Bitching about itching.

First post!  Yay.

Except all I can think about is itching.  Itching all over my belly, hips, thighs, and boobs.  It's like I have fleas.....EVERYWHERE and they are eating my flesh alive!

About 2 weeks ago, I developed an itchy rash around my stretch marks.  The hypochondriac in me started thinking about all the doomful things it could be.  Intrahepatic cholestasis? Allergic response to baby somehow? I saw my OB who basically reassured me that it was a benign itch caused by stretching skin in pregnancy, that it would go away with delivery of my baby (pretty much the generic response you get to every pregnancy-induced symptom).  I convinced myself that it'll go away if I ignore it, to follow the rules: not to scratch, avoid hot shower, and religiously use moisturizers to keep my skin hydrated.  It won't get worse right?

WRONG.  2 weeks later, the itch is much much much more intense.  It's basically all I can think of, and  even when I'm sleeping, I'll wake up, scratching myself to no end!!!

So, I've been experimenting with some stuff that might help with the itching.  Here's my experience so far.

Oatmeal bath in tepid water -  feels great, but only lasts for duration of bath and shortly afterwards.  Not to say that a good bath isn't good for calming my skin and my mind anyways....but I can't help but wonder if its the tepid water or the oatmeal that was effective.

Grandpa's Pine Tar Oil soap - I read about this in blogs, and pregnant women swear by this stuff.  It's found at most natural food stores (bought mine at New Seasons).  So far, it's felt really good when I use it in the shower, but the effect seems to wear off within a couple of hours.  I'm going to keep trying it, (I already have the soap, and it's less irritating to my skin than the usual body wash stuff anyway).  Downside?  It's exactly what you think pine tar oil smells like - like what your hair smells like for days after coming up from a camping trip.

Avoiding hot showers - probably one of the most effective strategies so far.  I'm a HUGE fan of hot showers and baths...but oh man, ever since this rash developed, I can't tolerate hot showers anymore :(

Ice/cool packs - the best remedy I can find so far for itching relief.  Make sure to wrap the ice pack in a towel or something or the cold will hurt!  Bonus: if you wear those over the belly panels, it makes the gel packs stay well!  I also bought the Lansinoh gel pads that were meant for breast engorgement...they're in my freezer right now and I can't wait to get those on my boobs!

Avoiding synthetic or tight clothing - A MUST DO!  Over the belly panels, tight shirts, polyester materials ALL made it worse!!!  This is ESPECIALLY true with the over-the-belly panels.  Not only did the material irritate the skin, but skin cells and other things got caught in the weave, and irritated the skin as well.  :(  My favorite outfit for the last two weeks?  Maxi dresses that were loose fitting over the belly.  As for sleep gear...I went to sleep with just my sleep bra and undies.  Forget the extra layers.

Cocoa butter/ moisturizing lotions/ A&D ointment - yes, keeps your skin moist or what not, but my experience is, any amount of clothing over an itchy belly with moisturizing substances over it....will only irritate it even more.  This was especially the case for me with ointment-based things.  I could only tolerate thin lotions (like Jergens) when I had clothes on.

Calamine lotion - yes, the good old pink stuff you put on chicken pox lesions.  Helps with itchiness, but I find that it helps only temporarily.  And it dries out my skin (and causes some peeling when I do scratch!)`

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl capsules) - provides only mild relief, but hey anything that helps me sleep is better than nothing.  Plus:  it's a pregnancy category B med (not many meds are), which is relatively safe to use in pregnancy (but always ask your OB first!) and it's also allergy season, so it's helping me through that.  But it is also pretty sedating, so use during the daytime is probably not the best solution...especially if you have to work!

Diphenhydramine topical preparations - Benadryl also comes in topical preps.  I bought a bottle a couple of years ago (when I was still a pharmacy student, curious and willing to use my body to explore the effects of drugs) to soothe itchy mosquito bites from a tropical vacation.  Same drug as the capsules, so it should be just as effective right?  Not really.  Technically, diphenhydramine penetrates skin poorly, so it never really reaches the receptors it needs to hits in order to release its antihistamine properties   Boo. The gel prep part of it does feel good though, due to the cooling sensation.

Topical steroid creams - provides mild, temporary relief if you're using the over-the-counter strengths (like hydrocortisone 1%).  I prefer cream over ointment (again, because the ointment keeps my skin irritated), but steroid preps are more potent when formulated in ointments vs. creams also. Either way, the OTC strengths are likely too wimpy to touch the intense rash.  Prescription strengths may be more helpful.

So anyway, I'm by no means an expert in any of this.  But just wanted to share my experiences :)