Brooke has had eczema since she was born. We have been to the pediatrician numerous times and to two dermatologists to keep it under control. We are managing it better now, but I wanted to find out what is causing it. Eczema is the symptom, it is not the actual cause. So today I took Brooke to an allergist to figure out what she is allergic to. So that way if we can keep her away from the things she is allergic to, it should keep her eczema from flaring up. That may be nearly impossible. What is Brooke allergic to?? trees (and anything that comes from trees), grass, dust, dogs, cats, mold, and fish. I am thankful that we will not have to alter her diet too much. We don't eat a lot of fish and she has already had several kinds with no reaction (although they did give us an epi pen for it). So the main thing I am focusing on is the dust. Hopefully, if we can keep the dust under control then she will start to get better. The main area to start with is her room. Between sleeping and playing, she spends the majority of her time in there. We plan to get her a new mattress and pillow. We have to limit the number of stuffed animals she sleeps with (if you know her bed time habits, that will be a problem!) and I have to wash her bedding every 7 days. I also have to vacuum and steam clean her carpet a lot more often. And for the foreseeable future, we will not be getting a dog. We will most likely never be able to have cats and she will not be able to be around them very much (she reacted very severely to the cat).
All in all it is not a horrible diagnosis, I mean we don't have to change our diet, but I certainly do have to clean a lot more!)
