Tuesday, March 15, 2016

One for the Pregnancy Books

Do you ever find a cut or a bruise that you have no clue as to when or how it occurred?
It happens to me a lot.

It was no surprise to me then, when about two and a half months ago I found a small blister on the tip of my ring finger. I figured I must have pinched or burnt it and forgotten. 
A few days later and it was bigger and multiple shades of red. A blood blister, I thought.

I consulted the family medical professional and was left with two options: 
1) leave it alone and allow my body to reabsorb it or 
2) use a sterilized needle and drain it. 
Although B was intrigued and willing to play doctor on my finger, 
I opted for the slow needle-free version. 
 
Days later, all the relaxation of my long shower was gobbled up by the sight of bright red blood. A few calmer seconds later I realized the source was not pre-term labor, but my finger. It is amazing how one finger could provide so much blood. I tended to my hand and moved forward thinking that everything would heal within the week.

A month later it was almost a daily routine to have the wound reopen and soak through a bandage in seconds. Right before heading out the door, in the middle of the work day, watching a movie on the couch, driving in the car, and (the worst) right after putting white sheets on the bed. It wasn't painful (actually the tip of that finger felt almost numb), but it was hard to accomplish anything without a mess appearing.

I knew this wasn't normal and consulted a dermatologist and discovered it was a Pyogenic Granuloma, a little talked about occurrence during pregnancy. A few days later I was in the office having my finger numbed, scrapped, and cauterized. It wasn't until after the removal that thoughts of scarring entered my brain. In fact, as my doctor confirmed, my fingerprint was permanently altered! Baby is changing my life in more ways than one!
And that seems to be the end of this saga!

Now for the medical facts (in non-medical language):
And in regards to pictures, I was traumatized enough as a child by the cover photos of medical journals of such savory visions as this 
- I will spare you.

What is a Pyogenic Granuloma (PG)?
A common benign skin growth that is typically small, round, and bright red - resembling a blister. More often effecting children and young adults, they are fairly common for pregnant women (despite this, there's no information about them on pregnancy sites).

Profuse bleeding can occur from the multitude of blood vessels contained within them.

What causes them?

They often occur after trauma to the area in which the body responds with the rapidly growing lesion. The full cause is unknown.

Why during pregnancy?
 Again, the cause is unknown, but it is thought to be related to the dramatic hormone changes throughout pregnancy.

How are they treated?
 Smaller PGs may be able to reabsorb without treatment.
Larger PGs are treated through removal.

Do they come back?
There is a chance of reoccurrence in the same or a nearby spot.
This is normally due to the entire growth not being removed.

Are they cancerous?
No, but they do test the removed growth just to be sure it is truly a PG.


Have you heard of this before? 
Any other mama's have this symptom during pregnancy?
What was your most obscure pregnancy symptom?

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3 comments:

  1. You have weird blisters and I get unexplainable rashes. What a pregnant pair we make!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have weird blisters and I get unexplainable rashes. What a pregnant pair we make!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is bizarre! I knew that pregnancy can (does?) make your feet swell, but it was only last year that I learned the change can be permanent. The human body is such a mysterious machine, especially when it's growing another one!

    ReplyDelete

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