Ben's skin has looked so good these last few days that it seemed like a miracle. I thought it was a miracle.
My last post was about how Ben was scratching so bad that he bled. And he's had this one scab on the side of his face for months and months that finally went away as if by magic.
Only it wasn't a miracle, and it wasn't magic. It was steroid. Jamie put the Desonide that the dermatologist had prescribed on him without telling me. I didn't know until today.
I have mixed emotions about this. On the one hand, I am glad that is working. On the other hand, I wonder if it's only a temporary fix. Will the eczema go back to being just as bad after we stop the course of steroids? Also, should we have tried this months ago, since it is working so well.
Ben has his appointment with the second dermatologist on Monday. Should we have waited till then? We've only had these steroids for a few weeks, so it's not like we could have started too much sooner? But should I have used them as soon as I got them?
Does anyone have experience with using steroids for eczema or skin flareups? Did the skin stay cleared up after the course of steroids stopped?
Posts
Jason Tandon
3 years ago
I'm so glad Ben is feeling better! That little angel doesn't deserve to be so uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteI don't know anything about eczema and steroids, but steroids have saved my life when I was younger more times than I can count. You might know yourself how much they help asthma sufferers!
Hayley,
ReplyDeleteI know that they do help for asthma, but sometimes the fix is only temporary if you don't have good controller medicine, and I wondering if what we are using will keep it under control after the effects of steroids wear off. Thanks for commenting!
No, the skin doesn't stay clear. When it flares up again, you re-apply. Eczema is a lifetime condition for most people, but topical steroids are pretty safe, so please don't stress too much over it. Even if he *does* develop mild side effects someday, they'll be nothing compared to the misery and infection risk of not using them. I've been using topical steroids for decades, and I have no side effects whatsoever. :)
ReplyDeleteBrandy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice. Some babies do totally outgrow eczema, so I hope he gets lucky. Also, we are using Epicream, which is supposed to make the flareups less frequent. Daily baths and moisturizer seem to be helping too.