Infantile Eczema

Apologies for the delay in writing my next post, but we have been totally rushed off our feet the last few weeks. As you will see below, we have undertaken a lot in the last month. 

The Paediatrician had said that all we can do is make Mr.T as comfortable as possible, and wait until he grows out of it, and use steroid creams and emollients until then. Well any doctor living with a baby with extreme eczema surely doesn't just leave it at that. It's impossible. You can't watch your little one suffer like that, and besides, the impact on family life, siblings and sanity is so immense, you just can't settle in for the ride. You have to do something, and keep trying.
We used the antibiotics as directed of course as his sores were weeping and infected. But once that was cleared, the advice the doctors gave stopped there. You are simply left to go home and deal with it. Although some of the things we have been doing may be classified as 'hippie', there is a lot of evidence to back up the fact that eczema is not just something that arises by chance. There is a reason for it, and there is a way to get rid of it. Environmental pollution is so great in industrialized western society, and it is here where most cases of eczema lie, and they are always increasing.

The emollient  ointment the doctor had prescribed us helped a little, but when the first tub was empty and we bought another, same brand, same ointment, all of a sudden our little man turned bright red like we had burned him with fire. The individual amounts of the ingredients must have somehow varied. He was screaming and shaking in pain. We had just lathered it on him like the previous tub, not thinking anymore of it. It was horrible. We bathed him and washed it off him straight away and resorted back to organic first cold press olive oil.

My brain wave came about four weeks ago, on yet another long night of restraining Mr. T. His itching and weeping sores had cleared up a little with the antibiotics, but then seemed to come back tenfold. 
He would feed every two hours at night, but whoever was on Mr. T duty wouldn't even get sleep in between as even in his sleep he would scratch himself. We had gloves and socks on his hands, but if you snoozed or fell asleep he'd take them off, and rip himself raw. One night I woke up to damp sheets as they had been soaked from his blood. I had only fallen asleep for 10 minutes. 
Another night Tom snoozed, and Mr. T took off his gloves and scratched his neck, see left. (I took quiet a few pictures of Mr.Ts ongoing struggles to give our homeopath a better idea of his condition ) It is an absolutely soul destroying, horrifying feeling to wake up to that and realise it is because you didn't prevent it. We now have Scratchsleeves which help more but the friction burn still mean you have to hold his hands. Of course we are getting increasingly sleep deprived as the months go on so the incidents of our concentration lapsing at night were also increasing. 

Then in the middle of the night I was online, trying to learn and research more, when I stumbled upon www.itchybaby.co.uk  I read every page of it twice and cried numerous times. It was like a wall of uncertainty and hopelessness crumbling away. Thank you Andrea! That website also brought me to www.solveeczema.org where I learnt more. Then I started making lists, we needed to change our way of living, and thinking.  After the site I really felt there was hope for Mr. T as the lady on the itchybaby site had a baby that sounded just like what Mr. T was going through. At night time there was no sleep, and his poor skin was irritated and sore everywhere except where his nappy was. His eczema was worse in areas where he sweated (elbows, knees, underarms) and where he kept scratching (calves, belly) and also on his cheeks. His left cheek was the worst all the time (perhaps from that side being closest to my clothes all the time as I am lefthanded).  Also, after bathtime he was better for a while. What is the likely cause for all this? DETERGENTS!

I hadn't realised just how bad detergents were, and that they are in just about everything from our clothes to our makeup to our food. I didn't even know exactly what a detergent was and the difference between it and soap. Please have a look at www.solveeczema.org and learn for yourselves. If you can't be bothered to read the site, her 45 min video is a good introduction but the site should really be read if you are problem solving. 
We need to learn to look at the ingredients in products. Its crazy what they sell us. The words 'Natural' and 'Hypoallergenic' are apparently not legally binding. Crazy! They can simply be put on packaging if the products marketing department sees it fit. 'Organic' products also don't escape the detergents....

So basically, since discovering these websites Tom and I have been taking action with the help of the family. We took everything out of the house, furniture and all. Everything was to be cleaned and washed again without detergent. I used vinegar, lemon juice, and non detergent soap to clean all furniture and surfaces. With the help of family and friends our living space was painted and varnished and scrubbed with low VOC materials. All furniture and belongings except soft furnishings and clothes were cleaned and moved back in. All clothes have to be superwashed. As in, I am washing everything at least three times with soapnuts ( www.soapnuts.co.uk  ) before I move it back into the cupboards, same with the curtains, couch covers etc. The residual detergents in these need to be eliminated to give Mr. T a chance, and it will take a few months but thats a start. Needless to say I am nowhere near finishing washing the clothes yet :) 
Mr. T is now only wearing organic cotton and his blankets, bibs, socks and hats are also only organic cotton. It costs a small fortune, but if needs be I am willing to be in debt, and right now needs be :) I have spent a lot of time online shopping around, and the cheapest, best organic cotton clothes and accesories I have found are listed below. Of course, local is better, hence I try the irish sites first, especially The Organic Cotton Shop in Clonakilty. 
There is some hype about the eczema clothes impregnated with colloidial silver, and we have some for Mr.T to sleep in. They do seem to calm him a little, but only by a little :) There has been no change in the overall incessant itching. I cannot speak for everyone though. Eczema seems to be that way. What works for one may not work for another.
We have also banished the cat and we're keeping a stricter cleaning routine in order to reduce more allergens. Garden dirt is healthy, cat hair and dust mite poo is not :)
We have also realised that washing Mr. T and his bottles and clothes in the hard mains water wasn't good. We are now using well water to bathe him, wash and fill his bottles, and to handwash his clothes. I handwash his clothes and bedding with just that water and bicarbonate soda and give them a good rinse. 
Every nappy change we also wash him down with Aalgo from the econatural site listed below. It is seaweed powder that you just mix with water. You can also make wraps with it but we havent just yet. We also put it into Mr. T's bathwater. 
He has also started eating solids so we are giving him organic homegrown potatoes, kale, broccolli, spring onion, carrot, nettles, cleavers and a sprig of herb robert and peppermint. The herbs are good for the lymphatic system, allergies, stomach upsets, and also astringent. We noticed Mr.T's lymph nodes swollen in his neck at times, which means his body is fighting something, hopefully not for much longer. 
Mr. T is still very ill now, odd days where he has weeping sores etc but I think these are due to chemicals, detergents, and allergens still being in the house. Some days he is clearer than he has ever been. The change in his skin overall has been amazing. His calves had red sores, these are now a faded pink and some parts actually feel like soft baby skin. His elbows and underarms are the same.  We are also only halfway through our detergent banishing mission. A lot of washing and cleaninng still has to be done. 
Night times seem to be more itchy than before, with unstoppable itching, meaning we have to block his arms and legs from his body to stop him scratching and wrestle with Mr.T to stop him hurting himself and don't get to sleep, but from email corrrespondence with A.J. from the www.solveeczema.org I am put at ease a little as she says the intermediate phase of banishing detergents is usually like that. The fact our washing maxhine is still connected to the hard water mains doesnt help as it takes longer for detergents  to wash out with such water but we will be connecting the whole house to well water soon.

One cream I would really like to recommmend for anyone with eczema is the Hope's Relief cream. You can find this in the shop at www.itchybaby.co.uk . Its all natural with homeopathic remedies in it, and works wonders instead of steroids. I have ordered their moisturiser in the hope it is equally as good.

I know there are many families out there dealing with eczema, asthma, and problem skin. Before our little man came along I didnt know much about this, but in an effort to combat his suffering we have learnt these things. I am sharing them with you as the trial and error of it all is expensive, and it is so amazing to find someone who is able to support and help. Families in this situation need to keep hoping and trying. Desperation, anger, exhaustion and stress will take over your lives, but remember that our little angels have to go through so much more, and we as the person they trust and love need to keep strong and focused. Having a supportive spouse or family is key. 

The information I am giving to you now in this post has been collected both from the sites I mention as well as other online sources. I thank both Andrea and A.J. for their research and time they have taken in  gathering this information and putting it out there and also their email correspondence and support. There are so many parents in the same situation as us and don't know what to do. 

By no means am I saying any of this information can be used as an alternative to visiting a doctor if your baby is sick. I am merely taking you with me on our own journey if you are interested, and am hoping people in the same situation find a little support and advice. If anyone wants to contact me simply comment below, I understand this is a difficult situation and one can feel very lost and desperate.

Thank you to anyone that reads this, I'm sure banishing detergents will benefit everyone (except for its manufacturers) and if some babies and kids out there can find at least some relief it would be amazing.
Please spread the word! 

Our beautiful Mr. T on a good day after his solids :)

Online shops for organic baby clothes & non detergent products:

http://www.organiccottonshop.ie/
http://www.econatural.ie/
http://www.earthmother.ie/
http://www.terrynappies.co.uk/index.php
http://www.welovefrugi.com/
http://www.everythingforeczema.com/
http://www.ecomama.co.uk/
http://www.johnlewis.com