| A Nuptial Mystery |
I made it to 35 weeks in my first pregnancy before my hands swelled up and my wedding rings caused my finger to turn a deep shade of crimson from lack of circulation. Little did I know that when I took my rings off, it would be the last time I would be able to wear them pain free for any length of time until I became pregnant again.
Once I deflated back to my normal watery bodily proportions after Ava was born, I put my wedding rings back on and almost immediately my finger started to itch, burn, blister and scab, all in that exact order.
My rings are white gold, but because there really isn’t such thing as white gold, they are rhodium plated. Nickel is the most common alloy used for this process, and apparently, it is also quite common to have nickel allergies. At least that’s what the doctor said. Incidentally, I had been wearing my rings totally uneventfully for years. I couldn’t understand why I would suddenly develop an allergy, but because I was thisclose to cutting my finger off so I didn’t have to deal with the itchy/inflamed wound of blistery burning rawness, I safely tucked my rings away until I could figure out what to do with them.
Then the most bizarre thing happened. My husband and I had to go somewhere, and it was the type of somewhere that I wanted to look all nuptially unified and matrimonial. I could have put on a pair of June Cleaver pearls and an apron, but I opted for a more subtle and less demeaning approach and slipped my bedeviled wedding rings around my finger.
Days later I noticed that I had forgotten to take them off and had been wearing them without any itching/blistering episodes.
And then – many more days later – the itchy/scabby flaming inferno around my finger returned.
This went on for months and months. Sometimes I could wear them for weeks on end, and then suddenly, like my rings were possessed under the spell of a strange voodoo hex, the itchiness returned and I wanted to slowly peel the skin off my finger because that would have been less irritating than slipping into a coma induced neurosis of scratching the blisters around my finger.
And so the mysterious wedding ring saga continued. I’ve never been fully convinced that I am allergic to them, particularly now that I am pregnant again and they haven’t left my finger in over seven months. My highly unsubstantiated theory is that its hormone related, and I may just very well have discovered the ultimate PMS prediction device.
Labels: Marriage, Pregnancy, Thinking Out Loud |
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I wonder if you could market that. And perhaps make it something more obvious to us males. Like a necklace or sweatband or something we could see from a distance..
Hah. You're so beautifully clever!
HA! You make reading about ithcy wedding rings SO fun and interesting, lol. Love it!!! Well, I totally agree...I think it IS hormone related because, believe it or not...my wedding ring made me itch too after I put them back on after the birth of my son. Not as bad as yours, but bad enough for me to form a raw ring around my finger for quite some time. After a while, it just went away, lol. Who knows:)
My sister n' law also has this problem although her rings are gold and not while gold. Poor girl went from wearing a nice but not overly nice ring and she did fine with wearing her rings then my brother upgraded to a "nicer" set for there anniversary and she's been having trouble with itching, burning, etc ever since!!!
At least your fingers went back to the way they were. I've not been able to wear my wedding band, period, since I was prego w/TJ. That is a bit on the freaky side, though.
Hi Karla, I suffer from the same problem and my rings are gold. The problem seems worse with perspiration.. I can wear them and have no reaction and then out of the blue it's back.....I have been able to wear them on my right hand with no problems.... I haven't been able to figure out why but whatever works....
...My fingers on my left hand still suffer with blisters without my rings on....go figure.
That's funny - reminds me of a "mood ring". Interesting it happens to be your wedding ring - hmmm, like a nuptial mood radar. Hey, I think we've all got something here!
You guys are all weird...LOL!
Well at least you know youaren't the only one Karla! I actually have another friend who experiences the same thing.
The body can act in some pretty mysterious ways. Allergies have been known to come and go.. but I like your hormonal theory. It certainly would explain things.
I linked through Amanda's blog. I just wanted to say that I have had the exact same problem since our son was born. Mine is also white gold. It seems to be better if I don't wear my wedding ring to bed. Weirdness.
I had the exact same thing happen to me. I never had any itchiness/rashes/blisters from my white gold rings until I got pregnant. Even after giving birth, I still go through rash-y times...annoying!
I am nineteen and have been wearing a promise ring from my boyfriend for over two years now. In the last two months my finger has started to scab about a half an inch upwards and downwards from where my ring is placed.It burns, itches, stings, etc. I take off my ring and it will show hardly any improvement, if any, whatsoever. I really don't know what to do and its very frustrating...should I be worried?
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Wednesday, October 25, 2006
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Anonymous : October 25, 2006 
