking as it is to see other parents and kids point out your child’s eczema rash, it is a normal reaction that most don’t know how to avoid.

These are just a few of the issues you may face as the parent of a child with eczema. Since your child is young and does not fully understand their skin condition, you must work with them to seek relief.

More Info on how to Cure Eczema easily, naturally and forever can be found by Clicking Here