Help! Severe contact dermatitis in bfing mother

[sky_and_lavender]

After a week of a spreading, very itchy rash, I went to an internist and a dermatologist today. They diagnosed a very severe allergic contact dermatitis. The rash is still spreading (it already covers a large area of my abdomen as well as parts of my arms and legs). It is starting to appear on my breasts, even. bfing is very uncomfortable already.

Anyway, I am feeling really uncertain about the prescribed course of treatment: prednisone and loratidine. I am a person woho avoids medication and seeks out natural methods. I am in the care of a constitutional homeopath. But this rash is literally disabling. I can barely care for my 13 mo baby during the day. I decided to try the loratidine first to see if it affects my supply (too early to tell). But tonight I am sitting here literally seeing new blisers appear in front of my eyes. How will pred affect bfing or my baby? How can I recover from the treatment? Is there another option?

I was really hoping to wait this out and consider pred an extreme last resort, but the situation seems to be demanding intervention. I admit that I feel pretty scared about it all.

Thank you for any help!

x-posted

[mamafish9]

Allergic to what? It seems like the first step would be to remove whatever the trigger is, or have you already done that?

My sister had a similar reaction to poison ivy while pg, it went systemic on her. She handled it without the steroids, but it was not fun at all for a couple of weeks. Oatmeal baths, Epsom salts baths & compresses, jewelweed tea (applied topically), and I think she took some benedryl as well.

[tsfairy]

I agree, find out what you're allergic to and avoid it. Have you had contact with anything new lately? Eaten any new food? Changed detergents?

[sky_and_lavender]

Still spreading

Thank you for your thoughts on this. The rash is still spreading.

I believe I am no longer in contact with the main trigger. Nothing else is an obvious cause--I've been wracking my brain. Does the ongoing spreading of the condition indicate continued contact with the allergen(s), or could it be spreading due to my system's general overreaction?

Details, in case they are helpful:
I know at least one trigger was a conifer groundcover plant in my yard. Places where my arms touched it are covered with a horrendous-looking bubbly, oozing spreading rash on my arms that forms bubbly plaques. There was a similar rash on my earlobe and above my eye, but it is healing there. However, the most extreme rash in on the lower right-hand quadrant of my abdomen. It it is a huge plaque that almost looks like a burn, but it spreads with little crusty patches that then become engulfed by the plaque. There are smaller, growing plaques all over my body, from ankle to scalp. On my whole body, the right side is strongly affected, the left side less so.

Thanks again!

[mamafish9]

That sounds like my sister's poison ivy reaction. So likely you're not exposed any more, and you just need to ride this out (with or without the steroids). There are things like what I mentioned above that can help. Is it still getting worse, or do you think you've reached the peak?

[sky_and_lavender]

Thanks mamafish9 for the info.

I don't think it has peaked yet. It's now been 10 days since the reaction started. But, with the antihistamine I'm taking (which doesn't seem to be affecting my milk supply) the itching is not miserable 24/7 anymore, just maybe a few hours a day. Moving my body and being in the sun (separately or together) seem to hasten its spread, so I'm trying to be as quiet as I can be with a busy toddler to care for.

I'm glad I've been able to avoid steroids up until now. If it doesn't stop spreading I guess they might be my only option. But this can't last forever.

Also, before the reaction I was caring for my dying dog. I ended up eating a lot of refined sugar and flour, which I usually avoid pretty strictly. I think it might have weakened my system. Now I'm back to my usual fare.