How often does PUPPPs reoccur??

In my perusal of what PUPPPs mommas are talking about on various sites, I've noticed that lots of us are concerned about getting the horrible rash again if they have more kiddos. It's a big deal! No one wants to face it again! I'm certainly not a good example, since I break all the typical PUPPPs "norms." (This is my 4th bout with PUPPPs for anyone not familiar with my story...)

But what does the research say? How likely is it really that you would get PUPPPs again with your next pregnancy? 

Well, mommas, be encouraged. It's pretty rare. Here's the scoop:

According to this study, they followed 19 patients for 6 years after their PUPPPs pregnancy, and none of them had a recurrence. 

In this study, only 3 out of 57 patients experience a recurrence. 

Those are the only articles I could find that cited actual numbers. However, I did read dozens more that simply stated that recurrence in subsequent pregnancies was rare. Mommas that get it again are the EXCEPTION to the rule. You can even see on the poll on the right side of my page (when viewing the web version, not the mobile version) that only 20% of voters have gotten it more than once. And that's NOT scientific data.

It would be great if we had more data to work with, but for now the research seems to show that you shouldn't be worried about getting it again. For most people, it's a one-time misery. 

PUPPPs Essential Oil Blend: Amazing Relief!

As some of you may have noticed, I've been working on researching and testing Essential Oils for PUPPPs relief for some time now. It was important to me to be comfortable with the oils I was using and to be familiar with how they worked before I spread the word. Here are a couple links about Essential Oil safety in pregnancy. (But PLEASE, simply consult your care provider before using Essential Oils while pregnant! My midwives have signed off on my blend, but you'll want to have that assurance from your own provider. Also, I would hold off using any Essential Oils until you're through your first trimester. That is when the risk is greatest for birth defects and miscarriage.)

- Is it safe to use essential oils while I'm pregnant?
- Essential Oils

I've been working on refining a special blend of essential oils for PUPPPs for over 3 months, and I think I have something pretty exciting! It hasn't completely cured my PUPPPs, but it has kept it so minimal that I consider it a practical cure. I am functioning again!

Like I said, I've been using and refining this blend for over 3 months. I am very impressed with the combination of immediate relief and healing relief. The cooling effect is amazing. It calms the itch immediately and much more effectively than ANY other product I've tried over my 4 experiences with PUPPPs. But on top of that, it appears to keep the inflammation at bay! I chose each oil in the blend for it's anti-inflammatory properties. I have seen two other blends out there for PUPPPs that seem to use oils traditional for itchy rashes. My blend focuses on inflammation. From all the research I've done, PUPPPs seems to be some kind of an inflammatory response.

Here's some pretty impressive proof of my relief!

These photos were taken 1 week apart. The first is my rash at it's worst for this pregnancy after 1 day of using the oil blend. Miserable. The second picture is after 1 week of using the oils, and the third is after 2 weeks of using the oils! The photos are NOT edited at all! The lighting difference is simply that the first picture was taken in the evening under artificial light, and the last two were taken in the morning in natural light. 

As I have posted about before, my rash is not completely gone. It seems to be on a monthly cycle. Once a month, it "peaks," and I develop a couple of small patches (1-2 inches across) of rash. The peak lasts roughly a week, and the oils seem to take it away! I have never been this functional with PUPPPs before! Not even with steroid use! You know I've tried it all!

I've decided to make my recipe available to all of you, because it has been SO VERY HELPFUL for me! It has been more effective than the STEROIDS were with Baby #3. I'm so impressed that it is competing with and even beating the big guns! 

Here is my Recipe for Anti-Inflammation Oil Blend:

Materials: Essential Oils, carrier oil, and 1 oz glass roll-on bottle.

(Click HERE for a link to these bottles, which I have been very happy with. Not ONE leak!)

Makes 1 oz of Oil Blend (which last 1-2 weeks, depending on the severity of my rash)

Ingredients:
Peppermint Essential Oil - 45 drops (This number is flexible! I find that I like a more intense cooling effect when my rash is at it's peak, thus 45 drops. However, in-between peaks, I often make the blend with only 30 drops. You can vary this to your preference!)
Lavender Essential Oil - 15 drops
Geranium Essential Oil - 15 drops
Frankincense Essential Oil - 12 drops
Myrrh Essential Oil - 12 drops
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil - 7 drops
Eucalyptus Essential Oil - 5 drops
Tea Tree Essential Oil - 5 drops
Organic Jojoba Oil - Approximately 3/4 Oz.

Directions:
Mix all the Essential Oils in a 1 oz roll on bottle, then add jojoba oil until bottle is full. Cap with roller top and start applying for immediate relief! Apply as needed. Note: Be sensible! PLEASE PLEASE test this blend on a small patch of skin first and avoid use in sensitive areas such as the groin, armpits, nipples, and mucous membranes. The oils are no joke, so be careful! Ask your doctor first before using Essential Oils in pregnancy!

My Happy Bottle of Sanity!

A note on purchasing Essential Oils:

They can be PRICEY! Two companies I am very pleased with are Plant Therapy (available on Amazon) and Beeyoutiful (available here). They have reasonable prices and a high quality product. (Note: I am not associated with either company. I'm just a fan.) I have done some reading on other popular companies, and while I believe they have quality products, I also believe they are over-priced. Please don't take offense if you are a loyal supporter of some particular brand! This is just my personal opinion.

Here is an article from the Beeyoutiful company that does a fantastic job explaining the ins & outs of essentials oil quality: Essential Oil Quality

Even with purchasing from companies with reasonable pricing, getting all the oils you need to make this blend is a financial investment. I have found it to be EXTREMELY worth the money, but I understand that some of you may be wary about spending a bunch of money not knowing if the oils will work for you. I am considering selling my oil blend on Etsy, just for some of you who want to be able to try it before making the plunge to buy all the oils. Is anyone interested in this? If I get a positive response, I'll get serious about setting up an etsy store!

UPDATE (November 1st, 2016): I'm riding out my 5th case of PUPPPs. My oil blend is still helpful for itch relief. I wanted to try making a blend that wasn't so oily, as it tends to make all my clothes oily. I whipped up a batch with witch hazel as the base instead of jojoba oil. My conclusions? It burns more, so don't use it in sensitive areas or on places you've scratched til they bleed. It'll hurt. And the relief doesn't seem to last quite as long. But I like alternating it with the oil-based blend. It cuts down on the greasy factor!

UPDATE #2: A fellow PUPPPs sufferer is selling my blend on Etsy! Find it here: OhioEssentials

PUPPPs & Depression

I've been reading quite a few posts lately on one of the Facebook support groups by mommas expressing that are at the end of their coping abilities. A few have mentioned considering terminating their pregnancies. It makes my heart hurt to read these comments. Partially, I remember feeling awful about my pregnancies when my itch was at it's worst. I remember feeling so sad that I wasn't HAPPY to be pregnant. It didn't seem right to me. But on the other hand, I've made it to the other side 3 times now, so I wanted to encourage some of you that are in that dark place right now.

First, I want you to know that what you are feeling is very real and shouldn't be minimized by anyone. People who haven't experienced the life-altering extreme itch of a PUPPPs rash that doesn't seem to have any hope of going away don't understand the mental place it brings you. You can't imagine facing another day, another sleepless night, with this itch!

But let me tell you about the first time I was alone in a room with my first born daughter.

The day before, I spent 18 hours of absolute agony bringing her into the world. Yes, PUPPPs is horrible. But I did not itch in labor. I hurt. I wasn't prepared for the natural birth I wanted, so when the reality of labor pain hit me, it hit me hard. (Side note: it's worth preparing all you can ahead of time to deal with labor! The Bradley Method is my favorite so far. My second birth was incredible in contrast to my first! It can be different!) I writhed in pain with contractions and then vomited in between them, presumably due to my high anxiety and adrenaline levels. There was no rest, no break, until the hard work was done. But then, she was here, and the joy and RELIEF was like nothing I'd ever felt. I'd done the HARDEST thing of my life so far and received the most amazing, beautiful reward!

We spent the next 24 hours marveling over her every detail. When it was time to go home from the hospital, my husband went down to bring the car around, and I was alone with my daughter for the first time. The situation struck me hard. I began to cry. I was alone with this little girl, a helpless tiny person, and she needed me desperately. I suddenly felt I knew the love of a mother. It took me being alone with her, with no nurses or husband to share the burden, to realize she was mine. She slept so peacefully in my arms, unaware of the dangerous world she had just joined.

And as I thought about that dangerous world, I suddenly had a feeling I had never felt before. It was fierce.

I would DIE for this person if need be.

I would trade my life for this child.

It was fierce! It was the fierce, intense love of a mother!

I could not have known the intensity of this love prior to this moment. If someone would have told me before birth, I would not have understood. In the darkness of my PUPPPs, I could have been in danger of missing it!

Ladies, I know you're suffering! But take heart! There is something SO precious on the other side of this! Your child needs you! You will know it when you hold them, but until then, press on!

Find one more remedy to try. Go ahead and order that one more crazy product to try. Make one more appointment with your doctor...or a different doctor! Or a dermatologist! Take one more icy, cold bath. Take a trip to the store to stock up on some luxurious ice packs and comfort food. (Or send someone to the store if putting on clothes sounds horrible.)

(My 3 little PUPPPs babies.)

Do what you need to do to get through, because there is a precious, tiny person inside, unaware of the dangerous world they are about to enter, that needs YOU! You are his or her only protection in this world. You CAN get through. You WILL get through, and you will get to hold that person and be so thankful you made it. Keep going, Momma. Keep going.

(PS. As always, I'd love more information about PUPPPs, so please feel free to answer my polls on the right side of the page. If you are using the mobile version, scroll to the bottom, click on "view web version" and you'll be able to see the polls. Thanks! ~PUPPPs Mom)

Seven Star Hammer Test!

Well, PUPPPs, you've gone and made me feel crazy again. This time, it's for poking myself repeatedly with itty bitty needles. Need a little explanation for that statement? You can read up on my Seven Star Needle journey here: Seven Star Needle Posts. Anyway, I finally had a patch of rash that deserved some extreme attention. So, I pulled out my "hammer" and gave it a go.

I documented the process, so you all could follow along with the crazy. 

Here's the before picture of a lovely little patch of rash on my hip. Red, raised, and SO itchy. I tried not to scratch before this picture to keep it from looking too inflamed. 

And here's what I used in the process. Cotton balls for sterilizing my skin, the torture device (aka the seven star needle or plum blossom), and some isopropyl alcohol. 

Here I am sterilizing my skin. You need to give it a good long, vigorous scrub for the alcohol to be effective, at least 5 minutes. 

All clean and ready to commence!

Sterilizing the hammer. I let it sit there in a capful of alcohol for 5 minutes. 

Then I went to tapping! I did a little video, but my internet connection is sketchy right now, so I'll have to upload that later. I tapped until there were little spots of blood all over the patch. Yes, it hurt! Let's see, how shall I describe it... Well, it felt like seven tiny needles pricking me over and over and over. I found that the faster I tapped, the less I recognized the pain. I also tried it on a patch of skin in a more "sensitive" area that I didn't feel comfortable photographing. It hurt a lot more there.

Here's the skin right after:

And here it is about an hour later:

And this is a full day later:

Pretty well healed up from the pricks. The hives are less obvious, and I will say that this patch has not bothered me at ALL since the treatment. Unfortunately, the patch in the more sensitive area is still crazy itchy. CRAZY itchy. It could be that I didn't tap as hard, since it hurt more. I even tapped that area for a second time today without success. It still itches!!

I will continue to monitor the patch on my hip to see if the itch returns. I'm not sure what to make of this PUPPPs treatment. It seems very effected for the patch on my hip but hasn't improved the patch in the sensitive area at all.

I guess I would recommend giving it a try, provided you understand the risk of infection and consult with your doctor/midwife ahead of time! I'll let you know if my condition changes in the near future! I'd be quite curious to hear if any of you try it and how it turns out! Please be careful in your efforts!

UPDATE: It's been roughly a week since I tested the hammer, and here's the status...The patch on my hip has disappeared. There is no itch in that spot. However, two patches cropped up right next to that patch. I don't know if it's related to using the hammer, but they sure do itch. I'm considering trying the hammer on them too. Now, the patch in the "sensitive" area is just as itchy as ever, maybe more. I don't understand why it appeared to work in one place but not the other. Very strange. I will post an additional update if I decide to test it again.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Roughly two weeks after the first hammer test, I decided to give it a go again.  I had developed two additional patches on my hip, right next to the original patch. I pulled out the hammer and followed the same steps as before. It's been 3 days since I did this, and those patches are nearly gone! You can tell there used to be rash there, but there are no raised hives, and they do not itch. I'm more and more convinced that there might be something to this remedy! 

A laugh

They say it's the best medicine, right? Let's see what it does for our itch...

So true, right?

Pretty much how I feel. Allergic to my own self. 

When you get the spot...

And last but not least...this is so accurate...

(click here to see it bigger)

Polls

I realized that everyone who views my blog via the mobile version misses my polls! If you scroll to the bottom and click on "view web version," you'll be able to see my polls on the right hand side of the page. I have a couple of questions about PUPPPs there, and while they aren't scientific, the results are really interesting! Thanks for stopping by!

The Delay & My Current Treatment Routine

I'm sorry for the delay in the Seven Star Needle test! I've had the wonderful problem of not having a good enough patch of rash to try it on! I anticipate my rash flaring up again in a week or so if it sticks to it's previous pattern. I will be testing it as soon as that happens!

In the mean time, I'm so pleased that my current rash routine is helping! I will soon need to write baby #4's story and tell you all about it! In case you can't wait (and I know what it is to be in a desperate place!!), here is a quick list that I'll elaborate on later.

• Dandelion root capsules: 800 mg 1-2x/day (Oregon's Wild Harvest brand)
• Daily probiotics (Biokult brand)
• Daily superfood supplement (Dr. Schulze brand)
• Magnesium supplement (Professional Formulas Note: I haven't ordered from this website. I buy from a relative, so I am not endorsing this seller. I just wanted you to have a link where you could read more about it.)
• Liquid chlorophyll supplement (Nature's Sunshine brand)
• Topical essential oil treatment that I came up with recently.

The probiotics, superfood, magnesium, and liquid chlorophyll are not specifically for PUPPPs. Those are just my normal vitamin routine, but you never know what is helping! 

The dandelion root capsules and the essential oils are the only things I'm doing specifically for PUPPPs, and they really seem to be helping!

A more detailed post is in the works. :)