31/10/2011 by spindlygiraffe.

Phew - hand foot and mouth disease done and dusted.  Two children and husband inflicted is not a great household to be in!  James’ skin was awful.  Huge cornflakes of skin fell off.  I know some suffer with that all the time, I am not used to it.  Shaking the lumps of skin out the window before being able to wash the sheets.  Finding trails from wherever he had been.

Anyway, much better.  Keeping my fingers crossed that his feet heal without trace of eczema on them.  His hands were completely raw.  It looks so much better now.  I don’t worry about him breaking the skin open by holding things now.  Good timing over half term.  I know others in the class got it.  Sorry to them.

His face is great.  We have got back on to protopic 0.1% again.  We’re back onto the steroid creams too.  It is not shifting it though.  I guess it is preventing it from getting worse.  I wonder if it is better to blast it with a stronger cream and have a few days off, then repeat as and when, or use a milder one constantly?

Thankfully he is looking forward to returning to school tomorrow.  I don’t think he knows what to say when people ask him about his skin.  A wee friend asked him at school before half term, he froze to the spot and I explained it was just where he was itchy.  Wee boy pottered off again quite happily.  James’ confidence is coming on so well, I could really do without it being knocked!

Is his skin good or not at the moment?  Hard to say, not bad but not great.  Keep on with the creams and wait for the weather to change so we have the heating on to test his resilience.

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19/10/2011 by spindlygiraffe.

I read the end of my last post.  James had just gone to bed shivering and then been really hot.  In the morning he was fine and trotted off to school.  He came out saying he felt much better than the day before too.

Arrived home and he took his socks and shoes off straight away and sat scratching at his feet.  He doesn’t have eczema on the soles of his feet - yet.  It looked bumpy and red, but not a problem.

On Monday I had asked the chemist if I should put anything on my daughter’s hand as it looked much worse than when she saw the doctor.  He said just a barrier cream.  On Tuesday it had spread further, more infected.   My Mum had recommended something, so I went to a different chemist.  They saw her hands and recommended not using the suggested stuff. By night she had a bit on her feet too.

Last night both children ended up with a dose of calpol.  James was up with incredibly itchy feet.  This morning, his eczema was much worse (despite trying to blast it last night with elocon) - raised, inflamed and infected.  His feet had red spots and his hands were blistered.  There was also a rash on his face not like his usual eczema.  Great, school photo day!

I was going to take the kids early to school for their photo.  Instead I booked a double GP appointment.  Confirmed both.  Daughter got more fucidin.  I did not know what to put on James’ skin.  Lucky I asked as she said not to use the steroid creams as they would basically feed the viral infection.

School - can he go or can’t he?  Doctor said no, but read the official guidance and said there was no reason to keep him off.  School were more hesitant.  I took them round for the photo when the other kids were not there.  The Head’s own children had had it and she was fine about him coming back tomorrow.  The secretary less sure.

The problem is, it is contagious.  So obviously it would make sense to keep him off, however, he could be contagious for several weeks.  Selfishly I want to see his class assembly on Friday afternoon.  I can already feel the burning eyes of other parents as they know ‘it is him’.  The damage is done already though, he has probably been contagious for a while.  The doctor has seen quite a lot of people with it lately.

He feels ok in himself, but is tetchy and more emotional.   I am hoping it does not turn into eczema on his feet but disappears as quickly as it came.  I developed eczema on my foot after cutting it on a rusty nail.  It took 12 years to get rid of it on my foot. Hope my daughter is ok too, it started in a little patch of her eczema.

Posted in Children and Eczema, General | 2 Comments »

18/10/2011 by spindlygiraffe.

My daughter does not really get eczema, only a tiny patch behind one knee.  Phew!  Or so I thought.

She sucks her thumb.  Either thumb, not really fussy, but one tends to live in her mouth.  She had developed a dry patch around the base of her thumb, her knuckle.  Friday night she woke up a few times - in the end I gave her some calpol.  She never wakes up.

Saturday morning it looked infected, and blistered.  I put some Fucidin on and covered it over when we went to the zoo. I was not popular as then it was not going in her mouth!  At dinner time I asked my neighbour, she and her husband work in pharmacy roles.  They agreed it was not terribly great but we concluded to see how we went - not that much would be done Saturday night!  I just wondered if there was anything I should put on it.

Sunday morning it was much worse.  My husband took her to the out of hours clinic where she was given an antibiotic for it.  The antibiotic is not a big hit.  4 times a day, on an empty stomach and an hour before food.  How long does it take for your food to go down?  She gets up and within 30 minutes is having breakfast.  So after breakfast and then trying to fit 3 more in before 7pm bedtime is quite tough!

Anyway, she had 4 doses yesterday and then this morning woke up to discover it had spread to her other thumb and to her index finger.  It looks really grim.  Like the stereotypical warty bubbly witch skin (quite seasonal).  It was yellow, oozy, blistering, red, raw - it looks painful and kept waking her up.

I called in to the Chemist to see if there was anything to put on it explaining that it was early for the antibiotic to make a significant impact.  They said it would be 3 days before the antibiotic really made any difference.  (As I write we have had 2 full days - perhaps overnight some improvement will be made, I’ve already been in with the Calpol- even rinsing her hands is sore never mind drying them).  He also recommended a barrier cream.  We have tried that.  She has suddenly turned anti-cream.  I don’t know why.

Behind her knee has also got worse.  I need to find some way to prevent this happening again.  I need to get her to keep her thumbs out of her mouth.  In the meantime, I need the antibiotic to hurry up and kick in.

James’ skin is ok at the moment - although he fell asleep early tonight shivering excessively and then woke up roasting hot.  If it is not one thing, it’s another with kids!

Posted in Children and Eczema | 1 Comment »

07/10/2011 by Admin Kirsty.

Don’t forget to go and visit www.eczema.org from time to time - we are currently taking names for free samples of an emollient - Lipikar Baume AP and for our newly revised booklet on Contact Dermatitis.And remember to tell any family and friends that are living with eczema too!:~)

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