Laundry

One of the first things one attempts to change when their little one has eczema is the laundry detergent.  I remember trying Dreft, which is made with babies in mind, then only to find out that it really isn't so gentle on the skin.  For many years we switched to a powdered plant based detergent from Trader Joes or 7th Generation.  Fortunately for us, my son did well with those.  The downside is that the clothes were dingy and the fresh laundry smell was non-existent.  I then started adding eucalyptus drops and white vinegar to the rise cycle.  The drops gave it a little better smell, and is said to kill dust mites, while the vinegar substituted for fabric softner.

Over the last 6 months or so I have gone back to the All Free & Clear detergent, and my son has done well.  Still there is none of that fresh laundry smell.  I notice when my son's friends come over, they smell so good, and their houses smell good.  The smell is clean laundry.  I'd really like to have some of that.

Well, on vacation the condo we were in had some good smelling Tide with Frebreeze.  I took a chance and used it, and lo- and -behold, no reaction!  It was awesome.  So when we got back in town I went to buy some, only to become distracted at Tartget by the Method brand plant based fabric softener.  I opted for this since it seemed to be more natural, and it was a little less expensive.  I did the laundry, and we too had great smelling clothes.  BUT...it did not agree with my son's skin.  Sadly, he started itching.  And I remember being at the store looking over the options with him, when he said he had to get out of that aisle as he could feel it bothering his eyes. 

It's not the end of the world, just another lesson.  So obviously he still does have an issue here and there, but look how far he's come!!!  I'm still going to try the Tide (even if it's just on my clothes.) 

All is good!

I was just reminded that it's been quite some time since I've updated.  All is good, just busy with life and haven't had much extra time to sit down and type.

My son has gained 4 pounds since my last post (10% of his body weight!)  He's eating SO much, and tolerating it all quite well.  I do think that adding more junk to his diet impacts his ability to focus a bit, so I'm considering adding a supplement called Kid's Liquid Attention.  My dental hygienist discovered this when her son was having a lot of issues at school, to the point that the teachers wanted her to medicate her son (I do think that it should be the doctors, not the teachers recommending when to medicate.)  She said it was like night and day, and the school couldn't believe how well he turned around.  It has a lot of B vitamins and magnesium that are good for the nervous system and the brain, and reduces anxiety.

We did get the uKnow Peanut test results back, and it was disappointing.  You may recall that this tests which peanut proteins one is allergic to, as certain protein allergies are more severe.  My son is showing extremely allergic to the most dangerous proteins.  The allergist expects a life long allergy.

We have had one NAET treatment for peanuts.  I had a long talk with the doctor about this, as she's putting herself in a very liable situation.  She has a lot of success with NAET and anaphylactic allergies, and has no concerns proceeding with the treatments.  It's going to take many, many treatments as it's baby stepped all the way.  The good news is that we don't have to pay for each visit while we go through the process.  There'll be times when he's treated through me, and then times when he's ready to be treated directly (those we pay for.)