hives questions

[amity6]

nobody seems to be able to give me any conclusive information about what's going on with me so i hope maybe somebody here can. last friday afternoon, after eating nothing but a slice of cheese pizza and a sprite, my legs started itching and about 10 minutes later my entire body was covered in pouffy red blotches that i'm told are hives. i have no previous allergy symptoms, besides the occasional stuffy nose during the spring. also, i haven't used anything new, no new detergent, clothes, shampoo, foods, anything. i went to student health services and got a shot of benadryl which cleared up the hives completely in an hour, and i continued taking benadryl pills that night. they also gave me some clarinex to take the next day (in the "unlikely" event that the hives came back, so i wouldn't be drowsy while studying for finals). they came back, and the clarinex did nothing. not only that, the benadryl i took after the clarinex caused me to black out so i went to student health again and they gave me prednisone, a cortisone pill, to take for four days, along with the benadryl. this kept the hives under control, but as soon as the benadryl wore off, every 4-6 hours, the hives would start coming back. the beauty of it is that although benadryl makes me really drowsy, cortisone has the alternative side effect of causing insomnia, so i've been pretty normal. but the cortisone pills are finished and now i'm on benadryl alone, and therefore completely drained.

does anybody have any suggestions as to what could be causing it, how to stop it, or an alternative medication that could help? clarinex is already ruled out, i have a perscription for zyrtec that i'm thinking of filling but i'm really afraid it'll have the same effect as clarinex, and if i don't stop the hives from spreading quickly i'm covered in half an hour and there's not much i can do about it without injections. but really what i want to know is how long this is going to go on, because i've been reading other posts and honestly i'm getting really scared that this could last for years. i'm sorry this is so long, i'm sure mine is about the 9 millionth hives post on this board, but any insight on my situation would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

-jen

[Blondee15]

you can shuffle around between diff medications. I have used Allegra 180 mg before 4 rashes/hives, never tried Zyrtec though. Just give them each 2 weeks a piece..remember it takes a few days for the hives 2 disapear! At least!
Some people find relief from putting cortisone cream directly on the hives..doens't always work though. What kind of lotion are you using? Any perfumes/sprays that you use? What kind of bodywash?
You're just gonna have 2 go back & trace anythign that could possibly trigger any kind of response..though it sounds like an internal thing, likes omething going on INSIDE..hmm..i'd see an allergist if you could.

[amity6]

Originally Posted by Blondee15

you can shuffle around between diff medications. I have used Allegra 180 mg before 4 rashes/hives, never tried Zyrtec though. Just give them each 2 weeks a piece..remember it takes a few days for the hives 2 disapear! At least!
Some people find relief from putting cortisone cream directly on the hives..doens't always work though. What kind of lotion are you using? Any perfumes/sprays that you use? What kind of bodywash?
You're just gonna have 2 go back & trace anythign that could possibly trigger any kind of response..though it sounds like an internal thing, likes omething going on INSIDE..hmm..i'd see an allergist if you could.

i'm beginning to think it may be dairy, because i was in the process of eating cheese pizza when i first got them, and yesterday when i ate a frozen yogurt my mouth got hot and itchy. but i've never had any problem with dairy before and i'm 20, could i spontaneously develop an allergy for a food i've eaten all my life? i don't use lotion often, never had a problem with dry skin, and i haven't used a perfume or bodywash since i got the hives, but before i was using victoria's secret strawberries and champagne bodywash and dream angels perfume. but i've got another question. do you notice EXTREME near blinding pain in your joints when you get the hives? every now and then i get this awful feeling in my shoulder, or my jaw gets really tight, and headaches are suddenly coming on really frequently. i read somewhere taking pain killers is bad for hives so i haven't been taking anything, but i think at the moment i'd take the itching over the pain. any suggestions? damn, i'm becoming such a mess, and i was so healthy a week ago.

[basilisk]

My first suggestion would be to see an allergist... If this isn't possible, you'll need to try and find the source of the hives.

When you said your mouth got itchy, this does possibly point to a food allergy. Yes, a food allergy can develop at any time in your life! Go on an elimination diet for a while and see if the hives go away. Eat some basic foods that are rare to have allergies to, like rice and carbos with no additives. Cut out dairy for a while and see what happens.

Do the hives hit you at random times or a specific time of the day?

If the benadryl is working you at least have some relief. I, on the other hand, am actually allergic to both allegra and zyrtec, and benadryl has not helped my hives at all. I am 22 and developed hives a year ago and have been fighting them the entire time. I am finally going for blood tests to try and find the cause. Lets hope you have a simple food allergy!

Originally Posted by amity6

nobody seems to be able to give me any conclusive information about what's going on with me so i hope maybe somebody here can. last friday afternoon, after eating nothing but a slice of cheese pizza and a sprite, my legs started itching and about 10 minutes later my entire body was covered in pouffy red blotches that i'm told are hives. i have no previous allergy symptoms, besides the occasional stuffy nose during the spring. also, i haven't used anything new, no new detergent, clothes, shampoo, foods, anything. i went to student health services and got a shot of benadryl which cleared up the hives completely in an hour, and i continued taking benadryl pills that night. they also gave me some clarinex to take the next day (in the "unlikely" event that the hives came back, so i wouldn't be drowsy while studying for finals). they came back, and the clarinex did nothing. not only that, the benadryl i took after the clarinex caused me to black out so i went to student health again and they gave me prednisone, a cortisone pill, to take for four days, along with the benadryl. this kept the hives under control, but as soon as the benadryl wore off, every 4-6 hours, the hives would start coming back. the beauty of it is that although benadryl makes me really drowsy, cortisone has the alternative side effect of causing insomnia, so i've been pretty normal. but the cortisone pills are finished and now i'm on benadryl alone, and therefore completely drained.

does anybody have any suggestions as to what could be causing it, how to stop it, or an alternative medication that could help? clarinex is already ruled out, i have a perscription for zyrtec that i'm thinking of filling but i'm really afraid it'll have the same effect as clarinex, and if i don't stop the hives from spreading quickly i'm covered in half an hour and there's not much i can do about it without injections. but really what i want to know is how long this is going to go on, because i've been reading other posts and honestly i'm getting really scared that this could last for years. i'm sorry this is so long, i'm sure mine is about the 9 millionth hives post on this board, but any insight on my situation would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

and

...i'm beginning to think it may be dairy, because i was in the process of eating cheese pizza when i first got them, and yesterday when i ate a frozen yogurt my mouth got hot and itchy. but i've never had any problem with dairy before and i'm 20, could i spontaneously develop an allergy for a food i've eaten all my life? i don't use lotion often, never had a problem with dry skin, and i haven't used a perfume or bodywash since i got the hives, but before i was using victoria's secret strawberries and champagne bodywash and dream angels perfume. but i've got another question. do you notice EXTREME near blinding pain in your joints when you get the hives? every now and then i get this awful feeling in my shoulder, or my jaw gets really tight, and headaches are suddenly coming on really frequently. i read somewhere taking pain killers is bad for hives so i haven't been taking anything, but i think at the moment i'd take the itching over the pain. any suggestions? damn, i'm becoming such a mess, and i was so healthy a week ago.

-jen

Hello,
Do yourself a favor, fill the Zyrtec and try it. This the first episode of hives so it could be triggered by eating foods that are pro-inflammatory coupled with stress induced urticaria (brought on by the stress of finals), Zyrtec treats this type of rash as wll. I would take it and avoid those foods and see if that helps. You could take cooler showers, reduce involvement in activities that cause you to sweat, hot temperatures, hot foods as that can trigger it, for the time being.

When you study, how is your posture? Is your head and neck in the same position for long periods of time? Do you take breaks every 15-20 minutes to relax and stretch the muscles? The way you sit can cause muscle tension and strain, it can cause tension in the muscles of the body especially the upper body; the jaw, head, neck and shoulders, they are prime target areas. Take short breaks (few minutes) every 20 minutes, before you start to feel muscle tension and do some head, neck and shoulder range of motion exercises but avoid working up a sweat, just enough to work out the muscle tension. Stretching these groups will help relieve tightness in the jaw along with massage if it is muscle tension, strain. Force yourself to take 5 minute breaks every 20 minutes.

1-try the Zyrtec {hives}
2-avoid triggering foods (pro inflammatory) {hives}
3-avoid heat, activities that would cause you to sweat, overheat {hives}
4.1 Practice forced 5 minute breaks every 20; while studying, in between classes, range of motion stretching-focusing on head, neck and shoulder tissues (reps of rotations-clockwise and counterclockwise, forward back, flexion’s-directional reps, hold and repeat). For it to be effective, you'll need to hold the stretch, perform rotations slowly and in reps. One or two done quickly won't be effective. When in class, how are you sitting? Upright? Leaning? {muscle tension, strain, stress reducer}
4.2 Practice deep breathing; inhale slowly through nose to the count of 4, hold to 8, exhale through mouth to count 16 {overall relaxation, circulatory etc} .
4.3 Massage, good body mechanics and posture is important too. {muscle tension and headaches}
5-review your study station, inspect ergonomics. If you study in bed with your head tilted on a pillow that can cause strain. Poor lighting can cause eye strain and headache. Small changes can improve overall in the different things your going through. {muscle fatigue, attn to ergonomics and posture}
It may help defer some of what's already happening. Hope your feeling better soon and hope finals go well. Take Care, Gemi

Ps; I'm not sure I understand what happened to you when you said you had a black out. What was happening before and after? Were you unconscious?