My hands :(

[flexilexi394]

Hey guys,

The past few weeks I have had very sore and itchy hands, and they are a little swollen.

The last few days, they have got loads worse, and today they are at their sorest. Dry, cracked, and puffy

I am a dog groomer but I wear gloves to bath the dogs, and I also use Epaderm cream twice a day. I have eczema but this isn't eczema and my cream for that hasn't made the slightest bit of difference.

So.... I had my midwife last week and she only said my urine was high in ketones which I don't know anything about.

My main worry is pre eclampsia I guess, I know swelling is a sign and I'm worried my hands getting this bad means something... Nowhere else is swollen so I'm hoping it's just sensitive skin...

Anyone got any experience with this or views? Xx

 

[TS1982]

Hi hun, my pre-eclampsia experience was different I had no swelling or itchiness , my BP was high and I had chest pain and protein in my urine. Hopefully it's just a sensitivity thing with being pregnant, sometimes we have higher sensitive parts. Best of luck hun xx

 

[flexilexi394]

Hi hun, my pre-eclampsia experience was different I had no swelling or itchiness , my BP was high and I had chest pain and protein in my urine. Hopefully it's just a sensitivity thing with being pregnant, sometimes we have higher sensitive parts. Best of luck hun xx

Hiya! Thank you ... When I was pregnant last time I had protein in my urine, but I ended up having her the next day so wasn't too worried about it being pre eclampsia because if it was, she was out quickly lol.

I'm hoping it is just sensitivity too, I really don't want to be unwell or have to have the bsby early or anything really... Thank you xxx

 

[BunnyN]

My 1st pregnancy I had a rash all on the palm of my hands made up of tiny angry blisters. I never worked out the cause except that it was pregnancy related and contact with soap made it worse. I got it mildly with my second pregnancy. Thankfully no sign of it this time. It doesnt sound the same as yours but skin does seem to do odd things in pregnancy. I hope it turns out its just sensitive skin for you. Its sounds really uncomfortable though. Just a thought but no chance its the gloves that dont agree with you is there?

Are you drinking plenty of fluids? Ketones in the urine is often caused by not drinking enough or by loosing weight it can also be a sign of GD.

 

[Emmam1982]

Ketones is a sign that your body is burning fat and not food, could be not enough carbs, high blood sugar or not eating enough in general.

My legs and arms are really dry at the moment and I can only blame pregnancy for it as its not something I've ever had before. I've upped my fluid intake and am moisturising more regularly but nothing's helping. It's probably just hormone related, maybe see ur gp and see if they can prescribe some stronger cream....or could you have developed an allergy to ur gloves xx

 

[YorksLass]

My eczema's took a turn for the worst in 3rd tri, especially on the hands! They're all cracking up and definitely a little swollen too, as I have trouble getting one of my bracelets off at the moment.
I mentioned a random allergy to my jewellery as well in a post a while back - I think it is just we get more sensitive as it goes along, especially what with having eczema already. It's annoying, isn't it? Couldn't stop the itching last week! Obviously question the mw if it worries you, and keep fluids up. I was making sparse use of a tube of hydrocortisone cream (unsure if it's ok to use when pregnant, but the itching was too extreme last week o.o) with simple moisturiser to try to regain control of it!

 

[Jojo84]

Have they tested you for OC?

 

[Lander]

Have they tested you for OC?

Wss. Needs to be ruled out as cause of itching if nothing else.

 

[flexilexi394]

What is OC???

I don't really know what to do, whether to contact my midwife, or my GP or to just leave it?

I could well have developed an allergy to the gloves, theyre just disposable gloves (powder free) but I hadn't been at work at all when it got worse, so I am a little concerned that it is something else.

I drink a TONNE of water at the moment, I am always thirsty and drink loads lately. I did mention all this to midwife but she didn't really take much note but I was worried about the diabetes thing too to be honest, I probably don't eat enough but I am not hungry lately, I eat around 16-1700 calories a day ( I use my fitness pal to just keep an eye on what I am eating) but I am not hungry enough to eat more.

thank you for all your replies - luckily pre eclampsia hasn't been mentioned so I am hoping that it isnt a sign of that, but I don't know about the diabetes thing or the OC (Whatever that means)

xx

 

[BunnyN]

OC stands for Obstetric cholestasis. It is a pregnancy condition that has something to do with your liver function bile getting into your blood stream I think. It causes severe itching on your palms and feet but as far as I know doesnt cause any rash or swelling. It is very uncomfortable but not usually serious.

 

[Jojo84]

wss
however you do need to know if you have it because it can have serious implications.

 

[Blackcat]

With pre-eclampsia, the midwife will be checking your blood pressure, and urine for protein. Other things to look out for are a severe headache that doesn't improve with paracetamol, and visual disturbances like blurred vision or flashing lights.

If you have gestational diabetes, you'd get sugar in your urine, which the midwife will check for as well.

Try your G.P. about your hands. You might need to change the products you use on them as well x

 

[flexilexi394]

Thank you for putting my mind at ease ... I guess I've only just seen her and she would have picked up on all these things in urine and BP ... I might ask the consultant next week about OC then and see what she says but my palms and feet aren't itchy it's all over my fingers xx

 

[YorksLass]

If it helps, I went seeking a fresh tube of hydrocortisone today and asked the pharmacist if it was ok in pregnancy and they said so long as it's just for extremities (like hands) using it sparingly and not for more than 3 days running.

 

[Tigger87]

I went through a few weeks where my hands got REALLY itchy. It happened last pregnancy too. E45 cream made them swell, but I eventually found a moisturiser that worked and once the itching calmed, so did the swelling. I think an allergic reaction to something brought on by pregnancy. Trial and error was the only way to sort it for me! Xx

 

[flexilexi394]

Thank you Tigger and thank You Yorkslass! I have used Epaderm more often and they are a tiny bit better today but not better to be fair, just a little less itchy. Still covered in rash and still a bit swollen.

I am assuming it is just pregnancy related, I have a lot of dry skin all over my body and did have last pregnancy I just worried that hand swelling and soreness could be something worse ...

xx