Help - ring finger about to fall off!

[strandedabroad]

...Or so it feels like!

I'm 19 weeks pregnant and about 2 months ago my wedding and engagement rings started bothering me. I put up with it for a while mainly because I had puffy hands and couldn't get the damn things off and finally managed to get them off. If it makes any difference they're platinum, which apparently you can't be allergic to unless you're me.

I have not been wearing the rings for over 6 weeks and my finger isn't getting any better. My middle finger is now unhappy too. Really sore, chapped, dry itchy skin. Scales have appeared. It hurts and throbs. It's stopping me doing things with my left hand (the dog lead chafing on it is agony, for example).

I generally have dry skin and more so since being pregnant, but the rest of my body and hands is perfectly manageable. I have tried every cream/oil/potion I have been able to put my hands on.

Has anybody had the same and found a miracle cream? I'd like my hand to be normal when the baby is here...

I don't want to waste the GP's time for something that's essentially very dry skin

Thanks.

You wouldn't be wasting the GP's time. You could always book an appointment with the nurse practitioner.

I don't know if you can have steroid cream in pregnancy but it sounds like you need it.

Steroid cream is fine in pregnancy. Show it to a pharmacist tomorrow. I'd try eumovate (1% hydrocortisone) 2x a day + epaderm (heavy duty moisturiser). Use the epaderm many times a day, especially under rubber gloves when using water and ideally under cotton gloves at night.

Thanks for the responses and sorry for the delay.

I thought I'd send an update - the pharmacist gave me some Diprobase, which didn't do much difference. After another couple of weeks I went to the GP who prescribed a 1% hydrocortisone cream. I have been using it sparingly for about a week and my fingers are much better.

I did worry a bit, as the leaflet says that it can cause birth defects. I will ask my midwife next week, but I thought I should trust the doctor. I had my 20-week scan and everything was fine, so I figured the baby is pretty much formed now and risks should be quite small. I would still rather not use it, but I'd like my hand to stop hurting and bleeding!

Thanks.