Busy Busy..
Well..today has been busy busy. Started at 5.30am with Bub and had to get out of the house early for his doctor's appointment which was at 8.50. I decided to walk today, for some insane reason..not on a day when I can take it easy at a leisurely pace, but today, when i was in a rush and had to be there at given time :/
Anyway, it was quite nice, cold, but nice. I think there and back was about 5 km's total ..maybe only 4, not sure..but we stopped at the park on the way home so the little ones had fun.
I'm a little distressed about bub and his skin condition. He has dermatitis/excema, like his father, but it's quite severe. And on top of that, has some sort of allergy which causes his skin to come up in a very red, angry, inflamed welt. he has one behind his ear and one behind his knee which, I am told is common in babies with these allergies.
However, my doctor did say that his condition is quite severe and he would most likely have it through 'til adulthood, which is quite depressing. He said there is no cure, just management and while I am grateful that he doesn't have something worse, I do feel sad.
My doc also said that it was likely that bub would end up with asthma and other allergy problems such as hayfever, which too, is quite depressing. I went through the asthma issue with My eldest son and it was the most frightening thing i have had to experience in a child, bar the meningococcal.
In a child, sure, asthma is mostly manageable. But in a baby, asthma is incredibly frightening, at least, my experience with it was. My eldest son was only 15mths old and not only hospitalised for 2 hoursly nebulisers but on oxygen as his blood/oxygen level was too low. It is so frightening to know that your baby cannot breathe and he may or may not pull through and it is totally out of your and the medical profession's hands as to whether he does or not.
Anyhow, let's not invite trouble.
So now, I am going to take my bub off the lactose based formula he is on and start him in the soy based one. I then have to monitor his lactose/gluten/wheat/egg intake which, at his age (6mths) isn'ta drama.
Then I must stop using all soap/perfumed products on his skin and use a very strong steroid cream on his body :(
The majority of people who have excema or dermatitis only ever need 1% steroid (cortisone) cream. That is what bub has for his face and i am most unhappy about having to use it..He has to have stronger for his body :(
- Strong cortisones ointments and creams may cause permanent thinning of the skin, especially when applied to skin-folds such as under the breast, the armpit, and the groin. Strong preparations should also be avoided on the face and the fingertips. The risk of permanent thinning of the skin is increased when plastic wraps (Saran wrap) are used. Daily application of alpha hydroxyacids can help to lessen this side effect.
- Sometimes cortisones can cause an acne-like rash when applied to the skin.
- Weak cortisones can be used on small areas of the body for years without causing permanent side effects.
I am against the use of steroid creams but I also am well aware that I have no option which really makes me feel distressed.
I am hoping, that with informing myself on the extra things i can do to help his condition (moisturising with sorbalene 6 times a day), his skin, will improve. I refuse to give up and allow the long term use of cortisone unless completely necessary.
Sigh. poor bubba. :(