Skin prick test
Since my last update on Ryan's eczema, it has not seen much improvement.
Despite turning into a vacuuming fiend at home and cleaning up his diet and avoiding food which I was pretty sure he was allergic to, the flareups still come and go.
He is constantly scratching away, especially in the mornings and it occasionally keeps him up at night. We manage his condition with Zyrtec (anti-histamines) and lots of moisturizing (we use Physiogel AI and Four Cow Farm’s Baby Lotion alternately) everyday.
His paed was a bit concerned about the inflamed and raw state of his skin so she referred us to NUH Children Specialist Clinic to get a skin prick test done.
Ryan was a real sport during the test. I explained to him that we were trying to figure out what exactly he was allergic to and making him so itchy.
I opted to test for almost everything on the list - dust mites, egg white and yolk, dairy, scallops, prawns, fish, beef, chicken, pork, peanuts, wheat.
The lab tech made some markings on Ryan's arms and put tiny drops of liquid containing the shortlisted allergens onto each line. Then she scratched the skin with a small lancet to break open his skin for a faster reaction.
Then we waited for 15 minutes for the liquid to take effect. (If you asked him, he would tell you, 'the doctor draw draw draw on my arm, not pain!')
And guess what?
He is NOT allergic to any of them! Not eggs, not dairy (I even switched him to hypoallergenic formula then to soy milk!), not fish, not seafood, not wheat, like I had suspected he was.
The revelation was a bit of a letdown because I was really looking for answers.
For Ryan, it is more of a skin condition, where his skin is extremely dry and his skin barrier is not effective at retaining moisture. The dryness makes him susceptible to bacteria, which in turn causes rashes and itch.
I guess the above foods are not definite triggers for his flareups but I guess they do aggravate his skin condition.
The lab technician was quite nice - she told me his condition did not look very serious (no weeping or open wounds) compared to the other cases she has seen and most children usually do outgrow it eventually.
I am still waiting to see his paed again to get her opinion.
In the meantime, I guess there is nothing much we can do except continue to be extra diligent with his skincare routine (ie. moisturise right after bath).
Despite turning into a vacuuming fiend at home and cleaning up his diet and avoiding food which I was pretty sure he was allergic to, the flareups still come and go.
He is constantly scratching away, especially in the mornings and it occasionally keeps him up at night. We manage his condition with Zyrtec (anti-histamines) and lots of moisturizing (we use Physiogel AI and Four Cow Farm’s Baby Lotion alternately) everyday.
His paed was a bit concerned about the inflamed and raw state of his skin so she referred us to NUH Children Specialist Clinic to get a skin prick test done.
Ryan was a real sport during the test. I explained to him that we were trying to figure out what exactly he was allergic to and making him so itchy.
I opted to test for almost everything on the list - dust mites, egg white and yolk, dairy, scallops, prawns, fish, beef, chicken, pork, peanuts, wheat.
The lab tech made some markings on Ryan's arms and put tiny drops of liquid containing the shortlisted allergens onto each line. Then she scratched the skin with a small lancet to break open his skin for a faster reaction.
Then we waited for 15 minutes for the liquid to take effect. (If you asked him, he would tell you, 'the doctor draw draw draw on my arm, not pain!')
And guess what?
He is NOT allergic to any of them! Not eggs, not dairy (I even switched him to hypoallergenic formula then to soy milk!), not fish, not seafood, not wheat, like I had suspected he was.
The revelation was a bit of a letdown because I was really looking for answers.
For Ryan, it is more of a skin condition, where his skin is extremely dry and his skin barrier is not effective at retaining moisture. The dryness makes him susceptible to bacteria, which in turn causes rashes and itch.
I guess the above foods are not definite triggers for his flareups but I guess they do aggravate his skin condition.
The lab technician was quite nice - she told me his condition did not look very serious (no weeping or open wounds) compared to the other cases she has seen and most children usually do outgrow it eventually.
I am still waiting to see his paed again to get her opinion.
In the meantime, I guess there is nothing much we can do except continue to be extra diligent with his skincare routine (ie. moisturise right after bath).