Severe hives - too afraid to touch anything. Sat on office chair naked and crying

Just to let you know that iron deficiency can cause skin itching too. So picking up your prescription and starting in the course may also help, as well as helping your immune system.

You need steroids ASAP. My BIL developed a shell fish allergy in his 40's.
It was horrendous.
His throat started to feel tighter after 2 days.

I had this years ago. The culprit was caffeine tablets . Not an allergy as such more a catalyst for something else the doctor thought. Have you vpbeen taking ofc cold medicine which contains caffeine?

Agree you need to see a doctor, I was prescribed steroid cream and had to not drink any caffeine for about 2 months.

I had really similar, incredibly itchy, blotchy face/neck, throat started to close. Ran to A&E, they gave me steroids and a lot of anti-histamine for 2 weeks. The doctor (was during the junior doctor strike) said it can’t harm to take up to 4 piriton at once. Obviously they won’t give you steroids except during a flare up. Hope you don’t have a reoccurrence.

My allergies are severe and nothing helps them. Cold touch makes them worse or any touch. When I have a reaction there are two things that save me EpiPen and then a course of high steroids orally, my allergies are touch and inhalation. If you don’t know what has caused it and it is this bad you need to go and get an emergency GP appointment and I mean emergency or go to A and E. I carry priton, steroids and EpiPens at all times. My allergy is not food it’s a chemical I can come into contact with. It may or may not be food

I confess I've only skimmed through the answers, but Anthisan from the pharmacy helped me until my GP finally came up with some (evil smelling) lotion that cleared it
We never did find out what I was reacting to.
Miserable isn't it, you have my sympathy.

OP could it be Hand, Foot and Mouth? This also affects the bum and thighs, and can be brutal in adults. The rash tends to follow cold symptoms too, I think...

Echo all others, absolutely get it seen too. Feel better soon!

Oh you poor thing.
I had this 30 years ago - turned out to be an autoimmune reaction to the cold. The only thing that helped me was lying in a warm bath.
GP gave me steroids which really helped within a day or two.

I had something like this years ago. Rash that would flare up and down. Could NOT get to the root of it drove me mad eliminating things. Steroids were the only thing that helped (antihistamines did absolutely nothing). A shower, either hot or cold, sometimes helped get through an itchy phase.
It also started with a cold/ flu thing that I thought was unrelated at the time and I ended up having swelling/joint pain. Lasted years on and off. Rheumatology helped to a certain extent but I was passed around Dermatology/GP etc for a long time!
In hindsight I strongly suspect it was post-viral. Talk of long covid years later rang a lot of alarm bells for me. Totally fine now though, no medication or long-term effects (although the whole saga did last a few years!)

Your reasoning that this is a post viral complication is very sensible OP. Too much of a coincidence otherwise.

You can become allergic to something you have used for years. I became allergic to hair dye. Women can have new allergies develop especially around the time of menopause or their allergies worsen, mine did and I sought medical help.

I’ve only read your posts OP as haven’t time to read all replies but I’ve experienced this when I developed an allergy to penicillin (after previously being able to have it with no problems). It’s awful when you can’t bear anything touching your skin. I was seen at A&E as it was New Year’s Eve and I couldn’t wait for a GP appointment and given strong antihistamines which acted quickly and made me very drowsy which helped me get some much needed sleep! Hope you get sorted soon.

Yes oats in bath helps.

I suffer from something called pomplyox (sp?) and it itches like fuck!

I use Dead Sea salt in room temperature water.

When you get to see the GP they can prescribe a strong antihistamine and also a large bottle (500ml) of Cetraban cream that helps with the itching. It's more effective and soothing if you put it in the fridge so it's cold. Definitely don't itch as much as possible, put gloves on to stop yourself. I became allergic to penicillin during being treated for septic shock and had three weeks of the most awful rash and itching everywhere. Unfortunately it took another 6 months for the itching to completely resolve but those initial 3 weeks were horrible as it was so intense that I couldn't sleep, so I do understand what you mean by praying it goes away!! Sending you lots of good wishes for it to resolve asap

I had this last year. Brand new GP registrar looked horrified when I walked in and said ‘Oh! That’s severe urticaria’. I had to have a course of high dose steroids to get on top of them. Things that also helped included oat baths (oats in a sock in tepid water). Cold packs like frozen wheat bags, ice packs wrapped in a towel. Cotton clothing. If it’s recurrent, you may need a dermatology review. I worked out mine was caused by a shampoo. Hope you get through to the GP and get sorted soon.

I can't overstate this-I am not a medical expert.
BUT
A family member has had similar and after years of enduring it with various creams and lotions, discovered it was a Sodium Laurel Sulphate intolerance. This is a major component of commercially sold soaps, body lotions, shampoos and toothpastes, even some prescription remedies for skin conditions, really hard to avoid.
But when she cut it out, the relief was instant. Life changing.

Your symptoms sound almost identical, my sympathy, I hope you get to the root of it.

https://www.allergyuk.org/types-of-allergies/urticaria-hives-other-skin-allergy/

Hope you get seen asap today. I lived on my own when I had appendicitis and left it far too long to be seen, it's so easy to lose all rational judgement when you're tired, ill and alone.

Can you afford to see a private dermatologist? I was in a similar situation to you, not so bad as only on my face but I remember dreading going in to work in case someone’s perfume or something at work set it off. Going in once fine, and seeing it flare up in the mirror. I went back and forth to the GP over several months, they prescribed different creams, did swabs etc and it just got worse. I booked the private appointment in desperation as it was keeping me awake. My bum barely touched the seat before she’d diagnosed me, written a prescription and given me advice. It has cleared up within a month and has only flared up once since, when I tried a new product that I didn’t realise would be a problem.

I got this during the original covid 19 and it was very scary indeed, I can relate Op.
For me it was being run down and stress related.
I hope you get the doctors attention today, sending good wishes

I think unless you get one of the first GP appointments of the day the worsening symptoms mean you need to head to A and E.