Anyone with experience of hives?

[Rainingdogsandcats]

Dd is 14. Yesterday she came out in hives. Nothing that I can identify started it. She's a vegetarian and had just eaten a margarhita pizza with fresh tomato on it. That's the only allergen that I can see that she had, she eats tomatoes all the time and this has never happened before.

I left it a while, when it hadn't gone down by bedtime I gave her piriton. Was a few hours by then. She said it was itchy.

This morning still present, she hasn't done anything today, not really eaten and has had few doses of piriton.

Just now she says her leg is hurting, like burning where the hives are. It hasn't really gone away but just calmed down a bit and flared up all day. House is not hot.

I've called 111 to seek advice, waiting a call back. She feels a bit out of sorts.

I've attached pic but difficult to see how bad it is. It's covering a lot of her body.

Poor thing! Definitely looks like a reaction, you've not changed Washing powder or anything? And new bath/body products? Piriton should have brought it down more by now so I think you've done the right thing calling 111. Good luck

I had similar a few years ago but completely head to toe - 100%, no exaggeration. Went on for about a week before it started to really calm down. Similarly, there was nothing acute anyone could identify. GP sent me to A&E and they put it down to a cumulative reaction to penicillin (I was six days into a course when it first started), so it’s not necessarily anything extremely long recent. Hope your DD is comfortable soon.

That is quite a nasty reaction. I am prone to hives, but I think she needs to be seen, so I hope they arrange that for you.
She will need allergy testing now to establish what caused the reaction, and probably should carry an Epipen.

No idea where that long came from...

Soy? I'm allergic and it's in a huge variety of foods.

Antihistamine is what she needs. Eurax is an anti itch cream which I find soothing. Or hydrocortisone cream, but this can thin the skin with prolonged use,but will stop the itching tonight.

Lots of things can cause hives other than typical ‘allergens’. They can be a sign of a viral infection in some people and tend to start just before other symptoms begin. My dd went through if phase of having cold urticaria, basically any exposure to the cold or wind and he’d break out in hives on the exposed skin.

Has she done anything different lately? Swimming? A long walk in the cold? New washing powder? Or does she have other symptoms like a cough, fever, upset stomach, etc?

You’re right to get it checked. I would consider taking her to the GP tomorrow if the piriton isn’t helping. It must be miserable for her.

I don't think they give an EpiPen for skin reactions. For example soy makes me itchy, sore digestive tract and a runny nose. Pineapple gives me hives. But on the nhs website these are classed as mild reactions. Wheezing, fainting, blue lips and swelling of the oesophagus are severe reactions and need an EpiPen.

@mindutopia do you mind me asking how long your DD had cold urticaria for? My dd developed it at age 11 and still has it now at 14. I think it was maybe triggered by puberty but hoped she would have grown out of it by now. Sorry to hijack your thread OP but so few people have cold urticaria.

My 9 year old had a mass reaction to something (I believe an insect bite, A&E said food - he was bitten in the garden 5 mins before the first cluster of hives, but hadnt eaten for a few hours) about a year ago. When the hives were coming up round his mouth and nose, DH took him to the hospital (which was the only medical access wherever were - no GP surgeries - not in Europe). They gave him a massive dose of steroids and antihistamine, and then more steroids and antihistamines to take over the next few days. It came up in about an hour, and disappeared pretty soon after the steroids.
I think Id want that looking at. Be interesting what 111 have to say. I think I'd want a GP appointment tomorrow if nothing else happens tonight. That said, I would imagine the GPs will be quite busy tomorrow.
Hope you daughter feels more comfortable soon.

Thank you all, she's been quite unwell over Christmas and is left with a cough so could be that then.

I'll get DH to pick up more antihistamines on his way home tonight and see what 111 say. Trying to get a gp appointment around here is a battle but I'll give them a call in the morning.

I've had this post-virally - the worst time I needed a short course of oral steroids to get it to go down in addition to anti-histamines, so I would keep trying the GP if she doesn't improve.

I agree about seeing the GP tomorrow if you can.

I can’t remember its name, but there’s a gel aimed at children with chickenpox which cools the skin and reduces itchiness. I used it for weeks when I had urticaria.

Main cause of hives isn't an allergen but actually a virus. My DS gets them after a particularly nasty cold sometimes.

Poor girl, they look rather severe so best to get it checked.

(to a pp, I've had cold urticaria all my adult life, started at puberty)

If it's still present in the morning I can ring up for a same day appointment if I'm quick off the mark. I'll do that. Thank you

I had some a few months ago, no idea what caused it, it cleared up after about a week. I took antihistamines tablet in the morning and then used eurax cream during the day. It got Itchier in the evening.

My DS had this when he was younger. Only once, mind but it was identical.

It was post viral in his case. The doc confirmed this and he had indeed been poorly beforehand. His went up and down for a few days but then just went!

Fromibiza
This stuff?

@ItsLikeSputnik My DD had cold induced urticaria start suddenly at 18. She seemed to grow out of it after a couple of years. She took Loratidine antihistimines when it flared up.
Hope your dc does too.

I have spontaneous and heat-induced urticaria. Started getting attacks when I was about 23 and I occasionally still get them now (late-30s).

It looks a lot like your photos, OP. I get very, very itchy, especially around my hairline and my skin feels hot. If I don't take cetirizine, for example 2 or 3 one-a-day antihistamines (consultant told me perfectly safe to do so as only once every month or two), or if I unconsciously scratch the itches, then I flare up badly. Previously I have ended up in hospital on a Piriton drip (when I haven't had any antihistamines on me) but it's been much better for the last few years and a tablet or two does the job.

I hope you find an answer, OP. My urticaria can be so random, I never know when I'm going to have an attack. I've taught classes looking like something from a horror film!

This happened to me a few weeks ago immediately after eating a ham and egg salad. I’ve always eaten that and never reacted before. It scared me how quickly the rash and lumps appeared! I had an antihistamine and it calmed right down, all the redness and heat had gone by 30 mins. Hasn’t ever happened before or since!

I had them for up to a year I think. Long time ago now but it was awful.
I remember I changed the time I took a tablet to the evening as that is when I struggled the most. The only way I got to sleep was to cover my legs and feet in damp cold towels and repeat as often as needed through the night. That seemed to take the heat and itch out for a while. Maybe one of those new long water bottles would work with cold water?
It's the only way I coped tbh.
Hope this helps.

I had it just like this and I'd been going through some major stress at home. Doc prescribed a short course of steroids and take the usual otc anti histamines which saw it off.

Thank you everyone. She's asleep now myomy I have her a couple of cool very slightly damp muslins and that took the edge off the burning feeling.

Didn't get a call back from 111 but since she's asleep now I'll leave her be and speak to gp tomorrow if I can.

MyNameHasBeenTaken - Yes, that’s it. The instructions say it should only be used for a certain amount of time, but I was under the care of a consultant who told me it was fine to use it for as long as I needed.