Our journey to healing from eczema

   

  

  When our little girl (DD2) was born, she was absolutely perfect. She was overcooked (as you would be when you are a week overdue!), so her cheeks were almost sun burnt looking, and her skin was peeling. I remember feeding her in those early days, slowly peeling away the bits of dry skin from around her fingers and toes. 

There is so much I could go into here, but because it will be the longest post known to man-kind, I will break it down for you in dot points:

• We struggled to breast-feed (only 6 weeks), due to a tongue tie (that wasn't picked up until she was about 2 weeks old) - which we then had snipped.
• We gave each other thrush (nipple for me and mouth for her), which seemed to take forever to heal!
• She was diagnosed with silent reflux at 4 weeks old (confirmed by a barium swallow) and put on Losec.
• Scored a nasty bout of hand, foot and mouth when about 4 months old.

It doesn't sound too bad when I write it like that, but basically, we spent most of her first few weeks of life in and out of GP offices, paediatricians, lactation consultants, child health nurses, hospitals, etc. But even with the bumpy start to life that she had, you wouldn't even have known by her personality. She was such a happy, sunny little girl. Always cooing and making beautiful sounds, so alert, and such a beauty.

Then around the age of 4 months, we started to notice a tiny little red patch on her cheek. I remember just thinking it must have been a little mark from her scratching her face, or something to that effect. But when it didn't disappear, I realised it must have been something else. We started to pop some paw-paw cream on it, as it started to get very dry, very quickly, and before long, it started looking very red, angry and sore.

Back and forth to the GP we went, and I was told not to worry about it, but to put some steroid cream on the spot to help it heal. The GP wasn't sure if it was an eczema/dermatitis or a fungal infection. So we alternated using steroid creams with anti fungals, as prescribed. 

As the weeks rolled past, the spot got bigger and bigger, and started getting very dry and coarse. Then it started to ooze. The creams weren't working and I knew that something was up, so went back to the doctors to demand some answers. It wasn't until I went to get a third opinion (after visiting 2 other GPs) from a different GP, on the 3rd December, that I got told she had a staph infection, as well as oral thrush. She was given anti-biotics, as well as medicine for the thrush and her silent reflux dose was increased (as she had been vomiting).

We ended up back to the GP later that same day, with a confirmed case of gastro.

The antibiotics did a great job at clearing the staph infection. It did take a good couple of weeks, but the nastiness of the infection was definitely going. Over this period of time, we moved up North to our new home, where we were advised by the GPs that the dry weather up here is AMAZING for eczema and that we should notice her skin to calm down substantially. She was prescribed a very strong steroid cream at this point to keep the eczema under control.

We had only been in our new home for a couple of months when DD2 got yet another staph infection. At this point, I was so overwhelmed by it all that I asked for a referral from my GP to see a well known Dermatologist practising in Perth. He had great reviews and success with treating eczema, so as any other parent would do, we booked into see him. It was a fly-in-fly-out type of appointment, we were only there for the day. 

He believed that a lot of eczema cases these days come about because we use so many synthetic materials on our children, and because we over-dress them (overheat) and wash them too often.

He suggested a quick wipe over once a day with a warm washer, as bathing the kids in a bath is too much, especially if you are using bath soaps/bubble bath, etc as they irritate the skin, and strip it of the natural oils.  He also suggested taking pram liners and car seat covers out where possible, and replacing with breathable fabrics, as these are causing our kids to overheat, which leads to skin issues, such as eczema/dermatitis. And the same goes for dressing our kids - the less the better!

He prescribed an amazing ointment for DD2, (beeswax, petroleum and tar) which actually went on to work wonders for keeping her skin hydrated and supple - which inevitably helped prevent any further staph infections.

Life went on, and DD2s skin started improving, however, we did notice that every now and then it would flare up dramatically, and we were sure why. We got a referral to see an immunologist in July 2014 (down in Perth) who would do the skin prick test to see if she was allergic to anything.  This was the biggest waste of time and money for us. Mainly, because we flew all the way down there for the immunologist to ONLY test for allergies to grass, milk and cats! Nothing else. The results were negative for all three.

In the September 2014, we decided to investigate things further. I had been speaking with a good friend about it for quite some time and she mentioned how she had done an on line course through The Red Tent, where she learnt about healing the gut through diet - as so much research is now showing direct links between gut health and many ailments, eczema included. We didn't have any Chinese medicine practitioners locally, so my next best bet was to visit the local naturopath.

She was amazing! She ordered a special blood test for DD2 where we sent off a just a drop of blood from pricking her finger to a lab and a report was compiled showing her intolerance's to 96 different food types from dairy to seafood to oats to fruits etc. It was comprehensive and the results showed that she was quite intolerant to dairy and gluten, but even more so to honey!! We were given some supplements for her to take to improve her gut health, and were told to take her off dairy/gluten and honey for a few months to see how it helps.

BOY did it help! It didn't take long for her skin to heal, but also for her to become a more content baby, and one that slept better too! It was around this time that she actually started sleeping through the night! 

I continued researching ways that we could help DD2s skin heal. These are some of the things we found that worked for us: 

• We found that the only washing powder/liquid that didn't make her skin react was Earth Choice (we did try swapping to Purity at one point, and it didn't seem to affect DD2 but DD1s skin broke out in an all over body rash!) 
• We threw out all our Johnsons & Johnsons baby products (and everything else too!) and for awhile only used the Baby Organic Coconut Shampoo & Body Wash) sparingly on the girls when needed 
• We stopped bathing the girls, and only shower them now
• We started making bone broths and adding it into all our cooking (link to the recipe is here)
• We went through the pantry and fridge and threw out anything that had additives or preservatives 
• I ditched all our candles, and invested in a diffuser and essential oils (to rid our house of as many toxins and chemicals as possible)
• I swapped household cleaners with non-toxic versions (ie. distilled water with lemon oil for my 'spray and wipe') 
• We cut right back on anything with sugar in it 
• We started buying organic produce (where possible We made our own baby wipes (link to the recipe is here)

While I continued researching, I remembered (And can't believe I forgot) that we have an AMAZING friend, who is a very talented Pharmacist, but she also has her own business, Sensihealth. Instead of just spending 5 minutes in an office then handing over a script for some cream or medicine (which mind you, only ever seems to temporarily make the symptoms disappear), she likes to find the root cause of the problem by doing thorough research and tests. I contacted Lena and arranged to make an appointment for DD2 (and myself) the next time we were down in Perth (in November 2014). It was the best decision I ever made on this whole journey, and one I wish I did sooner.

Lena, took a look at DD2 and the results from our naturopath tests, and made some minor changes to her supplements and dosages (one of the biggest ones was to her fish oil dosage which was dramatic as it meant she was FINALLY able to have solid stools, instead of runny ones which she had had her whole life! She also ordered some more tests (one being a hair analysis test) which showed the levels of minerals in her body and if there were any toxins present. She was full of toxins at quite high levels....and the only reason we could determine was that I passed them onto her when I was pregnant! When I learnt this, I had to deal with a fair bit of guilt...my poor baby! But, I was so glad that I had begun this journey to finding ways to heal not just DD2s health, but all of our health! I also learnt, that because I had been on the pill for such a long period of time, prior to having my girls, my levels of copper were through the roof, which also, could have magnified the effects of DD2s ailments.

So, since seeing the naturopath back in July, our family has been Gluten and Dairy free (for the most part!). I went off it to heal my psoriasis, and DD1 to help her eczema which she scored from a bout of ongoing molluscum contagiosum (that is a WHOLE other blog post it itself!). Matt still has dairy and gluten sometimes, but the girls and I are all off it. This, along with the various supplements we have been taking to heal our gut, and improve our levels of vital minerals and detox from toxins, has helped us all dramatically. 

We no longer simply eat whatever it is we like. We have to make a conscious effort - and it is bloody hard most of the time! Especially when getting invited around to people's homes for a meal or heading out and about! It can be hard for the girls to understand why they can't eat certain foods when they see other kids eating things like ice cream, cheeseburgers, chocolate, lollies and cupcakes. So, I do spend alot of time making them their own special treats. If I know we have a birthday party to go to, I will whip up some cupcakes that they can have, to take along. Or I'll make a batch of Quirky's Dairy Free Raw Chocolate for them to have. We educate the girls about good and bad foods, and 'sometimes foods' so they know what they are eating and why they are eating it. It is so we can help their bodies heal and thrive.

There is alot of time spent behind the scenes (usually when the kids are asleep), researching the best meal plans and recipes that are free from Dairy and Gluten, but also honey and that are free from preservatives and additives and sugar. SO many recipes I have tried have been an epic fail, in that the kids refuse to eat it. But we have had just as many successes, and for now, we stick to the ones we know work and that the kids enjoy. I've also had to look at what our household environment is like, to rid it of as many toxins and chemicals as possible. This is where our essential oils have come into play alot - I use them to replace alot of our household cleaners and alot of our medicine box too. I also love them to simply diffuse into the air for their health benefits as well as their smell - not as pretty as a candle but FAR better for you!

One of the things we struggle the most with is bread, and weaning the kids away from the GF bread as they love it for toast in the morning and sandwiches at lunch! Which has been fine, until DD2s eczema just recently started flaring up again when we switched brands of GF bread! I had become slack, somewhat, in reading labels and this one had 3 preservatives in it....one of which particularly caused flare ups in allergies. Seriously....give me a break! I have scoured the aisles of our supermarkets in town and read the backs of all the GF bread options, and NONE are without the nasty preservatives. So, it seems I may be needing to ditch the bread altogether and start doing cooked meals for breakfast lunch and dinner! You know, because I have time for that ;)

DD2 hasn't had a flare up of eczema on her face since she was a baby (praise God!), but the eczema did return...all over her body. She now gets it under her armpits, on her arms, behind her knees, on her legs and on her belly and bottom. She scratches it and often says that it hurts her. I know the diet does work for her, as she would be clear for months, only to flare when she had eaten some dairy or gluten (or when she had been scoffing playdough - which isn't GF by the way!). The same is to be said of me with my psoriasis. It heals if I stop eating gluten and dairy (and keep up my supplements), but the second I have a lapse, it comes back with a vengeance, and brings a nasty bout of hay fever along with it.

It has been a really rough road for us all, but one that I am so thankful for as we are all SO much better off now being informed and looking after our health, and an even bigger bonus is that we are no where near as "sick" as we used to be. We used to get all the nasty bugs and viruses that were going around, but since looking after our gut health, we have noticed this change dramatically!

I am a firm believer in that good things come out of bad situations. Our situation with DD2 was really upsetting and soul destroying. It is awful seeing your baby in pain, and especially so when everything you are trying to do to fix it, wont work. I have had people say to me "Why are you even bothering with all this, eczema is meant to clear by the age of about 5, anyway - just let it it!" Well, if I were to just let it be, she would most likely end up with another staph infection, which would mean she would need more antibiotics, which would kill the good bacteria in the gut we have worked SO hard to repair, and we would be back at square one! So for us, there is no choice....we aren't being crazy hippies! We are doing what we feel is best for our kids...and for our lives!

We are still a work in progress, and I hope to be able to share my successes and fails with you all on here, in the hope it may help someone else going through something similar. If you, or any one you know struggles with eczema or psoriasis, please don't give up! You don't have to suffer...it can be managed and treated....it takes alot of hard work and commitment (and money!) but the results far outweigh all of that! 

Below, I have come up with my 6 tips for where to start if you are on a journey to healing from eczema (or psoriasis, or hey, any ailment really, depression/anxiety - it all begins with YOU making the effort to change your life for the better!) 

1. Do your research

Ask around on local forums/friends/family for recommendations of amazing practitioners in your area that are committed to finding the root cause of any ailment. Naturopaths are a fantastic place to start (or if you are lucky enough to reside in Perth, just contact Lena and save yourself the time!)

2. Don't be afraid of the outlay

All good things are expensive :) It is easy to take the 'cheap' road for so many things, especially when it comes to food and household products etc. The same is to be said for moving over to a healthier lifestyle. There will need to be money spent on tests, to look further into the root cause of any ailments or symptoms you are having - and these tests are usually expensive (and aren't covered by medicare). However, had we not have had any testing done for DD2, we would have still been giving her gluten/dairy and particularly honey to this date, and her little body would have been still struggling to process it all.

3. Keep it simple

Meal planning doesn't have to be a nightmare. Its about getting back to basics. Unprocessed food. Meat, vegetables, fruit. Basically, anything that grows or is living. If it is found on a supermarket shelf, chances are, its not so fantastic! There are SO many fantastic web pages and blogs out now that are all about whole food. I love getting recipes and inspiration from Wholefood Simply (for our sweet treats and snacks) and Alexx Stuart. Quirky Cooking has some fantastic recipes, also.

4. Get some support

Get on line and start a support group if you need to - a place where you can network and share recipes and frustrations. There are many others who have blazed the path before you - and there is so much you could learn from them that will save you time and effort too! 

5. Take baby steps

Have a look around your house and at your lifestyle and see what you can change. One step at a time. Start with things that are simple: washing powder/shampoo/body wash/baby wipes. You don't need to go gun-hoe and change everything in your household in one big hit - and I wouldn't recommend it either. Stick to focussing on one thing at a time, and finding the best option that works for you.  I started by making my own baby wipes, then we changed our wash powder, then I ditched all our candles (and swapped for essential oils), and then I moved onto ditching preservatives from the pantry and fridge. We still have a long way to go to make our house as toxin free as possible, to support our health and environment. But with baby steps, it is much less overwhelming! The Wellness Mama is an AMAZING page to follow - she has some fantastic ideas and recipes to get you inspired and started!

6. Just keep swimming

It is a long, tiring, sometimes lonely road! You will get judged, you will get people thinking you are some crazy-ass tree-hugging hippy (or witch doctor - I've had that with my use of essential oils....Rochelle! haha)...you will have awesome successes and some major fails too....you will have setbacks, but it is important to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and just keep swimming....your body will thank you for it and you will be glad you stuck with it!

I hope this post has been somewhat beneficial - I apologise if it is all over the place. There is just so many different parts to our journey, it has been difficult to get them all to gel together in the one post! If you would like to know anything further, please don't hesitate to send me a PM or leave a comment below and I will do my best to answer!

xxx