U UUU UUUUU UURRRRRRRRRR RRRRGGG GGGGG GGGG GG DS is covered in Hives - we have done so well lately too :-(

[youarekidding]

FFS. (sorry had to swear to get it off my chest!)

I think due to terrible weather we have escaped bad hayfever. DS been snotty but as bad as usual the past week so started the cetirizine daily.

This morning VERY lethargic and itchy so gave him 5ml chlorphenamine and off he goes to school - fine all day.

But of course 6 hours after chlorphenamine he starts itching so I leave it thinking he'll have cetirizine in a bit so he'll be OK.

Then the hives appear, on his legs, huge patches of welts bigger than he's ever had before. Then a rash spreads to his stomach but less welty more pinprick. He is itching like a goodun - cue 5ml more of chlophenamine.

Ring to ask GP advice and see if cetirizine as normal an hour later is OK - given all clear and she actually recommended it as a good idea. DS had a cool bath with oilatum.

He is still itching like mad but welts seem less red iyswim?

GP advised him sleeping with me so I can watch him due to his severe reactions always building up previously. Advised if welts spread to neck area even if no breathing difficulties and no swelling A&E to be safe.

So nightwatch with torch and epi-pen on hand for me tonight.

putting pics of welts on my profile - just because you've all seen them before and perhaps part of me wants someone to say it's not hives!

Oh no that's pants :( Poor you and poor him. Hope you both get some rest tonight and he's better by the morning. Sending lots of hugs and positive thoughts.

Thanks. Strangely he is fine in himself atm. Unsettled in bed but he ltches like mad so I'm not surprised.

What do you think of the pictures? DS has never had hives like this before - ie never on his legs. Is this just a normal hives reaction? Does this indicate his reactions are getting worse again?

Hoe old is he? My son (baby) gets this exact rash when hes cold. (amongst other things, aveeno is another). My allergy specialist said it was cold urticaria and theres also 'solar urticaria'. Could that be it?

I so, so know what you mean about the 'him in my bed, torch and epipen' routine. I really feel for you.

Doubt it is cold - it was 25°c here at the time! (28° at it's hottest today).

Did wonder about sun except it was his legs (thights first) then stomach that was affected - in fact all the covered areas (he had shorts on today).

Does have hayfever so could just be an extenstion of that reaction iyswim? He also said he used the suncream today (it's in his schoolbag) so wondered about that but again the hives started on an area where he hadn't applyed it.

They look almost gone now - thank god! but would bloody well hope so after 5ml chlorphenamine followed by 10ml cetirizine! Midnight is my 6 hour deadline.

Sits, waits and hopes for the best.

Sorry he's 7yo.

I know this might sound odd but has he had nuts today.
If he has you could pm me.[dont want to out myself on here]
If he hasnt,as you were,and hope all goes well for your family.

I really cannot help but wanted to say hi whilst you sit and wait for the best. Could heat rash be adding to the problem? DD gets a full trunk raised rash when sun lotion meets heat rash, looks like she gains 7lbs in a day, then it all goes down, usually with a cool bath and antihistamine.

Hope it's still going down xx

I know, I was wondering if he might have solar urticaria (heat, not cold).

I hope you find out, not knowing is pita.

He feels like sandpaper but is doing OK and sound asleep now - he's stopped scratching.

No not had nuts. Had a negative RAST to peanuts a few years ago as tested along with tomato (allergy started to ketchup !) and grass a year later. In fact the only thing blood tests have shown is high eosinophil count (in 2 consecutive Februarys!) and normal IgE (also Febs).

Mindyou he had the tomato and cheese pizza with pasta (which I'm sure has a tomato based sauce) for school lunch today so possibly high histamine foods on top of high pollen count today may have played a part.

He had a cool bath with oilatum and the AH which did remove a lot of the redness. He didn't have a heat rash but did use suncream - just not where the hives appeared.

Just wish I could do something to prevent this and something to help as he's suffering.

Oh no, poor you and poor him.

It's awful watching them try and get comfortable when they're so so itchy when you've done everything you can do. :(

My DD seems to get a rash in the heat when we have used sunscreen but I don't know why. It's a shame as while the weather was miserable I was slightly relieved as it does mean the hayfever hasn't kicked in yet. Then we get this lovely weather and then the 'other' things start up.

The important thing is that he is alright in himself and not too upset by it. I'm sure I'd be a nervous wreck about it and will be thinking of you and really hope he's okay and doens't have any problems through the night and that you manage to get some rest.

take care
xxx

Hi. I am feeling your pain. My nine yr old dd has the same thing every year. Today had it on arms, legs, face and neck. Really itchy too. Feel so sorry for her. I am wondering if another way of getting hay fever as it is on the exposed parts of her body. It's just annoying and I wait every year for her to grow out of it. Hope you have an ok night.

Would it be an idea to write down all the foods he ate today,together with weather conditions,and anything else that happened today.
And compare the list in future with other days he comes up in hives.And see if you can see any links.Like you say, it could be a combination of 2 or more things.
Dont know if that is helpful or practical at all.

I sympathise - Ds and I get this too, usually at the beginning of the Summer. Have never really pinned down the exact triggers for either of us. Have you tried Aveeno powder (ground up oats) in his bath? I've found it 's brilliant for calming down the itching and stinging.

Not tried Aveeno. Will do thanks. Will definatly make a list too - although DS has never had hives like this before even when he had anaphylatic shock .

I also have a real aloe plant which I see someone has said they use - anythings worth a try. morns the death of my plant - the only 'safe' plant I thought I'd be able to have in the house!

Now all I have to do is ring the school in the morning, inform them about the hives, ask them to keep an eye out and give him chlorphenimine if he has more - and then somehow not scare the crap out of them saying if they reach his neck to call me as he needs medical attention! They have his epi-pen and care plan etc.

I got hives starting out like that and getting a lot worse when I became allergic to paracetamol / codeine.

They started on areas that were out in the light - so top of neck of shirt, arms - and spread to other areas. So there was definitely some light sensitivity coming into it, even though that didn't cause it.

Well we survived the night. He did toss and turn quite a bit and I eventually allowed myself to dose off but did keep waking.

Rash is less prominant this morning but still slightly there so will be interesting to see what happens today.

I will note what he eats, he has been told not to use the sunscreen and I've asked him to play on playground not on field/ in woods.

Glad he is ok this morning and you got some sleep.

I can't really see the photos properly on my laptop but I get terrible prickly heat which is like loads of red itchy lumps that feel a bit like sunburn. Antihistamines help but takes a while for them to go completely. Given the heat this week, could it be that maybe?

I have a food allergy that gives me hives like that. It's basically undiagnosed as according to gp and allergy clinic if it doesn't show up on the skin test it's not real....maybe stress......

After a lot of web research I guess I have a non-IgE dependant salicylate allergy. Ds seems to have it too and the one thing he reacts to is tomatoes.

Sorry, should have added that what I react to is oranges, chocolate, colourings and processed meats. Also some medications. And it is 100x worse after a course of antibiotics. This type of allergy is via the intestine and as antibiotics deplete all the flora it becomes more exposed.

Hi all. DS rash is all over now but not as red or itchy with AH.

Could be prickly heat?

Prickly heat and solar urticaria are one and the same thing. Sounds like it could be.
Glad to hear he's ok.

Nope tell a lie, seems I misunderstood prickly heat!

Just read that prickly heat are lots of tiny bumps where sweat gets trapped. Where as solar urticaria is an allergic reaction (hives, swelling, itching) to the heat.

Bah, ignore me!

could be either!! Definately hives last night - large welts. Today looks different and more of a prickly heat rash.

Just gotta play the game I guess!

youarekidding, hello.

Hope you and your DS are doing well. So pleased to hear that he had a good night and that you managed to get some sleep.

I just wondered if this could be a bout of viral urticaria. My DD had this a while ago and it looks just like an allergic reaction. It is brought on after a viral infection. So if your DS has had a cold or cough recently then I was wondering if that could be what it is?

When DD had it, it started just after she'd eaten and Piriton didn't really seem to settle it. The first day she had it, pririton worked but then it kept coming back, in the same places. By about day 3 the piriton wasn't very effective and the rash seemed to move around. I was a nervous wreck as I was convinced that she was reacting to the few foods that she was fine with. Honestly I think I aged about 10 years those few days. I couldn't get through to the dieticians or the allergist and by about day 7 her lips had started to swell. I took her to A&E and by the time we got there the swelling had gone down and the rash had ngone, but whilst we sat is A&E the rash came back and looked really angry and very allergic reaction like, but different from her usual reactions. Anyway, A&E told us it was an allergic reaction adn sent us away and told us to keep giving her piriton. I was in tears as I explained that piriton wasn't helping. They just said to keep feeding her and giving it to her.
Anyway, I finally got through to the allergist who asked had she had a cough, and she had but it was a few weeks previously and was hardly anything really. He explained that when the body produces the antibodies to help it deal with the same virus the next time, the mast cells under the skin react to these and histamine is released in the same way as when the body is having an allergic reaction. He said that we needed to give her a longer lasting non sedating anti histamine and keep giving it for at least 2 weeks and then see what happens. She ended up needing it for about 3.5 weeks and we used NeoClarityn for that time. He said Piriton is good for use when a reaction first starts as it's fast acting but for things like this that just need to work their way through a longer lasting antihistamine is more effective. She is prescribed this as 5ml once a day but during this time we had to give her 5ml up to twice a day.

I'm not sure if it is this, but there are alot of people who get this whether they have allergies or not and lots of GP's and A&E staff seem to not look into this possibility esp when there is a history of allergies. The allergist said that they see alot of children in their clinic who have been referred after an allergic reaction with no history of allergies. Often these children haven't had an allergic reaction at all, but have experienced Viral Urticaria.

I remember sleeping on the floor in DD's room on her old cot mattress just to keep an eye on her. She always seemed to have more hives and redness on the side she had been sleeping on, and the allergist said that pressure was the cause for this as it aggravated the mast cells more.

I'm sorry if you have already explored this angle, but I feel compelled to let as many people as possible know that this is something that happens as I remember just feeling sick with worry over this and was horrified that the A&E staff and our GP didn't even consider this.

DD has had this a few times since this episode and most recently it was like a prickly heat rash but was during the cold spell at easter so nothing to do with the heat. Again, Neoclarityn helped to relieve this.

Sorry for my long ramble and for being repetitive, but I hope this is of some help.
Take care and hope your DS is feeling much better soon.