We just got back from an appointment with our nurse practitioner, so I thought I would share with you Little Smiling Man's new found nemesis... unknown allergies. Ugh. We've been on quite a journey for the last four months with no end in sight. So now seems as good a time as any to write about what's been going on.
We were and are very lucky with Mini Muffin's skin. Even as a newborn she could tolerate "normal" laundry detergent; no need for special hypoallergenic baby stuff. She rarely got diaper rashes, and to date has had maybe three viral rashes in her life. That's it. It's safe to say that my experience with treating skin conditions from my first born was slim.
Little Smiling Man got off to a good start too. He was more prone to diaper rashes, but they were always manageable. He was more prone to baby skin conditions like baby acne, but we were still able to use our regular laundry detergent with him as well.
That is, until he turned six months old. At his six month well baby check up I learned that the rough patches on his knees and lower back (which were starting to spread across his belly) were not from rubbing against the floor as he squiggled around, but were in fact eczema. Our family doctor suggested that he was likely developing a sensitivity to our laundry detergent, so we should switch him to hypoallergenic detergent with an extra rinse, cover him head to toe in Vaseline nightly (as a barrier), and it should resolve itself quickly.
It did not resolve itself quickly. I ended up switching the entire family to hypoallergenic laundry detergent to no effect. Since I had read that eczema can be a symptom of food allergy, and we were still early in the food introduction process, I also cut out solid foods from his diet and reintroduced them one by one. I documented everything he ate, everything I ate (because of nursing), and his symptoms. Eczema flare ups were lasting from days to more than a week, and it was almost impossible to quantitatively say if they were better or worse after a meal. Especially since their condition is also influenced by temperature, contact, and humidity. I gave up after about a month since there seemed to be zero correlation between either of our diets and his skin. At about eight months, his skin suddenly improved and we had about a month's reprieve with only occasional flare ups, despite his diet continuing to expand and not having eliminated anything from it.
Somewhere along the way we also started trying other skin soothing tips and tricks we received from those around us. Oatmeal baths, which my mother swore by for my sensitive skin as a baby. Minimizing use of soaps. A hazelwood necklace, as a friend claimed it took care of her son's eczema as well as her own skin sensitivities. Only wearing cotton to maximize breathability. We tried each one because, goodness knows, it wasn't going to hurt! None has had a significant impact to date, though we continue with occasional oatmeal baths and only rarely use soap on Little Smiling Man's skin.
Just after his nine month check up, a new rash developed. It got worse over three days until it was raised, rough, angry, covered his trunk, and resulted in our Christmas Day visit to the emergency department for what we learned were hives. We were told there was nothing that could be done, to keep them moisturised and give Tylenol for the discomfort. They also suggested logging what he was eating and exposed to in order to try and figure out the trigger. Argh! The outbreak lasted a full week with nothing seeming to make it better or worse. We had a two day reprieve, then another (slightly less severe) outbreak. I'm so grateful that his allergy or allergies are not life threatening, that is an absolute blessing. I do though find it is so frustrating that one outbreak lasts so long that it's nearly impossible to figure out the cause!
So, today, we went to see our nurse practitioner for help. She was fantastic. She gave me practical advice on caring for his rashes, and explained what's been going on. Essentially, his immune system is maturing, and as it does it reacts to certain triggers. They may include physical contact (e.g. detergents, soaps, etc), medications, foods, and so on. Each reaction is complex, as its severity is impacted by the allergen itself, as well as his clothing, the weather, and so on. She explained that it's not surprising I haven't gotten to the bottom of it, dermatology is a complex subject. She also said that his sensitivities will change over time, and while both the eczema and hives are definitely related to allergies at this point, he will likely outgrow them. As a result, there's no benefit to seeing an allergist at this time, as we're working with a moving target. Comforting and incredibly frustrating at the same time - I just want my baby to feel better!
Perhaps the best part of our visit, in my opinion, was when she left to do a bit of research, and came back to tell me that contrary to what we'd previously been told, there are in fact antihistamines available to babies from six months of age! She prescribed us one that is non-drowsy and lasts 24h! It's to be used on an as needed basis, but should shorted the duration of hives from a week to a day, thus making him more comfortable and diagnosis of his triggers much easier.
She suggested I keep a look out for high histamine foods, as well as suspected histamine triggers. So, tomatoes, strawberries, citrus fruits, etc. Now that we won't have to wait a miserable week of itchy skin between diagnosis opportunities, I'm feeling like this might actually be manageable!
So, at nearly ten months old and four months into Little Smiling Man's skin conditions, I can honestly say I have no idea what is going on or how to stop it. I know a bit more about how to keep him comfortable, what to look out for, and now have tools to shorten the duration. I also know that it's quite likely that as soon as I figure it out, his allergies will disappear and/or change, and it's just part of the process. I'm blessed that he's such a happy baby; even when he's miserable he's calm and relatively happy. So, we'll keep working on it and hopefully either his immune system will sort itself out, or we'll learn how to keep his immune system from going into overdrive.
Wish us luck... We need it.
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