Don’t rub me like a Jedi knight.
February 16, 2005The above is a statement uttered by Henry. I was going to provide the anecdote that would put it in context, but the hell with it. You might think you can figure out why he would say such a thing but you won’t be able to figure it out. Henry is an enigma wrapped in a riddle, side-by-side with a conundrum, across the way from a bugaboo.
In other news, my son is covered in rashes. This is not new. For lo these many months he has been bedecked with eczema and bespeckled with hives. As he himself put it, he is "itchy, itchy Ichabod." I haven’t done much about it because—well, I blame the liquor. Whoops! Actually I am sober 89% of the time, and we’ve done everything we can to figure out what the problem is, and everyone’s conclusion is that there’s no real problem. Except he’s all scratchy and hive-y. The hives bloom and then fade of their own twisted accord, with no apparent connection to anything he’s eaten or done or said or thought. One doctor posited that it might be a reaction to our wool rug, so we no longer let him lounge pantsless on said rug. We apply medicinal salves and unguents on a regular basis, and we dose him with Benadryl. Our detergents are everything-free. No longer do we enjoy bubbles in our bath—instead we add soothing but decidedly un-festive baking soda, or as Henry calls it, “baby soda.” After the bath, instead of rubbing him like a Jedi knight, we pat him softly like a Sith lord.
Then he spent the weekend with my in-laws, and returned with smooth, rash-free skin for the first time in, oh, since he was born. My in-laws denied doing anything special for him. So the only reasonable conclusion is that his skin benefited from their lack of squalor. That a weekend in the suburbs meant a blessed reprieve from the dust mites and chiggers that usually gnaw on his infant flesh as he slumbers. In other words, we live in filth. Which I guess means I should vacuum or clean or whatever, but I’m so tired! And self-absorbed! Oh—and drunk.
Reader Comments (62)
what has made a difference for me and for my friend who has it as well is the addition of omega 3 stuff. so, salmon oil, flax seed oil, stuff like that. these are things that will no doubt be the favourite things of a toddler, no? *grin*
At any rate, filth is clearly the new black.
We've tried Eucerin of all types including everything made by companies under the aegis of the Eucerin Group (kidding, but you get my drift), everything made by Cetaphil, everything made by Jergens, Vaseline, foreign brands, off brands, etc. Not even Aquaphor OINTMENT makes a dent in his patchy hide.
He's been to two dermatologists, and both have assured me that changing detergents won't help. I didn't believe them, and so I did, but it didn't. We tried Soy formula and that didn't do anything. Max has flare-ups and then they just go away ... and there never seems to be much of a rhyme or reason.
Nothing helps except Baby Exzema (sp?) Cream by ... Orajel (random, huh?). It's thick as hell and a bit greasy, but after 10 minutes of settling in his skin is positively satiny. It works really well to slather it on before bed so it can stew under his jammies and socks. Oh, and also, we were not giving Max a ton of baths because I thought I was drying him out, but actually giving him daily baths and then lotioning him up directly afterward has been the only thing close to helping keep him hydrated.
Sorry for all the busybody advice. Good luck.
regarding dear henry, though, i'll throw some stuff out at you that might be worth trying, depending on your/henry's patience and your collective level of frustration:
- try cutting dairy out of his diet - cheese, milk, the works - for a while and see if that does anything. dairy promotes inflammation and it makes a lotta inflammatory conditions (mine included) worse (i.e. eczema, asthma, etc.)
you might wanna try rice milk instead of soy. for one thing, i think it tastes better and for another, it tends to be less allergenic. i know of what i speak!
see what dr. weil has to say about this. he has a pretty even-handed approach with this stuff. (http://www.drweil.com) you might hafta do this for a while (er, coupla weeks? a month?) to see if it helps...but if it does it's totally worth it.
other stuff worth eliminating (check out some books about "rotation diets" for allergies), either all at once or one at a time (see books or do as you will): wheat; citrus, chocolate, nuts, eggs, seafood, tomatoes. all pretty allergenic, though of course not equally for everybody. but seriously, my eczema got cut to less than 1/2 when i figured out the tomato thing.
- aveeno bath stuff (the big drugstore chains make a generic that's just as good) feels really good on itchy skin. someone posted here about "sarno", and if i'm not mistaken, that's the same thing. oh wait, someone said something about aveeno too. so yeah!
- keep that kid outta itchy clothes! ix-nay on the ool-way! and polar fleece, though soft, is pretty sweat-trapping...sometimes getting too sweaty makes that rashy stuff flare up. think: breathable. like cotton.
- ditto on the adding certain fats to his diet, as someone said (again, check out what my man dr. weil has to say about supplements! that guy knows about it!) most of them can be snuck into food and stuff so i doubt henry'll fight you on it.
- for em who posted about weird rash by eyes -- try elidel. i swear, i am not a spokesperson for novartis but it rocks the friggin house. you might have a hard time getting your health ins. (if you have it) to cover it 'cause they'd rather you use the evil cortisone (thins out your skin if you use it too long in same spot.) but get your dermatologist to say you are sensitive to cortisone and they'll usually pay for it. elidel has no such dangers (that they know of yet) and it has literally changed my rashy-assed life. i use it on my face every day. i am pathetically, wicked photosensitive and it keeps those rashes in check.
alice, it's safe for kids too so you maybe you should look into it for H, if you're not already there.
warning: if you have a rash that's already "bloomed" (i.e., it's already pretty itchy), the first few times you try it, the elidel might make it feel warm/slighty burny/more itchy. which totally sucks. if you can get through it though, it will help keep that shit in check and not feel like that again if you use it regularly. might wanna take benedryl to get you through that first time.
(sigh) sorry alice. i typed too many words at you. i hope something from someone here helps. i get home from work at 6 am and i am all wired and tired.good luck to you guys! feel free to email if you wanna.
little miss autoimmune disorder(western brooklyn title holder)
Good luck. We just go through good times and bad times with the skin. I do know extreme temperature changes make it flare up.
Witch hazel, somewhat diluted in a spray bottle, spritzed on the itchy body.
Eliminate all processed foods, which contain so many ingredients, and see what happens. My next-door-neighbor's toddler was "itsy" until she eliminated corn sweetener from her diet.
Get or make some sheet sleeping bags and change them and the pillow case and pajamas every day. It's easier than changing the sheets, so you may actually keep it up for a while.
Increasing my water intake helps a lot for me, as does using a moisturizer with aloe vera in it. But what really helps me is Vitamin E oil (break open the little capsules.) It really works wonders for me in reducing a patch to softness overnight. My sister used hydrocortisone creams with less success, but it did seem to help the itching.
Itchy, itchy Ichabod. I, I, I.
Aloe Vera also reduces the itching (it stinks though).
Katrin
Good luck, Alice. Being an itchy adult is bad enough. Being a little kid who has to depend on others to fix your problems is probably worse.
YOU AINT FUNNY SISTER!
or maybe i get so much hate mail i can't tell when somebodies trying to be funny. it's a lot easier to tell when they actually ARE funny.
In other news, I can't stop singing "Rub me like a Jedi Knight" to the tune of "Rock You Like a Hurricane."
But I will remember to avoid the itchy ol' wool rug. My skin, too, is sensitive like an overwrought thirteen year old.