Community› The Bump Message Boards› 3rd Trimester
3rd Trimester
New Discussion

pin prick sensation and itching on arms and legs in third tri

bv27bv27
in 3rd Trimester

I am 31 weeks and started itching about two weeks ago, mostly on my feet and hands but it's now on my arms and legs. At first, I thought our cat had brought home fleas so I vacuumed like mad and had a pest control service come to the house to take care of the problem. Since then, my husband and daughter have not been itching but I continue to itch. My husband keeps telling me its in my head. The sensation usually starts like a pin prick and then it gets itchy in that general area. I don't have any rashes except from what I get from scratching my skin too much although sometimes there is a small red dot or very slight bump with no dot.

I mentioned our situation at the end of my last doctor's visit and rather than ending the appointment, she sent me straight to the lab for blood tests: a liver panel and bile acid test. She didn't tell me what she was specifically looking for just that she was making sure that nothing was going on that would make me itch, but googling "pregnancy, liver, and itching" led me to websites on cholestasis.

Unfortunately, I received the blood test results via the clinic website but haven't been able to talk to a doctor yet to discuss the results and probably won't be able to talk to someone until Monday. It looks like I have low albumin, low protein, and high cholic acid - all just slightly out of the standard range.  I looked at cholestasis websites (do yourself a favor and do NOT look at pictures) and my skin doesn't look like the ones I saw on the websites although they did make me itch horribly just by looking at them.

Has anyone been diagnosed with cholestasis? Are you experiencing similar sensations? 

I know I should just wait to talk to the doctor, but it's a terrible feeling to wait so I was wondering if anyone here has been going through something similar.  

Report Reply to Post

Re: pin prick sensation and itching on arms and legs in third tri

  • MommyMelRNMommyMelRN member
    I have not had this problem, but I do know that it is fairly common in pregnancy.  Good luck and I hope you get some relief soon!
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • Bquintero12Bquintero12 member
    Hello I'm from second tri 26 weeks. I was diagnosed with cholestasis with my first pregnancy. It started the same way you described it with tiny red bumps that made my skin itchy. It got to the point that the stitching in clothes would feel like a million needles pricking my skin :( I would make myself bleed all over from scratching, I would take 2,3 baths during the day because water made me feel less itchy. It also became so bad that if I could be naked I would because clothes would cause itchiness. I ended up being induced 2 weeks early for this. But before being induced all I could do was take benadryl. 2 weeks after delivering my baby I had a sharp dull pain, went to urgent care and they told me I was passing gull stones. I got admitted to the hospital and had my gull bladder removed the next day. I've heard that pregnancy tends Bring out these types of gull bladder problems in some women. Hope that helps. Forgot to mention 2 days after delivery symptoms completely went away.
    Report Reply
  • bv27bv27

    imageMommyMelRN:
    I have not had this problem, but I do know that it is fairly common in pregnancy.  Good luck and I hope you get some relief soon!

     

    Thanks so much! I saw the doctor on Monday and unfortunately, it looks like giving birth will resolve the itching. In the meantime, benadryl and ice....

    Report Reply
  • bv27bv27
    imagekitchencolors:

    I have pins and needles tingling in my hands and itchy hands - it's carpal tunnel and itching because they're swollen.  My advice: step away from Dr. Google.

    I don't mean to say that it's nothing, just that googling to freak yourself out probably isn't going to help a whole lot.  Hope you get some answers from a real doctor soon. FWIW ice, elevation, rest and splints at night help my hands a little bit.

    Thanks. I've actually had carpal tunnel and RSI issues in the past and this itching is different. I did get some answers from the doctor although we're following a wait and see type plan. 

    Report Reply
  • bv27bv27

    imageBquintero12:
    Hello I'm from second tri 26 weeks. I was diagnosed with cholestasis with my first pregnancy. It started the same way you described it with tiny red bumps that made my skin itchy. It got to the point that the stitching in clothes would feel like a million needles pricking my skin :( I would make myself bleed all over from scratching, I would take 2,3 baths during the day because water made me feel less itchy. It also became so bad that if I could be naked I would because clothes would cause itchiness. I ended up being induced 2 weeks early for this. But before being induced all I could do was take benadryl. 2 weeks after delivering my baby I had a sharp dull pain, went to urgent care and they told me I was passing gull stones. I got admitted to the hospital and had my gull bladder removed the next day. I've heard that pregnancy tends Bring out these types of gull bladder problems in some women. Hope that helps. Forgot to mention 2 days after delivery symptoms completely went away.

    Thank you so much for your response! I'm so sorry you had to go through cholestasis and the gall bladder issue! I'm glad that everything turned out ok in the end and it's good to hear the itching goes away soon after birth. I hope that you luck out this time around and don't get it again. 

    Was your itching more focused in your hands and feet? I saw the doctor and she said that since my itching was focused more on my arms and legs rather than the soles of my feet and the palms of my hand and since my cholic acid was only slightly higher that she wasn't going to call it cholestasis - yet. She thinks it's just general itching from pregnancy hormones but that there is definitely a potential for me to develop cholestasis later. I itch wherever clothes touch although oddly not on my belly. She just said that if it moved to my hands and feet to contact her but otherwise just try to relieve the itching as best I can. The itching is driving me crazy....

    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"