kids' medical stuff

[mamajoan]

Ruthie has a host of medical complaints, all of which I think stem from the weather being very cold and dry lately.

Her main issue is her hands. The skin on them has been getting horrendously red and chapped, to the point where the skin cracks and bleeds. It's terrible to look at. It's mostly on the backs of her hands and a little bit up her arms; she's still able to use her hands as normal, but whenever we wash hands she complains that the soap and water hurt her hands, which I'm sure is true. I've tried putting lotion on them, but she's highly resistant to that (rubbing the lotion in hurts too) so it's sporadic at best.

So I made an appointment to see the doctor tomorrow morning and get an "official" diagnosis of eczema (I'm pretty sure that's what the doctor will say) and hopefully get an official course of action, even if it involves OTC products. I'm really hoping that Ruthie will cooperate better if she knows it's handed down from the doctor. Also, I'll be able to get her preschool teachers to help with it as well. She cooperates with them much better than me. ;)

(Did I mention that I finally figured out the solution to dealing with the horrible tangles that form in Ruthie's hair? It turns out that the answer is to take her hairbrush to preschool and let the teachers do it. ;) They offered to do it, and it's working out great. She sits still for them which she doesn't for me. And they braid her hair into all kinds of interesting and super-cute configurations. :) )

The other day Ruthie randomly developed a nosebleed while we were watching tv. She wasn't picking her nose -- I'm fairly sure -- just standing there, and suddenly she said "I need a tissue" and I looked over and blood was streaming down her face. It took a good ten minutes to get it to stop. I'm guessing that was also dry-weather-related. I HAVE been running the humidifier, I swear! But apparently I need to run it more often!

Also, this past weekend Ruthie started randomly asking for an icepack for her chin. The first time, I said, "did you bump your chin on something?" She said no, and couldn't explain why her chin was hurting. I finally asked her to point to where it hurt, and she put her finger right on the scar from her dog bite, which, btw, was almost exactly six months ago now. I found this rather alarming. But since then several people have mentioned that cold/dry weather can irritate even old scars, so it could be another weather-related thing. I'll definitely be asking the doctor about that tomorrow.

Meanwhile, during the kids' bath the other night I noticed something on Isaac's ankle that I guess I'd describe as a growth. Or a mole, I suppose. It's raised, dark in color with reddish edges, and irregularly-shaped. :( I can't say for sure how long it has been there, but I'm pretty sure that it's fairly new. It's true that I don't look at his feet too closely too often, but still. I'm rather worried about that. :( So I called and got an appointment for him on Monday. Oy.

Comments

[lapenn.livejournal.com]

I still have problems with dry skin, and it was really bad as a kid. My doctor had me use an OTC cortisone cream of some sort, and I've found that the only lotion I can tolerate is super basic stuff when my skin gets all cracky (no scents, no weird elements).

This year, I've been taking fish oil 1-2 times a day (should be 2, but I don't always remember). That also seems to help my skin, as my hands will get bad when I've been forgetting and get better when I am diligent.

[deepforestowl.livejournal.com]

Ruthie more than likely just has super dry skin. I suffer from the same in the same places in the winter, especially on my right hand cause I am right handed and that hand rests on paper a good chunk of everyday with grading. Since it is up her arms, I would say get her some opera length gloves, slather on the lotion right before she goes to sleep and put the gloves on so she sleeps with the gloves on. 2-3 nights and her skin will be re-hydrated pretty well. I adore Gold Bond Ultimate Healing for this. Sure, re-hydration of skin is going to burn when you first do it. You might also want to think about getting really good hydrating hand soap for home and for her to use at school. Ditto on hydrating body wash.

How are her feet? Winter is hard on them for me too so I lotion them every night before bed as well.

Good luck!

[tenderpaw.livejournal.com]

Increasing the amount of essential fatty acids from olive oil, flax, or other sources in the diet can help resolve dry skin issues from the inside out.

I've used Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion with fast results at night, with clean tube socks instead of gloves. Transforming a pair into sock puppets can make it a more desirable experience for little ones.

hmm....

[lightningrose.livejournal.com]

we were having that issue with the skin on elijah's thumb & forefinger (which he chews, regularly) cracking & bleeding). I've been putting a bit of vaseline on his hands after a few hand-washings, and it seems to have resolved it. (We both have eczema and the vaseline does not aggravate).