I've been struggling with an itchy belly, but found some good lotion and something with a little calamine in it that really helped. But now I've started to get hives on my hands and arms, around one knee, and most cruel of all -- on my feet and between my toes.
My doctor recommended cortisone cream and oral Benadryl. Neither is helping tons, and now the rash is spreading up my arms and to the back of my neck. It is probably PUPPS, which is an itchy skin condition that can happen late in pregnancy, especially in a multiple pregnancy, likely because of hormones. But my hives aren't exactly following the expected pattern for PUPPS.
I gave in this morning and did not go to church, but stayed home to rest instead. I read the daily devotional and thanked God for these babies, and for the fact that I'm not riding toward Bethlehem on the back of a donkey about to give birth any day. Just goes to show it could always be worse.
I'm actually still able to do a fair amount, between applications of anti-itch lotion. I can still drive, though my belly's about to start rubbing against the steering wheel, and I can do errands that don't involve much walking, like picking up Chinese takeout or getting my prescription at the pharmacy. But, these babies are really starting to sap my energy now, so even that amount of activity is quickly coming to an end.
Here's my 35-week glamour shot:
My "waist" now measures 48 inches around. Which make me just 14 inches taller than I am around. My mom keeps saying that the pictures really don't do it justice, but you'll have to take what you can get. Her analysis is that I look just like I always have from the back, but from the front I look like I swallowed an exercise ball.
