Toddler allergic to 'almost everything' forced to wait a year to see specialist
A Western Australian toddler suffering eczema who is allergic "to almost everything" faces a lengthy wait to see a specialist to diagnose his rare condition.
Braxton Cherry, a 21-month-old from Rockingham, breaks out in rashes all over his body when coming into contact with a range of allergens and is unable to walk on carpets which haven't been vacuumed due to his intolerance of dust mites.
Not only do his bedsheets have to be changed daily, he can't go anywhere near dairy products, gluten, fish and nuts due to his allergies and is yet to find out the true extent of his condition.
"Not changing bedding daily will cause his face to swell and he'll begin scratching apart his arms feet and face to the point it looks like he needs stitches," his mother Chelsea Jenkins revealed.
According to the mother-of-four, he is rarely not covered in scabs which has made immediate specialist treatment a must for him.
“We’re at the doctors every three days getting more prescriptions. He has been on oral and cream steroids and antibiotics almost continuously since he was eight months old," she told Perth Now.
However Braxton is on a 12-month public waiting list to see a paediatric immunologist at Fiona Stanley Hospital. He will undergo allergy prick testing which could lead to getting an epipen – a device for administering epinephrine for allergic reactions.
The wait comes at a huge financial burden to the family with Ms Jenkins unable to work while she looks after Braxton. He is unable to go to day care unless the centre is professionally cleaned daily.
Ms Jenkins says it's a constant battle keeping his wounds dry, with moist conditions provoking a reaction from Braxton.
“He doesn’t sleep much, and we have to have the air-conditioning on continuously because when he gets warm he starts scratching to the point where we have wrap his arms in bandages,” Ms Atkins said.
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She has since started a GoFundMe page to raise funds to Braxton's private care and hospital appointments in their bid to get him itch-free. The page has so far managed to raise $915 in two weeks.
"The waitlist is over 12 months and it's not fair he has to suffer endless sleepless nights, continuous steroids, oral and in creams, and on antibiotics every other week."