Severe Itching, Rash, Brought on by weird things

[CheerAngel]

Hi Myron123, if the meds are causing you to be drowsy n sleepy most of the time, you should try the non-sedative ones, 2nd generation. If you have acute urticaria, usually the cause could be found. However if you have chronic urticaria, the cause is usually not found. The doctors won't order/do test unless neccessary and it depends what the patients thinks too. I think you should go get the hives checked out by an allergist/dermatologist. Since you had a severe allergic reaction before, I think you should ask the allergist/dermatologist if you need an epi-pen in case you come close to anaphylaxis again. There is also physical urticaria which can be caused by heat, cold, sun, pressure, or exercise... and there are tests that can be done to determine if you have physical urticaria. But esp with cold urticaria(cold), sometimes a negative test can happen on someone with cold urt, like in my case. The test that is usually done is the 'ice-cube' test, but sometimes only a total submerge in cold water or air will bring on a reaction(positive result).
Btw Hogan Grimm, what tests have you done? I agree that even doctors or dermatologist don't really know alot about urticaria eventhough some have heard about it. Hope more research could be done as this condition is affecting lifestyles.

[Hogan Grimm]

Hello CheerAngel,

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. Believe me I know fully how just how much life style is affected by urticaria, and not only lifestyles, just plain everyday living.
As for the tests, I have had numerous blood tests, all comming back negative for any reason why this is happening.

I have had an endoscopy to look at my colon, that didn't turn up anything.
I have had a CT scan to look at my internal organs, that didn't give any reason. I have been checked for diabetes, don't have that. I have had an aids test, don't have that. (Thank God)

What about you? What tests have you had if any? I would like to know.

Hogan Grimm

[CheerAngel]

Hi Hogan Grimm, yeah, urticaria can affect life very badly! It nearly destroyed my life at that time. I'm not sure what blood tests have I done, but I do know I had it done once only because the dermatologist said that the tests were of no use. I think they did the ANA test which was -ve.

[Hogan Grimm]

Hey CheerAngel,

You know, that just goes to show you just how little doctors care about their patients. He or she is giving up on trying to find a cause before enve getting started.

Just because a cause might not have been found in someone else doesn't mean it can't be found in you. I always say...... It is better to try and fail, then fail to try at all.

BTW what is ve?

Hogan Grimm

[Dear Maggie]

Boy, that does seem really odd.

We take our skin organ for granted don't we? When you are checking reactions to things, you might include what cleaning & maintenance products you use. Many have 2-butoxyethanol (aka ethylene glycol monobutyl ether) and when you have been around too much, it causes a rash. This rash can go away, and then when you get too much of any chemical in your system (even medications) it can signal your body that 'you had better stop that'

[url=http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/ingredients.htm]Use this chart[/url] to check for this chemical in things you could be using every day CAS #111-76-2 and for its compound form 112-34-5 Any concenration 5% & more is not safe for home use; maybe 2.5% on the complex version.

If you must use them ([url=http://www.wrppn.org/janitorial/tools/butoxy.htm]not recommended by EPA & CA study done[/url] ... avoid if possible) be sure to have ventilation equivalent to outdoors; and wear goggles and chemical retardant gloves.

Sounds like you had too much chemical exposure in the second shot you got. A friend of mine told me that long years ago her sister had an alergic reaction to penicillin. When she told her doctor he ignored her complaint and gave her another shot of it; the family believes it caused her to have lupus & she was ill ever since then.