She urged me to hydrate more, and to keep doing everything I'm doing. I use Hydrocortisone cream when it's bad, lather up with coconut oil, take Benadryl as needed... sometimes that helps. If I'm lucky. I use lotion every day. Petroleum jelly, Aquafor, or A&D ointment before bed as needed. I changed my dish and hand soaps, I use hypoallergic stuff mostly, I stopped using commercial cleaners, use gloves for dish washing, I haven't changed my detergent but I have a known allergy to Tide and never had a reaction to this one that I've known... still, I may change that soon to see if it helps.
It gets worse when cleaning, even just dusting, but my allergy panel came back negative for dust or pets. I joke and say, "I'm allergic to cleaning!" but seriously... I have no idea what this is. Maybe it's this old house.
***
My other recent issue was my brilliant idea to get an IUD. It seemed like a good choice, it had progesterone so I wouldn't have to worry about inducing a bleed every few months (because of the endometrial cancer risk, due to PCOS and anovulation), plus I wouldn't have to worry about an unplanned pregnancy which given my health (with recurrent loss issues), finances, and general sanity would be bad. It would have lasted 5 years and by then we could take permanent measures, or went for #4 (A has mentioned it, not joking. Crazy pants).
Well, that's when the trouble began. I got it put in and bled until the day I got it out... almost 4 months. It wasn't just that, I could still feel it. I was constantly aware of it's presence. They checked on ultrasound and it was fine, it was positioned correctly, but it was slowly driving me bat shit crazy. It hurt, I was cramping off/on, and bleeding. My OB urged me to give it 6 months for my body to adjust, but I was losing my mind. I was getting agitated, snapping more, yelling more, I wanted to scream. I wanted to rip the thing out. I had no patience with the children. My depression got INFINITELY worse. It was bad. I finally made the call to have it removed.
One of the strings had gotten up in my uterus and wrapped around the IUD, but it came out easily. I felt so much better right away. I wasn't nearly as agitated, the change in my mood was amazing. While still depressed, it has lightened and I feel more productive. I'm feeling a lot better, not quite as overwhelmed (although still very busy with the children and exhausted). I don't know what it was about the IUD that affected me like that: physically something about it, or me, or just a giant head game, but I'm glad that's over. I will never do that again.
***
So that's what's been on my medical plate. My hair has changed, my body is changing, and I need to adjust to this new normal. I'm still nursing the twins. And mostly just trying to deal with these damned rashes.
