Down the Rabbit Hole

Last week Wednesday, Basti's eczema rash on his cheeks took a turn to bad.  During his feeding in the wee hours of the morning, I noticed his cheeks were wet and shiny...  ooze?  Yikes.  At actual wake up time, it was clear...  his rash was oozing clear discharge, and he'd scratched a bit so it was bleeding too.  There were blood smears on his sleep sack.  AGH!  So decided to keep him home from school to watch the situation carefully.  By mid-morning I called the pediatrician's office and decided to take him in for a check up.  Basti weighed in at 18# 9.5oz, and measured about 28 inches in length.  Nurse A prescribed a double strength prescription cortisone to be used twice a day for up to one week.  And smear with Aquaphor ointment in between as needed.  I noted that the rash was localized to where his cheeks and chin press up against me when he is nursing. So giving him more bottles during the day (even when home), and when he does nurse I have to be mindful that his cheeks and chin are not touching me...  !?!  Not so easy given his cheeks are so big.

Within a day the rash already looked better.  Phew.  But knowing this is only a temporary solution...  what to do?  So down the rabbit hole goes Mommy...  I am on the elimination diet to see if it'll help.  From an online search this is the list I came up with:
- No dairy (milk, butter, cheese)
- No soy (drink, tofu, edamame, soy sauce, soy lecithin [which is in tons of store bought products like bread, cookies, etc])
- No peanuts (I'd been surviving on peanut butter sandwiches and peanut/chocolate bars as quick breakfast and snacks)
- No chocolate
- No coffee (this one I'm not so sure is necessary)

If this does do anything...  it may take 2-3 weeks for improvement of eczema.

Eggs and wheat are also on the list but I know Basti is not allergic to eggs (he had the flu shot with no adverse reaction) and I'm not ready to give up wheat.  I will reconsider when all else fails.

Yesterday took him back to the doctor for a follow-up visit.  Basti weighed in at 18# 12oz.  All eczema spots were pretty much healed.  However, Nurse A warned that this will come and go.  Use the prescription cortisone only when it gets really bad, and wait 2-3 weeks in between uses.  I mentioned I'm on the elimination diet and she said that has worked for some and not for others so it's all trial and error.

Basti LOVES the crinkly paper on the examination table at the doctor's office.

Over the weekend I turned 33.  Double digits yo!  We all went out to brunch and dinner, Basti got some bread to munch on at the table.

Popo stayed with us for a month.  So Basti got lots of time at home with us.  Surely he enjoyed being the center of attention and always having a pair of arms to hold him.  I hope he does ok adjusting to going to school more regularly.