While I was in the hospital after delivering my little girl I started to feel pain in my hip that radiated down my leg. I brushed it off as the beds in the hospital were really uncomfortable and let's face it, your hips undergo quite a feat to deliver a baby. When I returned home the first 3 nights at home I had really strong hip pain so I would lather my hip in deep blue and take some advil and sleep as much as I could (which wasn't very much). During the day, the pain felt more manageable, I was even able to get workouts in with little or no pain, but at night it would just flare up. After the third day home I decided to call the chiropractor thinking maybe my hips just needed to be adjusted after the birth. He could not get me in for 2 more days and by the time I showed up for my appointment the pain was gone, but I had a rash on my lower back and a little on my hip. Could I possibly be breaking out because of all of the deep blue I used? I have used a lot of deep blue in the past and never had a problem, but I didn't know what else it could be from. This was on Friday before the long labor day weekend.
Saturday, I noticed the rash spreading further down my leg and thought I would call for an appointment on Tuesday. By Monday the rash was growing increasingly uncomfortable, blistering in some spots and it just kept spreading further down my leg. It now covered my lower back, left hip and left leg down to about mid calf. I was getting worried that it would be something I could spread to my girls and husband. I googled to see what it could be and the only thing that really came up for postpartum rashes was PUPPPS but my symptoms were not consistent with this. PUPPPS starts on the stomach and usually starts while you are pregnant. I had no rash on my stomach. By Monday evening nothing was giving me relief. I was using my oils and the rash just seemed to get worse so I decided to go to urgent care. The doctor there told me I had shingles! I asked what caused it and she said any stressor can cause it. Since I have had the chicken pox, the virus lays dormant in your nerves and a stressor (in my case child birth) can make it flare up. She said because I was young the course may only last a week or two as opposed to over a year that it affects some elderly people. For me a week or two felt like an eternity because of how uncomfortable the rash is. At least my hip pain had gone away, or so I thought....
Monday night was one of the worse nights of my life. The hip pain came back ten fold and the rash felt like someone was sticking a million pins in my leg. Nothing was giving me relief. I don't like to take medication anyway and now that I am breastfeeding I really don't like to however in this situation the doctor assured me the antiviral was completely safe and I could also take zyrtec for relief for the rash. I am taking the antiviral as it is supposed to shorten the course but after one zyrtec, I felt no relief and will not take any more of that. I have also been supplementing with my oils, topically putting on a mixture of Maleluca, Lavendar, and Euculyptus mixed with coconut oil. I also internally take a mixture of Melissa (an antiviral), Maleluca, On Guard, Oregano, and Lemon. Even thought it has only been a day and a half since I went in, it feels like an eternity. I know it is in the healing process because my rash is blistering but I would do about anything for some relief at this point.
Yesterday I called my pediatrician to ask about my girls risk. He said my newborn is protected with my antibodies and breast feeding is the best thing I can do to prevent her from getting anything. My other daughter is not though. She has not been vaccinated for chicken pox so it is very likely she is going to get chicken pox since shingles is derived from the same virus and the virus can be transmitted through touching the rash or through the air. At least she will have immunity after she gets it, but I hope it doesn't put her down too much. Her symptoms will be consistent with the chicken pox, not shingles, so at least she will not have to deal with the pain I am experiencing. Any amount of sickness is difficult to see in your kids so I just pray hers is as mild as possible.
I am one of those people that is always looking for the cause for something. I don't just like to treat symptoms and I feel like there should always be a definite cause. It bothers me that the only answer is the stress of giving birth. I wonder, could it be from the epidural? After all epidurals are in the nerve just like this is. Doctors say no, but I just don't understand how someone as healthy as I am can get this? Could it be from the exercise I did the week after? Doctors say no, and the hip pain I experienced began before I stepped foot in the gym so this was not the cause either. I will never know why I got it and I just hope it goes away soon. In regards to Crossfit, I will not be doing anything until this heals up. As much as I wish I could, the pain is too great even for me to think about getting a workout in right now.
I will spare you the photos this week because the are really disgusting. But here is a cute one of my little one's first Gopher game with her daddy:)
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