I'm so, so sad for this sweet pea and her parents. How awful for your child to be in pain/uncomfortable and have no idea how to make it better. I'll be keeping them in my thoughts. And if any other possibilities come to mind, I'll make sure to post.
I always feel so bad for her whenever she posts. I can't imagine how frustrating this must be. Every time they find something that seems to be working, a few days later it is worse again.
This has been a problem since she was much younger so I doubt it is related to crib chewing.
Post by undecidedowl on Jan 22, 2014 22:37:13 GMT -5
Have they tried covering the wounds for an extended period of time to help determine if the cause is internal or external? Has she seen specialists? Have they done blood testing?
Have v any needs baby is using/taking been checked for corn, dairy, gluten... our any needs mom is using or taking. Also lotions soaps often contain those allergens...
Oh that poor baby and mama. Can they use a steroid on her to get it under control? That baby needs instant relief. Figure out the allergen later, but get it under control with some drugs if possible! Find a doc that isn't afraid of aggressive treatments. So many derms want you to come back 800 times before they give you the good stuff.
It's so localized with abrupt ends, I would imagine it has to be an external cause of some sort. But who the f knows.
Oh that poor baby and mama. Can they use a steroid on her to get it under control? That baby needs instant relief. Figure out the allergen later, but get it under control with some drugs if possible! Find a doc that isn't afraid of aggressive treatments. So many derms want you to come back 800 times before they give you the good stuff.
It's so localized with abrupt ends, I would imagine it has to be an external cause of some sort. But who the f knows.
Oh that poor baby and mama. Can they use a steroid on her to get it under control? That baby needs instant relief. Figure out the allergen later, but get it under control with some drugs if possible! Find a doc that isn't afraid of aggressive treatments. So many derms want you to come back 800 times before they give you the good stuff.
It's so localized with abrupt ends, I would imagine it has to be an external cause of some sort. But who the f knows.
Steroids make it worse.
Topical? Oral? I'd try all of them before I discounted them. Sometimes it just takes finding the right one. Not to say she hasn't maybe tried a million, but just thought I'd throw that out there. I suffered from severe facial (and body) eczema for years.
National Jewish Center in Denver is one of the best allergy clinics in the country, and they are used to working with patients from out-of-town. It might be worth it for the family to contact them… either to see if a long-distance consultation is possible, or to get a recommendation for a Seattle-based doctor that has trained with them.
[When I was dealing with an extreme allergy condition several years ago, I contacted them, fully planning on flying out there as I was desperate for answers. At their suggestion, I saw a doctor located within 2 hours of me who had trained with them for several years. Thankfully, she was able to properly diagnose me and get me on a better path.]
Topical? Oral? I'd try all of them before I discounted them. Sometimes it just takes finding the right one. Not to say she hasn't maybe tried a million, but just thought I'd throw that out there. I suffered from severe facial (and body) eczema for years.
I know they have tried many but I am not 100% sure what forms. I think they have done both oral and topical. As well as several other meds.
Post by MamaMaui24 on Jan 22, 2014 23:34:54 GMT -5
I have no idea if it can be used in babies or near the mouth or if it would even help, but something to help soothe the skin: Domeboro (Bayer, OTC, soak gauze in mixture then place on skin)
National Jewish Center in Denver is one of the best allergy clinics in the country, and they are used to working with patients from out-of-town. It might be worth it for the family to contact them… either to see if a long-distance consultation is possible, or to get a recommendation for a Seattle-based doctor that has trained with them.
[When I was dealing with an extreme allergy condition several years ago, I contacted them, fully planning on flying out there as I was desperate for answers. At their suggestion, I saw a doctor located within 2 hours of me who had trained with them for several years. Thankfully, she was able to properly diagnose me and get me on a better path.]
Best of luck to your friend.
Great suggestion! This is where we go too. DD2 is in one of their NIH studies on food allergies so we've been there many times in the past 6yrs. They have very knowledgable Docs.
Have they had their house tested for mold? My H had stomach/digestion issues until his early 20s, we think because of mold exposure when he was little. I know skin and digestion issues are very different but it might be worth testing their house.
Whoooa, what is her crib made of? She could have an allergy to pine.
Oh yeah - she looks like she could be in prime crib rail chewing zone.
CloudBee your comment about "they think it's getting better, then overnight, bam, it's back" makes me wonder what she comes into contact with while she sleeps?
Cotton allergy (the sheets)? Drool? Crib rail? Something in a pacifier? Have they tried a different crib mattress?
I'm trying to look at that picture and figure out why that sweet, poor little girl would have been itching her face while in a car seat. Maybe something in the car seat straps? A chemical in the plastic clip on her chest? It seems crazy, but... sunlight?
Oh, please give the mama a hug for me. I'm sure she's doing everything she can.
Post by howardandbear on Jan 23, 2014 0:08:29 GMT -5
Poor baby. I had rashes similar to the ones on her face on my body as a kid. They hurt and itched and any touching would cause them to bleed and become a mess. Most of my allergies are non food related. Soap/detergent/cleaning products were big players in my health problems.
Poor sweet baby girl. I hate that she's so uncomfortable, really breaks my heart for her. I hope they can figure out what's causing the reaction and how to help her very quickly.
Bless her sweet heart! Is there anything they can do to soothe it? At first glance, it looks like my daughter's eczema, just 20 times more severe. Have they tried hydrocortizone? I'm inclined to think there's some sort of irritant in her environment and that it's not an allergy, because it seems like that severe of an allergy would cause lips, eyes, etc. to swell up, and that the rash wouldn't be confined to that one area on her face. (I am in no way a medical expert, just going on personal experience with allergies.) Could mom be using a lotion or soap that's causing the irritation? Have they changed laundry detergent for everyone in the house -- if not, mom could be passing that on via nursing contact.
I'm sure these are incredibly basic and that they've already tried them, but they're what came to mind first.
For the longest time the mom would nurse with a barrier to prevent her daughter's face from resting on her body.
They keep it slathered with ointment much of the time for comfort.
Hydrocortisone has been used and made things worse.
Detergents have been changed, and even stopped.
Does the barrier have latex? Could it be a latex allergy?
I'll just chime in to say that maybe it isn't an allergic reaction.
Since you said they've been to multiple doctors, I'm sure they've covered all basis. But just in case they haven't maybe revisit a pediatrician about this to have blood work and another full work up. There can other problems outside of allergies that present themselves with external reactions.
They've tried antifungals, as if it's yeast? I don't really believe that's it as I'd expect it to spread, but anything is worth trying and yeast can be very persistent and not respond to every antfungal the same. It would also get worse after a few days unless they are treating her clothes, sheets, etc.
Contact allergies were the first thing that came to mind for me, as well.
I'm allergic to MCI/MI (the preservative this article was referencing). You can only find these types of allergies through patch testing, and most dermatologist just aren't trained to look at contact allergies as a cause of eczema. I have 9 different contact allergies that I know of, so I have to avoid just about everything, it feels like. I saw 3 different dermatologists this past year trying to find a cause for my horrible eczema, and none of them even me mentioned contact allergies. It was my allergist who referred me. Has she had patch testing done? I'd HIGHLY recommend it.
It's really tough to find docs who are familiar with patch testing beyond the standard panel of allergens. There's definitely a science to it. My derm is on the board of the American Society for Contact Dermatitis, so I can ask her for recs for a Seattle area doctor if they're interested.
I know when I was getting my patch testing done, they were testing a baby in the next room over. It's not unheard of for babies to have contact allergies. And "natural" products aren't always the answer - I'm allergic to calendula and chamomile, which are in almost every natural skin product out there.
This poor baby - my heart hurts for her (and her parents).
This might be really dumb, but I'll throw it out there anyway. What about the car seat straps? The face would be the only thing exposed to the little strap covers.
ETA: if you hit up shows I'd also email The Doctors.