K.,
I am so so sorry for what you are going through. It is sounds very similar to what I went through last year with my son, who had mysteriously itchy skin, and balance issues, and some breathing problems. I will tell you that you are the advocate for your child, and no doctor will be able to tell you exactly what to do. You will have to set up the doctor's appointments and also be willing to give some things a try. I would first like to address the skin concerns:
Itchy skin can be caused by dryness (although not visible), sensitivity to chemicals/fragrances, allergies, and eczema. After 9 months of constant itching, here is what I did with my son, and amazingly within 7-8 days all of his itching disappeared and his skin was baby-soft again.
- I switched all soaps, shampoos, laundry detergents, and lotions to fragrance free, hypoallergenic versions. Personally what I use is a soap/shampoo combination made by Huggies that is fragrance free and hypoallergenic (GRINS & GIGGLES BABY WASH FOR HAIR&BODY GENTLE&MILD OATMEAL TEAR FREE HYPOALLERGENIC)
- I did not let him take any baths with soap in it and I limited the time in the bath so that his skin would not dry out. Typcially I showered him and washed him quickly, and then let him play in a bath of clean water for a few minutes.
- As soon as he gets out of the bath, I put cortaid lotion or ointment on him where he itches, and then immediately I put Aquaphor all over his body. Aquaphor is what really made a big difference in his itching and skin and I use it at least 2 times a day. We keep extra containers in each bathroom and in my purse. It is a bit expensive, but well worth the money.
-I use Arm & Hammer laundry detergent that is fragrance free and hypoallergenic. In general, even on suncreen and all other products, I now check if a product has fragrance listed as an ingredient and if it does I don't use it.
- I also started washing his bedding in extremely hot water and removed anything fabric from his bedroom, such as curtains, padded rocking chair, stuffed animals. This is in case he had allergies to dust and dust mites, and it seemed to help his breathing a lot. Eventually we also put an air purifier in his bedroom and switched our furnace filter to a pleated filter.
- He was tested by a highly recommended allergist adn he did not find anything. I did take him to an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat specialist). I strongly recommend that you take your daughter to one because the balance problem is likely due to a bigger problem. He found things that my pediatrician could not find (even though I adore her). After doing a CAT scan, he found that my son had very enlarged tonsils which was affecting his breathing, and also had enlarged adenoids farther back which were blocking the drainage from his ears causing constant fluid buildup which caused him to have imbalance. Unfortunately, the pediatrician, allergist, and other doctors did not see fluid in his ears or enlarged tonsils. The balance part was scary because there were mornings that he woke up and could not walk...
I agree with the others that you should follow up on the thirst and excessive urination. Please call or email me if you like at ____@____.com or ###-###-####.
A.