Being a mother is an absolute blessing. And another incredible gift that God gives to moms is what’s called a “mother’s intuition.” And this very gift is what saved little Isaiah Smith.
Baby Isaiah developed a skin rash that was so bad, that he was in agony for the first year of his life. His mom, Stephanie Smith thought her little boy would be better off dead than to experience the pain from his blistering skin.
The skin nightmare started when Isaiah was three months old and he got a cut on his cheek. He had flares of bright red rashes that the doctors diagnosed as eczema and they advised Stephanie to purchase over-the-counter topical steroid creams.
At first, the creams worked, but a week later the rashes came back so they reapplied the creams. This went on for a couple of months. Isaiah’s skin became red and raw when he came into contact with anyone wearing perfume or clothes with fabric softener.
“His skin cleared up but a week later it came back, so we applied more,” Stephanie said. “This went on in a cycle over two months. Then his hair started to fall out. He became sick and lethargic. But all the doctors I took him to just said it was eczema. They told me to stop breastfeeding him as the milk protein could make it worse.”
When Isaiah’s hair started to fall out and he was sick and lethargic, Stephanie got her little boy to the hospital. Doctors gave stronger topical steroid cream and injected liquid steroids into his scalp. After 5 days in the hospital, Isaiah was smiling again but his skin had a bluish tint.
Within 48 hours, Isaiah’s skin had a turn for the worse with blood-red lesions and the wounds started to ooze. The poor little bubba wouldn’t stop screaming from the pain.
A mother whose son spent the first year of his life with a mysterious burn-like rash on his skin was shocked to discover just what was causing it to last as long as it did.
The family ultimately became reclusive, spending most of the year indoors and not allowing their son to come in contact with much of the outside world.
At their wit’s end, Stephanie and her husband Nelson, 36, went on the internet to find a way to help their little boy. They eventually landed on Itsan.org, a forum that explained the symptoms of topical steroid withdrawal.
“It was all about the side effects of topical steroids, and how skin conditions can get worse when you stop using them,” she said. “I scrolled through picture after picture of children with skin like Isaiah. Red raw skin, flaking off and oozing.”
Smith immediately ceased applying steroids to Isaiah to treat the rash, and through research began applying a blend of lemongrass and zinc under the gauze.
“As time went on we saw patches of clear skin,” she said. “Isaiah would walk to the kitchen island, where I kept the balm, point at the jar and point to his face. It clearly soothed him. I took about 50 photos a day to see the progress, because it could change moment to moment.”
Stephanie took 50 photos a day to see the progress and by October 2014, 10 months after starting the balms, Isaiah’s skin had healed and it was smooth and clear.
“We still don’t know for sure what caused the original contact dermatitis,” his mother said. “But looking back, because of severe medical allergies in my family history, I think it might have been a reaction to medication. I had a C-section and was given Ibuprofen afterwards, and I believe that was passed on through my breast milk. We saw 35 doctors altogether. They all said it was eczema. I want to show them all the photos showing how Isaiah’s skin cleared up.”
Isaiah is now a healthy and happy little boy and no longer has allergic reactions to perfume or deodorant.
“He is like any other toddler,” she said. “He chatters away, runs everywhere and is into everything. He helps me around the house. He’s so sweet spirited. We lost the first year of his life. I wasn’t able to kiss him or hold him. Now we squeeze him all the time. He is a squeezable little guy.”
Stephanie wanted to share her story to assist other parents who may have a child going through a similar skin condition.
Moms around the world will relate to doing anything to fix the pain of their child and we’re glad Stephanie was able to find a solution to help her son.
Sources: OpposingViews, Daily Mirror, LiftBump
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