Experience of hives?

[RainbowMe]

I came out in hives from absolutely nowhere last weekend, over my arms and legs. I hadn't done anything new, eaten anything new, used any cleaning products or toiletries that were new. The first ones which appeared on my thighs are going but now I'm getting new ones on my feet, which is awful as it's difficult to walk! The ones around my ankles are very swollen and hard to the touch.

I've been to the doctors twice, and was given Fexofenadine and then Hydrocortisone cream. Neither of these have helped the tiniest bit.

I try not to Google health related things, but I relented last night in search of some relief. I was rather horrified to learn about chronic hives. Some people have these things for YEARS. It has really frightened me. I know it's not a dangerous condition or anything and for that I am thankful, but my goodness it is miserable.

Does anyone have any experience of this, or can recommend something new to try?

I will add that my husband and I are TTC and this all started around the time I was due to ovulate... No idea whether that could be connected or not. (The doctor does know this and advised that I'd be ok to proceed with both medications.)

[bibbidybob]

My dd1 has chromic spontaneous urticaria. She's 15 and had it since she was about 8. Just appeared one day. Fortunately it's controlled with daily anti histamines. She has been told she can take 4 times the recommended daily dose. We have a mixture so if she does have a flare up she takes a different anti histamine to her daily one.

She's been tested and it occurs due to heat, cold, skin pressure, stress, excitement, exercise.....😬 Some days it's just a rash and sometimes her hands and feet swell up which is the worst as she finds it painful to walk.

[toldmywrath]

I developed chronic urticaria in my early forties. It flared up after someone shouted at me (immediate stress response)
I then had it for a number of years. Any and every and no reason would make me break out in a miserable itching rash and weals.
Anti histamines worked sometimes, but I never took them as a prophylactic (as previous poster's daughter did)
After about five years they just tailed away.

[RainbowMe]

Oh gosh, your poor daughter having it as a child @bibbidybob :( Hopefully one day it will leave her for good.

@toldmywrath that makes it even worse to get it after someone shouted at you! Did you have the rash/weals on a daily basis or did it come and go throughout that time? I'm glad it has tailed away now.

[AnnaMagnani]

I developed it in my 20s. Turned up out of nowhere. Had it for about a couple of years and then it disappeared, never to return.

No evidence ever of any allergy and I was advised at the time that allergy was unlikely - it was an immune condition and just happens.

I certainly hadn't changed anything then and I don't avoid anything now - and I'm mid40s now.

It was v difficult to get under control and at one point I ended up on 3x dose fexofenadine + 2x dose loratidine for a few months.

I'd say your hydrocortisone cream is pointless and don't give up just because 1x fexofenadine hasn't impacted it - keep going back to GP. There are guidelines in some localities for GPs to follow without you needing a referral on how to escalate the anti-histamines.

[toldmywrath]

@RainbowMe at first I seemed to have hives/urticaria for a solid few weeks. Then it would flare if I, for example, idly touched my face or scratched my arm. That would produce massive weals.
The weals looked awful but did not itch like the bumpy nettle rash.
It was a miserable time, but I got by ok as I realised that stressing about it made it worse. My GP was good but unconcerned.
Hopefully yours should really slow down/recede after a few weeks. Don't despair.

[stillworkingitout]

My child had a long-ish (6 months) bout of hives following a nasty illness. We ended up seeing an excellent allergy consultant who explained that it was his immune system going haywire at a perceived threat. He put him on a large dose of cetirizine (Benadryl) morning and night, the idea being that if we could stop his body responding to the threat he might get over it - and he did.

I have also had some pretty nasty hives for a few weeks around the birth of DC2, which my allergist thinks was my body responding to stress. I haven’t had it for a few years now but they were big welts and very painful

[bibbidybob]

The allergy consultant we saw said it will stop at some point, but she's at 7 years and counting so we're not holding our breath! I had hoped that it would stop at puberty, but no it carried on.
Do you get it everywhere? It can appear anywhere on my dd, but usually hit are her arms, legs and face. If it's a bad one then soles of feet and palms of hands.
She hates it as she's very pale and it stands out so much....kids at school say helpful things like "Urgh you're contagious "

[user1471453601]

Oh, opening poster, you have my deepest sympathies. From May to October last year, I had hives. Turned out to be a reaction to new medication I was prescribed.

I've had cancer three times , and never cried because of that. The hives had me in tears just about every single day. The number of bedding sets I ruined (I could,to an extent, avoid scratching when awake, but not when I slept), the times I had to turn down invitations that meant sleeping away from home. And the relentless, relentless itching. Just all so awful.

The only, slight, relief I got was by taking two, different, antihistamines a day, using E45 bath oil in the shower and Diprobase cream three or more times a day.

My deepest sympathies go to those on this thread who have suffered.

The marks that were left on my legs have just about gone, but my fear every time I get a persistent itch remains

[halesie]

Hi, my DS had them top to toe after a nasty cold and occasionally gets some here and there. GP said it's fairly common that viruses can have that effect. And his skin is pretty sensitive - he gets eczema too - he seems to get just about every skin illness going so it seems to be just one of those things for him. Other DS rarely gets anything like it.

[RainbowMe]

Oh wow, sounds like some of you have really suffered :(

I have just tried an oat bath, and it was incredibly difficult not to scatch whilst in there but now I'm out it does seem to have helped somewhat. Hopefully it will last longer than 5 minutes! I just can't believe how swollen and puffy I am. My legs have gone really chunky and hard. I've had to cancel my plans for the BH weekend cos I can't bear the thought of wearing shoes.

[YesQueen]

I have cholinergic urticaria which started when I was about 11. Take 4 cetirizine daily for it