Rh negative blood & fibromyalgia

My late mother was Rh-, though I don't know whether she was ABO, there could be no doubt she was Rh- since her 1st baby (a girl) was a 'blue baby' & died of erythroblastoma (sp?) within a a couple of days of birth in 1954 (prior to Rhogam & other treatments being available). This should've meant mom's system was 'sensitized' & subsequent pregnancies were at higher risk. However, mom was almost 40 & waited a long time to have her baby girl & was determined, she even changed doctors & hospitals with the 2nd pregnancy (me) hoping this would help ( I don't really see how, since the treatments weren't available anywhere in 1956 when I was born). Nonetheless mom had her healthy bundle of joy, no complications whatsoever. And that's the 1st point I'd like to make, how is it possible the 1st baby died as a result of mom's Rh- condition, when mom should've been the least 'sensitized' the 1st time around, everything I've read indicates that's the baby which should've survived - not me. And no, the babies did not have different fathers which could've triggered different results. Does anyone have a legitimate explanation for this? I maintained generally good health throughout my youth, with the usual measles, mumps & chicken pox which were standard rites of passage for most kids back then. When I was 25 I was diagnosed w/psoriasis, it was annoying more than anything as lucky for me it was on areas which were not publicly exposed, so I could live with it. At 30 (during a period of enormous stress) I began to have gnawing pain thru out my body, debilitating fatigue, stiffness, throbbing, burning swollen feet/toes that I could only wear flip-flops & I had a bizarre rash actually small bright pink/red welts on my fingers. I went to 5 different doctors 3 said psoriatic arthritis w/fibromyalgia & 2 said Lyme disease w/fibromyalgia. I decided to accept the majority opinion as my official diagnosis to begin treatment for. Two years later when in a bicycle accident my blood was tested & they discovered I had hypothyroidism. (Note I had new doctors since I had moved from Chicago to Arizona for the warm weather as the Chicago cold, damp climate was the absolute worst.) Several doctors later I was diagnosed w/neuropathy in my feet & hands ( I also now at 60 have osteoporosis). For some time it has nagged at me that my getting so ill at a relatively young age (I was in worse shape than my parents, aunts & uncles who were 40 years older than me.) I kept thinking what could have caused this, why was I different? The Rh- history & my survival after my sister being a 'blue baby' continued to nag at me but was put on the back burner as I tried to rebuild my life in a new state where I had no connections. Later as an only child it was left to me to become caregiver for now ill & aging family members in a period that covered close to a decade. It is only recently after their passings that I've had time to relax from the stress & tumult, now refocusing on my own health. Simultaneously the internet's informational power has increased exponentially over the years & I've been able to learn more about Rh negative bloodlines & found I was not alone at least as far as the fibromyalgia is concerned, it seems to be frequently diagnosed in us negs. If anyone has further info on Rh- & fibro I'd love to hear from you. And if anyone has some answers as to how I could be born healthy after mom gave birth to a 'blue baby' which died in days, I would surely love to hear from you (again this was over a decade before Rhogam & I didn't have any type of blood transfusions, the father is the same & I'm not adopted). Many thanks!!!

Hi Alcie,

I just wrote a response to your most helpful resply to my query, but think I hit the wrong button & possibly lost the message, so I'll try to summarize here. I was so pleasantly surprised to receive your quick response, thank you so much! I appreciate you clarifying for me that 'blue baby' is a condition of the heart & not a symptom of Rh- incompatibility. This led me to do some further research, finding an old family medical reference book (from the early '60s pre-Rhogan) on my shelf which said that Rh incompatible couples can produce 1,2 or even more healthy babies & that about 5% or about 1 in 20 will have a baby w/Rh disease & this usually happens in the THIRD or later pregnancy. So being the 1st baby died of a heart condition unrelated to Rh mom actually hadn't been 'sensitized' at all or sufficiently to where it would affect her 2nd baby (me) which was why I was born healthy (thankfully). There were no further pregnancies, so maybe my folks understood the risk & weren't willing to take it. To answer your question, I don't have diabetes but it does run on the maternal side of my family & it was complications from it which mom ultimately died from. My doctor tests me regularly & I maintain a healthy weight as a precaution. Mom had peripheral neuropathy related to her diabetes, but my dr. says mine is related to my fibromyalgia which involves small nerve fibers as opposed to the large nerve fibers in the diabetic form. I've been under doctors care the past 30 years going in at least quarterly for bloodwork to make sure my thyroid med doesn't need adjusting among other things. Once again I truly appreciate your concerned reply which contributed to finally resolving this mystery which has plagued me for years. Was very sorry to hear about your spine, my best wishes to you for better health, take care!