Andrew

Well, we have had an eventful month. Olan got called last minute to go to the UK (Nottingham) on business that same day, not knowing how long he was going to be gone. That was a Tuesday, and the day before Andrew's eczema flared up on his legs. He has had it on and off for a while now, but it never got to the point where it really bothered him, so I never took him to see someone. I have had eczema myself since I was a teenager, so I figured it was just hereditary so we would just deal with it.

Well, the day Olan left for the UK, I decided to cut out the dairy products out of our diet to see if that was the cause of the eczema. I figured it was good timing with Olan gone, I could focus on finding dairy free things to eat. It had flared up on his little legs and was itching bad enough I could tell it was really bothering him. I had wondered about the dairy for a while(mother's instinct? Holy Ghost?), but never cut it out enough to make a difference. I had hoped that by stopping the dairy he would be clear in 4 to 5 days and we would just stay dairy free.

Well, we stopped the dairy products and by the time 24 hours has passed by, another terrible rash had developed on his arms, back of his hands and face. It also was itchy, but was clearly not eczema. I had switched him to almond milk (to replace regular milk) so I wondered if he was allergic to almonds. I finally made an appointment with Dr. Moore and she confirmed that the eczema was from the dairy and he was also having issues with eggs, and wheat. She said it is possible that he will outgrow all of this, but we have to avoid all of it for now. She gave me a list of other supplements to give him to help clear him up and help his immune system function a little better. I started that day (Friday)and by Sunday he still looked just awful. He still wasn't sleeping thought the night, and I was at my wits end. When your little boy is screaming in the middle of the night and itching like crazy, and you try everything you know to do, but nothing helps, you can't help but cry along with him. It has been an emotional time for sure.

I finally broke down and started him on antihistamines since it was an allergy, but they didn't seem to work very well. Anti-itch creams just stung and hurt him and made him scream. The only things that didn't sting were pure, straight lanolin (found in the baby section- I had it left over from Brendon), olive oil, and my facial moisturizer(Burt's Bee's Royal Jelly Day Time Moisturizer-love this stuff!).

So on Sunday we were at the family gathering and he was able to receive a priesthood blessing from his Grandpa. I believe that was the first time he had slept though the night in almost an entire week! I am so thankful for priesthood blessings! Since then, his rash and eczema have continued to improve. His face is completely clear, and his arms are getting there. His eczema still doesn't look good, but it doesn't bother him so much. the itching has gone down enough that I took him off the antihistamines. He is less sensitive to what I put on him now. I can use anti itch cream without it hurting him. I have a hard time remembering to put stuff on him. He gets a good slathering at bed time and nap time, but I forget other than that. Maybe that is why it is not clearing up as quickly as I would like.

Olan just happened to miss all this excitement while he was away, and I got to deal with it by myself. He came back the Wednesday after Andrew got the blessing. He still got a glimpse of the rash, but he never saw it at it's worst. Anyway, thank you all for your prayers support! It is much appreciated!

You can kind of see the rash on his arms in this picture.


You can see his eczema here. It was much worse and kept him up at night.


First day in the new pool! He loved it!