Monday, January 27, 2014

Prayer Request

   For the past month, Wesley has had a terrible red, itchy rash covering his entire body.  I've taken him to the doctor, used several different kinds of creams for eczema, had him on three different medications for a possible staff infection, got rid of everything that has a fragrance in it, I'm running a humidifier at night in his room, and have tried some of those strange home remedies as well.  Nothing has worked.  At times it seems the rash is drying out, and his skin will turn leathery and scaly, but then it will become inflamed again and start oozing a yellowish pussy-looking substance.  He sleeps for about an hour at a time, even at night.  He screams his way through his baths when I touch a rag or sponge to his skin.  It immediately becomes inflamed again, and his screaming turns into a screech if I try to put any kind of cream on his skin after the bath.  Touching him hurts him so badly.  I'm at a complete loss!  I searched the web and found that his symptoms match a cows milk allergy.  But its not certain if it is JUST cows milk.  It could also be a wheat or peanut allergy, something that he's getting every time he nurses.  I've switched him to a highly sensitive allergen formula specifically made for cows milk/dairy allergies to see if it'll make a difference for him.  He's been on it for only a few days so its still too early to see any changes.  Sometimes, depending on the allergy, it can take 2-4 weeks for the symptoms to disappear.  Supposedly cows milk allergies can be outgrown within a year, or they can be life long and life threatening, depending on what kind he may have, IF indeed that is WHAT he has.  The doctor I've taken him to says its eczema, but after three different medications and practically every cream on the market for eczema, I'm beginning to wonder if the guy even knows anything about infant skin conditions!  I gave the guy one more chance today, but when he walked into the examining room with his hands behind his back, and never once touched Wesley or even unsnapped his onsie to take a look at his inflamed chest, I was ready to walk out.  All he did was give me another prescription for eczema, WHICH by the way I'm not going to use, and told me there was nothing he could do for Wesley.  He referred me to a children's hospital in Cincinnati instead.  I came back home and spent the rest of the morning calling every hospital, clinic, and doctor's office in the two states of Indiana and Ohio (or so it seemed), trying to find a dermatologist to take an infant.  I had no idea how hard it is to get an appointment with one of those guys!  Its almost impossible!  One office said they could take me on February 27th!!  Another appointment was the middle of July!!!  After calling well over a dozen places, I finally told them that we've been fighting this rash for a month now, and if it was a serious allergy, I HAD to see someone soon about it and get it taken care of!  I can't wait til the middle of July!  After a couple hours worth of phone calls, I finally found a place who takes infants and they somehow managed to get me in tomorrow afternoon.  It'll probably take us two hours to get there, but I WILL NOT miss this appointment for nothing!  I'll probably never get another one! 
   Anyway, Please pray that the Lord will give the doctor wisdom and that we will get some answers.  I hope they can figure out what is causing this rash and if it IS an allergy, it won't be too serious and that Wesley will outgrow it.  I hate to think of him having to fight a sensitive allergy his whole life!  I was in tears today, after many sleepless nights, watching him thrash around in his crib trying to get some relief from the itching.  It tears my heart out as I listen to him scream in pain and knowing there isn't a thing in the world I can do for him except wait it out and try to calm him down the best I can.  There's nothing in this world worst than when your child is hurting and you have to sit there and watch, completely helpless to do a thing about it. 
   Please keep us in your prayers.  Its times like these that you give your child to the Lord and pray, "Thy will be done, no matter what happens".  Its a terribly hard prayer to pray, but God's ways are not our ways.  He knows what is going on.  He knows of Wesley's pain and misery.  He knows about Audra's tiny feet growing wrong.  He knows.  And I take great comfort in that.  I also know that prayer can move the hand of God, and this mother is going to bombard Heaven to try to get that done!  I realize that His answers are sometimes not what we have in mind.  We learned that first hand with Rebekah, but we also learned that He gives the grace needed to cope with those answers.  I just pray that God will heal Wesley and let him either outgrow this quickly or give us the direction we need to find a medication or treatment for it. 
   I beg your prayers as well!!


11 comments:

  1. Oh, Jo, I am praying for him and for you and for Audra. I pray that you can find out some things from that other doctor. Let me know and keep me posted. Poor little guy.

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  2. Praying, JoAna, and looking forward to an update soon! It is SO HARD to see our little ones suffer, even when it is something as "minor" as a fever, cough, runny nose, etc... I can't imagine going through something like Wesley has.... poor little guy!

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  3. Thank you so much for the prayers! I will update after we hear what the dermatologist says.

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  4. I'll be praying for you and for little Wesley. I just came from Jessi's blog and my heart hurts for you. May God hold you close today.
    Amy (Bosje) Senecal

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  5. We are praying here too! Your Momma heart must be hurting through all of this! We are praying for comfort for little Wesley and for the doctors to have wisdom.
    Kami

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  6. I am visiting here from your sister's blog. Just wanted to let you know I am praying for your little guy! Praying for you and also for the doctors to have wisdom.

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  7. JoAna, I'm praying too. Praying for Wesley, you, your husband, and that the Lord will give the doctors wisdom. It is so hard to not know! Keep trusting and clinging to the One who does know, loves you all so much and keeps you always under His watchful eye and in the palm of His hand. Love, Jaynee

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  8. Praying for you all and Wesley! Praying the Lord brings him to the right doctors that can help speedily. ~ Melanie Rhinehart

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  9. Sending prayers your way! Love you guys! Keep us posted. Romans 8:28

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  10. We are praying for your little guy.

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