itchy itchy itchy itchy itchy

[myk]

for days, i've been itchy. it might be the weather, it's cold and dry here, but nothing seems to help. it's not so much my soles and palms, but all over my torso especially my chest. my belly too but that's pretty normal. even my arms and thighs are itchy. and i just found out my doc isn't going to be able to see me this week because she's injured and won't be in the office.

i'm 35w5d right now. how long should i let this go on before i go in and see another doc? it's not PUPPs, there's no visible rash per se, but my skin is definitely redder than usual. benadryl helps me sleep because it's the worst at night. i'm wondering if obstetric cholestasis is an issue.. which is why i'm not sure how long i should go before getting it checked. i'd have to go to the ER cause there aren't any other options in town... and since it's obviously not an "emergency" a trip to the ER would mean a 6 hour wait on average.

[Boww]

Hi. I'm just lurking here, having had my baby in August. I have had obstetric cholestasis with two pregnancies. The thing with cholestasis is that the diagnostic test (serum bile acids) often takes some days to come back, as it is not run frequently and labs wait until they have a bunch to do. So I'd suggest you go get the test ordered by any doctor at a walk in or whatever. Hopefully then the results will be available by the time you get in to see your actual physician. I suspect you know all about this condition, so I won't go in to the risks at this stage of your pregnancy. But I will say that I have two perfectly healthy girls due to careful management of my pregnancies. Google itchymoms for a good site that provides all sorts of important information, as well as a link to a obstetric cholestasis forum. Good luck.

PS Also wanted to say that my itchy was not the terrible sort described in relation to this condition. So even if you don't have the typical itchy hands and feet, I still think it is REALLY IMPORTANT to get this checked out.

[ibusymomto5]

I started feeling really itchy in the first trimester as the weather turned cooler and the heater was running on a regular basis. I switched to an unscented, sensitive skin bodywash and started putting lotion on after my shower, and it made all the difference. No more itching at all, and I had been itching fiercly before that, so bad that I actually bled in a couple of spots from the scratching. It was mainly on my torso, legs, and chest. Hopefully it's something simple like that for you too!

[~Adorkable~]

im glad i pushed to have mine checked out right away, treatment if it is cholestasis takes a while to start working and it would be great for you to know either way, cholestasis is pretty rare, so likely it is something more simple like dry air or hormones, but it is easy to check. ALthough some places take a while to test the Bile Acid Salts, the liver panel test that should also be run comes back fast and if it is high you can do some assumptions and start treating, if it is normal unfortunately it does not give you any real info since it can be and the Bile number still be elevated.

I was so glad to just get someone to listen to me when i started itching, i hope beyond anything you dont have the same thing, and if benadryl works well, it might point to it thankfully not being cholestasis since most folks dont have a lot of luck with it as a treatment.

even if your Doc cant see you, can she call in the needed tests? there is not much to look at and the test are a process of elimination really, so you should ask.

[myk]

i'm not sure if they did the bile acid salts, but they did some other tests that came back ok :) i ended up going to the ER cause there's no walk-in in this town, it's hospital or nothing unless you have an appointment already with a doc. the hospital staff, though, are PHENOMENAL. i ended up with a student doc, so i was up front and said "you want to hear my thought? cholestasis. let's rule it out." "that's a good thought" she said :) so lab came in and took some blood, i peed in a cup, got hooked up to the monitor, etc.. standard stuff. they say i'm getting protein in my urine, my blood pressure is up compared to usual, but my liver seems ok so i'm quite relieved.  the doc that took over after the student said it's most likely benign itching from hormones.

and it only took 5 hours total, which isn't bad. the ER was busy, even getting to triage took over an hour, but i got in fairly quickly after that. i guess they don't make preggos wait any more than absolutely necessary!

[Boww]

I'm glad you are feeling somewhat reassured. And it is great to feel confident in your caregivers. But I would strongly urge you to find out your level of serum bile acids. That is the only test that will identify or rule out cholestasis. In one pregnany my liver function was messed up, in the other it wasn't at all, but in both cases I had the elevated bile acids that cross the placenta and pose a serious risk to the fetus. See itchy moms website for more information. I should also note that most general practitioners don't understand how to test for this condition. I've often had to give specific instructions about which tests to run, even when dealing with regular (rather than high risk) obs. Please, please follow up on this.

[myk]

i agree, it's definitely something to follow up on. it really doesn't look like cholestasis but they're watching me for pre-e now cause my urine had protein in it for the past couple days.

[Boww]

So glad to hear you will follow up. And sorry for harping -- I just feel like since I've been so lucky with having healthy children despite having cholestasis, it's a bit like my mission to make sure everyone with cholestasishas the knowledge they need to ensure appropriate treatment. My little way of saying thanks for how lucky I've been. Anyway. I'll be watching this thread and waiting to hear the good news: either that you definitely don't have cholestasis, or that your little one is here safe and sound. And I just noticed that you are in small town Manitoba. I grew up in Winnipeg, and my sister farms in rural Manitoba. Small world!

[myk]

you've nothing to apologize for - if what you say saves even one mom/baby from untreated cholestasis, you're doing your job!

i'm in selkirk :) small world indeed!