O/T Anyone familiar with Allergic Shiners?

[fluffernutter]

Hi everyone
Just curious if anyones child has experienced what they call Allergic Shiners?
It is where the child looks like they have a black eye,or even a red puffy eye underneath the eye,not like pink eye,but like they got a shiner??

My little one has bad eczema and always looks like she hasnt had enough sleep,like dark puffy circles under her eyes. The past few months,one of her eyes,besides the dar circle now also gets red and puffy underneath. So now it treally looks like she got a shiner. I dont want to get unwelcome comments from strangers which I already get due to her bad eczema. I was just wondering if anyone has dealt with this and what remedies have you found helpful,
The doctor has said that it is very common with children with food allergies,eczema,asthma,etc .Its caused by increased blood flow near the sinuses.
I am just hoping to find some remedies that may have worked on your kids
Thanks in advance
Marcy

 

[1rockinmamato2]

DS has had moderate eczema since birth practically. His eyes sometimes get puffy, but usually return to normal pretty quickly. He does have what's referred to as Denni-Morgan lines under his eyes though.

Just this morning I had to take him to the pedi because he's having a pretty bad flare-up. I've tried to identify the trigger but I can't. We haven't changed soaps, detergents, etc. The only thing I can think of is the weather change.

They gave us some scripts - Elocon and a refill on Elidel.

Have you tried cold compresses for the shiners? I'm sorry I'm not much help but I wanted to let you know that I sympathize with you in fighting the evil eczema.

Btw, how old is your daughter and does she have any food allergies? (Sorry for being so nosey!)

 

[feedindy]

We have dealt with this my daughter's entire life. She (and I, really) always looked like we hadn't slept in weeks when in reality we sleep 10-12 hours a night! Ours turned out (after years of nasal allergy meds) to be a gluten intolerance. We are now gluten free and looking good! I'm so happy to be rid of the black eye look. I hope you can find something that works for your daughter!

 

[fluffernutter]

Hi 1rockinmamato2
Not nosey at all,lol she is 15 mos,and we have been dealing with the eczema since birth ,it was pretty bad in the summer,and we were told it would get worse in the winter,which it did. But now with the warmer weather returning it is pretty bad again,and I think its getting even worse.

I hope your son feels better soon. I have heard about the demi-morgan lines as well. We just started doing the compresses because the dr said any of the creams that she could prescribe to me,cant get in her eyes,and with all the itching and scratching she does,that wouldnt be good. So the compresses when she lets me do them ,lol are what we are doing for past 2 days.

I know how frustrating it gets,trying to figure out if its the detergent,etc,I really think the weather has alot to do with it, Im beginning to think the food may be playing a part as well. She is way too young to be tested for foods anyway,so I may just have to be proactive and try and isolate the foods again.

Once agan,I hope he feels better
Marcy

 

[fluffernutter]

Hi feedindy
Its funny you mention about gluten. I was diagnosed with being gluten intolerant before my pregnancy. Eliminated gluten from my diet,lost alot of weight,felt much better,got pregnant,and then for whatever reason during the pregnancy I was able to eat gluten again with no reaction at all.
After giving birth to my little one,I still tolerated the gluten but started putting on weight again and at times felt uuggh after eating certain things.

I wonder if my little one could be having a reaction to the gluten,etc. I know she got her eczema and other allergies from as well ,so who knows
It is something that I am going to look into now

Im glad you and your daughter are feeling better. I know how hard it is being intolerant to gluten,it is in almost everything!!!!!!!!!!

Marcy

We have dealt with this my daughter's entire life. She (and I, really) always looked like we hadn't slept in weeks when in reality we sleep 10-12 hours a night! Ours turned out (after years of nasal allergy meds) to be a gluten intolerance. We are now gluten free and looking good! I'm so happy to be rid of the black eye look. I hope you can find something that works for your daughter!

 

[feedindy]

My daughter's also had eczema problems all their lives, but it is completely cleared up on the gluten free diet. They are actually diagnosed celiac disease, which is lifelong, so even if there are periods of time when we don't "notice" the reactions it is still damaging. There are "honeymoon" phases with gluten intolerance so it is possible that your pregnancy hormones just allowed the gluten tolerance even though it still isn't good for you.

When my kiddos got into gluten without my knowledge (ugh, Girl Scout cookies!) the eczema rashes came back, along with flushed cheeks and dark eyes. They looked like someone blacked their eyes and smacked their cheeks all week long! So glad that has gone away again.

I would give the gluten free diet a shot. If it helps, it is so worth all the hassle. We even found improvement in things we didn't realize were "symptoms" of anything.

 

[Tosie]

Hi 1rockinmamato2

She is way too young to be tested for foods anyway,so I may just have to be proactive and try and isolate the foods again.

Once agan,I hope he feels better
Marcy

Marcy how old is she? My dd was tested (successfully) at 6 months through blood tests. Once I eliminated the offenders from my diet (I was breasfeeding) her eczema disappeared! At the time she was allergic to milk, eggs, pears, peas, beans, rice, tree nuts, peanuts and berries. Now, at age 6, she has outgrown all but milk, peanuts and tree nuts.

Find your self a GOOD pediatric allergist and ask for blood tests. Don't let the doctors tell you she's too young - she doesn't need to suffer another day (and neither do you - sometimes I wonder if it isn't harder on us parents!)

Good luck!!!

 

[kellyg403]

I have 2 ds with severe asthma and both had those horrible puffy red eyes. Every school picture you can see them! Oddly enough neither one had any skin problems.

We did the cold compresses as well. As pp the only creams available could't get into the eye and I did not want to risk that.

I think I am going to mention to my older ds (23) about the gluten. He outgrew alot of his allergies along with allergy shots but in the last 2 years he has started up again. When he was younger I never even heard of this trigger. This may be something he can look into.

Kelly

 

[1rockinmamato2]

Hi 1rockinmamato2
Not nosey at all,lol she is 15 mos,and we have been dealing with the eczema since birth ,it was pretty bad in the summer,and we were told it would get worse in the winter,which it did. But now with the warmer weather returning it is pretty bad again,and I think its getting even worse.

I hope your son feels better soon. I have heard about the demi-morgan lines as well. We just started doing the compresses because the dr said any of the creams that she could prescribe to me,cant get in her eyes,and with all the itching and scratching she does,that wouldnt be good. So the compresses when she lets me do them ,lol are what we are doing for past 2 days.

I know how frustrating it gets,trying to figure out if its the detergent,etc,I really think the weather has alot to do with it, Im beginning to think the food may be playing a part as well. She is way too young to be tested for foods anyway,so I may just have to be proactive and try and isolate the foods again.

Once agan,I hope he feels better
Marcy

DS's eczema cleared up quite a bit last summer. This winter was pretty harsh on his skin, but the warmer weather this spring is really doing a number on him. He was also switched to a different room at daycare recently and perhaps there's some kind of trigger in there. I don't know, but trying to pinpoint the cause of the flare-up is like solving a major mystery!

Thank you for the well wishes. I hope your DD doesn't suffer too badly this summer. DH just came home with the new prescriptions - Elocon and Elidel. Have you tried either of those? We've done Elidel, but the Elocon (a steroid) is new to us. I'm hoping this gives him some relief, he's been cranky lately and I know it's because he's itching. Fingers crossed!

 

[kat08]

My DS (2.5yo) has seasonal allergies and he gets allergic shiners when his allergies flare up. They get red and flaky. The only remedy I have found is with medication. He seems to feel better and his shiners go away when he is taking his Zyrtec. He does not have to take it year round, though, only when his allergies flare up.

 

[bumbershoot]

dairy, dairy, dairy, and, oh yeah, dairy*!

well, unless you're brave like me (and live in a cool state) and are willing to try whole, unpasteurized, milk. if not, lose the dairy. all of it. Nope, ALL of it.

do it for a month or more, see what happens.


and I've also heard that dairy can go along with skin issues, too.


and if there's a runny nose and the kiddo's like I was, lose eggs, as well!



*and just to be clear, when I say "dairy", I mean "milk products from animals kept on dairy farms", not breastmilk.

 

[Oceana]

My DS had them... he had the allergy test and the ONLY thing he is allergic to is cats... we have cats in our family so...

The other thing DS had was he vomited alot!!! like at least once a day. Eventually through luck I discovered his tonsils always seemed enlarged. We did a series of tests strep etc and eventually at 3 years had his tonsils removed. Since having his tonsils removed he no longer has black eyes... Finally he is able to eat food and sustain his body and his skin is thicker and I can no longer see all of his veins through his skin. His tonsil issues were additionally causing sleep apnea so good rest ended up also being a factor

for my DS it was both allergy and malnurishment and lack of sleep causing the eye thing

its resolved now!... the less he ate and the less he slept the black eyes would turn scaley and eczema ish

julie

 

[powellrj]

ME! I have total strangers ask me if I have allergies because I always have huge dark circles under my eyes.

I have only been tested in one arm in the drs office. I have never had the whole test that can really identify what you are allergic to.

My DM had it done a few years ago and found that she was allergic to corn. Which didn't sound bad until you realize that almost everything you eat that has been commercially prepared contains some type of corn. Corn syrup, corn oil, corn meal...... She eliminated corn, lost a massive amount of weight,(she wasn't heavy to begin with and now she is super duper skinny) and she is doing much better.

I know I should go to a different Dr. who is will to do the "big" test, but that's going to have to wait until I get other medical things taken care of first.

 

[WantToGoNow]

We have those too. My dd3 especially. My pediatrician calls them "allergy eyes". She always looks like she either has black eyes or hasn't had enough sleep. She pretty much stays on Zrytec which helps.

My ds5 will probably be getting them again soon. I noticed he's sneezing a lot lately. His allergist took him off the Zrytec a month ago -- he was put on them by the pediatrician when he was 18 mos. old.

T.

 

[Ariel8676]

My 4yo dd has them( and her skin is SO fair, it looks horrible)...she has asthma, allergies and eczema.
I switched to natural cleaning products, natural soap (Dr. bronner's baby mild soap...all natural) Burts bees shampoo....she has been doing great, maybe its just coincedence...Her eczema hasn't been acting up and her asthma is under control for now(although this allregy season is suposed to the BAD!! so we'll see) Its worth a shot

 

[hematite153]

The explanation for the problem was different but I went through a phase when I keep getting all red and puffed up below my eyes. (I do have a lot of allergies, but to things that allergists are rarely prepared to test for--tobacco, meat, perfume, aspartame, etc.)

What seemed to work best was a face cloth dipped in steaming water, wrapped around a wooden spoon and held about an inch in front of my eye, repeated every couple of hours. (I would never have thought to try this but it was suggested by a dr who seemed to understand environmental allergies--unfortunately, he was in Australia.) Depending upon the occasion, how hot the steam was and how often I did it, the puffiness tended to disappear within about 2 days--it was almost like something burst and relieved it.

With a child you'll have to be very careful with this technique. You have to trust them to sit still and you'll have to convince them to keep their eyes open. You can also use cooler water that is just barely steaming but its impact will likely be less.