Warm boot recommendations please

[BeckyBoo]

And to add, yes you can buy soda crystals in the supermarket - they're with the cleaning products in Sainsburys, a green and white 500g bag - costs about 65p so is also cheaper AND kinder to the environment (with thanks to Home Farmer for turning me on to this! Fabric conditioners are no more - a glug of white vinegar in the washing machine and bobs your super soft and silky uncle!)

 

BeckyBoo

[Guest]

....- a glug of white vinegar in the washing machine and bobs your super soft and silky uncle!)

 

BeckyBoo

 

vinegar???? white malt vinegar or some other sort? doesn't it make you smell like a bag of chips?

[Ms Marple]

here is a link for Alpha Keri Oil

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100000073.html

[bigmommasally]

I have eczema in various places and have suffered flares up all my life. My eyelids are the most recent to flare up. At the moment I'm using eumocream, it's not a steriod and can be bought over the counter in Boots. DD2 has never suffered from eczema but for some reason recently her eyes have flared up too, she has tried several different creams prescribed by doctors but eumocream is the only one that is helping her at the moment. I have quite a big tube of it and am happy to pop a little pot of it in the post for you to try so you don't have to buy it.

 

I have also found Eczema Voice website & discussion boards really helpful. There are many long term suffers (beware though as it breaks your heart to read some of what they have gone through - it makes me cry really badly and that makes my eyelids flare up even more!) on there that have posted helpful tips; I tried Aloe Vera Gel as recommended on there and that worked quite well for a while. My skin seems to get used to creams/treatments and then they stop working - I think this is quite common for many eczema sufferes though.

 

http://www.eczemavoice.com/forum/index.html

 

I hope you find something soon that helps. Wishing little Isabelle better.

[Nuggywoo]

When I was younger I suffered terribly with eczema - on my face, hands, neck, arms - it looked like someone had thrown acid at me. The pain was awful as it itches, you scratch, it hurts, it bleeds, it hurts some more then it all starts again.

 

I had so many tests done to see if I was allergic to 'life' etc .

 

At the very worst stage my doctor advised me to buy a pot of emulsifying ointment which did the trick. It's a gel with no rubbish in it and protects, moisturises and soothes. Might be worth a try See Here. I'd recommend it.

[chickenaddiction]

hi,

both my sons had excema as babies , thankfully my eldest who is 18 grew out of it by the time he was 9 months .however my youngest now 16 didnt. you name it weve tried it .at the moment he is using mometasone furoate 1mg this has been working for him for a couple of years now . im pretty sure if he used it regularly it would completely clear up , but you know how teenager boys are. he also uses kamilosan which is sold for sore and cracked nipples , it works well better than anything else we have tried and has no nasty steroids.

 

i do find using non-bio washing powder really helps and when he was younger and i had more control over his food restricting certain foods really helped.dairy, tomatoes .

we got 4 cats 8 years ago and they made no difference to his excema 2 sleep on his bed and are long haired . we also had a dog for a while .

 

i found diprobase no help at all

e45 ok

oilatum in the bath fine but does tend to make the as slippy as a bar of soap!

 

aveno , im a fan but like most creams stops working after a while.

 

if i think off anything else i will post again . please keep smiling , fingers crossed for you

 

rachel

[The Dogmother]

Sorry to hear that she's still suffering Emma

 

As you know, I had terrible eczema when I was young and the steroid creams thinned the skin on my hands to the extent that it now splits in the cold weather, and they are all ugly and wrinkled. One of the reasons that I never used steroid creams on Rosie when she had it.

 

We've both grown out of it now and only get it when stressed. I use Forever Living aloe products to clear it up; aloe gel and aloe propolis cream on top. I also avoid any products containing SLS as that makes it worse too.

 

I've always been around animals and they never triggered it for me.

 

I hope that you get to the bottom of it and she finds relief soon.

[Griffin]

My youngest daughter, Georgia, is three now and I swear she was born with eczema. Right away her ankle joints were inflammed and this just got worse. Now her worst bits are the inside of her wrists but from time to time, moreso when she's ill, she gets it on her ankles again and on her legs, especially the backs of her knees. It's a case of figuring out what makes it worse. I know with Georgia Pampers baby wipes made her really bad but strangely she was fine with Johnsons unfragranced wipes. She was prescribed that oily stuff (the name of which escapes me) for the bath but actually bathing her makes her worse. It might sound gross but she has just one bath a week and this really really helps. There is nothing more drying than water. The reason Georgias hands and wrists are so sore now is because she washes them so much, ie each time she's used the toilet, played outside etc. I think I read that you bath your daughter every other day, please just try bathing her once a week to see if it makes a difference. Something as simple as that has made Georgias life so much easier.

 

When it's really bad her skin has become infected and she must've had at least six courses of antibiotics. What works for Georgia is a long course, not just a five day blast, she needs at least two weeks worth. Betnovate works wonders but for the rest of the time we use Epaderm if she needs it.

 

I don't know if she's growing out of it or if we're just managing it better but on the whole Georgias skin is so much better now. The skin on her legs is soft now, just the way it should be and not like sandpaper!

[Guest]

For months previous to the event i had, had symptoms of anaphylaxis. However, it hadn't reached my throat, but the regular face swelling, hives and ulcers on various parts of the body, itching, and generally feeling unwell got on my nerves. Last Christmas night i sat watching TV and my step mum offered me a cup of percolated coffee. Within minutes i couldn't swallow properly, then my heart started fluttering and i felt dreadful. I thought i was having the early stages of heart attack, and got my partner to drive me to A&E. On the way i was deteriorating by the minute. I just about made it through the doors before i collapsed!! Just felt very weak, couldn't breathe. I was having anaphylaxic shock and my blood pressure was in my boots! They gave me adrenaline and steroids and i made a recovery. I have every sympathy for people who suffer allergies. I went to the allergy clinic and nothing showed after skin prick and blood tests? Not even Hay-fever which i have suffered every year since Heaven's knows what age??? I've heard of a woman in Surrey who does private clinics, so i'm going to see her ( but keep my 'Epi-Pen' always on my person until i can find what causes my reactions?)

 

Sounds like Isabelle has a severe allergie(s). As an aromatherpist we tend to use lavender and/or Chamomile, but not knowing how old she is, i cannot recommend dosages for lotions etc, as a means of reliving the discomfort in the meantime of finding a person, similar to what i am seeking to ascertain the source of allergy in the first place.

[Egluntyne]

My son used to get an angry patch of eczema, the size of a saucer, on his abdomen every now an then. On the advice of a friend I slathered it in a marigold based hand cream from lush, and it worked miracles. within a couple of days. He used it regularly from then on.

 

He did grow out of it eventually.

 

Can't remember the exact name of it. I'll go and google and see if they still make it.

 

* It was called Helping Hands. The list of ingredients looks a bit startling though. There might be a gentler one that you could make yourself.

 

Good luck.

[moochoo]

Hi Em, I'm a bit late adding anything to this thread. I've had excema since childhood and steroid creams are definitely the way to go short term until the flair up subsides. I was told by a dermatologist to apply the steroid cream and rub it in until the skin's nearly dry and then liberally apply an emoliant cream on the top.

I have found that organic pure shea butter really hydrates my skin during a flair up. It's extremely emoliant and really sooths that sore itchiness.

All you can do is try and reduce her symtoms and you're doing the best you can for her.

[chickenanne]

I have eczema which I developed in my late 20's. It's really annoying, but the thing I found that works the best is...sorry... learning to live with it.

Lots of moisturising cream (some stuff seems to make me blister under the skin, very attractive) but generally E45 cream, does help, but really nothing I've found clears it up completely. Wearing cotton clothes helps a little. Being too hot can make it bad, as can high humidity.

I don't think your doctor is being delibverately unhelpful, it's just that there isn't much he can do other than prescribe steriod creams, which I use only as a last resort when it gets really bad.

It is an incredibly frustrating and annoying thing to have, and in some ways I do think am lucky to get it older - I feel much less self-conscious about it than many people who suffered as children, for example. I do feel for your daughter.

[stoice]

I've found the tub of 'udderly smooth extra care cream' has improved a patch I have on my foot in just one week. It's been there over 6 months, thinking it was atheletes foot at first I've tried all the creams and powders etc for that, nuthin, then I've tried tea tree oil, vaseline, etc - nope.

I have patches on my scalp which is a little harder to apply so not seen much improvement there yet, aswell as in my ears and sometimes on my face. I've had the scalp and ears patches for over 10 years. Repeatedly going to and from the Drs, getting steroid creams, coal tar shampoos. In the end I gave up going back and just put up with yukky chunky flakes that looks like severe dandruff. (I'm painting such an attractive picture of myself here aren't I?

 

But in little under a week of trying the udderly smooth on my foot (Extra care version has more urea which softens for longer apparently) the patch is smoother, less red, not scaly and hardly itches!!! Not completely gone, but definately an improvement. Hope it's long term.

 

Thanks all you omleters for telling me about the stuff!

 

Have a look at this place too... http://www.trevarnoskincare.co.uk/index.php

We discovered Trevarno House and grounds while on a recent holiday and found they have a soap museum where I learnt about soap and skincare through history. They then have their own shop where they make their own soap and skincare. Using honey from their own bees, plants from their garden, essential oils etc. Nice organic range too. I bought some natural soaps that are meant to be good for psorasis and eczema. Lovely and squeeky clean. Bit pricy but worth a try.

[Becka]

My daughter who is now six has suffered from eczema since she was weeks old. It caused her to be a very upset baby who had real difficulty sleeping - understandably! We tried every lotion and potion available starting with 'natural' remedies and progressing to full on prescription potions. Our final breakthrough came when we were referred to the dermatologist at the local children's hosptial. They were excellent at trying to establish a pattern for the flare ups and gave us some very good routines to follow. Obviously everyone's diagnosis is different but we were encouraged to bath her with a bath additive once a day and then for a fortnight we applied a steroid and rubbed it into the most badly affected patches, topped that with a tar based cream followed by an emollient which was then encased in bandages which are actually tubigrip material made into leggings and a long sleeved vest. Very time consuming but it seemed to break the cycle. We only resort to this method when she has a particularly bad flare up but it does appear to be the most effective treatment for her. I now give her an Omega oil capsule which I think helps with her skin. I hope you find something to help her soon as it's such a miserable condition both to have and to watch.

Becka

[The Dogmother]

Omega oils certainly help my eczema... I had forgotten to mention that.

[theherd123]

Thank you all so so much.

 

I have scan read all your posts but will go through them with a fine tooth comb later and write down all the things you suggest that we havent already tried.

 

Thanks again i really really appreciate it and im sure Isabelle will send you all lots of baby hugs and dribble in thanks too!

[fluffyknickers]

Its horrible when your child is suffering and you feel a loss as to what to do. My little girl (2 years) is on range of medication and special foods as she has something called EE and also reflux and cannot have Dairy, eggs or soya.

 

I breastfed her at first and think that its the right idea to not have dairy but would you find it possible to avoid eggs and soya too? Due to having to feed my daughter i am getting used to what has eggs/dairy/soya and what doesnt - so I can help if you want. The bread I found hard and the only one i have found to buy is a tesco finest one - or you can just make your own.

 

Then i have things like Pure spread (there are three sorts only one without any soya) and Oatley milk (try the chocolate yum) and rice milk.

 

My daughter suffered with Eczema until she went on to a Hypoallergenic milk called Necoate then it more or less dissapeared.

 

I had to fight to get her the help she needed and in the end I paid to see a specialist allergy paedatrician (dont have medical insurance) once we saw him the first time in the private hospital and he realised we didnt have private he said we were to see him on the NHS and was reffered to the NHS hospital where he works - you can now do this through the Choose and book system.

 

I would highly reccomend you get reffered to a specialist and if the wait is too long or you dont have private healthcare could you possibly pay for an appointment (think mine was £150 and my nan kindly paid).

 

We had all sorts of creams for Lily's eczema and still use now - i cant remember the stuff we have to wash her with but its clear and when added to the bath goes white - its on prescription.

 

Also use a cream on prescription for all over her body in a big green bottle - thinks its called Dermol (will check when home). For bad patches of it and when her bottom area (front and back) were bad we did have to use a HC cream and this cleared it up.

 

Have you seen the special soft toys that are good for children/babies with allergies? I have one for Lily and can wash it and then put in the freezer to kill anything - will try and find a link.

 

Let us know how you get on.

Michelle

[Tiggy]

I've had eczema asthma hayfever all my life so totally sympathise, I have tried just about everything that has been mentioned here at some time or another with varying success. It does seem worse for little ones, and nothing seems to help very much, which is upsetting for Mom & Dad. Here's what we try at work,

 

try not to bath baby every day- top & tail is normaly enough for very little ones, bathing even with oils etc can strip delicate skin of oil.

 

use wash balls instead of soap/washing powder for baby clothes

 

keep skin moisturised with whatever suits her skin, may of our asian moms use olive oil.

 

oats in a pop sock, use the liquid as a soap/bath soak - can add tiny amounts of essential oils (lavender, melissa callomile sp)

 

add contents of evening primrose oil capsule once a day to feeds/ can be rubbed into very dry patches

 

topical steroid creams do help flare ups short term

 

hang on in there it normally gets better with time

[cordelia]

my eldest daughter had excema as a baby...I tried everything...

 

we eventually saw a specialist (after all the creams and antibiotics)

 

she diagnosed VIOFORM Hydrocortisone for her severest problem..which was her face...it went within the week...its a steroid..but was so necessary...

 

(this cream stains everything yellow, bedding etc but was well worth it)

 

we also had diprobase oilatum etc etc...

 

the consultant also asked us to avoid tomato based foods...not fresh or tinned tomatoe, just things like tinned spaghetti soup...and tomato soup...and baked beans...

 

which did make a difference (my mum gave them spagetti from a tin ) If my girls eat baked beans now I can tell from their skin...

 

 

best of luck and dont give up hope...

 

my poor girl wore scratch mits for a LONG time in bed...and we were pointed at in the street due to her face...awful.....

 

she's mostly fine now (face fine) just occasionaly sore hands.....

[Mutrix Farmers]

Son suffered sever atopic excema as a baby/toddler. Our most succesful combination was Hydrocortisone cream when red and inflamed, and Aqueous Cream as a general moisturiser. We also used a non-bio washing liquid. For washing we just used Johnson's Baby bath although I think even that may have sodium laureth sulfate in (most things I pick up seem to!!). If you want one that doesn't, I've been buying Naked Angelica Bath Soak, the blurb says it sooths irritated skin.

 

Now he is 14 he uses whatever shower gel he likes and is very rarely bothered by it.

 

I hope you find a solution that suits Isabelle.

[LJ's Chooks]

Hope's relief cream is just the best.... I suffer and so do my 2 boys and this is the only thing i have found that touches it long term. we have used things like dermasalve etc but they only seem to work for a while. Hope's relief is totally natural and is fab! Not cheap but worth it, have a hunt around cos some places are much cheaper depending on which way the wind is blowing i think!!!

 

Oh typically i only use the eco balls in the washing machine too, and tumble dry their clothes (doesnt help the environment or my elec bills but has a dramatic affect on the ecsema

 

good luck!

[Guest]

I don't have a great deal of experience with eczema, but I thought immediately of the lovely Shea Butter I use. Someone earlier also mentioned Shea Butter.

 

This is the site I use and I have met the lady who runs the company. http://www.sheabynature.co.uk/index.php?cPath=79

As you will see, her products use 100% Shea Butter and are fairly traded. It is a really rich, oily moisturiser which is slowly absorbed by the skin. Feels luxurious.

 

Just don't go near a hot water bottle . . .

 

Poor Isabelle I hope you find something which works.

[Chooks Aloud]

Hi

 

We've got eczema in the family, my daughter has suffered with it from a baby (she is now 21). Her skin used to split, weep, she had trouble walking, eczema is horrible both for the sufferer and for the people looking after them. She was hospitalised and to be honest came out worse than when she went in. She looked just like a candle does when it melts, this was her skin falling off her in long shreds.

 

Until I swapped consultants and found one and his nurse that worked for us. They were brilliant.

 

Unfortunately everyone is different and reacts differently to different products, it's trial and error I'm afraid. However, what you must do is get the eczema under control - yes, by using steroids. Do not be afraid of using them. You hear all the horror stories and it makes you afraid. We were in the beginning but with the help of our new consultant we managed it. This is what we did.

 

I kept my daughter constantly wrapped in bandages from head to foot for a solid 6 months to hydrate her skin and to keep her from scratching herself to bits. She was bathed in oil, then steroid ointment applied, then smothered in emollient. Then the first bandage went on. On top of this we applied another load of emollient (which would gradually seep through the bandage onto the skin). Then the top bandage would be applied. Every hour (yes I did say every hour) I would lift up the top bandage and re-apply more cream. I went through 500g pot a day. When we started this her skin was like thick elephant hyde and would burst open when she moved.

 

We kept her like this for 6 months. She used to have one of the ladies at school re-apply her emollient for her throughout the day. We used steroid on her every day and kept her skin covered. At the end of 6 months, when her skin started to look better, we started to wean her off the steroids. I do stress, wean, as if you stop it suddently it will come back with a vengance. You must very gradually wean over several months.

 

My daughter still has eczema, in her crevices and has flare ups in moments of stress and will always have to look after her skin - but she looks beautiful now, and you wouldn't know she has it - so please do not give up hope. I am a life member of the National Eczema Society and they were a great help to me when times got bad. Remember, it's emollient, emollient, emollient.

 

Hope this helps.

 

P.S. She still enjoys her little sock in the bath filled with porridge oats

 

Karen

[Helly Welly]

DD's eczema gets worse when she's hot so tights are a big no-no. She wears long socks instead. We sometimes use chamomile teabags in her bath, use a couple and brew just like a pot of tea. For flare-ups we're not afraid to use hydrocortisone cream but we tend to keep it under control with a plain emollient cream which we get on prescription but it's not very expensive anyway. I think DD is supposed to grow out of it too but it's been the same for nearly 10 years so i'd like to know when it'll go.

 

Good luck with Isabelle, i'm afraid it's trial and error to see what works best for her.

[girlsmum]

Im a trained aromatherapist and would recommend contacting one in your local area. I live in Rugby- not sure where you are. An aromatherapist could make up a blend specifically for you. The product would be natural. German chamomille is a particularly good essential oil for treat eczema.

 

Girlsmum