redsquirrel Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Since... Sunday, I think, I have had a case of hives. It is mostly focused on the back of my neck and behind my ears and up into my hairline at the back of my heard. But I now have a couple isolated ones on my lower back and a couple right near my belly button. Because it started on my neck/hairline my first thought was a hair product. I have long hair so it made sense. And my dh changed the bedsheets immediately, just in case. I had used a new hair product maybe the wednesday before and the hives showed up on Sunday. I hadn't washed my hair in between. I took a shower that night, Sunday, when the hives showed up without using anything new but the hives didn't go away. I showered again on this past wednesday and again used nothing new. It has made no difference. The hives aren't spreading today and they aren't getting worse. The seem to fade a bit and reappear during the day. We have been using the same 'free' laundry detergent for years. Some of the clothes I have worn this week haven't been worn since last spring but that was after the hives showed up. I am taking a daily allergy pill and am putting hydrocortizone on it. I haven't taken benadryl because I can't take it and function during the day. The hives seem to get worse if I am warm, but I think that is typical for hives. It just isn't going away. Could it be a heat rash? My dh suggested a doctor, but I am pretty sure they will ask me about body care products, laundry detergent and tell me to do what I am doing. At first I Freaked OUT because I was convinced it was a rash from lice, but I have made dh do about 100 head checks (he knows what lice and nits look like) and I think I am clear on that front. I am a very allergic type person. I can get hives from sun exposure. I get hives on my wrist if I wash dishes in a warm soapy sink. The constant motion of the warm water on the sensitive skin of my wrists causes a hysimine reaction. I have even considered that the hives are caused by my own hair brushing on my neck, but they extend down under my collar. I have been wearing my hair off my neck just in case, but it's not making a difference. What am I missing? Again, no new body care products or laundry detergent.... We are really trying to find whatever it is but we must be missing something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Are you stressed about anything? They might be from an emotional response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 No I am not, but that is a good idea. Well, maybe the hives themselves are causing me stress, lol. The rims of my ears are itchy and it is a difficult area to itch. I keep pinching my ears, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J'etudie Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Dd3 had scalp-to-toe hives a couple of months ago. After ruling out all the typical possibilities, her pediatrician said you can get hives from a virus and it can take 1-2 weeks for them to go away. She said her daughter had had viral hives twice in the preceding months. It was the first I'd heard of it, but no other answer seemed to make sense. She prescribed a low-dose steroid because the Benadryl was no longer reducing the itch. I held off filling it one more day because I'm a little freaky about steroids. Fortunately, the day we saw the doctor was the peak and dd was more comfortable by the next day. They did come and go all over her body, sometimes after hours and sometimes within minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Heat induced uticaria. I get it, too. I'm pumped up on a bunch of antihistamines for my environmental allergies, so they're a bit better now. But there are things I eat that cause them to just explode all over me, but don't cause anaphylaxis. Allergies can really pop up anytime. Might be worth a trip to an allergist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lieutenant Stranger Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Sorry to tell....this might be urticaria. I had it. For a very long time, and if I'm not very, very careful...it comes back. (Just did a few weeks ago.) Basically, nobody knows what causes it and the doctors will tell you the same thing. They will, however, offer you higher and higher doses of antihistimine, which isn't the way to go. I am also anti-steroid, and don't want to go that way. Every time I've had it, it follows a different pattern. For awhile, it was my back, then it was my legs. Last time, it started on my wrists in the AM and by the time I went to bed, it was pretty much full-body. For me, salicylates (and fermented foods) make it worse. I basically gave up anything fermented (yogurt, pickles...you name it) and all foods with salicylates. I pretty much had to stop with all fruits and vegetables (bananas would send me into hives) for it to go away. If I have too many salads in one week (which, for me is more than one), it gets triggered. --> For those of you who love Mean Girls, I had to go on an "All Carb diet." <-- Hopefully you can figure out what is causing it. Google Heat Urticaria-- this might be you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender's green Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I had something similar. For several months I was breaking out in hives after showering. One shampoo was worse than others, and cooler showers were better, but I was pretty much always getting them. I was getting pretty worried that it was urticaria. Then one day I ate mussels and had a really bad allergic reaction 12 hours later. I've been completely seafood-free for six weeks now, and after the hives from that bad reaction died down, I haven't had them again. My theory is that for several months I was semi-allergic to shellfish (which I was eating a few times a month), which was causing chronic mild hives, and bathing was irritating them. Now that I know I'm allergic and have those histamines out of my system, my chronic hive problem is solved! I hope you figure your allergies out! Hopefully it's a relatively simple problem to fix. (Boy oh boy, am I glad I'm not allergic to heat! :scared: Every time someone on this forum discussed urticaria, I was all "lalalaaaa, I'm not listening!") Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 If it is weird and annoying and related to histamines then it is prob me. They are not my friend. Or, actually, they desperately want to be my friend but they go waaaay overboard. Dd3 had scalp-to-toe hives a couple of months ago. After ruling out all the typical possibilities, her pediatrician said you can get hives from a virus and it can take 1-2 weeks for them to go away. She said her daughter had had viral hives twice in the preceding months. It was the first I'd heard of it, but no other answer seemed to make sense. She prescribed a low-dose steroid because the Benadryl was no longer reducing the itch. I held off filling it one more day because I'm a little freaky about steroids. Fortunately, the day we saw the doctor was the peak and dd was more comfortable by the next day. They did come and go all over her body, sometimes after hours and sometimes within minutes. Yes, ds1 had a virus related hives thing several times as a child. My niece has had it as well. The hives are the symptom of the virus so it might be that and I have to wait and see. Heat induced uticaria. I get it, too. I'm pumped up on a bunch of antihistamines for my environmental allergies, so they're a bit better now. But there are things I eat that cause them to just explode all over me, but don't cause anaphylaxis. Allergies can really pop up anytime. Might be worth a trip to an allergist. Sorry to tell....this might be urticaria. I had it. For a very long time, and if I'm not very, very careful...it comes back. (Just did a few weeks ago.) Basically, nobody knows what causes it and the doctors will tell you the same thing. They will, however, offer you higher and higher doses of antihistimine, which isn't the way to go. I am also anti-steroid, and don't want to go that way. Every time I've had it, it follows a different pattern. For awhile, it was my back, then it was my legs. Last time, it started on my wrists in the AM and by the time I went to bed, it was pretty much full-body. For me, salicylates (and fermented foods) make it worse. I basically gave up anything fermented (yogurt, pickles...you name it) and all foods with salicylates. I pretty much had to stop with all fruits and vegetables (bananas would send me into hives) for it to go away. If I have too many salads in one week (which, for me is more than one), it gets triggered. --> For those of you who love Mean Girls, I had to go on an "All Carb diet." <-- Hopefully you can figure out what is causing it. Google Heat Urticaria-- this might be you. This is prob it. I was reading the page from the NIH on urticaria and I have had most of them. Like I mentioned in my first post, I even get them from sunshine at the beginning of the summer. I get them from sweat as well. Now my forearms are itching and I am wearing long sleeves. This is some kind of cruel joke. I am a very cold person and I like to be warm. I start to actually shiver and chatter when other people are in short sleeves and long pants. It is exactly 70 in my house (I checked) and I am comfortable in jeans and a long sleeve tshirt with cardi over top. DH thinks it is just my new reaction to spring. I hope he is right and I get it over with quickly. The sunshine hives usually happen once or twice and then it stops for the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Heat induced uticaria. I get it, too. I'm pumped up on a bunch of antihistamines for my environmental allergies, so they're a bit better now. But there are things I eat that cause them to just explode all over me, but don't cause anaphylaxis. Allergies can really pop up anytime. Might be worth a trip to an allergist. My ds has developed this since last fall. Too warm and he breaks out. He has to immediately cool off or stop what he's doing and they'll go away, but it's annoying. I did take him off all food dyes (they were even in hand soap), gave him a course of benadryl, and also started him on Vit D (read somewhere low Vit D can be a factor - and I know he's not out in the sun enough). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 ok, I am going to the store and picking up some topical benedryl and maybe some oral benedryl. I can take it before I go to bed at least. My new plan is to just ignore this as per usual, lol. I'll try some benedryl but I am not going to worry about it any more. It's just one more weird thing my skin does. stupid Celtic ancestors. I appreciate the hair colour and the high tolerance for alcohol but could do without the random hives and constant application of sunblock. (the alcohol thing is a family joke. Don't argue with me about it, ok?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 stupid Celtic ancestors. I appreciate the hair colour and the high tolerance for alcohol but could do without the random hives and constant application of sunblock. (the alcohol thing is a family joke. Don't argue with me about it, ok?) :lol: We can blame them. I just did my DNA testing. I think it's safe for me to blame my Northern European genes. Except I get the alcohol flush-also blame my Irish side. Dead giveaway if I even taste a sip of wine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I once read a book called The Water Cure when I was dealing with migraines. It said allergies are worse when you are dehydrated because one of the ways your body manages water is with histamine. It doesn't always work for me, but sometimes drinking a few glasses of water and putting a pinch of salt on my tongue afterwards (per the book) helps with random hives. You could try that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I'd blame the hair product. Residue stays in your hair for a while even after washing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 My shampoo recently changed formulas.... and the new one burned like crazy. I went out and found four large bottles of the old formula, so I'm set for a few years. I had hives for years.... there is a mysterious chemical additive that bothers me, with a clean diet, I am fine. Some of the offenders are yellow #5, red wine, and my latest find, Vit. D supplements (since I am allergic to wool, to lanolin, and D is from both). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acadie Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Here's a cream I used when I had mysterious full body hives. It really helped reduce itching. I skipped the glycerin: http://chronichives.com/useful-information/cromolyn-cream-recipe/ Definitely look into a low histamine diet to decrease your overall levels of histamine and ease your symptoms. I'm sorry to say that alcohol is not low histamine, and definitely aggravated my hives when I had them. Strawberries also drive up histamine in the body, and one night when my friend made me a strawberry daiquiri I was absolutely miserable! Turned out mine was mostly a reaction to mold, at that time, although I still get hives from sun on my chest when I wear v-neck shirts. I'm so jealous yours goes away as summer goes on! Mine gets worse as the season progresses. It can take a while to go away even if there's an allergen you can find and remove. Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torikei Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I don't know if anyone has suggested this but taking Zantac and Benadryl can help. Or you can take Zantac and Zyrtec. They are different type of inhibitors and can help hives. My son breaks out in weird hives and once they get started we often have to go the steroid route but if he takes Zantac and Zyrtec together at the first sign it seems to stop the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I don't know if anyone has suggested this but taking Zantac and Benadryl can help. Or you can take Zantac and Zyrtec. They are different type of inhibitors and can help hives. My son breaks out in weird hives and once they get started we often have to go the steroid route but if he takes Zantac and Zyrtec together at the first sign it seems to stop the process. I've had several doctors and NPs recommend the Zantac (H2 blocker) and a regular antihistamine (H1 blocker) for chronic hives. It helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I once read a book called The Water Cure when I was dealing with migraines. It said allergies are worse when you are dehydrated because one of the ways your body manages water is with histamine. It doesn't always work for me, but sometimes drinking a few glasses of water and putting a pinch of salt on my tongue afterwards (per the book) helps with random hives. You could try that. You know, I've been drinking about a gallon of water and dandelion tea a day and my hives are much better. I wonder if that's helping? I didn't even think about that. Just something I came across: http://www.aaaai.org/Aaaai/media/MediaLibrary/PDF%20Documents/Practice%20and%20Parameters/Urticaria-2014.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 You know, I've been drinking about a gallon of water and dandelion tea a day and my hives are much better. I wonder if that's helping? I didn't even think about that. Just something I came across: http://www.aaaai.org/Aaaai/media/MediaLibrary/PDF%20Documents/Practice%20and%20Parameters/Urticaria-2014.pdf :lol: :lol: Great, just when I thought I was done reading medical journal articles for the summer. (I read a lot for my English research paper last semester) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLMom Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Hives can be a mystery. I had hives recently and my doctor said it could be due to perimenopause. I don't know if you are in that age bracket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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