PFP=miserable week

This last week I feel like has been a bit...miserable to say the least. It's been emotional, frustrating, a bit unnerving with the whole preeclampsia thing, and just kinda rough!

The morning of the whole preeclampsia testing day, I woke up with what I thought were a little cluster of bug bites on my calf. I didn't think much of it other than I was kind of annoyed that the dang bugs got me. Well, by Saturday night It had spread all down my calf and was INCREDIBLY itchy. And when I say itchy, I mean, like make me cry I was so itchy. I was scratching it till I bled and I couldn't just NOT scratch. It was AWFUL. It was just a red, bumpy rash. Looks very similar to razor burn but way more intense. I was up all throughout the night because it just itched SO so bad. Whenever I would scratch, this rash would turn into all these little welts that made my leg look like hives. I found that any heat, or anything touching it aggravated it, and that at night was when the itch was the absolute worst. So I wore my sweats rolled up to my knees all day. By Sunday night, I noticed it had spread to the front of my leg and onto my foot. For sure this wasn't bug bites as it was growing super fast and becoming more itchy by the day. I googled different pregnancy rashes. Probably not the smartest thing to do since some rashes can I guess cause still births, problems to the baby, and sometimes the mother too. After some research I thought maybe I had PUPPS, a kind of pregnancy rash. Sunday night I took some benedryl to hopefully have it help. It did nothing. Monday when I woke up, I was first off super grumpy because I found that this rash had now spread all over my leg, up past my leg pit, onto my foot, other foot, and my hands. I got NO sleep due to the itchiness that kept me up a lot throughout the night, I was super emotional due to just hormones I suppose, I didn't feel well, and was mainly mad at this stupid rash. I was needing to head to Idaho Falls just after 1 to drop off my 24 hr urine protein test so I figured I would call my doctor and see if they couldn't see me afterwards to discuss this rash and see if it was pregnancy related. I all day was looking forward to going to Idaho Falls mainly because Caleb was going to be able to come with me. He's been working like crazy so even if it was to drop off a jug of my urine I was still happy to be able to spend some time with him. After I called my doctor, they said the only time I could be seen was at 2:45 and that it wouldn't be with my original doctor which, eh, I don't love him but I was SO happy I could be seen. I then had a small breakdown because now Caleb couldn't come because he wouldn't be back in time for his work meeting he had at 4. I was already having an emotional day and now that he couldn't come just sent my emotions through the roof. Looking back it really wasn't a big deal, but it was just frustrating. I just want a SINGLE day with my husband. Is that too much to ask for? Ugh. So after my little pitty party, I HAD to leave to take this urine to Idaho Falls. I won't lie, I pretty much acted like I was 2 and cried off and on all the way down. There's no way around these hormones sometimes other than to let the flood gates open and let it out. I got down there, dropped off my lovely jug, and had like 15 minutes to spare. I went into Hobby Lobby to browse for a second, then headed to my doctors appointment. I got there, checked in, and then waited for a freaking hour in the waiting room. I was already a hot mess, so making me sit there and wait alone did not make me ANY happier. I FINALLY got called back. They took my blood pressure which was not NEAR as high as last time which was great. Weighed me, which I have only gained 1 pound. Thank goodness. So, those both were good news. They then took me to my room where I waited another 10 min. for this doctor to come in. He asked about this rash and I told him almost in tears how miserable I have been. I told him I feel like it may be PUPPS or something. He said because it didn't start on my belly that it's not that. He then had the guts to tell me he thought it was maybe eczema and told me to put hydrocortozone cream on it. I told him that I was CERTAIN it wasn't that as this rash leaves me in full out hives and itches like the dickens and is spreading like wild fire. He didn't know what it was and said if the hydrocortozone cream didn't help that he would send me to a dermatologist. He had no answers, no clue what it was. I seriously walked out of the building crying. I didn't feel like he cared at all, didn't care how miserable this was, and just didn't take the time to really listen to me. I know he's not a skin doctor but I was SURE this was pregnancy related and because of that I thought I would have had more answers and would have been told how to fix the problem. I waited almost an hour and a half for him to tell me I had eczema. I was just mad and knew in my gut that he was wrong. I think I was just emotionally drained. I had all these plans of getting nice maternity pictures taken with Caleb. I even made Caleb a deal and gave him x amount of massages so that he would take pictures with me and now this rash was going to stop me because I don't want this ugly rash in the pictures. My outfits I had planned out was going to show this rash and now I felt this whole maternity photo shoot was ruined. Yes, I know that's a bit dramatic, but these were the things I had been looking forward to for years and this whole rash was ruining my plans. This whole thing makes me sound like such a baby but I seriously am not sugarcoating it of how miserable this rash is. Anyway, I got home, finally ate some food, then went to wal mart to pick up this cream. I put it on that night twice and it did nothing. I told myself that if this rash was still awful tonight and had spread by the morning that I was going to just go to a dermatologist and get a 2nd opinion and hopefully an answer. Well, all throughout last night I was up more than enough scratching at this rash. It was getting more severe, and had now spread to my arms, and a small area on my side. I set my alarm in the middle of the night for 8 a.m. so I could call my dermatologist right when they opened hoping they could get me in today. I wanted in today because on Thursday me and Caleb are headed to Island park for three days. I did not want to have this rash spread to my face by then and be miserable being away from home while being with ALL his family. So I called this morning and they were able to get me in at 1:40. Thank the heavens above. I seriously prayed all night that I could have an answer and a solution to this rash. When I got to the dermatologist, I immediately felt that he actually cared. He thoroughly examined it, asked me a bunch of questions, and I told him straight up how miserable I have been and what all has been going on. He seemed to understand and he said It was most definitely a pregnancy rash. He wanted a second opinion to make sure his diagnosis was right. He brought in another doctor and they both completely agreed on the same diagnosis. So, that diagnosis is, Pruritic Folliculitis of Pregnancy aka PFP aka a very rare, severely itchy pregnancy rash. It's VERY similar to PUPPS but instead, each little bump is where a hair follicle would be and it swells up when scratched and then turns the rash into hives. It's caused by the crazy hormones and changes your body goes through while pregnant. I nearly cried happy tears then and there just knowing there was at least a diagnosis and that I wasn't just crazy. He sent in a prescription and told me to also grab a couple different antihistamines. This rash may or may not go away. It may last clear till giving birth which scares the crap out of me if it's going to last that long, or it may start to clear up with this prescription. I am PRAYING it clears up. As if morning sickness, puking, loss of apatite, dry skin, heartburn, acid reflux, food aversions, aches and pains, sleepless nights, stretchmarks, exhaustion aren't all plenty enough for a pregnant person to handle, lets add on the most miserable rash a person could deal with. Ugh :( If this rash doesn't clear up I may be one grumpy person for the next 15 weeks. Seriously. The thing that is so ridiculous that it's almost funny, is that, I was reading on this, and this only happens to 1 in 3,000 pregnancies. WTH!? This would freaking happen to me. That's like less than a 1% chance of getting it. I'm telling you people, when I say I have bad/weird luck, this is the stuff I'm talking about. The "very rare" stuff happens to me. Like, back in 6th grade, It took months and months, every scan possible, multiple blood draws, dye tests, and a referral to a doctor in Salt Lake to figure out what was wrong with my hip. Long story short, what happened to my hip only usually happens usually in males and obese people. I'm clearly not either of those and it happened to me. It was a very rare thing to happen and it happened to me. Surgery happened that night. Or other times like every restaurant, or fast food place messes up on my order literally every. single. time. No joke. Or just day to day things, bad luck is out to get me I swear. I have a huge list in mind of plenty of bad luck things happening to me. Whoo, anyways, even though this rash is miserable, I'm grateful it's not a rash that puts me or baby girl at risk. I will say though, that because of it, and if she were fully baked and were healthy, I'd be totally fine giving birth now. I'm over being pregnant. It's hard. It's not always fun. I hate saying that because this pregnancy was something I wanted more. than. ANYTHING. But, pregnancy is no joke and not the easiest thing to do. Until then, I will continue to try to stay as positive as I can about it, still cherish the good times, and be immensely grateful that god is allowing me TO be pregnant and have a family.