Fast forward to 8 months

Wow, where have I been, where shall I start... Well for one, I was separated from my husband for a few months and now we're back together. He had a gall bladder removal during his withdrawal from substance abuse (alcohol) and realized what a wonderful family he has, despite the fact that his wife is a little obsessed with her kids' health -understandably so considering I've camped out at my daughter's hospital not once but twice- and the kids demand first priority at this age. Men have got to grow up, what more is there to say. I just thank God I managed to stick around for him to get sober, but then again, where else would I go with two young kids having given up work 4+ years ago? But more about the job situation later, as I've figured out a way to work at home during these solitude months. This blog is part of it, but not all of it. I've been wanting to blog ever since I had kids, as the computer seems to be the only way to connect with the world!


So I've been pounding away emailing "experts," researching everything I could find as my emotions followed my son's condition up and down. The good news is that his eczema is down to one patch on his chin. My daughter has NO ECZEMA and I'm proud to say she is officially off the inhaler drugs (Albuterol and Flovent HFA) - yay! Be patient with me as I log everything I've tried and read about, and I'm doing it as much for my sake as for all those moms out there who went stir crazy with this problem.


Here are a couple of recent pics of my little guy, first one taken June 12, second one taken today, 4 days apart. What did I do differently? This question alone made me nutso, trying to figure out and track every little thing I do differently from one day to the next while keeping all other elements intact. Impossible feat!


But doesn't the second photo look like it has been doctored? I'll admit that I've become quite good at digitally clearing up skin (power of the cloning tool), but I've also done quite a bit of graphic design work in the past so no big deal. And no, I did not doctor this one up, don't really need to - first time in all 20 months of my DS's history, which is why I'm celebrating by posting in this blog. (OK, maybe I'm showing off just a little.)


Just looking at these pictures, you'd think I never had a problem, what's the big deal. Scroll down to the bottom pics and oh if you had only seen his face before when he was 10 months old and had to go on antibiotics, the cold sores inside his mouth on which I had to apply a Benadryl/Maalox mix and the "blackberries" that appeared on his face after the pus dried up.


But this is why I want to share my journey with the world, anyone who cares (especially since I've ran out of people to talk to about in my local circle). I don't know everything about eczema, but I do know a few things that have worked for me. It may not work for everyone, but I know when I was seeking for answers, I was willing to try anything, take any advice anyone has to give, because there is a chance that it might work for me. Not everything I tried worked, but it got me closer to the truth and I'm hoping to provide someone out there a piece of their puzzle as well.


Here is a short summary of my latest regimen and I will work backwards in my future posts in terms of what I tried, what effect it had/didn't have and go into more details about the products, what I've learned, etc.


Three key things--
Diet
Supplemental foods/vitamins
Topical creams/ointments

Diet Rules-
1. Fresh fruit only for breakfast, lots & lots of fruit
2. Wait a few hours before lunch, lunch no earlier than 11:30am, no later than 1pm. Lunch consists of meat/fish/chicken & non-starchy vegetables (broccoli or dark leafy greens).
3. Snack after afternoon nap, usually fruit, never dried fruit (or not yet).
4. Dinner served no later than 6pm, whole grains and/or starchy vegetables, no meat.

Supplements-
1. Probiotics before or after fruit breakfast
2. Silica with grapefruit seed extract before or after lunch, mixed with coconut milk and/or coconut water, Vita Enhanced Water, vanilla & stevia
3. Digestive enzymes and Children's multi during or after lunch
4. Probiotics again before dinner/afternoon snack
5. "Super shot" after dinner - Limu Plus juice mixed with enzymes, greens powder, blue green algae (spirulina), grapefruit seed extract, Vita Enhanced water, stevia

Topical-
1. Earthworm Herbals ezcema cream
2. Dr. Christopher's Complete Tissue & Bone ointment
3. Hylands Calendula cream
4. Neem oil
5. Tea tree oil (if fungal infection present and is really bad)
6. Water (1 tsp.) + 3 drops Vita Enhanced Water + 3 drops grapefruit seed extract (gives skin a chance to breathe)

I alternate the various topical treatments, have a jar/bottle in various rooms and basically use whatever's within nearest reach. Personally I don't think it matters a whole lot what you put on the skin externally, there are plenty of good, chemical-free products and I avoid chemicals, because there's the notion that whatever you put on the skin has to be ingestible as well. The herbal ointments violate this rule, because of the comfrey, yet comfrey is a powerful healer, so who knows. Also, I wondered if using the same product will allow the body to become too accustomed to it and then it will no longer work. This seems to be true for herbs taken internally, like echinacea; we are only supposed to take it for two weeks, break for two weeks before starting again.


Some of these supplements I found by accident, like the silica. My brother sent me a link as he was looking for fertilizer for his garden and I decided to buy the food grade version. It is hard to get down, tastes and looks like chalk (yes, I've tasted chalk), so I put it away for a year, until I came upon the latest theory - eczema is due to excess fungus in the intestines. I googled and found Syclovir, which appears to be the same stuff as the 10-lb. bag of silica I had purchased before. So I mix it with coconut water, vanilla and stevia and the kids slurp it up no problems. Many of the supplements are from Vitamark and this is because I am an affiliate - yes, I'm selling you something. But before you get alarmed or think you're being lied to or that I'm trying to rip you off, I suggest you to shop around and do some price comparisons of these products. Don't buy if you think they are a rip, but be sure you're getting good value for similar products; not all supplements are alike though they appear to be the same. I provided the links for the other products so you have an idea of what it is, don't feel you must buy from that particular site, go to your local health store if it's available there. I tend to shop online for supplements, because they tend to be cheaper. I shop at iherb.com often, because I save on shipping if I order a certain amount and there's a $5-off coupon you can use if you decide to shop there: RAM696.


Not sure how long it will be before I post again, because I started homeschooling my daughter, but here are a few more pics so you'll see how my son's face looked in the past. No matter what, he is the sweetest little boy in the w orld. :)