Stumped

For nearly the past year and half Luke's had skin issues. Luke always has a rash, and I've brought him to the doctor over ten times and have filled countless prescriptions to no avail. It seemed that this last summer it became worse, making me look forward to winter. With winter here it's worse than ever, and I wonder if there is an end in sight.

I feel like I have tried everything. I've changed detergents, I've switched diaper brands, I've stripped him down to no clothes at all. I've bathed him, I've stopped bathing him, I've bathed him without soap, I bathed him with soap and then thoroughly rinsed him afterwards. I've smothered him in every lotion on the market, I've gone to the natural food store and smothered him in almond, olive, and lanolin oil. I've covered his rashes with hydrocortisone, prescription hydrocortisone, and other eczema topical creams such as Elidel.

I'm completely stumped. I feel terrible because I know his eczema is both itchy and painful, and yet it's a chronic condition that he's had to cope with because I can't seem to fix it. And that's just it, a chronic condition. Fortunately, as his doctor points out, at least it's not on his face...yet.

I've got a greasy monster on my hands this morning. After his normal creams caused him to scream out in stinging pain last night because his itchy skin started to break, this morning I resorted to my least favorite and most messy treatment--pure olive oil and pure lanolin cream (which stinks). Now I have a naked and slippery child sliding all over the wood floors and leather couches. If it works this time around I'll keep it up, regardless of the clothes we stain with splotches of oil or the expense of having to raise the thermometer a few degrees higher because of the naked boy parading around the house while it's below zero outside.

If I knew what to do I would do it. Looking at Luke's poor little red tummy, back, arms and legs makes me want to cry. We'll get to the bottom of it, I hope, until then we'll just keep trying.