HIVES!!!!!! Kill me now

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I may have posted something similar to this a few months back, too. In the past, in my life, I’ve one through these spells of getting hives (“chronic urticaria” in medical-speak) for a few months every several years. I’ve had multiple doctors tell me that it’s basically an autoimmune reaction to my own body and not an external allergy, so there is no way to avoid it. I have to get a shot and take a regimen of Prednisone when I get a bad outbreak. I have an Epipen but I’ve never used it.

I hadn’t had an episode in many years, but then in about August I had a bad bout of it, but it seemed to go away after one round of Prednisone. Much relief.

Cut to last night. It started with itchy feet all evening. Annoying but I could cope. Then in the night while I was trying to sleep, my whole body started itching. Everywhere except my back, face, and head. My arms, legs, chest, feet, everywhere. I took a hot soaking bath because that sometimes helps, but it didn’t. I got very little sleep. It did finally go away by this morning and I’m hoping it was a one-off thing and not an indication that I’m stating up another “hives episode”…
Anyone else out there suffer from hives? They suck, don’t they???

2

For the past couple of winters, I’ve been getting hives under the skin, resulting in swollen toes and fingers. Swollen three times their normal size! Fortunately, most times they do not itch. But for a couple of hours every day while I’m having the reaction, it’s the worse itch in the world. Like, I just want to die it’s so bad. (I’m itching just thinking about it!)

I really really hope I do not have to deal with that horribleness this winter.

You have my sympathies.

3

My kid had stress hives during one year of school (she was 9). You have my complete sympathy.

4

Oh that sucks. I’ve had swimmers’ itch a few times - hives, basically and similar to chiggers - and you totally have my sympathy.

Best short-term relief I found was Benadryl brand cream for itch relief. That really, really helps me although I have to re-apply it every 30 minutes or so.

5

I got hives once that lasted nearly 6 months. The initial outbreak was pretty bad and my doctor was worried about anaphylaxis. I was off work for 5 days both because my doctor wanted me to stay home and because I looked kinda scary until my face and hands went back to looking a little more normal. They weren’t terribly itchy, thank Og, or I’m not sure what I would have done. My doctor was concerned enough that he had me come to the office every day I was off so he could check progression, and he gave me his personal cell with instructions to call him Sunday. I guess it was pretty bad.

I didn’t need steroids somehow, though, and I was scripted Clarinex to take twice a day, plus Hydroxyzine to take two at night (it was a double dose, from what I remember - knocked me right out, those did).

I was sent to a rheumatologist a couple weeks later, who had nothing useful to say, and we talked about seeing an allergist but I really didn’t think it was an allergy. The day they started was an extremely stressful one, I barely ate that day, and was able to document everything and there was nothing I hadn’t had many times before, on top of having all of it since then.

The hives started improving with the meds within the first week, but took about 6 months to leave my body completely. They left from the top down, meaning the last of the hives were on my feet. Once in a while, I would get random swelling, sometimes the right side of my bottom lip, a finger, a foot. So weird. Luckily never terribly itchy unless there was swelling, and very manageable and not debilitating at all, though I’m aware they can be.

They haven’t come back since, and that was, what, at least 5 or 6 years ago. The few people I spoke to about it seem to also think it was stress related. It had been a really, really, really bad day. (work related, feline rescue, and a kitten that didn’t make it - long story, but that might give you an idea of the nature of the stress.)

So, that whole long-winded post was to commiserate with you, Opal, and to let you know I totally get it about your hives. Have you tried a daily Claritin or Zyrtec? They’re both also for hives. Zyrtec makes me drowsy, but I had good results with the Claritin (was Rx Clarinex back then). Might be worth a try if it won’t interact with your other meds. I hope they go away sooner rather than later!

6

Ugh; I had hives twice as a kid. It turned out to be a penicillin allergy. One of my more vivid and least pleasant childhood memories.

7

I get recurring hives between my fingers several times a year. Doctors can’t figure out what causes it. Luckily they are small and though insanely itchy, they go away fast. I have 3 on my left hand right now, but they are almost gone for this time around.

8

Being allergic to yourself sucks!

9

All my life. I’ve had periods of no trouble but they always come back. I haven’t done prednisone for a long time though. I took Singulair for a few years and that seemed to break the pattern, and they have not been very bad since then; just a few “heavy Benedryl” days and all is well. Since I retired it’s a lot easier to be totally benedryl dopey all day.

Anyway I hope you find some relief, Opal. Yeah, hives suck.

10

Guaifenesin gives me hives, which sucks for times like now when I’m enduring a chest cold. It seems like most cough syrup they make nowadays contains it. It’s frustrating perusing an entire store shelf of cold medicines and finding that none are suitable for relieving my coughing fits.

11

I’m allergic to sunscreen. Try finding moisturizer without any. (Thank og for Merle Norman!)

12

I just did this last weekend so I feel for you. I was already ON prednisone so all that was left was lots of Benedryl. Three lost days of sleeping it off but luckily since then I’ve only had little itchy places here and there.

From what I’ve learned hot baths are not a good idea and should be avoided for a while even after the hives are gone because it can cause them to reoccur. Instead try a cool, soothing bath with oatmeal and/or baking soda, or epsom salts (but be aware some people are allergic to epsom salts.) I think hives are miserable but reoccurring hives would be worse – hope this is your last bout with them.

13

And Max the Immortal I’ve had really good results with Delsym cough syrup (the orange flavor is tasty) which has Dextromethorphan as the only active ingredient.

14

I’ve had it for a few years now and before that I had occasional episodes off and on. After having them for about 6 weeks straight, I was allergy tested and was only allergic to dust mites and since I broke out in hives everywhere it wasn’t limited to just dusty areas so I was diagnosed with Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria. I get dermagraphia and angioedema, too.

I was on Zyrtec for the hives and Singulair for my asthma, it worked for a while then the hives came back with a vengeance and my doctor put me on hydroxyzine. I started on a lower dose but had to increase it and so far that’s working. If I skip a day I may get some dermagraphia again but no hives unless I miss a couple days.

I’ve been tested for various autoimmune diseases and not been positive for any but I have had other stuff that could be attributed to an autoimmune disease. My doctor told me it could be hormonal and may eventually resolve after menopause.

Before I hit on meds that worked I tried everything; tea tree oil, nasalcrom used topically, various anti-itch creams (no antihistamines), ice packs, you name it - I tried it.

15

My father suffered through months long bouts with hives for several years when I was younger. They would cover his entire body and nothing seemed to help much. Of course he was in the military at the time and their view on proper medical care was worlds apart from what he saw when he retired. Anyway they definitely made him miserable. I don’t think they ever figured out a cause but he hasn’t had an episode for a good decade or so. Lots of autoimmune issues on his side of the family thouh: him hives and Grave’s diseases (which also seemed to go into spontaneous remission), his one sister has lupus, and his other one died of schleroderma.

16

I’ve been there many times on the hives, but it’s been many years now since I’ve had a serious attack. My condolences OpalCat.

One thing I was taught to deal with the reaction is to get aerobic exercise. After about 10 minutes or so of running or biking, the itching recedes for a while. Take benedryl when you go to bed so you don’t scratch it in your sleep.

17

I’ll have to keep an eye out for that brand. The only other brand I’ve seen that’s only dextromethorphan is Buckley’s DM, and that’s somewhat unpleasant to take (it’s not so much the taste as the texture).

I just noticed last night that dextromethorphan makes me feel a bit loopy. It felt a lot like having all of the drawbacks of having drunk two bottles of beer, but without the fun aspects. Still better than hives, though.