I’m playing mind games with myself to keep from scratching. But every time someone says, “Stop scratching!” when they catch me sneaking a little relief, it just makes it worse. It’s really helpful when Donnie says “Just don’t think about it…” as if it really is that easy to shut off a maddening desire to claw ones’ skin off. Telling me NOT to think about it just reminds me how much it’s bugging me.
Postpartum complication #246 is a nasty, itchy rash covering my arms and legs. (OK, there weren’t really THAT many complications following the birth, but there were more than expected!) I saw the dermatologist yesterday and they don’t know what it is. They took a biopsy so maybe that will have some answers when it comes back. The best guess is that it’s eczema brought on by stress, or that it’s a weird postpartum case of PUPPP. Whatever the case, the meds they gave me aren’t doing a whole lot and the next step is to take oral steroids, something we want to avoid because of breastfeeding. It looks just like the images in the link above–except add scabs–and feels like having 1000 mosquito bites… or being covered in poison ivy.
So I’m trying to be strong and not think about how bad it itches, because scratching definitely makes it worse. And I really hope it passes without having to resort to steroids. They couldn’t give me an idea of how quickly it’ll pass.
Maybe I’ll dress up as a leper for Halloween?