Update on itching and ob visit

So I finally figured out that this crazy rash is not at all one of the pregnancy rashes I thought it was. I feel kinda dumb now! lol Like the derm said, it IS in fact something I'm allergic to: Poison oak. Fun!! I remembered that I had weeded my flower bed last week for the first time in months and there were some new plants in there that I did plant of course and I didn't know what they were. I just assumed it was from the nuts that fall from my tree taking root and growing. Ha! Nope. Lovely old poison oak. What clued me in is after having the rash for a while some places started to take the shape of straight lines which I thought was pretty odd. So I looked it up and found that this is very typical for poison ivy or oak rashes. Then they started blistering and weeping. Yep, had to be one or the other. After closely examining a couple of stray plants that I missed in my flower bed, sure enough it's poison oak. But I've never had a poison oak or ivy rash in my life. Turns out some people are only allergic to specific things when they are preggo! My mom said she had the same happen to her while pregnant and she's never been allergic to those plants at any other time in her life. Weird! And so my luck! This stuff is miserable and just seems to get more painful, oozy and blistery every day. Wondering how long this stuff lasts!?? I ditched the hydrocortisone because it wasn't really helping and got some Ivarest. It's a combo of benedryl, calamine, and alcohol. It works fairly well but I'm trying not to use it too much. So I just gotta wait it out. It sucks!!

On other fronts, I had my 11 week ob visit on Wednesday the 26th. I got another ultrasound (yay!) which I wasn't expecting. They said it would be easier to hear the heart tones through u/s than with the doppler. Fine with me! I got my favorite u/s tech who is so funny and so nice and spent quite a while letting us watch our little one jump around. He/she is a mover and shaker already! She couldn't hardly get the baby to be still long enough to get a good picture for us. But we did get a few and they are precious! The heartrate was a whopping 182 bpm so we're thinking girl!! I know it's an old wives tale but it's still fun to guess. The only not so good news that we got is that the bladder was slightly enlarged. My doc didn't sound super concerned (but then again he never does) but he sent over the info to the perinatologist for them to check that out when I go to check on the blood clotting stuff. So of course, I consulted "Dr. Google" and am now officially terrified. Of course I know that what's on the internet is usually all the bad cases where things went terribly wrong and the good stories where this resolved itself just don't get talked about. What I found was that when the bladder is enlarged there is usually an obstruction somewhere that is preventing the passing of urine. Sometimes there is a chromosomal abnormality to blame and the baby has even more problems than just the bladder. Sometimes it resolves itself within a couple of weeks and sometimes it does not. If it does not, later on during the pregnancy (if the baby does not die) a shunt has to be placed in the baby's bladder to allow urine to be expelled. Then once the baby is born, surgery is performed to clear the obstruction or deal with whatever it is that is wrong. The problem with the shunt procedure is that sometimes it's too hard to place and the surgery is unsuccessful. If the bladder expands too fast, fluid around the baby diminishes which causes death or if the bladder gets too large it will fill up the abdominal and chest cavity crushing the heart. I know, HORRIFYING scenarios to even think about! But in the successful shunt placement, the baby is able to be delivered (often prematurely) and the problem dealt with after birth. ....I am so not prepared for all this. My husband spent all day trying to reassure me that everything will be fine and that we shouldn't borrow trouble if we don't know yet that anything is wrong. Why oh why do I always have to look up EVERYTHING? I'm a glutton for punishment apparently. So I'm praying, my whole family is praying, we are all just holding on and hoping that this is nothing.  All we can do is wait. My perinatologist's office said I could come in a week early so that is what I will do. My appt is on Wed, Oct. 3. I know God is bigger than any problem we might face and is able to get us through it. But I can't help being scared.

11 weeks..So Much Itching!!!!

We've all heard about those dreaded "pregnancy rashes" and not everyone gets them but I'm apparently the weirdo that gets them early. Not just one, but TWO! Ughhhh! With my son I got the PUPPP at 6 mo but only on my thighs (but man that was horrific enough!) and now no one knows what I have this time around. Rashes tend to show up in the third trimester. Not me though, I have to be different. My body hates me and enjoys making me miserable at every opportunity. SMH

I have this giant welt (guess that's the term) on my upper stomach that started out as just an annoying itch that turned into a hideous monster of a rash that torments me day and night. It's so ugly and so tender! I can't even bear to scratch it's so painful. So hydrocortisone has been my only friend for a few days now and I have to cover it with one of those ginormous bandaids to keep my clothes from irritating it. No. Fun. At. All.
And what's even better is they have no clue what it is! Of course I'm going to list all the possibilities here in a sec cuz I know everyone wants to know about skin rashes right? Guess it's sorta important because there are a couple that are actually a danger to the baby :-(.

The other rash is very random and looks like little tiny ant bites that show up in clusters everywhere. Very unpredictable and weird. I have some between my fingers on my right hand, on both eyelids (yeah, that's fun), on both thighs, left arm, and back of neck. And they seem to multiply by the day. Totally weird. My obgyn's office sent me straight to the dermatologist yesterday and she is convinced I got into something I'm allergic to. Nope, I'm not buying that. Not that I think she doesn't know what she's doing but the confused look on her face spoke volumes. She's apparently never seen it before in a pregnancy. Especially the one on my stomach, she didn't even wanna mess with that one. And for someone that deals with allergies year round, I know when I've gotten into something I'm allergic to. I know how I react to just about everything. When my dog touches me after being outside, I break out in hives (grass is my enemy!) but they quickly go away after I've bathed or wiped down my arms. They don't stick around and spread to random places. I've not been anywhere near any poison ivy and I've had that stuff before, this is not it. I have not even touched my dogs or allowed them in the house except to go into their kennels for 2 weeks so I know they didn't bring something in. It's gotta be something else. So I asked if she could biopsy the little rashes just to see what it comes back as because I'm not going to just go with her hunch and assume it's an allergy when there are so many of these weird pregnancy rashes out there and chances that it could be a bad one. She agreed that was fine and scraped one off of my forearm and will call me with the results. She prescribed a steroid cream to stop the itching and said we would start there and if they didn't get better move on to another treatment. Not sure why antihistamines were not an option considering she thinks it's an allergy. I think I will bring that up when I talk to them again or to my OB. I see him tomorrow (YAY!) for my 11 week checkup.

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So here, for your reading pleasure, are the different types of pregnancy rashes:
(source: http://www.justmommies.com/pregnancy/concerns-and-complications/rashes-during-pregnancy)


PUPPP
PUPPP stands for Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy. This is an extremely itchy rash that first develops on the abdomen and spreads from there. It becomes a red, raised rash that can cover the abdomen, buttocks and thighs and can spread to the arms and legs. It normally doesn't appear on the patient's face. PUPPP doesn't pose any risk to the baby. Antihistamines and corticosteroid creams are the most common treatments. PUPPP is the most common pregnancy rash.

(This is what I assumed I have but the derm said mine doesn't look like it? It didn't start in my stretch marks though I do have some from my first pregnancy and that's usually where PUPPP shows up)

Prurigo of Pregnancy
Prurigo of pregnancy doesn't pose any risk to the baby, but it can continue for several weeks or even months after delivery. It shows up as itchy pink or red bumps on the arms and legs and sometimes other body parts. Corticosteroid creams and antihistamines help control the itching.

Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy *SCARY ONE!*
This presents itself as a severe rash during the third trimester. It's caused by elevated levels of bile fluids in the mother's system, when the liver slows down due to pregnancy hormones. It carries a risk of premature birth and even death of the baby if it's not caught early enough. Medicines that reduce the amount of bile in the mother's system will be prescribed, along with anti-itch creams for the rash itself. This is a serious condition for the baby and can affect his liver. Other treatment options and medications may focus on preserving the baby's health. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy goes away after delivery.

Pemphigoid Gestationis
Pemphigoid gestationis is much more uncommon than the previous rashes, affecting only one out of every 50,000 pregnancies in the U.S. It's an autoimmune condition that shows up as round patches on the abdomen initially. It usually spreads from there, but typically doesn't affect the mother's face, scalp or neck. Severe cases of this rash require oral corticosteroids to help manage the symptoms. It carries a risk of premature delivery and low birth weight for the baby, and sometimes the baby will have lesions from the condition when he is born.

Impetigo Herpetiformis
This is a rare condition that shows up in the second half of pregnancy. The lesions from the rash can break open and release pus, and then the open sores can lead to secondary infections after impetigo. There are increased instances of infant mortality associated with this rash. Aggressive treatment with systemic corticosteroids and antibiotics is required. Impetigo herpetiformis goes away after delivery.

Pruritic Folliculitis of Pregnancy
This one presents as a rash on the abdomen, back, arms and legs. It poses no risk to the baby, and it resolves soon after the baby is born. Corticosteroid creams can help relieve the itching, and doctors have had success in treating it with ultraviolet light therapy as well.

And one more from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/rashes-during-pregnancy.html


Papular Dermatitis of Pregnancy
The imbalance in the hormonal levels causes papular dermatitis of pregnancy. It mostly occurs due to the elevated levels of gonadotropins and lowered levels of cortisol and estrogen. Prurigo of gestation is again a common dermatosis (skin condition) of pregnancy and affects almost one in every 300 pregnant women. The characteristic features are extremely itchy, raised spots, which are red in color and get covered by crust. The spots are never found in groups. There is no definite time for the occurrence of papular dermatitis of pregnancy as it can appear at any stage of the pregnancy development, and continues to do so till the child is born. It does not cause any harm to either the mother or her baby. The treatment is generally done with high doses of corticosteroids.

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Fun and games right? So be on the lookout. Most of these rashes are harmless and easily treated but a couple of them need to be caught early and treated to prevent harm to the baby.

So off I go to apply more cream and wait for news from the derm! Hope you are having a great (and itch free) day!

Food sucks...

What they say about every pregnancy being different is so far very accurate! With my son, I was tossing my cookies all day every day up until 16 weeks when it magically vanished and I could eat! I craved anything sweet I could get my hands on and even though I lost 8 pounds in the first tri, I gained it back and then some for a whopping 35 lb. gain overall. Some of which I still have hanging around unfortunately (ok, maybe that's not a good excuse anymore considering my son is 7!). This time around, I'm just constantly feeling yucky. No food sounds appetizing ever. Especially not sugar. Maybe this one will turn out different and I will crave healthy food, wouldn't that be a miracle! But I know that right now it's all the nausea's fault. Who knows what will be good when it disappears (hoping it does!). I never thought I would appreciate nausea. But every time I think of food and feel the urge to gag, I rejoice a little bit knowing that I'm still pregnant and all seems to be ok despite my insane anxiety! But, it's not easy. Waking up every morning knowing I will have to find  something to shove down my gullet is so annoying. And I can never eat the same thing twice, with the exception of chicken pot pie, which has become one of my "safe" foods when I can think of nothing else to eat. But as for everything else, even after one serving of it I cannot possibly bring myself to touch it again. Even if I think I want a second helping, nope, my gut says no way you will regret it! And I'm learning to listen! So my most memorable thing about this first trimester is food sucks! All of it. But I know it's necessary and when I manage to choke down something fairly bland, it seems to help the nausea for a little while. But the inevitable heartburn rears its ugly head after every meal and even in the middle of the night. It's miserable! Yep, I'm whining and I know it. Ever had heartburn so bad your ears hurt? Yeah, painful stuff. So far I've tried Tums and Maalox, both of which are short term fixes and don't do much. Tomorrow I will try Prevacid (my doc suggested so I know it's safe) and see if that helps. If only I knew when all this nausea would go away! I'd be counting down the days! Oh well, if that's the worst of what I have to deal with for now then I must be doing pretty well. Thank You God for this blessing of life even though I feel like roadkill right now! ;-)

Going to Perinatologist (High Risk OB) for testing

Last week, my rheumatologist ran some repeat bloodwork for me that I was concerned about. It's the Anticardiolipin panel that checks for three different types of anticardiolipins in the blood. There's Igg, Igm, and Iga. If the Igg level is high, it can indicate a condition called APS (Anticardio Phospholipid Syndrome). This syndrome causes the blood to clot more than it should and can lead to blood clots, strokes, and pregnancy loss at any point in the pregnancy. Scary stuff! I have a friend that went through losing 2 babies before they figured out that she needed to be on blood thinners throughout her entire pregnancy to prevent losing the baby. A year ago when my autoimmune disorder showed up, the anticardiolipin panel was run along with all my other bloodwork. The Igg level was at 21 which indicates a "low to medium positive" according to the lab. Needles to say, this freaked me out! I'm one of those patients that the doctors hate to see coming because I research stuff until I know it in my sleep because I worry so much, docs don't always like it lol. I get so sick of hearing "Get off the internet"! But I blame it on being the daughter of an RN who does the same lol. I don't claim to know as much as any doctor by any means but they tend to withhold information from patients to avoid stirring up fear and worry when it may not be necessary. And I totally get that. But I just have to know what is going on with my body! So when I got copies of all my bloodwork and went through them in depth, the Anticardiolipin Igg level really stuck out to me and I researched it until I was blue in the face. My rheumatologist ignored it. How in the world can you not address something like that? Well, I asked him and he said until I had a blood clot event, stroke, or lost more than one baby, they could not definitively diagnose APS. Ummm, no, not the answer I was hoping for! I refuse to sit back and wait on one of those events to happen, especially losing a baby! So I brought it to the attention of my obgyn who at the time said we would worry about it when and if I finally got pregnant. Well here we are and I had them repeat that blood panel and sure enough, the Igg was high again. It wasn't 21, it was 19 which puts it just under low positive to indeterminate. Usually if it's high once, they repeat it after 6 weeks to make sure it wasn't just high that day or a fluke. Well it's been high both times they checked it so to stay on the safe side, my OB is sending me to a Perinatologist for further testing. YES! Somebody is listening to me and not sweeping it under the rug until something big happens. Not that I want to see a perinatologist or be classified as high risk but if I do have APS, I want them to figure it out before it's too late. Seeing as how I have an autoimmune disorder, research shows that APS is more commonly a secondary condition to autoimmune disorders, lupus in particular. They don't think I have lupus so that's a mark in my favor but nonetheless, we're gonna take all precautionary measures to make sure the worst doesn't occur. Thank God for my OB, he's always been very receptive to what I'm worried about and is very good about making sure I know everything I need to know to put my fears to rest or deal with whatever issue is at hand to make sure the baby is ok. He is awesome!

So say a little prayer for me if you would! Things are going great right now but I still worry like crazy since my body is so screwed up it seems!