Leaky Gut (Eczema III)

Miserable with eczema flare

Our journey started when Izaiah got an eczema flare. He's had eczema his entire life, but not a flare until age 3 1/2.  I'd never heard of a flare. I never knew they often happen in the Spring or that they can last 6 to 8 life altering weeks. In my first Eczema post, I confidently wrote about healing eczema skin. Those tips helped us...for about a week! I ultimately became desperate to heal his skin from the outside and from the inside.

My second Eczema post ended with Izaiah and I adhering to a strict elimination diet while patiently waiting 3 weeks for results of an IgG/IgA antibody test taken by a Naturopath. I got as creative as one can with mere lamb, sweet potatoes, and dried pears on our menu, but Izaiah's skin still plummeted downhill.

We were down to waiting just one more week for test results. Izaiah was miserable, hurting, itching, crying; exhausted as the rashes ravaged and woke him up at night. I was so fatigued. We had endured 5 weeks of this.

During this 5th week, I lost my cool and  rushed him to our express care medical service. There, the doctor misdiagnosed him with scabies. I broke the bank for (un)needed medication, hoping (stupidly) that it was the cure.

At home (believing the Dr.'s dx), I washed clothes, towels, bedding, blankets, throw rugs, stuffed animals, coats, the car seat...you name it, it hit the Maytag with scalding hot water and bleach. Nothing was safe! Anxious then, I worried the bleach might hurt Izaiah's skin so I retrieved the tons of neatly put away laundry, rewashed and double rinsed it all.

Finally, the Naturopath called about Izaiah's IgG/IgA results. We were now in week 6 of the eczema flare with no relief and I was cranky. I mentioned that Izaiah had been dx'd with scabies, but the ND said, "no, he doesn't have scabies. I have a lot of experience with scabies and he does not have them. And, that insecticide is too harsh for his skin."  I sadly plopped down and sighed enormously.  I had needlessly applied it 3 times in an effort to kill what wasn't there all the while doing damage to his already tender, sore, skin. I was exasperated.

The tests showed delayed allergies to everything except fish, pork, beets, blueberries, lamb, and water. His diagnosis: leaky gut. Good grief! The results meant no dairy, soy, sugar, eggs, rice, chicken, beef, coconut, tree nuts, peanuts, fruits, or veggies (except beets). Another revelation was that Izaiah was intolerant to gluten, gliadin, rye, barley, and wheat. That really caught my attention as I began to think about his health history.


I'll end here by saying that I cried in the grocery store. I don't remember which aisle, but I guess I wanted the impossible:  blueberry juice without sugar added.  That apparently was my last nerve. 

If you are coping with eczema, there is a private Eczema Parents group on Facebook that is fabulous. You will learn more there in a few minutes than you will ever learn from doctors or a book. Please, join us!  Also, if you are in need of real answers from  doctors who understand contact National Jewish Health Center. Their number is on the website home page.

I hope you'll continue on this journey. Still to come: Going Gluten Free, The Dermatologist, The Hospital, and Baby Smooth Skin.