serpentgirl

Hi,

About a month ago I had the brilliant idea to wash my bed clothes out in the tub rather than walking all the way to the laundromat. I washed the clothes and the first night was fine. The next night, I woke up scratching in the middle of the night. The next morning I was very itchy. Still not sure what was causing the itch, I slept on the same sheets for about 2 hours the next night. I woke up itching again and pulled the covers off of the bed. I noticed a few small hives (about the same size and appearance as heat bumps) appeared the next day on my arms and chest. A few days after the sheets were changed I felt a lot better, but the itch never completely went away! I still get hives on my hands and forearms. Sometimes the itch feels stronger than others, though in general it's pretty mild - definitely milder than while I was sleeping on the sheets. I am getting concerned though because it's been about a month. I've changed the sheets a few times. I made sure they were washed in a washing machine with warm water and used the brand of detergent I've been using for years. The thing that makes me REALLY nervous is that I've had swollen lymph nodes in my neck since July. Some are soft and others are rubbery but movable. The largest one is only about a cm and 3 docs (inc an ENT) have told me they are nothing to worry about, but I read that itching and hives are a symptom of lymphoma. I've asked about this on the lymphoma board but only got one response from someone who didn't seem to think I have much to worry about. Still, is it odd that I have this itch a month after the initial reaction??? I was allergy tested recently and have found to be allergic to weeds, trees, grass, dust, mold, etc. I occasionally got hives and felt itchy before but never like this. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

-Sanna