Funky (annoying) Pregnancy Symptoms

Notice that this isn't a post about the normal symptoms that I was expecting to experience while pregnant such as (but not limited to):

- morning sickness
- sore achy back
- stretch marks
- swollen ankles and feet (and possibly other body parts)
- tender breasts
- mood swings and crying spells
- heightened sense of smell
- loss of memory/mind
- etc.

All of those above mentioned things were symptoms that I had really been anticipating. Not that I wanted to have any of them, but they at least were in my "pregnancy peripheral" so to speak.

So now I am just going to vent a little about the freaky weird (that supposedly aren't freaky and weird while pregnant) things that have happened to my body since this little guy started growing inside of me.

(****WARNING there are a couple pictures of my body that might be a little disturbing to some. Proceed at your own risk. Don't worry nothing is R rated. Just weird.)

1. First is "bacne."

Bacne (n): a symptom of the skin where giant pustules of pain spring up all over your back resembling a raspberry patch fully ripened and ready for picking.

I have never had more than maybe three zits on my back at any given time in my life but my entire pregnancy I have had an outbreak of the worst puberty-like explosion of irritated pimples and red spots covering my whole upper back. It actually wasn't too big of a deal during the winter months because I was always keeping it covered but now that it is getting warmer and I am wearing more loose fitting neck lines their beady little eyes are poking out on the back of my neck which is a little embarrassing. I promise that I shower daily and scrub off the dead skin and oil. I have tried creams, face wash, exfoliants, leaving it alone, exposing it to the sun, all sorts of things and nothing has seemed to change it in the least bit. I cannot wait to be able to get a back rub from my husband without wincing in pain and holding back a tear from the soreness caused by my bacne.

2. "Linea nigra"

Linea nigra is a dark vertical line that appears on the abdomen during about "three quarters of all pregnancies."

3/4 of ALL PREGNANCIES?! How come I hadn't heard of it before? I thought I had a very peculiar stretch mark. When I first noticed it, I immediately texted my husband and my mother. I wasn't sure if something was tearing, or if I could maybe do something different to make it stop or go away. But alas, it is just another tag that bearing children will leave on a mother's body. (You know, just in case she forgets what it was like.)

Below is the picture I texted my mom and husband the night it appeared. I am very blessed to have a very faint line compared to most.

3. Geographic tongue

Geographic tongue, also known to the smart folk as benign migratory glossitis, is a condition of the tongue that is characterized by red regions or patches covering the surface of the tongue. It is a chronic condition that can change shapes and sizes (hence the "migratory") and often manifests itself after eating any of a range of exacerbating foods, or during times of stress, illness, or hormonal surges. And that is why mine manifested itself just a couple weeks ago. Thank you pregnancy hormones!

I was brushing my teeth at night and while finishing up my brushing, I scrubbed my tongue with my toothbrush. It felt a little sore and so I inspected it to see if I had bit into it on accident. And this my friends, is what I saw....

I ran to my husband and asked him if my tongue looked abnormal to him. He said it was probably fine and would most likely go away by morning. I was worried I had cancer starting but was relieved when I remembered that I work in a dental office and would be able to see the dentist first thing in the morning. When I asked him about it the next day, he examined it and said, "Yup! That is geographic tongue." The hygienist at the office that day assured me that it was nothing to worry about and that she also has it. She stuck her tongue out and it indeed looked like some weird geographic archipelago had been mapped on her tongue. She said that she noticed it first when she was 19 and that acidic foods like pineapple, and also salty chips seem to make it appear. So I supposedly will have this funky mark (or perhaps some other country/region) on my tongue for the rest of my life. FUN!

4. Numbness in heel.

Now this one is accompanied by a symptom that I was honestly expecting and that is sciatic nerve pain. Around 17 weeks into my pregnancy, I started getting a sore back and shooting pains down my right leg. It has only increased in severity as my pregnancy has progressed almost causing about 4 different falls where I suddenly lose the ability to stand or walk on my right leg. 

The story for this one also started one evening. (I just realized that almost all of my pregnancy symptoms are found out right before going to bed. Weird.) I had just brushed my teeth and washed my face and was changing before hopping into bed. I kicked off my slippers and removed my socks and stepped my LEFT foot down on the carpet and realized a tingling sensation. It seemed like no big deal and I just thought I could rub it out for a second and it would go away. After about 5 minutes of vigorous rubbing, my heel was warm and red in color. I KNEW I had circulation in my heel. How else could all that blood be pooled down there making my skin so red? It shouldn't be numb. I started to freak out. I massaged my calf and my thigh. Then I asked Riley to rub and then punch (a massage-like punch) my bum-cheek on my left side. While he was doing that I felt for about 30 seconds like my heel was super itchy and hot. I was getting feeling back. BUT that stopped and the numbness came back. I asked him if he thought I should call the doctor or do something about it. And like a smart husband, he said, "Just google it." I had done this with nearly every other symptom and had gotten results for all of them in relation to being pregnant. And sure enough, as I typed in "numbness in heel dur...." the computer automatically popped up a ton of results for "numbness in heel during pregnancy." 

It is caused by the loosening of my ligaments and shifting of joints which add pressure to my sciatic and other nerves causing a numb feeling in my heel.

And that my friends is why no one should get pregnant just because it sounds fun. Don't get me wrong, it is awesome to be able to grow a human inside of me. But it is also freaky weird stuff man. 

Thanks for listening. Keep checking back as I am sure that there are more fun things to come.