ophelialit Posted July 5, 2017 Report Share Posted July 5, 2017 Hi all! Man, it has been a WHILE since I've been on here to post...since the last time we spoke, my husband and I have moved back to our little mountaintop hometown in PA, effectively escaping the endless, murderous heat of Dallas. Needless to say, I do not miss The Big D. Health-wise, I was hanging pretty tough until about a month ago when some creepy little hives started to pop up from time to time. Now, this has always been a thing that lurked in the shadows like a hockey-mask wielding pain in the behind, but THESE hives were epic....truly something to behold...angry and red and burning and itching and acting as if Cortaid was their favorite snack rather than something from which to flee. They abated a bit, and then....THEN....the sequel....we're talking Jaws-esque....this time, apparently, the hives were taking their attacks personally. I am OVERRUN by these things....they start every morning on my hands and arms, migrate to my legs and end up on my feet...there are THOUSANDS of them, and it feels like I'm being attacked by a swarm of bees at all times. And they look HORRIFIC....my stepmother, a 40-year Critical Care Nurse, was moved to say that it was the worst thing she'd ever seen....so good! I spent the better part of the 4th of July holiday wrapped in cold cloths, slathering myself with liquid Benadryl, eating hot dogs with a scowl...my immunologist has prescribed Atarax, and we're hoping that will help get these monsters under control. There is no apparent trigger or motivation for their sudden appearance or wrath....I'm hoping someone has some insight or can at least tell me their favorite drug cocktail to assist....orrrrrr, favorite REGULAR cocktail....I'm not above trying to scare the hives away with alcohol! :-) Hope all is well with everyone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyGirls Posted July 5, 2017 Report Share Posted July 5, 2017 Oh, you poor thing!!! That sounds awful!! I do love your sarcasm in it, made me smile. : ) I was wondering, you said that your doctor had prescribed atarax for you. I don't really know anything about that one, but would you be able to take Benedryl tablets in addition to the Atarax? My daughters actually take 75mg roughly every 6 hours. It takes that much to keep the MCAD under control. My oldest, though, has quit saying "I have an itch!" In fact, she takes other forms of antihistamines also. Most doctors would wonder why, but my girls are just medical anomallies and their bodies need that much antihistamine. Do you remember that old medicine Calamine lotion? Think the major ingredient is Benedryl, but was wondering if there was something else in it that might help, too. Used to slather it all over my daughter. I saw the "pending lupus diagnosis" on your post. My mom has lupus and she used to have a bad time with hives, too. Albeit, not quite like this! Feel better soon~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songcanary Posted July 5, 2017 Report Share Posted July 5, 2017 I get hives too, from food allergies. Just had some last night and I am not totally sure what even caused them, ugh! And I am pretty hip to the food allergy game. I had to laugh when I saw you mention that you ate hot dogs. OMG I would be one giant hive if I ate even ONE of those! Turns out I have multiple food allergies and I have to eat totally clean; no preservatives, mostly organic etc. I wonder if this could be part of your problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ophelialit Posted July 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2017 Hi, DizzyGirls & songcanary, Thanks for the responses! I'm able to combine Benadryl and Atarax if I space them out and take very small doses; because my hives seem to reach a crescendo around noon and abate after 5, I don't necessarily need the heavy sedating antihistamines--as such, I'll start adding Claritin during the day tomorrow and see how I do on that one. And! Concerning food allergies--I'm allergic to shellfish and walnuts and eggs and all kinds of fun things, and I'm pretty careful about what I ingest....when I said, "hot dogs," I should have clarified and said, "uncured, preservative-free, nitrate-free, organic meat products cultivated by Himalayan monks during a full moon ceremony"...my sister is an environmental atty, food nut and all-around health guru....she assured me they were the cleanest "hot dogs" in the world. They sure didn't taste like Ballpark! Just woke up from my afternoon snooze, and I'm slightly less swell-y, so I guess I'm on my usual evening improvement track...we shall see what tomorrow holds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KiminOrlando Posted July 5, 2017 Report Share Posted July 5, 2017 I wonder if you have developed an allergy to a drug that you have been on for a while. What do you take first thing in the morning? Can you stop them one at a time for a few days to see if something shows itself? It is possible to be on a med that doesn't bother you for 10 years, then suddenly, it does. Stanger things have happened... Hives are miserable. I hope you get this resolved quickly. Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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