A Swansea mum says specialist sleepwear has been life-changing for her three-year-old son, who kept waking up covered in blood due to severe eczema.
Katy Jones, 38, an ITU nurse, said her son Lewys has been suffering since last autumn, when the condition escalated from small patches behind his legs to covering his body from neck to ankles.
Daily struggle
“His eczema completely wiped his body out,” she said. “Almost overnight he went from having a few small patches to being covered from his neck to his ankles. He would wake up covered in blood every morning because he had scratched so much in his sleep.”
She added: “And I would have to strip his bed because the sheets were spotted with blood. It was heartbreaking to see.”
The condition also affected Katy’s wellbeing. “During the day, I could keep an eye on him and stop the scratching. But at night, there was nothing I could do,” she said.
Finding a solution
After trying every cream imaginable, Katy found Eczema Clothing, which makes sleepwear from 100% organic cotton with built-in mittens on the hands and feet. While it doesn’t treat the root issue, it aims to protect fragile skin from damage.
“He still wakes up at night, but the mittens protect him from doing damage and so his wake ups have reduced,” she said. “He can still rub if he’s itchy, but he can’t scratch hard enough to make himself bleed. For the first time in months, we could all get some proper sleep.”
Ongoing wait
Lewys has been waiting seven months for a dermatology appointment, so the family is managing the condition at home. Katy said: “It’s incredibly frustrating because he’s constantly uncomfortable. When you are in the middle of it, it can feel incredibly lonely.”
She added: “But if sharing our story helps another family find something that makes life even a little bit easier, then it’s worth it.”
