Lets talk Eczema.

This is not farming. This is about Jo

Jo has Eczema. Poor kid, it is all over his body. It makes him red and rashy. It makes him uncomfortable and it effects everything; sleeping, eating, washing, clothing choices etc. Everyday we plan around eczema. Moisturise before going outside, bath after being outside. What pjs are clean, will they aggregate him, how can I make him warm enough without being itchy.

Getting the wrong sheets means he can scratch.

We have been battling this with him since November last year when he was just 4 months old. 

We have tried so many balms/mositurisers etc we could open a pharmacy with all we have. 

We tried: Paw Paw, aqueous cream, oats, olive oil, zinc, non ionic cream, sorboline, manuka cream, goats milk, coconut oil, beeswax ........

This isn't even 1/2 of what we have now. (and have used) 

Numerous visits to the GP, numerous tubes of steroid cream and prescription moisturiser and it wasn't getting much better. It did once and we were pleased. But it was back a week later. 

The GP insisted that it was just immature skin. We just had to moisturise him 6 times a day and keep up the steroid cream.  The GP was adimant that it was not a food allergy, that testing would be inconclusive and a referral was not needed. 

Well. I had read enough online (shhhh I know, Dr. Google and all that) and heard enough stories from other people that I was sure this was not the case, and it was very likely a food alllergy or at least an intolerance. 

So I found a specialist that did not require a referral. 

And guess what? A food allergy. To Eggs and Peanuts. We were eating these foods on a daily basis!! 

Eggs. Eggs, cheap protein eggs.

Eggs gone from his diet and his skin is improving. But that is not all we are doing. We have a very lengthy clinical schedule of hydrocortisone, moisturiser, antihistamine, probiotics and a huge change to diet for Jo and me. (Almost no dairy and gluten, absolutely no eggs and peanuts) Eventually we will look at eggs cooked over a certain temperature etc... but for now. Absolutely none. 

No more birthday cakes like this for a while......it was delicious

Our current 'go-to' selection of products are: BaBu Bottom ( + everywhere) healing balm, Atawhai farm Goats milk salve, Atawhai farm goats milk soap and Dermol steroid cream......alongside a massive bottle of sorbolene moisturiser.  

We can't go anywhere without these. 

What does this mean for the farm? Will the chickens and ducks go?? Not yet. We will keep them for now. We are sharing the eggs out between local charities and groups who can make use of them. And a few friends are enjoying a good supply. 

you girls get to stay.....for now

Of course, this blog post is only the tip of the ice berg of what we have been through. I can't begin to explain the magnatude of the emotional strain, mental rollercoaster and physical exhaustion we have been through.....and will continue to go through. 


I can't tell you how hard it is to not sleep more than 2 consecutive hours a night for 8 months. I can't tell you how hard it is to question a GP, someone who we are meant to trust with our health. And I cant put into words how terrible the home environment is when we are all stretched to our limits, tip toeing around Jo's needs and Ace's 'left out' tantrums. 

just another day in the plastic carnage.

We still have a long way to go. 

And like Ace he has sensitive skin. When Ace was little he would get 'welts' in the shape of toys that he sat on or things that he bumped into. The GP described it like Dermagraphism. 

He has grown out of it mostly and now only happens with severe scrapes. Jo's sensitive skin appears as discoid eczema; when patches of skin are irritated by something rubbing and making the skin aggrevated. He has heaps from his carseat. 

Will Jo grow out of his eczema? Maybe. Will Jo grow out of his allergies? Maybe too. Will I be finding a new GP that I can trust.......probably. 

Thats all for now.....

P.s If you noticed there are no pictures of Jo and his wounds, that is because he can't decide for himself if he wants you to all see that. I will put up pictures of him (and Ace) occasionally, but not while he is sore and inflamed. 

I have learnt a LOT

......about how I'm terrible at blogging and farming

I have lots to write, just need time to write it.

Its been a while, I know that. I have thought about blogging often. I have then cleaned the floor, chased the kids, fed the chickens, cleaned the floor again and folded Mt Washing.

Hanging bucket #4,562 in my nice new gumboots.

I had a plan for a while, that once a month I was going to tell you all about things that are different from 'up north' to 'down here'.  But as you can see I haven't done those yet. They will come.

What else has happened?? Our chicken count is almost out of control. We have sent two chickens on 'vacation' to Gran and Grandpas, to raise a new flock up there. So far so good, there are 3 new babies up there. 

We have sent 5 Roosters away for the pot and still have 3 to go. At the moment we are only getting 1 or 2 eggs per day. So the cost of feed for our now penned in chickens is getting a bit expensive for the return.

since writing this draft, Mark put the 3 roosters in a hole. And the chickens have gone mad; 5 to 6 eggs a day mad!

Just a couple of days worth of eggs off to the local food bank

Our apples didn't take off this year....again.

We had a long, dry, hot summer. There is no irrigation set up for any of our plants. (The leak in the pipe in the front paddock doesn't count)

Poor, sad apple tree

It was very difficult for me to manage to water the trees. Our day got away on us, there was no routine to naps etc. I found I was constantly working on getting Jo to sleep or just catching up after spending so much time trying to get Jo to sleep. Sometimes I even had to stop and look at Ace to remember what he looked like. 

And then when I did get outside, I had to carry super heavy barrels of water (or do 100 trips with the watering can) somehow push the stroller or put Jo in the wrap (and not bang him with the barrel) and then also make sure that Ace was compliant and came with me and didn't go back inside and cause mayhem.

I know that people all over the world can get on with having children and keeping up with their jobs. And I'm sure there are Mummas out there with more to do who think its just life. One day I will figure it out, when they are at high school, or not even then.

Thats all for now 

Quack

We have some new residents 

The owners of the local feed shop, where we get our chicken food were giving away some of their ducks as they had too many. 

So now we have 10 female and 2 male Indian runner / Khaki Campbell cross ducks. 

They are funny things, almost penguins of the duck world. 

An old horse float for a home, with some random car doors. 

But the kids love them. 

Made in China my ass.

I am hoping that we can use them just in one area, so that I am not searching the whole 10 acres for duck eggs everyday. At the moment we need fences! they eat grass, so can be useful lawnmowers.  

Thats all for now folks. 

Quack quack quack quack.  

Seeds. Seeds. Seeds.

Planning. Planning. Planning 

So. it's the middle of winter and the weather isn't good for much at the moment. 

So I'm getting organised for spring. 

My Saturday night reading.

Seeds. I am going to try and germinate a whole load of seeds to grow yum food. 

I'm wishing for an amazing crop of loads and loads of vegetables. Some for us and some for the community. Some to share and some to fry into deliciousness.

A random collection that we already have. 

but....

I won't get there if I don't prep now. 

Good soil.

Warm environment.

Frost protection.

Pest protection. 

watering plan. 

trellis etc........

Thats all for now, off to budget for more seeds.

Thats all for now folks. 

Winter Update

Normal stuff and bits and pieces. 

Its winter. its cold. not snow cold, but frozen over swimming pool cold! There is snow on the mountains but nothing down here. we are not very far above sea level, so to get snow down here is very rare. 

we have just had a weather report it might happen next week!!

AND IT DID. but it didn't settle 

Ace is still enjoying preschool and doing well at surviving being indoors more than outdoors. Although he has learnt to climb one of the apple trees this week.

I can't get down Mumma!

digging is life 

Jo is still revcovering but LOVES to be outside no matter how cold. He loves to ride of the 'tractor' and his sleep is slowly improving. 

Grandpa and Hubby chopped up the tree that fell down in the Autumn wind. And discovered just how much damage it had done to the paddock gate. in a way it was lucky it was a gate that was left here by the previous owners that we hadn't hung yet. (so no hinges/post ruined) 

It wasn't huge, but it will be much needed firewood.

Hubby has been working away at clearing the front of the forrest to be able to put fencing in. 

And I have just been carrying on. Chickens. Ducks. Fireplace. Kids. Kids. Kids. Mess. Mess. Mess. At the moment when it is cold I have very little motivation to move about. And its not a good time to do works outside. 

We did go to a meeting about our shared driveway, which was a bit of a pain, but it was really good to meet everyone together. 

Thats all for now folks.

Watch this space!

We are still here, I promise. 

Hi. I promise you we are still here, still doing our thing. Still plodding along. I have just managed to get 6 months worth of photos off my phone, so standby for blog flood. 

I am still fine tuning a few things, but there will be some posts coming real soon..

Have a snack while you wait....

Standby caller. 

Why we haven't been doing much farming

or mowing, or gardening....

Since spring we have been a bit action packed with things that are not farming, spraying trees, building fences, mowing grass, harvesting vegetables, pulling weeds.......

We have been to:

Alexandra

Just cousins being cousins

Auckland

A stop in to the Zoo for a wander and an ice cream

Wanaka

Pukaki, you beautiful thing.

We have had visitors from

Auckland

Jo's first game

Gramma

Napier

Great Nana (that's my Nana)

We have also been carrying on, checking out new playgrounds, looking at our community and the beach and generally being us. Ace and I made paint with the excess spinach and beetroot. Oh and I am spending a lot of time Everyday with Jo and his eczema.

Another post coming soon, stand by folks.