Itchy Kid Making Herself Bleed! Help!

I could've have written this myself about my 2 year old boy. The best thing that we've tried to alleviate his itching is baking soda in his bathtub and zyrtec every evening. I absolutely hate giving him the allergy medicine every day (even though it was his pedi who so adamantly pushed the idea) but it really works. I've tried weaning him off of it, but his skin just flares up again. But try the baking soda--about 1/4-1/2 a cup in her warm bath water at night and maybe try the childrens zyrtec if you feel comfortable with it. Best of luck!

this rash - what is the diagnosis? eczema? infection? allergy - to what? what was done as the confirmation? - test? dr. hunch? did they test her liver? even though conventional medicine does not have much to offer in terms of solution, they should at least provide you with more information.
Good Luck
V.

My first thought was a kidney disorder. Diabetes can cause it which is usually linked with kidney disorder. Many times diabetes is caused by high cortisol production from the adrenal gland called cushings. Any other symptoms going on?

Check these links, click on the diagnosis and follow them for full symptom check lists:

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/symptoms/itching_all_over/c...

Ever since I was pregnant with my second baby, I've been itching all over. Some of the things that have helped have been to switch to a glycerin soap (like Neutrogena) and use Gold Bond lotion, especially right after the bath/shower. Gold Bond has menthol in it, so it does give some relief. Other people have recommended Cetaphil, but I haven't tried that. It was also recommended that I take flax seed oil. They sell OTC supplements if you don't want to swallow the oil.

Have you gone to an allergist to have her tested? You mention only topical things as potential allergens. Maybe it's dietary? I'm starting to suspect I may have a mild wheat allergy.

Also, did your daughter ever take Zyrtec? I hear that extreme itching can be a withdrawal symptom. It's something that people have to ride out for a couple of weeks, but then it tends to subside as long they don't take another antihistamine to try to combat it.

Good luck!

Are you sure she doesn't have eczema? My 3 1/2 year old has had eczema for about two years now. The first Dr told us it wwas just dry skin that would go away and suggested lotioning it. Then we noticed it speading and he'd scratch the areas until they bled. So the next Dr we saw confirmed it was eczema and gave us Hydrocortizome cream and told us to use it every day 2-3 times a day. She told us to buy a moisterizer called Cetaphil and use it everydy a few times a day to keep his skin hydrated.
She also told us when bathing him never use bubble bath, use Dove soap (we use the one for sensitive skin) and when drying him never rub only pat him dry. Afterwards we use the creams to keep him hydrated through the night. I know it may sound like a lot but it's helped so much he baely even scratches at all and the dry patches aren't spreading anymore. I hope this helps you and her :)

My son has terrible skin. If he sleeps with his cheek on something that's not 100% cotton he has a nasty red mark that looks like he's been slapped in the face. His skin is so sensitive to everything. I have stopped giving him a bath every day which helps with dryness. The doctor doesn't give it a name or even try to figure out what's causing it because EVERYTHING causes it! I have psoriasis and scratch my skin in my sleep also. One thing to do is cut her fingernails super short and keep them buffed on the tips so they aren't sharp at all. I sleep in gloves sometimes. I've found that the best thing is anything with omega 3. I take fish oil or cod liver oil. It's totally gross even though it's in a capsule but it makes a really big difference. Talk to your ped about a fish oil or another source of omega 3.

USF ointment from Standard Process works AMAZING for skin issues, especially for allergy issues and open sores. Also, I would use pure oils, like grapeseed oil, rather than creams with all full of waxes (parabens) and phenoxyethanols. This is to help with healing the skin, while you can help her heal the inside, which is where this is coming from.

Allergy meds may help the symptoms, but that's not the reason she has it. She doesn't have a deficiency of Zyrtec. In my experience ALL skin issues is the liver trying to dump and so, since the body is not processing things properly it gets pushed out of the skin. Allergy meds will only drive it deeper.

Since a vitamin C COMPLEX with includes an equal amount of bioflavinoids to vitamin C, possibly with rose hips as well, is a natural anti-histamine and can GENTLY clean out the liver, not like milk thistle or dandelion, which will be too harsh for some 6 year old's livers. I use CBR (vitman C, Bioflavinoids, Rutin) from TheraTech. A large bottle of 250 runs about $25. You might consider giving her 2000mg of a vitamin C complex per day....so 500mg tablet 4x/day. Vitamin C is water soluble, so if you give more than the body needs at that moment, it will dump, so splitting it up is important. LOTS of water, so the liver gets cleaned out through the intestines, rather than forcing it through the skin, which might temoprarily increase symptoms. Stick with this for 3-4 weeks and see. I'll bet anything this will work. (PS, you can crush it up, if she can't swallow vitamins, and mix this in something for her.)

I was once told by my grandkids' pediatrician that during weather changes the pH of the blood changes, causing pruritus (itching), esp. during the cold weather. No medication nor lotion would help. So, this doctor advised us to drink cranberry juice. Somehow this has been a great help during the winter months. Maybe the cranberry juice had balanced the blood pH, since we no longer suffer from pruritus during cold season. Hope the cranberry juice also help your little one.

My son gets itchy like that too. I only have him take a bath every other day (unless he really needs one in between). Then when he is still wet I put Aveeno Bath Oil all over him and let it soak in. I lightly dry him off then I'll have him wear long sleeve/pants pajamas to keep the oil on his skin.If there are bad places that are bleeding I put Neosporin and a band aid over it. In the morning have your daughter use baby powder or talcum powder. Keep her bedroom moist and cool with a cold air humidifier. Don't keep the heat on too high in the house. Hopefully this will help.

Good luck!

I would highly recommend that you investigate natural alternatives. Itchy skin can be caused by having too much yeast in the system. The best way to remedy this is with natural methods. An oriental medicine doctor could probably give you great insight and alternative treatments that would resolve the issue. If it's not too much yeast, an oriental medicine doctor could help you determine the systemic cause of the issue. They can help you eliminate the cause instead of just masking the symptoms.

Have you looked into her diet? It could be something that she is eating. Have you taken her to a dermatologist or just regular MD. Regular doctors can't always diagnose skin rashes that a dermatologist can. Sometimes I fine we have to be our own doctors and through process of elimination we can figure things our on our own. Have you tried eliminating certain foods from her diet? I would try a week of no dairy and see if she does better. It could also be a wheat allergy. I feel for her it must be terrible to be itchy all of the time. Rather then benedryl at night have you tried a daily allergy pill like Zyrtec or Claritin so it can help her without making her drowsy. Good luck!!

When giving her a bath/shower use lukewarm to cool water. Hot baths/showers just inflame the blood vessels close to the surface of the skin making them more sensitive and itchy. The cool water will help reduce the inflammation giving her some relief. Also, if you give her a cool/lukewarm bath you can actually let her bath as much as she wants – it’s the hot baths/showers that cause the skin irritation as hot water dries the skin and leeches your bodies’ natural oils. After the bath try using straight Vaseline for the problem areas. My niece just saw another allergist and this one recommended getting rid of all the steroid creams, special lotions, etc. – which were obviously not working . This of course is all to treat the symptoms. You really need to find out the cause whether it be eating habits (too much sugar, dairy, allergy to certain foods, etc) or and external cause.
My SO used to suffer from extreme eczema when he was a young boy, teenager and young adult. The one time it cleared up completely was when he visited Japan for a month and of course ate mainly fresh veggies, fish, little meat and no dairy. These days he regularly takes cool showers, uses dove for sensitive skin (unscented) and swims at the local natural spring pool with average temperate being 68 degrees. He gets small spots everyone once in a while – mainly in the winter when he can’t swim as much but it’s nothing like it was before he started watching his diet and stopped taking hot showers.
Just as an added note - using various forms of water is call hydrotherapy used since ancient Greek times. Temperature is very important as it has different affects each system of your body differently. I won’t go into anymore details but there is a lot of info on the internet about it’s benefits - not just for relief of skin problems.

she has eczema! my daughters is really bad like that. heres what i do. everyday i give her benadryl, then lotion her before i get her dressed (i put aquafor on her worst spots). i do this atleast 3 times a day. i dont let her sit in the bath for more then it takes me to wash her. i use aveeno wash and lotion. when i lotion my daughter in the middle of the day i strip her down to her panties and lotion her head to toe! i would have her allergy tested (by blood) and see if shes allergic to food, mold, dust etc. my daughter is sensitive to environmental allergens and chemical allergens (scented things). i use nothing scented on her at all. if she is making her self bleed you need to bandage her worst spots at night and load the spots up with neospourn. also like others have said keep her well hydrated

If I were you, I'd start looking into alternative medicine. I know lots of this stuff is not "FDA Approved" but really, there is something going on with your child that western medicine is ill equipped to handle. I have been going to a naturopath for a while, not for any major issues, for myself. Last year, my daughter was catching illness after illness, one right after the other. The pediatrician, just said "well, ya know, kids get sick!" and left me with a prescription for antibiotics "just in case" it developed into an ear infection. I went to my naturopath with my daughter and he figured out that she had a bacterial imbalance in her gut. This was compromising her immune system. He gave me some natural supplements to correct it and in 2 weeks she was all good. Talk to people you know and see if you can find a naturopath, acupuncturist, herbalist, or some other type of alternative medicine that you are comfortable with. It is more than skin, it is probably a systemic issue in your daughter that needs to be strengthened.

Do you have a dog or cat?
A cat will make me want to take a razor to my skin. I have often said that I dont HATE cats..but I HATE cats!!!! Cat fur makes my eyelids want to turn inside out....God love 'em...but I dont...
What else do you think might me making her aggitated?
Have you considerd bed bugs?

M.

You may have already received this suggestion but Shea butter is an excellent emolient and helps relieve itching. You can go to the beauty supply store and get a 100% shea butter small tub for about $6. Also oatmeal is a drying agent and is best used to absorb excess oil or chicken pox blisters. Good luck and God bless.

She needs to drink loads of water and stay super-hydrated. Keep her nails short. No soap in the shower, just a daily rinse. Use a mild detergent, no softeners, and do a double rinse when washing her sheets. This cream is designed for diaper rash, but works well on the type of skin irritation you are describing:

http://www.motherlove.com/product/2301_DR-Diaper-Rash-and...

And this milky lotion is good for right after the shower:

http://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/body-moisturize...

If it is eczema, then try cutting out all dairy. My friend did this for her five year old daughter and within a couple of weeks her dry itchy skin had disappeared! She has had eczema since she was a baby. My friend had heard that eczema could be caused by a dairy allergy, but never wanted to go that route because they love their cheese and milk. But, if was finally so bad that she decided to try it and lo and behold, the eczema disappeared! She read that after about a year and a half on a dairy free diet that you can start introducing it back into the diet in small amounts to check for a reaction. Most kids in that time however outgrow the allergy.