Bethany's skin

Many years ago, I wrote a post about my daughter Bethany and her skin problems, leading us to a dairy-free diet for her. You can find that post here. Since that time, we had her allergies tested when she was about 3 years old. The results showed that she was mostly allergic to animals, but NOT dairy. We were surprised, because her skin always seemed to react when she or I (me while nursing) had dairy. She drinks soy milk for dinner to this day.

She does eat yogurt, ice cream, cheese, and other dairy products. She has had eczema on her legs for many years. She has used steroid creams when it gets bad. We usually put a lot of lotion on her after a bath or shower. We have tried many, many lotions for her skin, but they do not take care of the root of the problem. Last summer, we decided to try a gluten-free diet for her and for my husband. It was difficult, and honestly-- expensive! After trying it for over 6 months, as best we could, we decided to give it up because she still had eczema on her legs. She also gets it on her arms and knees during the summer. During allergy season, she also gets it on her eyelids and neck. My poor girl!

When my husband was a boy, he had the big three- allergies, eczema and asthma. I had allergies but not really any skin problems. Our daughter Rebekah also is prone to eczema. My nephew also gets eczema. When he was a baby, I remember my sister coating him with Eucerin ointment before he went to sleep. We tried Eucerin too. Her skin seems to favor Cetaphil lotion. We've tried lots of essential oils, and putting oils on the bottom of her feet every day, and oils in baths. Nothing totally gets rid of her itchy skin.

In the past 6-9 months, I have been on a dairy-free diet. I find that too much dairy makes my stomach hurt. When I would have a big bowl of regular ice cream, my stomach would just be in pain! Lactose free tablets help, as does doTerra products for digestion.

Several friends have recommended different vitamins, and fish oil. She takes good vitamins every day. Another friend recommended probiotics. I hesitate to have her take too many things when she is young. When I took her to the dermatologist years ago, they said that they do not know what causes eczema. I think I will give her a break for a few weeks and try a dairy-free diet for her again. We will see if it makes a difference. I wish I could take it away from her. It is hard when I feel helpless as a parent, not knowing what to do.

Thankfully she is a happy girl, and most of the time doesn't let her skin bother her. She loves to read, eats well, and sleeps well. She can work hard in school, and has her favorite subjects (grammar, science and spelling). She likes to play legos, wear hats, not have her hair brushed, and is our resident tomboy. She does wear dresses for church and other special occasions. She loves Jesus and her family. What a great kid! She is a treasure to our family, and we are so glad to have our Bethany girl.