Eczema Journey: Our Quest for Answers on Fainting Spells

Continued from the previous post…

However, two weeks after her discharge, her skin deteriorated once again. It was red and started flaking again. Then , the unthinkable happened—she collapsed right before my eyes, again!

The first incident occurred when we were ordering food at the mall. She collapsed! but fortunately, strangers rushed to our aid, asked me to put her on the ground flat instead of holding her. She regained consciousness, explaining that exhaustion had caused her sudden blackout.

The doctor diagnosed that it might be Vasovagal Syncope—a reaction triggered by stress, pain, or prolonged standing, leading to a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure, resulting in fainting. He assured us that no need to worry too much.

But how to not worry?! I almost got heart attack!!!

The second incident occurred during her bath time. I help her for quick bath, as she was terrified of bathing. Each time, the water’s touch elicited loud screams of pain. That day, as I was assisting her in wiping her body, she suddenly seemed to lose all of her energy and collapsed again.

To be frank, I don’t remember how I managed to grab her and quickly use my body to pin her to the wall and scream for help. My mum came, and we managed to wrap her and drag her out.

Was she so stressed that it triggered her to faint?! Did she scream too much until she had no energy left? What happened?! I can’t imagine if she’s alone and collapse without anyone knowing! We were all scared!!!

We quickly rushed her to hospital for a thorough checkup, including MRI, ECG and Holter ECG, and more tests. But the results shown nothing wrong with her heart and brain… So, what was the problem?

We tried various avenues, we did explore alternative treatments beyond steroids too. As parents, witnessing her suffering, especially when it worsened, was heart-wrenching.

We tried Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) a few years ago. A TCM specialist in eczema advised avoiding orange-colored foods—carrots, tomatoes, prawns, crabs, oranges, papayas, eggs, pumpkins—as they exacerbated itchiness. Our family adhered to this diet for six months, but the improvement was minimal.

After her fainting episodes, we considered consulting with TCM again.

This TCM practitioner had also experienced eczema and she was very attentive. She encourage my daughter, assuring her that her condition would improve. That’s one of the reasons she studied TCM to help herself and others.

She prescribed a blend of 17 Chinese herbs to be taken daily Thankfully, these herbs were in powdered form, eliminating the need for boiling. These herbs aim to balance her ‘Qi’ and support liver health, especially important given her extensive use of medications and supplements.

Alongside the herbal concoction, acupuncture sessions were part of her treatment.

My sister also sent us Bioglass to place in her drinking water, and an anti-radiation necklace (though she could only keep it in her pocket and under the pillow due to her raw neck).

We experimented with numerous supplements, moisturizers, ointments, and creams—trying almost every recommendation.”

We're desperate to understand why, despite the extensive use of steroids, the effects only lasted for 2 weeks. Why did she start fainting so frequently? These questions and many others plague our minds relentlessly.

We'll share details about her subsequent treatment with Dupilumab. Stay tuned…

Thank you & Best Regards,
Cheerry’s Mummy