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Multiples
PUPPS
I've seen a few ladies mention in their posts that they are suffering from PUPPs in their 3rd tri. Just wondering, where are the rashes located and what do they look like? I've had tiny red itchy bumps on my inner forearms, tops of hands, and upper part of belly for over a week now. My OB advised me to take hydrocortisone cream to help the itching, but she didn't give me an official diagnosis. Does this compare to others' experiences with PUPPs or does it sound like mine is something a little different? TIA!
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Re: PUPPS
BFP 9/13/10- Chemical Pregnancy discovered 9/16/10
BFP 2/23/11 EDD 2nd M/C 3/20/10~ 7 w 6 d
BFP 9/17/11- Twins! Alice Nichole 5/15/12 Colette Parker 5/15/12
Our crazy, wonderful life
I actually developed PUPPPS post-partum, which is rare. For me it started on the underside of my breasts, then it showed up in the stretch marks on my sides (didn't get any stretch marks on my belly), and eventually spread to my arms and legs. Hyrdrocortisone helped me the most.
I'm sorry - I know how uncomfortable it is.
Mine started in the stretch marks in my belly, then spread to my legs, arms, hips, butt.... it was AWFUL!!!!! I couldn't sleep I itched so badly, and my OB almost decided to induce me at 36 weeks just so I could get some relief (I held out till 37 weeks, wanted to be full term, plus we were mono/di). He said it was the worst case he's seen since his residency.....
I tried every remedy in the book and nothing really helped that much, except a steroid RX. Ice packs do provide temporary relief. It will get better once you deliver!
I have it now and I am miserable 24/7. It started in my belly stretch marks and has spread to my hands, knees, and feet. It is the worst thing I've ever experienced. I've had it for 2 weeks, I don't sleep, and I cry all day long. As I type this I'm sitting in an oatmeal bath (which doesn't really help).
I see a dermatologist Friday. Hopefully he can give me something b/c I am losing my mind.
IVF 1 April 2011 - Cancelled
IVF 1.5 July 2011 - MC
IVF 2 October 2011 - BFP!
*Identical Twin Boys born June 2012*
Here we go again...IVF 3 is underway!
Mine started as very minor itching down by my stretch marks but the first big rashy outbreak was under my breasts. It then spread around to my low back, then all the way up my back and down my butt. The absolute worst part affected was the inside of my upper arms, not in my arm pits, but basically all that thin skin down to my elbows. It spread down the insides of my forearms and all the way down to my ankles. A few days ago I noticed it making an appearance on my neck.
My PCM's best guesses were excema and prickly heat, so she prescribed a .1% steroid cream. It didn't help at all, so when I saw my OB, he didn't have any guesses either (standard contact dermatitis) and he prescribed a .2% steroid cream (basically just hemorrhoid cream). That didn't help either. I tried cortizone cream, hydrocortizone cream, Neosporin, Benadryl cream, olive oil, vitamin E oil, almond oil. I normally use Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild soap, so there's nothing in that for me to be allergic to. I switched to pine tar soap and that didn't help. I have been on Zyrtec my whole pregnancy, but the PCM switched me to Benadryl, two pills every six hours, which impairs my ability to stay awake, drive, and function, basically.
Here's what HAS worked for me. Witch hazel soap. I shower in the morning then again in the afternoon with the witch hazel soap. I take a bath before bed with Aveeno colloidal oatmeal bath soak. If the itching is particularly bad at night, I take a bath in the morning instead of the shower.
I then coat my whole body in Aveeno oatmeal, the kind with dimethicone (green cap). Then, over the really bad spots, I use A&D diaper ointment (the purple writing, not the orange), again, with dimethicone. I don't know what it is about the dimethicone that's been so much better than the antihistamine creams and such, but it's helped.
The itching is so bad it wakes me up at night, so my OB said I could take Tylenol PM. The Benadryl only lets me sleep about an hour at a time, but the Tylenol PM gets me about three hours of sleep. I keep my nails super short so I don't accidentally claw my skin open in my sleep. I also found that sleeping in a tighter shirt and pants helped more than sleeping in loose clothes. The tighter clothes don't wiggle against my skin as much when I toss and turn, so I ultimately feel less irritation. I ditched all my blankets and just sleep under a sheet now, since sweating seems to make the itching a million times worse.
Just last week some of the rashy spots formed legit postules. They're not pimple-like, they're just weird. I have no doubt this is PUPPS, despite my PCM and OB not having any idea what it is. It started at 29 weeks, I'm a FTM to multiples, and both babies are boys. I read somewhere that 70% of PUPPS cases are with boy pregnancies. I'll check my phone and see if I have any internet-safe pictures of it to post.
This is the rash in my underarm area as it progressively worsened:
I'm too lazy to rotate them, but I left them large so you can see the rash.
That's right where mine are on the undersides of my arms!! Bless your heart. Thanks so much for sharing your story and the remedies that you've tried!
Awww, I am so sorry. I hope he is able to prescribe something to bring you quick relief!
Mine started with just obsessive itching on my belly and forearms and a bit on the legs (not much but still) and in just 3 days it progressed from just itching to red bumps all over my belly. It was horrible, I literally felt sick and was preparing myself for another 7 weeks of pure itchy misery, but then I did an extensive research on-line on natural ways to treat it and bought almost all CVS when it came to ointments and such. My obgyn was on vacation so I was seen by her sub and she prescribed me prednisolone which I read is not FDA approved for pregnant women and is a class C drug so of course I wasn't going to take it (the dosage was crazy too - 6 pills a day, then going down to 5, 4, 3, etc). I don't trust meds that were never approved so to be on the safe side I decided to try to deal with it by using natural remedies and here they are:
1. Aveeno oatmeal bath (comes in packages to dissolve in a bathtub but instead I used that stuff to make sort of a "compress" - I dissolved one packet in about 2-3 glasses of water, bought gauze pads and surgical pads, dipped them in that oatmeal substance and put on my belly for about 20 mins. Instant relief from itching, felt so nice to stop the itch for just a bit!
2. After I would wash the oatmeal off my belly, I used to put calamine lotion (the pinky suff that smells awful but helps a lot) - during the day and Sarna with menthol and camphor at night. It provides this numbing and cooling effect and that's the only lotion that could let me sleep for a bit. My PUPPS was pretty bad and I couldn't sleep at night how bad it was.
3. I sometimes used the A+D First Aid Ointment but I am not sure how much it was helping, I couldn't feel anything going on but some women say it does help.
4. Banana peel. Works magic, I swear! I needed about three large bananas to cover my belly, so I would peel them, place the peel on my belly, tie some gauze bandage around my belly to make the peels stay, and kept them that way for about 20 min a day. After I took them off, I'd wash my belly with a soft wash cloth and put some of the above mentioned ointments on.
5. Drink at least 2 glasses of V8 juice a day. I can't tell you what the connection is, but I found this info that V8 juice helps a lot with PUPPS so I would drink it all day! Great source of all sorts of good things for baby too!
6. Grandpa's Tar soap ( ordered it off their website and it was delivered within 5 days). Ahh, the smell is horrible but ladies - it helps! I got 3 bars preparing myself for weeks upon weeks of battle with PUPPS but with all the treatment I described the bumps went away within a week.
I hope this information helps. It is a horrible thing to deal with PUPPS, I know that, and I hope with all my heart that these simple remedies would ease the pain and itch for you ladies too!
PS. I also was taking 25mg of benadril twice a day (advised by my obgyn) to stop the PUPPS from spreading but I highly recommend talking to your obgyn regarding taking any pills since all pregnancies are different.