Oh, what fresh hell is this?

Title says it all. I think I now officially have PUPPP, although I will have to wait until my next appointment for an official diagnosis.


Since my update, the rash has spread to about mid-shin on my legs, as well as right above the knees both front and back. Also, joining in on the fun is my lower belly and the most enjoyable of all, it's starting to spread to the soles of my feet. I know I said before that it generally stays off the soles of the feet, the palms of the hands and the face. But now I know that "generally" is the operative word in all of this.

I cannot even begin to explain the suckiness of this condition. All I can tell you is that my resolve to not be induced except for medical necessity is severely being put to the test. Not that my doctor would consent to that before 39 weeks, but that doesn't mean I haven't thought of begging on the off-chance that she'll let me.

Here's what's worked for me so far, and what hasn't... although what works one day sometimes doesn't work the next, so it's pretty much trial and error.

1) Steroid cream Triamcinolone. My doctor prescribed this, and I'm to put it on my feet 3x a day. It kind of works. It usually stops the itching for a short period of time, but not nearly long enough for my liking. At the time of her ordering it, the rash was only on my feet, so the tub is quite small. Now with the rash spreading, I don't know how long it'll last. So I will probably end up requesting more next week at my appointment.

2) Hydrocortisone cream. This works so long as the itching isn't too bad and only in the beginning stages. Once a full attack is on, I don't even bother looking at the tube since I know it'll just go to waste. And like the steroid cream, it only helps the itching for a short while.

3) Aveeno lotion. The only place this works is on my belly, and again, only for a short time (see a pattern here?).

4) A&D ointment. This works wonderfully well on my feet at night, as long as there is no itching when I apply it. I just slather it on, and since it's greasy, I put on knee-highs to keep it from getting on the sheets. The knee-highs also serve as a barrier between my skin and the sheets. If the sheets moved ever so slightly, it would set off another round of torture. Anyway, this combo usually gets me through the night.

5) Cold water soaks. I've only tried this on my feet when nothing else will work, and it surprisingly works very quickly. Haven't gotten the courage to try this on my whole body yet.

6) Scrubbing myself raw with my loofah during a shower. This works awesomely, but is likely something I can't do very often unless I want no skin at all.

And next time nothing else works, I'm planning on breaking out my box of baking soda, making a paste, and then slathering it on, letting it dry and then rinsing it off.

This sucks.