I didn't think it could get any worse. And then I got married. I worry when my husband has a test at school or has to teach a lesson. I feel bad when I know he is tired and I don't sleep when I know he is stressed. I even worry that he gets lunch during the day. Ridiculous, especially because he is a very competent and intelligent adult. (This is just the beginning of what I worry about. I am just too embarrassed to admit to any more.)
I didn't think it could get any worse, and then we had kids.
Now my problem is at an all time high. I hurt when our kids hurt, whether I can control the situation or not.
For the last year I have experienced extra sympathy stress and pain for our youngest daughter. When she was about a year old she started to scratch her legs. Before we knew it, she was scratching so much that her legs would bleed. They were a mess. Something was wrong. I put lotion on her every day after her bath. I changed soaps. I changed laundry detergents. Nothing I did made a difference. I worried non stop about the pain she was in.
We scheduled an appointment with the doctor who diagnosed Eczema. Eczema is a skin condition that involves scaly and itchy rashes. It is very common in young children and usually goes away by the time toddlers are 3 or so. Some times it is chronic and never goes away. We hope that is not the case with our little girl.
I felt helpless. I couldn't take the itch away. I couldn't stop the bleeding. Sometimes she would get to her legs while she was sleeping and wake up in bad shape.
Our doctor gave us a prescription for a topical steroid cream that he said "would take care of it." We filled the prescription and got started, hoping for relief.
Just like the doctor said, the itch went away and so did the dry skin. Unfortunately it lightened the color of her skin. There was a noticeable difference between where we were applying the cream, and where we weren't. My worrying didn't stop, it just changed focus. Instead of laying in bed at night, worrying about the itch and the bleeding because of the scratching, now I was worried about the the loss of pigmentation in our daughters legs. It was the lesser of two evils but even when we stopped with the cream, her legs just kept getting lighter where they had been treated.
My husband and I, and my parents, started looking for any type of solution we could find. We tried special lotions and potions, we changed her diet, eliminated certain foods, we ordered creams and ointments. No. Luck.
Then a break through. My husband visited his millionth health food store. A new one that just opened next to our local grocery store. He was greeted by a very talkative woman who promised a solution.
He came home that day with two bottles. Essential Oils. Lavender and Melaleuca.
The instructions:
3 drops of each oil on the bottoms of her feet once a day.
10 drops of each oil on her legs everyday.
It only took about 5 days and not only did we see a difference, but we saw a cure. Within 3 weeks the eczema was gone and the pigmentation in her legs was back to normal.
No more bleeding legs and both of us sleep much better at night.
Given that eczema affects a huge percentage of small children, and most of you have small children, I share the solution with you so that you don't have to worry any more either. Give it a shot, it won't disappoint.
Here's to one less thing to worry about. Cheers!
DO YOU WORRY ABOUT THINGS YOU CAN'T CONTROL?
DO YOUR KIDS HAVE ECZEMA?
Family Volley
yes and yes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for info. I'll have to give it a try. I assume it will work on more than just legs too?
My son has eczema and although it isn't as severe as it sounds like your daughters WAS :) (so happy to read it cured it for her!) thanks for this bit of information. It really flares up in the winter and I will make sure I remember this when the time comes.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I worry about pretty much EVERYTHING when it comes to my children and husband. They say you never know love until you have children (which is certainly true) but you never know worry until you have children either! I worry about things as petty as whether or not my son is getting invited to birthday parties (and if he doesn't are his feelings hurt) to major things like him getting kidnapped. It's a vicious cycle but I try not to be TOO neurotic about it! :)
Asher and Abbie both have Eczema. It is really bad in the winter. We have the Rx as well, but no discoloration issues. Maybe because they are pasty white like me in the winter:) The spots we have to worry about are the lower back and base of the skull. Maybe since my husband visits health food stores all.the.time, I can have him pick up some of that oil. Thanks
ReplyDeletewow, thanks for the tip, I had never heard that. My daughter also scratches her eczema so much that it will bleed. It is worse in the summer because I think she is allergic to grass. Can't wait to try this!! Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm a worrier, and my kids do have eczema, although not severe. Our dermatologist said not to give them a bath everyday (YES!)and gave us a cream that he said would help with the eczema, but thin their skin. Not good. We used it once or twice, and then I couldn't do it anymore. Thanks for the essential oils tip.
ReplyDeleteThis "find" has been such a blessing for us. The oils can be used anywhere, doesn't just have to be on legs. It can't hurt kids if it gets on their hands and then in their mouths either.
ReplyDeleteNow I put it on a few times a week instead of everyday. I follow it up with lotion. We use Kiehl's Nurturing Baby Cream for Face and Body.
I'm sorry your little girl has to deal with this - I had it when I was a baby through my early grade school years, then it disappeared, and all of a sudden last fall a few splotches came back! Changing bath soaps and laundry detergents helps mine the most, but there's still a very persistent tiny patch on my inner elbow that won't budge. Thanks for sharing this tip! Though I know odds are they're safe, but I never feel quite right about putting prescribed lotions on my skin... hard to go wrong with essential oils!
ReplyDeletemy son had eczema on his face (scratching his face or rubbing his face on his sheets until it bled), and has grown out of the worst of it, but still has sensitive skin. are these oils safe for him to ingest? (since it wouldn't just be a chance of getting it in his mouth, it would be a certainty.)
ReplyDeletethanks!!
bess :)
Question. WHen you sayon the bottom. You literally mean ON the bottom. Do we rub it in? Then On the leg. Do we rub it in?
ReplyDeleteSorry, but my sisters daughter suffers from eczema and I want to be able to tell her exactly what to do.
Thanks.
So since I know that we live somewhat close to each other I am wondering if you can tell me which health food store your hubby was at and possibly who he talked to? My hubby has all sorts of problems and after reading your post I sent him to the Good Earth in East Bay he came home with some things but nothing like you talked about and so far it is not helping....
ReplyDeleteHi tamikate,
ReplyDeleteWill you email me so I can give you more info. I couldn't find contact information for you.
blog.familyvolley(at)gmail(dot)com
I have had a quite a few questions about the essential oils. You can get them at your local health food store. You can also order them online. Lot's of places I am sure. I like the doTerra brand. You can find them at http://www.doterra.com/.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you do put them right on the bottom of feet and rub them in. Then put them on the affected area and rub them in there also.
Email me is you have any other questions.
Also, keep in mind that you will need to apply a few more drops to on an older child, or adult.
My 11 year old has eczema too and we have spent a great deal of money over the years seeing specialists and buying creams, soaps, and lotions. None have been a long lasting help until my new family doctor recommended having him take a zyrtec daily during flair ups. Since we've done that, he hasn't had a problem since February. (Normally, summer is bad for him due to swimming and chlorine!).
ReplyDeleteIronically, when he was a baby, I used lavendar essential oil on him as a calming tool I was told about from a friend. I would put it in his bathwater too, until he was about 2. (It was part of our bedtime routine). His eczema started when he was about 2.5 years old! Is that a coincidence?
I'm going to go find that other essential oil!
Thanks for the info Heather!
This is seriously an answer to prayer. My little guy has really bad eczema on his legs and a little on his arms and back. I really wasn't wanting to go to prescription strength steroid cream and it looks like I'm not going to. I am excited to try this remedy. Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIm guessing the Melaleuca is tea tree as this is the latin name but Im not sure if you are saying that you put this on neat or diluted in a base oil or is it already diluted from doterra? You shouldnt put neat essential oils on the skin especially children - can you clarify?
ReplyDelete