Did anyone have autoimmune hives throughout their pregnancy? Starting at the end of the first trimester, I would get rashes of hives whenever I was particularly warm (in the shower, I'd always get them on my ankles, if I sat and watched TV under a blanket, I'd get them on my thighs and legs).

There is a rare adrenal tumor called a pheochromacytoma that causes uncontrollable high bp. Other symptoms of this tumor can be increased heart rate, anxiety/panic attacks and headaches. It can be aggravated by pregnancy. This tumor caused me to develop HELLP at 24weeks and deliver at 26. I don't think most doctors test for or have dealt with this condition, but you can ask them to test your blood metanephrines or catecholamine levels. I have heard that if diagnosed and treated properly during pregnancy, women with this tumor can have successful pregnancies.

Were you swelling during the time you were itchy? Swelling will sometimes cause that itching - feet and legs are often the first things to swell, too. If it had been your liver you probably would have been itching in other places, too. I'm not a doctor but my dad had end-stage liver disease and would scratch himself bloody whereever he could reach some days.

I'm glad you've compiled your labs and records. You can find an MFM in your area by going to the physician locatore here: www.SMFM.org I found my post preeclampsia visits to be very enlightening.

Also know that it takes a long time for the body to recover from PE - sometimes weeks or months, sometimes longer. If your delivery has been recently, your body may just need time to heal itself before you get back to feeling like yourself. Let us know how your appointment goes once you have it.

Hi everyone,

I didn't have hives but I had severe itching in my legs and feet one month prior to delivery. The doctor told me it was fungus yet when I went to the er I now see there was anticoagulation therapy recommended. What a crappy doctor he was. I've had hellp/preeclampsia in the past and I knew something was wrong cause of the itching. It lasted 6 weeks till I couldn't take it anymore and went into er again. Nurses said I'd be delivered for sure and doc came in angry nxt morning only to send me home. The itching lingered for about 2 weeks after delivery. I believe it was my liver telling my body something is wrong. I ordered myself on bedrest cause I knew I was in danger, but he kept telling me everything was ok. I didn't listen to him. I've compiled all my lab reports and plan on finding a good doctor to help me find out what is wrong (underlying). I'm feeling ill these days. It's been miserable because everyone thinks of me as a hypochondriac, it's all in my head etc. etc. It's so frustrating!! It's like you being all alone and suffering.

Lizzybeth, the AI Lupus and Lupus anticoagulant are actually 2 different things, but its called Lupus anticoagulant because it also occurs in about 50-60% of people who have Lupus. The difference being the antibodies causing blood clotting issues and not the other problems.

Eliz, I have very severe allergies but suprisngly am not allergic to posion ivy or posion oak. Comes in extremely nicely when your out camping and everyone else gets Poison Ivy and you don't LOL (my mother isn't allergic to it either). From what I understand Autoimmune issues can mess with your IgE counts (which in turn are what cause allergic reactions and hives). I would just make sure they didn't occur after a change in medication or something that they didn't/can't test for.

Yes, my hives were definitely autoimmune too. It was a problem when I first started having them - to the degree that I had them when pregnant/postpartum- because when you look at a person covered in welts, you think, allergic reaction - bad allergic reaction!

They popped up just as Eliz described - when I would take a hot shower or get under a warm blanket, etc.

I too went through the whole battery of allergy testing. But, the hives were - and I guess still are, although i haven't had them in a while (knock wood) caused by the autoimmune thing (in my case undifferentiated connective tissue disease).

Oh, and about the hives. I am not allergic to anything really - I barely react to poison ivy. And I went to the allergist when I had the hives and was tested for a bunch of things. I didn't react to any of the things they tested for, and in the end I was told that they were autoimmune. It happened to some degree throughout both of my pregnancies.

The hives were itchy, but not painful, and they went away after I cooled off for a while. I just learned to take luke-warm showers and to watch tv without having a blanket on me! They weren't PUPP. If I remember right, that was because I was PUPP happens only at a certain time during pregnancy. I can't remember if that was definitely the reason, but I know my symptoms didn't fit with PUPP.

My ms is treated by a neurologist. I've never seen a rheumatologist. But I've only had the ms diagnosis since september. And the diagnosis is actually "probable ms" which is mostly a formality until the disease progresses. I was tested for lupus which is one of the reasons why they settled on the diagnosis of ms - since I haven't had enough symptoms of ms for a definite diagnosis, a lot of it is by process of elimination.

When I brought up other autoimmune issues that I know about and that seem to fit my symptoms some, I was told I could easily have some of those syndromes, too, but all they know for now is that I have ms. So, the advice is to deal with ms and forget about trying to get answers about all the things that might be consistent with what's going on.

So, in general, I'm fine with that advice (seems the nature of autoimmune issues - no specific diagnostic test for a lot of them). However, as I'm thinking about another baby, my desire to know more about my autoimmune issues is driven by wanting to be sure that I'm followed and treated properly, and that another pregancy won't worsen (or ellicit) some underlying condition (or that the condition won't threaten my pregnancy or me).

Hi Elizabeth,

Lordee you could give blood for the next 24 hours and maybe, then, have enough to test for every AI disease. What I would do if I were you is to make an appointment with a perinatologist and ask to be tested for the specific disorders that are linked to PE. I would also ask whoever is treating the MS (Neuro or Rheumy) to rule out whatever they can prior to you becoming PG, explain that you have had PE and educate the doc about AI links to PE and that you would like to have whatever you can ruled out.
Everyone else has given you great info. I do know that even if your ANA for Lupus is negative (mine is) the OB should still do the Lupus anti-coagulent as you can have Lupus with a negative ANA.
BTW, not to be to nosey, just wondering if your MS is treated by a Rheumy or a Neurologist?
Let me know what your Docs say when you get the chance.
BTW, I have AI....
lizzybeth

Nope, they ain't normal!

LOL...I never told my OB about the fevers, because...I had always heard that pregnant women got overheated more easily...I just figured they meant 'feverish'. [B)][8)]