It’s been about four weeks now of dealing with a nasty rash on Quincy’s skin. If you want a detail description of the case, read on. It first started behind one ear as a red open wound then goopy rash behind both ears. Couple days later the same was found in the creases of his diaper area. A few more days and other creases started turning red. After jock-itch cream did not help, we took him to our family physician.

The doctor said he had a yeast infection and gave us a prescription for nystatin to be mixed with 1% hydrocortizone. He also said to give Quincy some diaper-free time to let his body dry out (yeast feeds on moisture). We applied the creams twice a day for two weeks. We at first saw some improvement, but by the end of the two weeks, the rash was still not gone and we were out of cream.

We went back to the clinic, however, the doctor was out of town. The physicians assistant did not really know what to do, but called the pharmacy who gave us another prescription with nystatin including a few more drying and moisturizing ingredients they called “poop goop”. No lie, that’s what it said on the label. I used that for two days before throwing it out. The rash had now spread to his neck, left cheek, trunk, backs of knees, underarms- every little crease. We also find out from wikipedia that nystatin can be toxic if entered in the blood stream. Awesome.

Since we were planning to leave town to visit family in Virginia, I called several dermatology and pediatricians with special interests in skin infections to get Quincy in last minute. We didn’t want him cooped up in a carseat cross-country without knowing what was going on. However, the first available time to see a doctor was today…four days after we wanted to leave. So, we canceled our travel plans in order to see this pediatric dermatologist.

In the meantime, we had people pray for Quincy and also tried some home remedies that were suggested on various websites and from my aunt who works with doctors. It wasn’t cheap, as the oregano alone was $20, but it was great to see something working.

• Culturelle Probiotics for Kids (once a day in a bottle)
• Apple Cider Vinegar baths twice a day
• Plain Yogurt applied topically on affected areas 2x day
• Garlic powder sprinkled in his diaper with the yogurt
• Oil of Oregano (diluted with olive oil) 2x a day

You can be sure the poor boy did not smell like a baby. But, it was working to clear out the rash. The redness in his face shown above is almost gone. 

In spite of the progress, we kept the appointment with the pediatric dermatologist who said Quincy has seborrhea dermatitis, or infantile eczema. Lots of babies get the cradle cap, but his just spread more and apparently got infected to boot. The doctor didn’t seem nearly as concerned about the matter as I was. Quincy may grow out of it as Kaelem did with a milder case, or he could tack on additional allergies and just have to deal with dry itchy skin.

So anyway, this doctor gave us another cream regimen to try. Apply A/D baby ointment (which is a combo of white petrolatum, lanolin, and zinc oxide- all stuff I already owned) to affected areas with diaper changes and after baths, a barrier prescription cream called Tetrix and a steriod cream called Protopic. We’re not crazy about the steriod cream, especially since the company’s website is plastered all over with “do not use on children under two years.” Supposedly, it can cause cancer and thin the skin and increase the chance of infections. Awesome.

Bottom line is, do we keep doing something more natural on our own that seemed to be working, or try something from a specialized doctor that is “theorized” to have cancer links?

I’d love to find a conventional medical pediatrician with training in naturopathy. I want to know all my options when making decisions and not just jump to the prescriptions. Unfortunately, even if such a doctor exists, he wouldn’t be covered under our insurance. Some things in life are really frustrating. But praise God for his incredible grace and wisdom. He is, after all, the power behind the healing regardless of what method is used. We should all be reminded about King Asa’s lack of trust in the Lord of creation. (2 Chronicles 16:12)

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