Help! If only to cheer me up. Am having severe attacks of hives

[Whoa_Nelly]

Have been having "attacks" (for lack of a better word, and that is how is feels...) of hives (urticaria) for about six weeks, with the most severe happening constantly over the last three days...over 40% of my body...and I can't scratch because that makes it worse.

Have been taking Benedryl without break for the last two days. Am seeing an allergist tomorrow AM. This whole thing has me very freaked out. Am not on antibiotics or anything. I can't figure out why this has been happening.

The allergist says he will be able to clear me up and will do skin prick tests in two weeks.

Anyone here ever suffer through hives?

Anyone here go through allergy tests?

The only thing am allergic to (or am aware of at this point) is erythromycin, and haven't taken anything in that antibiotic family for years.

Anyway...am feeling pretty weirded out about all this.

Thanks for the space to boo hoo a little here... :cry:

on edit:
Mods
Am not seeking medical advice.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

1. Sorry to hear that.

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. Thanks, CG

Knew I could count on you :hi:

[Heidi]

2. I've had hives three times.

The first two times, they were caused by a sulpha medication I was taking, and the third time, the doctor couldn't figure out what caused it. All three times, the hives were cleared up quickly after a visit to the emergency room. (I believe I was given cortisone injections, but these incidents were many years ago.) Hives are miserable; I had swollen palms and whelts on the palms of my hands, behind my knees, behind my ears, etc. It was _awful_, and it freaked me out because I so rarely get sick.

I sympathize, Whoa_Nelly, and am sending you healing energy. :hug:

[Whoa_Nelly]

9. Thanks, Heidi!

We redheads seem to be sensitive to drugs. Am thinking the doc will be giving me cortisone tomorrow. And I rearely get sick, too.

This has just been getting progressively worse....

[qnr]

4. Hey! No sex threads!

"skin prick" indeed.
:)

[Whoa_Nelly]

10. Hey, qnr!

:rofl:

Thanks!

[BikeWriter]

5. Oh, my! I've heard those are painful. Get well soonest!

[Whoa_Nelly]

11. Thanks, BW

Hope by tomorrow night will be able to look forward to a full night's sleep.
No itch, no twitch! That would be great :)

[RandomKoolzip]

6. Maybe you're allergic to the Benedryl.

I used to take Benedryl to stave off anxiety attacks, not realizing that the damn drug was CAUSING the anticipatory anxiety that preceeded the attacks.

[Whoa_Nelly]

12. hmmmm....maybe

but I kind of doubt it. It's only been since these attacks of hivesd have been getting so bad that Istarted taking it.
but, sho knows? May learn something new about myself tomorrow.

Thanks, RK :)

[flamingyouth]

15. A friend of mine's daughter is allergic to the pink dye in the tablets.

They do make a dye-free kind, luckily.

Hives really suck. I get them sometimes and they get worse with stress. And of course when I get them, I get stressed, so the cycle begins. :(

Hope you feel better soon. :pals:

[Whoa_Nelly]

16. Thanks, flamingyouth!

Actually have been taking the liquid Benedryl because it gets into my system faster, but definitely something to think about.

I know what you mean re: stress making them worse....having hives happen is stressful all by itself!

thaks for the good thoughts :pals:

[hfojvt]

7. I had hives once

It was freaky because it was new and I had no idea what caused them. Fortunately they went away after a day or two and I have never seen them again.

[Whoa_Nelly]

13. Yup...definitely freaky

At about 5 AM this morning, I took photos to take to the doc in case am not breaking out when I see him. However, am pretty sure will be having hives to show. Have to stop taking the Benedryl after tonight.

Thanks for sharing, hfojvt :hi:

[Elidor]

8. Had nasty hives a while back

A nurse told me that cimetidine (generic acid reducer) helps even more than benadryl. And so it does. The two taken together can really knock that stuff on its ass. It's a histamine blocker, rather than an antihistamine, so it stops it from being released in the first place. Good stuff. I have bottles of it everywhere I spend time.

[Whoa_Nelly]

14. Cimetidine...hmmm

Will ask the doc about it.

Thanks for the info, Hardhead! :hi:

[obxhead]

17. I have!!!!

When about 7 or so my favorite food was Mac & Cheese and my liquid of choice was Koolaid. Then the hives came.....

Only to become allergic to red (some #) and yellow (some #)....

Thank goodness the allergy only lasted about 6 months because Mac & Cheese still rocks. :)

I've felt your pain and it sucks. Hope ya don't lose any Mac. :(

[Whoa_Nelly]

18. LOL

Hope not re: losing Mac! That's so :silly: makes me :rofl:

[necso]

19. My exwife used to get hives.

She went through the prick-tests, but the results (she was mildly allergic to two of the things tested, as I recall) didn't correlate well with the incidents when she actually got hives (in terms of there being unusual exposure or whatever).

The closest thing to a pattern that I could see was that unusual levels of anxiety and/or pressure (stress, etc) always seemed to be involved, in a necessary but not sufficient (of themselves) way. That is, there were times when she was stressed or anxious, and she didn't get an "attack" of hives.

(Degree of anxiety (etc) might have been determinative, but this degree is something that is hard to gauge in another, particularly when they are generally careful to control the "image" that they present.)

[Whoa_Nelly]

24. I suspect that stress may be adding to what's happening

Have been having to do some hard thinking about some choices and personal moves in my life lately, so stress could be a factor.

Thanks re: the skin prick tests your wife went through. In my case, am hoping something definitive turns up from it. :hi:

[necso]

28. We were hoping so also.

But there really was no perceivable correlation with the test results that I could see. And I remember distinctly that the worse attack she ever had (when we were "together") came shortly after the only time I ever saw her really let go and cry her eyes out. (And no, it was nothing that I had done. -- Frankly, I thought that the triggering incident was something silly, but, of course, I expressed only concern and reassurance, etc.)

And once she was back to her usual more carefree (?) self, the problem went away for some time.

[Lady President]

20. Poor thing

I've always been prone to hives, rashes, etc. and it's not fun. It's not easy to even figure out the cause because allergies can ease up on you. For example, my latest issue is the clean supplies used when my work has a blood drive. The first time they were there it was fine, next time a sniffle, next a little rash, next hives, next a trip to the doctor for a shot of benedryl because I was having trouble breathing. Fortunately, I have a new job because I couldn't work in that area with those chemicals again. Something as simple as a change in the formula of your laundry detergent could cause this type of gradual reaction.

I also get them when I'm stressed, so don't freak out. Your allergist has definitely seen many hives and can help.

Bonus: I had one case of hives that was bad enough to kill the hair follicles on the back of calves-- smooth as can be and never needs shaving. :)

GOOD LUCK

[Whoa_Nelly]

22. Thanks, Lady President!

Have to wonder if have had some sort of gradual physiological change happening to me. Had hives for about two weeks this summer, too.

I just washed clothes and dried without the new softner sheet I've been using. Am hoping that may be it.

Am going to have to hope I can place my trust in this doctor...ahve never seen him before.

[LynzM]

21. Sorry to hear that, Whoa_Nelly

I had nasty PUPPP while I was pregnant, it's pretty much like that. I found that the Aveeno oatmeal bath in cool water was really nice for soothing the itch for a bit. Itching sucks, lots of hugs to you :hug: :hug: :hug: I hope you can find an easy solution for it!

[Whoa_Nelly]

23. Thanks, Lynz!

Right now have found a little bit of Cortaid cream on the welts is helping with the itch. Was using Caladryl, but that wasn't working very well.

Thanks for the :hug: Needed that :)

[zone]

25. How about a joke?

A dyslexic walks into a bra...

[zone]

26. I've been itching to tell that one.

[Whoa_Nelly]

27. LOL

Good one, zone!

Made me :)

[Hissyspit]

29. My Mom just went through this. She used Aveeno baby bath

When I had hives, I could only get rid of them by using antihistimine ointment. Mom's are finally clearing up after several weeks. Frankly, sometimes you just never know what sets it off. She and her doctor think it was some seafood she ate, probably lobster.

[Whoa_Nelly]

30. Thanks, Hissyspit

I appreciate your input. And am glad your mom's are clearing up. Was she allergic to seafood before, or was this something new?

[Hissyspit]

31. I think it was something new.

We've known for a while that my sister was allergic to shellfish, but I think it was adult-onset for my mom. My hives were due to a reaction to popping those zinc cold lozenges when they first showed up. They work well, but I'd rather have the cold than those hives, anyday. I thought I was gonna die!

[Whoa_Nelly]

32. hmmmm...

In the last six weeks started eating fish again after not eating it for years, but had not stopped eating shellfish (shrimp, lobster, crab..YUM!). And, had a cold earlier in December and used ZICAM...it's a zinc-based homeopathic remedy. Will make sure to share that with the doc.

Thanks, Hissyspit! :pals:

[Hissyspit]

33. Good Luck! n/t