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Joined Jun. 27, 2014 3:07am

Ilove40's Pregnancy

My Due Date: October 21, 2022
I am postpartum » My due date was more than 2 weeks ago
Age: 38 years old
Location: United States

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Intense Itching!
By Ilove40 » Posted Jun. 12, 2017 10:37am - 413 views - 6 comments

I am unfortunately between doctors' offices currently and experiencing some extreme itching...I woke up the other day from a midday nap and my hands were itching soooo bad, like a fire on the inside, beneath my skin, with no relief from any amount of scratching, and my hands were so swollen it scared me (reminded me when I got stung by a bee once and had an allergic reaction). I assumed this must be an allergic reaction to something too, but later that evening it happened again, but it wasn't only on my hands now, it was also on the upper front side of my thighs and without even realizing it, I scratched so hard I left bruises on them! I've never done that in my life!

I knew immediately something really strange was going on, and of course, naturally, I googled "itchy hands during pregnancy." What I found wasn't really what I expected...Cholestasis...and it describes what I'm experiencing pretty much exactly. Now that I have been experiencing it for about 3 days, I can attest it is so much worse at night, another reason that leads me to believe it may actually be Cholestasis.

Ever since it started after that midday nap 3 days ago, I have experienced that awful itch on my hands, feet, front and back of thighs, back of knees, scalp, and forearms. I have also had either terrible scratch/bruise marks left behind, and in some cases, in the area irritated, only while it is irritated, my skin gets all bumpy-like.

I have moved up my appointment with the new midwives office to tomorrow, and specifically requested that I get a bile acid test and a liver function test. I'll post an update as soon as I get any answers. This sucks and is super scary if it is Cholestasis, as my entire birth plan will be uprooted...I will likely have to see an OB and be induced at 37ish weeks for the safety of the baby. I've never had a natural delivery with induction...I wonder how that would even go? And if I have GBS again (would be 3rd x in a row) I wouldn't even be allowed to get the epidural anyways so I wouldn't even have the choice of pain relief. Good thing I've done this a time or two all natural, so hopefully could handle it well enough. Bye bye birth center birth likely too :( Please pray for us that it is not Cholestasis!!!!!!!

Comments for this Journal Entry

Comment from Ilove40 » Posted Jun. 20, 2017 9:22am
They DID do a Bile Acids test...I didn't see it on the order! My level is 10... not sure if that indicates ICP though, so I will have to do some research. I thought it was levels over 10? Not sure.


Comment from Ilove40 » Posted Jun. 18, 2017 3:50pm
I am pretty convinced now that my great dane has been wallowing in some poison ivy/oak in the back yard and petting him later led to me getting a very minor amount of the oils on my skin!!!

Comment from Ilove40 » Posted Jun. 16, 2017 7:07am
Thanks so much. Sad so many women feel this way. Got my results this morning from the Comprehensive Metabolic Panel they did which does test for liver function...all looks pretty normal so now I have no idea what was going on, but it has been much more minor the past few days, so maybe I was having some kind of reaction to something, I have no idea!!

Comment from adiggs » Posted Jun. 15, 2017 2:26pm
I have a hard time getting my doctor to take me seriously as well. I hope it's not cholestasis, but even if it is rare it should be taken seriously because it is a serious condition if I remember correctly. I hope you get good results.

Comment from Ilove40 » Posted Jun. 15, 2017 1:23pm
Still waiting on test results :/ Honestly they didn't seem too concerned about this, even though I moved my appointment up 2 weeks because I was so worried!! Seemed like they weren't taking it very seriously, maybe because it is so rare? Seemed like they were more concerned about the student midwife getting to ask me all of the same questions the actual midwife already asked me and wasting 4 hours of my day...I'm not thrilled to say the least! On the bright side...the itching has seemed to subside mostly for the past two nights, so maybe I was wrong! She did agree to run the liver function test, but didn't tell me she wasn't ordering the acid bile test, even though I specifically requested both by name and she verbally agreed to order them. Thanks for asking! I will definitely update with any findings.

Comment from adiggs » Posted Jun. 15, 2017 9:13am
What did you find out from the appointment?


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