Really bad itchy rash on stomach and arms - can anyone help ?

[Stannie]

Having looked on the interweb I think it's a rash known as PUPPP (sometimes known as PEP) - red itchy raised area under belly button spreading upwards..

Really really itchy - I mean tortuously itchy. Am alternately putting aloe vera on and Sudocreme both of which seem to help (the Aloe Vera more so)

Slightly different rash appearing on arms, chest and legs now too - looks like small midge bites rather than flat raised red areas on stomach..

Spoke to consultant on Thurs about it (before other rash on arms etc appeared) and he said it was "just" a "pregnancy rash" .. it's driving me nuts now though..

Has anyone else had this ?

I had it - lasted for a few days and then went away on its own. The doc told me it's normal for pregnant women to have reactions to detergents, food, etc, that they have never reacted to before. Use aqueous cream to keep your skin moisturised (dryness will make the itching worse) and calomine lotion for the itching. Also your stretch mark cream should help moisturise too. Hope it goes away quickly!

My friend had this late on in her pregnancy. How far along are you? She was prescribed piriton for the itching.

Had these rashes for both my first pregnancy (and now also to a lesser extent in my current second.)

First pregnancy I got the big flat urticaria types all up and down my legs, which I scratched to riibbons unfortunately, and the tiny pin prick types actually in the stretch marks all over my belly, so from the boobs down, my entire body was red and angry and as you say, tortuously itchy!

First time round, gp prescribed a (weak) hydrocortisone which was so-so. This time round I'm prepared....

...bio-oil in VAST quantities, about 3 times a day, plus I'm hacking at our aloe vera plants in between which just takes the bite out of the worst of the rash. All this has kept the rash to just around my belly and so far is not as bad as previously. I don't care about the ugliness of stretch marks (they didn't look half as bad after the birth anyway), its just the itchiness I need to avoid.

Good luck with it. I really empathise.