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Charlie Maddy was born in October 2011. As soon as he started weaning from his mother’s breast milk, little Charlie developed eczema that covered nearly all of his tiny body, SWNS reports.
Charlie’s case of eczema got worse in April 2013. Charlie began to feel an itching and burning sensation on his skin again after his diet was introduced with solid food.
The boy then was prescribed steroid cream to alleviate the pain from eczema. However, the boy became addicted to the cream even though the condition became worse than before. Charlie was eventually taken to the hospital and was given morphine.
After prescribing the kid with ten different steroids, doctors finally found out what was he suffering from. Charlie had Red Skin Syndrome, which typically happens when the skin became too dependent on steroid cream.
Right after the diagnosis, Charlie’s parents, Douglas and Karen, stopped giving him the cream. The parents were even reported to the Child Safeguarding Board.
Douglas, 32 years old, said, “Our little boy went through months of agony thanks to these steroid creams. It’s such a relief to know that after all those months of our little boy being in agony, he is on the mend.”
He continued, “We want people to know that children can get addicted to these eczema creams, and they sometimes are the cause of a worsening condition.”
Douglas told SWNS, “The redness started coming back, especially around the face and patches on the arms.”
He added, “It was so heartbreaking to watch Charlie like this. I spent most of my free time on internet, trying all the different advice: creams, diets, change all the soaps in the house.
“We couldn’t understand how he was fine for a year and suddenly got so bad – and was worsening every day.”
Charlie has a brother named Alfie and a sister named Abbie.
Douglas said, “Charlie was itchy and red all over, and it was becoming apparent he looked like some of the victims of Red Skin Syndrome. I considered the possibility that it could be the steroid therapy making him worse.”
As soon as Charlie stopped using any cream, his skin began to flake and appear more red.
Douglas said, “I felt terrible, because what if I was causing my child additional unnecessary suffering for something I’d read online. My partner put her trust in me, but I’ve been constantly doubting myself for several months.”
He added, “All the symptoms that people wrote about online had suddenly appeared.”
Charlie’s dad said that Dr. Marvin Rapaport’s diagnosis provided the parents with confidence.
Douglas said, “It’s such a relief to know that after all those months of our little boy being in agony, he is on the mend. We want people to know that children can get addicted to these eczema creams, and they sometimes are the cause of a worsening condition.”
Dr. Rapaport provided a healthcare plan for Charlie. The dermatologists who saw the plan gave it a second approval.
