Managing our son’s beautiful Itchy Brown Skin has been quite a ride, as he battles with atopic dermatitis also known as eczema. When we became parents, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We were so excited to have this beautiful healthy baby boy and we just wanted to shower him with love. He was so perfect and we were beyond overjoyed! So, as you can imagine, the responsibility of managing a medical condition like eczema, was far from our radar. A little over two months after he was born, something changed. His skin began to look and feel different and he seemed more agitated than normal. What was wrong with my baby??? We had no idea that the emotional and financial roller coaster we were about to embark on was more than what we could’ve ever imagined. Here’s our journey!
Discovery
July 12, 2016 was one of the most beautiful, yet scariest days of our lives. We had this beautiful baby boy looking at us and we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. I remember carrying him home thinking…wow we did this and he’s ours. He was so perfect and I never wanted to fail him! Little did we know that two months later, our lives would begin to change.
When we first discovered the itchy rash on our son’s skin, we had no idea what it was. I remember being overly exhausted and watching my child squirm uncontrollably not knowing what was wrong. He was as inconsolable as I was helpless. What was I supposed to do? My baby was miserable, and I was his mom, but I didn’t know what to do. I turned to Google! Only to find out that his symptoms didn’t look like the fair skin I saw on the Internet. He had the same symptoms, but his skin looked different. I immediately called his doctor seeking answers and I later found out that my baby had a skin disease known as “eczema.” Several thoughts ran through my head, like “not my baby and why?” He’s supposed to be perfect! And who in our family has eczema? Now that I look back, I reflect on how far we have come, but that took some time.
Confusion
My first initial reaction was confusion. I barely mastered the idea of being a mother and two months later here I am being told that my child has a medical condition. I battled with emotions like why us?? When I originally searched for answers, I questioned why my child’s symptoms didn’t look like what I saw on the Internet. I remember doing Google searches on his symptoms and only seeing bright red patches and raised bumps on fair skin and thinking my son couldn’t possibly have eczema, because his skin doesn’t look like any of these pictures. Was I being naïve or was there just a lack of information on the Internet discussing Itchy Brown Skin, suffering from eczema?
Did we do this?
When we finally went to the doctor and received confirmation that my son had eczema, I had a tremendous amount of guilt. I blamed myself! I mean how could I not be responsible? I did birth him, so it must be my fault right?? The truth is…YES, my husband and I were responsible. Our genetic history of allergies and asthma put our son at a higher risk of developing eczema without us even realizing it, but we soon learned that it was ok. No one can deny genetics, but what we can do is push forward to make our child’s life as normal as possible.
Trial/Error: Doing it on my own
Against my better judgment, I originally tried treating my son’s eczema on my own without enlisting the help of a medical profession. After numerous failures, I quickly realized that guess what…. I AM NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL and I needed help! It is vitally important that you seek the help of a medical practitioner to help you along your journey to manage eczema. Learn from my mistakes and personal experience. It’s only going to make life easier and minimize the suffering of your child.
Researching
Research on the disease has really kept us grounded, especially learning about eczema on brown skin. We have been to numerous dermatologists to find the best practitioner that meets our son’s needs, while also addressing our concerns. Through research and the advice of our team of medical professionals, we have been able to develop a treatment plan and daily regimen to minimize flares and control symptoms.
Medical Professional
As stated previously, we have seen several practitioners hoping to find the best medical professional that worked best for us based on our needs. As a child, I also suffered from a skin condition and I didn’t want my child to go through what I went through as a child. I had psoriasis growing up and was repeatedly prescribed numerous steroids with ongoing treatments, where I experienced skin discoloration and developmental delays. I didn’t want that for my child, so I was very vocal on finding alternatives for my son. Several dermatologists attempted to help us, but they all advised of aggressive steroid treatments for a child who had barely reached his 6-month birthday. I even experienced a practitioner who not only prescribed a strong steroid for my baby, but twice the amount of his age and size. Can you say livid! It wasn’t until I desperately went back to my childhood dermatologist, did I find a medical professional that was willing to listen to my concerns and create a treatment plan that worked best for my child with little to no steroids. Of course I was a little hesitant based on my own personal experiences, but by now medical treatments were a bit more advanced and there were several alternative treatments available besides steroids. Her staff listened! They recommended steroid alternatives and created a phenomenal treatment plan for my son that we currently use to this day.
Finally Figuring it Out
We have experienced every possible emotion and spent countless dollars trying to find the best care for our son. We’ve experienced fear, confusion, frustration, and hopelessness.
Maintaining
Today we are maintaining and learning to keep our son’s symptoms at bay. We know his triggers and work to minimize reactions and outbreaks. Though we can’t control environmental factors and changes in climate/weather, we do the best that we can to ensure that he lives a normal life. We have an amazing support team and we are beyond grateful for them.
Still Learning
It has been quite a journey, and we’re still on it. Eczema is a condition that you learn to manage every day. I continue to discover new products, treatments, daily regimes, and eczema friendly recipes to ensure our son’s Itchy Brown Skin is as symptom free as possible. I’m so excited that you have decided to come on this journey with us as we build a sense of community to figure out this eczema thing together!