The Hive Debacle History
Over the last three weeks my skin has finally healed. As the prednisone started wearing off I've had 3 minor breakouts. Jake figured out that they were following days I had fixed my hair and put on makeup. Since he put that together I've been "roughing it" with no beauty products. I love that Scarlett is photobombing......
The Dermatologist called with my skin biopsy results. They confirmed is was an allergic reaction so we went forward with the sticker patch test.
On Monday they put 65ish little plates with various chemicals on my back. They were mostly on my upper back and a few more rows on my lower back. I wasn't allowed to scratch, take any antihistamines, or get my back wet. Over the next 4 days I got pretty talented at taking a "shower" in our bath tub. Here's the full list of everything they tested: http://contactallergy.com/index.html.
The other chemicals I'm allergic to are common ingredients in lotions, soaps, and cosmetics. Especially Paraben. This is the list of all my new allergies. They link to a page that shows where each is found and the many many aliases they could be listed as on the ingredients list.
ALLERGIC CONTACT DERMATITIS
They sent me a list of products that are safe to use with these allergies. Other products could be fine, but if I stick to this list I should be hive-free. Full list of products that are safe to use (144 pages): http://www.acdscamp.org/Generated/PDF/20140418213506_6249.pdf.
I'm still not certain which product of mine caused the reaction. Just glancing quickly at their ingredients I noticed my face wash and my favorite lotion have paraben. I am going to read the labels carefully before using any of them and I will slowly add back in the things I think are safe. The dermatologist pointed out the my hands and wrists are having a reaction to something - one of my soaps or lotions I use around the house probably. I'm going to have to go over everything with a fine tooth comb.
It seems like after every pregnancy I find out I'm allergic to something else. After Scarlett it was the NSAID "Hitch" reaction. It's a huge bummer to keep adding to my already long list of allergens. But on the bright side I think that my asthma has significantly improved after having kids. And my hair is now completely straight (I liked my curl but it would be hard to manage with a pixie cut).
I've been thinking a lot this week about the fact that it took so long to discover the root cause to my suffering. It took 3 different doctors, tons of meds, many prayers from our all our loved ones, and several months to figure out this seemingly simple problem. I am trying to think about what I should be learning from this experience. I think in some ways this ordeal was a blessing for the twins. We didn't realize they weren't thriving until I stopped breastfeeding and we moved to formula. Since that transition, not only are they getting chubby they are also rapidly progressing mentally and physically. They were in survival mode - living off the minimum required amount of calories - and nobody realized it. I like to think that if I had a simple prompting to quit nursing I would have stopped cold turkey. But in reality I know I would have doubted myself and not listened. It took months of excruciating pain/itchiness/suffering before I finally even considered the possibility that I might entertain the thought of quitting nursing early. It really required my body morphing into a red, bumpy monster for me to make the transition. If I had known that's what they needed I would have switched in a heart beat. But we didn't know. And even though the past 6 months weren't my favorite I'm really grateful that the twirls are doing so much better. Now it might not seem like the hives and formula feeding are related from the outside, but I truly think they are. Our loving Heavenly Father knows each of us individually and He teaches us in the manner that makes us listen. I know there are other things I am probably supposed to learn from this itchy nightmare but for now I feel a little tiny bit better thinking it wasn't in vain. That someone (or should I say someones) were able to benefit from this experience.
7 comments:
So happy you now know the cure for all your itch, perhaps what you were to learn is you are pretty with out any effort on your part( makeup) now to figure out which soap to use and you've got it made. Love getting your back rolled, perhaps a new fad is born. Love Grandma
Thanks for including the links to safe products. I've got one kid still with the chronically itchy skin and rashes…I think I'll use your list to find a new soap to try!
What a pain to have to go through this, but I'm glad to see that you've got it figured out now.
Sometimes I also think that we have these miserable experiences because it helps us be more compassionate toward other people. Not that I think you're not a compassionate person - just the opposite - I think these experiences have made you more sensitive to the suffering of others. Sometimes I see something and think little of it, then have a miserable experience where I learn a lot, and the next time I see someone going through it I understand and I (hopefully!) am less judgmental and more helpful than I would have previously been. Unfortunately I can't seem to learn without experiencing the awful stuff.
I also think you're spot on - the seemingly unrelated things in our lives are almost always part of a greater whole.
Love you! Glad you're feeling better. And Grandma is right - you're beautiful without makeup. :-)
Formaldehyde, hey? I guess we'll have to freeze you when your time comes. Or mummify you.
This is so interesting. A couple months ago Paul was telling me about the wife of a dentist he works with. She breastfed their son and he was kind of sickly- not on the growth charts and susceptible to illness. She was also pumping milk for her sister-in-law who wasn't able to breast feed. They ended up analyzing her milk and it was really watered down, but when she stopped pumping for her SIL, it normalized and her son got healthier. They always say that it's a supply and demand thing, but maybe there are limits.
How wonderful to know what you're allergic to and be able to avoid them! I'm so glad you're learning all these useful tidbits. I'm sure they'll really come in handy with your next set of twins. :)
Hot dang, not fun. I'm glad it's all working out well, but I can't even imagine how frustrating the past 6 months have been for you and how frustrating it must be to have an ever-growing list of no-nos. Maybe next time you have a baby it will reset your body and you won't be allergic to anything!
Yeeaa!! So happy to hear they figured it out! What a blessing.
My allergies are killing today--I was thinking of you, naturally. :)
I'm so glad they got this all figured out. You looked so fab when I saw you!
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