I was hoping to post something about my labor and delivery and some more cute pictures of Caden, but that will have to wait for now. I thought I'd share some of the other things that are going on with us. During the past two weeks I have developed an awful, itchy post-pregnancy rash. This rash has now spread over most of my body and looks kind of like I got into poison ivy. We tried three days last week to get a doctor's appointment with an American doctor but was never able to get one. Friday we decided after calling the appointment line at 7am and not able to get in to go to the American ER. The rash had and has continued to get worse and I needed to get it checked out and confirm that it is not harmful to Caden. I also wanted to see if they could give me any medicine to bring some relief and help it go away.
We confirmed that I have Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy - PUPPP. When the ER doctor saw me she had no idea what I had. I told her what I thought I had and she went and researched it. She came back and told me it looked like that was what I had and that only about 1% of pregnant women get this awful rash. She gave me a pill that completely knocked me out all day Saturday. I stayed in bed over 14 hours mostly sleeping which is very unlike me. I was very weak and could not even pick up the baby. Collin brought him to me for all the feedings. I felt awful. She also gave me some spray that I don't think helped much. We weren't sure if I should take the pill again Saturday night because of reaction I had Saturday but decided since I hadn't itched much Saturday to try it again and try and knock this thing out and have Collin be mine and the baby's legs. Sunday I was not as weak but continued to itch. So maybe it was a combination of sleep deprivation - I have only gotten around 3-5 hours of sleep per day since having Caden - and the medicine.
Sunday evening we noticed Caden's stomach starting to swell. We called our parents and looked up swollen stomach online and thought it was probably gas but since I had taken this new medicine we decided to take him to the Kinderklinik ER. The German doctor was very good. He examined Caden and told us he looks really good and that it is just gas. He said it is very common especially in boys from birth to 3 months. He didn't think the medicine I got from the American doctor would harm Caden but suggested I see a German dermatologist regarding my rash. He actually knew what it was.
Monday morning we got an appointment with a German dermatologist. He was able to quickly identify my skin condition but was not sure what I could take because I was breastfeeding. He called some specialists in another city who may be more familiar with my "rare" condition. He gave me a prescription for some milky lotion to put on my skin but didn't want me to take any oral medication until he finds out what a "safe" dose is. He said the medicine I got from the American doctor is not safe to take while breastfeeding and told me to stop taking it. So now I'm taking nothing but applying white pasty milk-like lotion to my skin as needed. I still itch like crazy!
This morning Caden had his 2nd well baby appointment. The pediatrician told me not to take anything for the rash. He said scratching does not spread it and to try and keep it cool. He said if I want to continue breastfeeding there is nothing really safe to take except one dose of Claritin per day.
I feel like the past two weeks we have been in and out of the doctor's office and hospital. This rash is on my palms and the soles of my feet. It's hard to type very long because my hands start itching really bad. We have been given so many mixed opinions and advice. I think for now I'll try the Claritin and pray really hard that this rash stops itching and goes away. Several doctors said it lasts usually between 6 weeks and 3 months. I have had it for 2 weeks now and am determined to continue to breastfeed. Although I'm in a lot of discomfort this is something I would really like to follow through with for now. Please keep us in your prayers.
Here are a few pictures of the rash so if you or someone you know ever gets it you'll know what it looks like.
rash on one of my arms
backs of my legs
3 comments:
I am SO sorry to hear about the awful rash! That sounds miserable. I will be praying that you get relief from it soon!
Omigosh Marisa! I'm so sorry you're having to go through that. I'm sure it's hard enough being home with a newborn let alone deal with this rash. :( I will definitely pray that it goes away quickly. Hopefully the Claritin helps, but Benadryl might actually be more effective (though makes you sleepy). Any antihistamine has some properties that help with urticaria or any skin rash. Let me know how you're doing when you can. Take care of yourself!!
Have you been on kellymom.com? It's a great resource for breastfeeding issues including medications that are safe and not safe. Maybe there's even something on there about the rash. Kudos to you for pushing through the pain to breastfeed! When the rash goes away, you will be so happy that you did. Adorable baby boy too!!! Congrats guys!
Post a Comment