Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Good-bye (thanks Callie!) my beloved Pizza...

This is Haven when she was 1...you can sort of see the eczema rash she had on her face, around her mouth, etc. Once we eliminated all dairy from her diet VIOLA! the rash disappeared forever!

Sweety pie, Brighton, is covered in an eczema rash. It started, very suddenly, about 2 weeks ago and has gotten worse and worse. The pictures don't really show how bad it is. Poor little guy. After much thought and research and creams, I had almost decided to eliminate all dairy from my diet. Today, the pediatrician took one look at him and said "allergy." Then I knew...the answer to taking care of my sweet little boy's itchy skin rash was for me to try an elimination diet, since he is exclusively breast-fed. The Doctor said she only sees eczema this bad when it is an allergy. I knew that dairy was the number one culprit, so I anticipated her suggestion for me to go dairy-free. I felt like that was the right answer, too, since Haven had a diary allergy...it is likely Brighton would too.

Using the natural balms and lotions has helped his skin tons! (as a side note, most of the things that are recommended for eczema contain petroleum products which are not very good for skin and actually have a drying effect in the long run...things like Eucerin and Aquafor are petroleum based..and the ones that aren't petroleum based have water and/or tons of alcohol ingredients...again with the drying effect and not being good for your skin....) Luckily he doesn't try to scratch much and luckily it is still too cool for short sleeves and shorts since he really only tries to scratch when his sweet little skin is exposed. He does rub at his face and ears some, but he's just as happy to hold your finger. :) So far, it's been a wake up call about just how much dairy was in my diet before! It's been good to make me stretch and figure out alternatives and to expand my repertoire of foods. I also anticipate that a happy side-effect of going dairy free is going to be noticeable on the scale.... :) It will be a long 18 months or so without cheesecake, though!

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the "shout out" Heidi! Hahaha. I sure hope it works, and that the poor little guy isn't so itchy soon! I sooo relate to what you are going through!! Who needs milk anyway?? ;)

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