Reflecting upon our "eczema years,” I have learned a great deal about commitment, priorities, and the power of intuition - invaluable life lessons that I will always be grateful for. Here are some of my biggest takeaways from this experience.
Keep searching for the approach that's best for you or your baby
Caring for a child with severe eczema can be intense and overwhelming, and getting stuck in a treatment rut is easy. For years, I blindly followed the orders of a handful of dermatologists and allergists, which were largely limited to a steadily increasing amount of steroid creams and/or oral antihistamines. Even though I followed their directions to a tee, my sweet baby cried daily from pain and discomfort for years. Numerous times I felt fatigued, defeated, and numb enough to believe that her condition was permanent; we needed to simply accept it and learn to live with it.
Nevertheless, my gut was saying there just had to be another way. While I am not questioning the doctors' expertise nor the standard eczema treatment that has worked on millions of patients, clearly it did not work for my daughter. Essentially, it did not even scratch the surface, pun intended. Therefore we took the road of trial and error, seeking various other treatments. Some made no difference, some worked for a few days, and others made Daniela's skin worse. However, each of them moved us in a new direction, and Daniela came closer to being the healthy kid she is today! If we had not taken a chance with an atypical treatment approach, her skin condition would have continued in the downward spiral. My suggestion to anyone unwilling to accept the status quo is never to stop looking for the right doctor and the right treatment, whether it is second, fifth, or eighteenth opinion. This made a life-changing difference for Daniela and our family.
Major change takes a number of little changes
The goal of eliminating all reactive items from Daniela's diet and environment required numerous adjustments, which took a 100% commitment, major discipline, and a considerable amount of money. Making these changes was only the beginning — getting used to new routines and sticking to them in the long run were equally important.
I learned to read the food label of every single item in my grocery car making sure all the ingredients are safe. We religiously packed her own food for school, trips, flights and even to restaurants. Eliminating all types of sugar was challenging with a five-year-old, but organic candy with agave syrup saved the day.
I also learned to stop and think before purchasing cleaning supplies and cosmetics. We got rid of cleaners with harsh chemicals, bleach, air-fresheners, etc. and switched all Daniela's personal care cosmetics to natural or organic ones.
Most importantly, there were no "cheat days." It was incredibly tempting to look away and let her eat an occasional lollipop or pizza or play with a colorful Princess make-up, especially as her eczema was improving. However, I resisted the best I could, knowing that the more we stuck to the plan, the sooner positive results would come.
The treatment did not come cheap but was worth every penny
The whole treatment, including the testing process, added up to a considerable chunk of money, and our insurance did not cover it. (Typically, it is rarely covered.) Seeing the fantastic results in a short period of time convinced me, though, that it was the best money we’d ever spent, and I would not hesitate to do it again. The biggest payoff by far was our daughter’s improving health and well-being. In the long run, it saved us thousands of dollars that we would have paid in the years to come for more medications, creams, and doctor visits. Most importantly, her recovery made a major impact on our quality of our life—something we could not put a price tag on.
All the efforts paid off in the end. After about a year of the strict diet, we felt confident enough to start re-introducing the previously allergenic foods back into her diet. The process was slow and gradual, and we watched closely for any sign of her symptoms coming back. That never happened, showing how quickly my daughter's immune system had repaired itself. She has now been eczema-free for five years, able to eat all her previously "forbidden" items, and taking no eczema creams or allergy medicine.
There were times when eczema completely ruled our lives. Now, it’s a distant memory.