Why It’s Important to Advocate For Your Child: Pediatricians Don’t Know Everything

I researched, consulted with friends and family, and read forums trying to educate myself on the best creams and ointments for eczema. I figured that the pediatrician had prescribed what she thought would do the trick (which took effort to happen in the first place) and when it was no longer working, I started trying pretty much every eczema product under the sun that was suggested and safe for him.

Nothing really seemed to help and there were a few that actually made it worse. I’d heard that certain foods can cause flare-ups and that dairy was a common culprit of this, so I cut that out of his diet. 

I saw some improvement (or so I thought) for a few weeks, but then it was back to being full-blown. And to make things worse, he had started scratching at the itchy patches all over his body, opening them up, and causing scabbing.

He was also struggling to sleep through the night without waking to scratch. The pediatrician cleared me to start him on Zyrtec at night, which helped him get some restful sleep again, but that was just putting a temporary bandage on the problem.

I decided enough was enough and at my latest pediatrician appointment I asked about allergy testing. I figured knowledge is power and if I could have him tested for allergens and maybe figure out what foods were setting off the eczema. 

I had assumed that this would be done at the pediatrician’s office. Instead, she referred me to an allergist. When I got the referral, I called to schedule the appointment and they informed me that we would need to stop the antihistamine (Zyrtec) for seven days before the testing.

I knew this was going to be rough for him, but it was going to help us get closer to our goal of getting this whole eczema thing figured out. The first night was awful.

I put him down for bed without the Zyrtec and he slept for two hours then woke up itching and crying because he was uncomfortable and tired. I tried to comfort him by applying the prescribed cream that was supposed to help with the itching. 

It wasn’t even making a dent in providing him with any relief. I scooped him up in my arms and stood rocking him as his crying went from sad sobs to hysterical tears.

I couldn’t take it anymore. It wasn’t worth putting him through this discomfort and distress to find the answer. 

I gave him the Zyrtec and within minutes he started to calm down. I decided we would not be doing this again and continued to give him the Zyrtec at night.

I figured we could always try again when he was older when I could explain to him what was going on. Besides, the person who scheduled the appointment had told me that if we weren’t able to stay off the antihistamine we could still come in for a skin consultation.

Side Note:

Truth be told, I wasn’t given much guidance on the cream and ointment that were prescribed by the pediatrician. She put the order into the pharmacy and told me to apply both for the specified period of time, but didn’t provide information on what each was for, just that it would help with his eczema.

I started Googling. I wanted to make sure that they were safe to put on him and didn’t have any active ingredients that were considered antihistamines since we were supposed to be avoiding those before our allergist appointment. 

I had been mostly using the cream for his patches and the ointment only every once in a while since the steroids were higher in that. I assumed that they were both essentially for the same thing. 

Turns out the ointment is commonly used to treat impetigo and was supposed to be used to help with healing the patches, especially when the patches were scratched to expose open skin and scabbing. 

The cream was for providing relief from itching, swelling, and discomfort. I was using it for its intended purpose, it just wasn’t doing the trick.

I wasn’t sure if the skin consultation would even be worth it and called the allergist’s office to get their advice. They recommended still coming in, that at the very least the doctor would be able to assess his skin and provide insights. 

We went to the appointment as scheduled and I am so happy that we did. The doctor provided so much helpful information and guidance.

After asking about the reason for our visit, he informed me that food allergies are different than foods that can cause flares in eczema. He said that he wouldn’t have even needed the skin testing and was glad that I kept him on the Zyrtec. 

I told him about removing dairy from his diet (something that the pediatrician didn’t seem to have an issue with other than making sure he was getting the calcium and vitamin D from other sources). He told me that we could reintegrate that back into his diet and that nothing should be completely eliminated from his diet unless he was truly allergic to it. 

It turns out that when you completely remove certain foods from their diet they can actually cause them to develop an allergy to them when you try to reintroduce them later. 

Common foods that can cause eczema flare-ups are dairy, soy, eggs, and wheat. He recommended keeping an eye on how he does with these foods and reducing them as needed, but not eliminating them altogether. 

And touching back on the prescriptions that the pediatrician prescribed without fully counseling me… the allergist informed me that the cream I had been applying to his patches was not meant for his face and could actually cause damage to his skin. Nobody had previously informed me of that.

He also proceeded to let me know that the cream was not great and that he would prescribe me the ointment version that would be much more effective, as well as another ointment that was specifically for his face. I felt so seen and supported. 

He let me know that I was doing everything I was supposed to be doing with the information I had and that I did the right thing by bringing him in. He also made sure to let me know that if the prescriptions don’t end up helping that their other options we can explore and to reach out to him if/when we need to.

It felt like night and day. My pediatrician is a nice lady, but it almost always feels like she’s rushing through our appointments and I don’t always feel heard. 

Maybe I just need to look for a new pediatrician. The allergist made me feel heard, validated and supported. 

You need to be an advocate for your kid, but you also need to have medical professionals in your corner that you can trust and feel comfortable with.

Trust your instincts and stick to your guns. Something inside me told me that there had to be a way to figure out how to better help my son with his eczema and I’m glad I kept trying to find the answer.

Our kids need us to be their champions. Do your research, ask the twenty-plus questions, keep going until you are satisfied that your child’s needs are being met, and don’t be afraid to be an inconvenience. Be a warrior!

P.S. My kid’s eczema has been tamed by these new ointments. He looks like a brand new kid and we’ve even been able to stop the Zyrtec at night, and he sleeps like a baby (pun intended).

Hoping this success continues and if it doesn’t you know I’ll be back at it finding him something that does.

Cheers, Warriors!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and found it entertaining, educational, inspiring—hopefully, all three. Please be sure to leave any comments or questions you have in the Comments section below. 

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