appearance of hives (for seemingly no reason) - experiences?

godblessourhome

let me preface this by saying i have a doctor's appointment for wednesday afternoon (that is the soonest my doc could get me in) and that this is not an emergency so i will not be going to urgent care or the emergency room.

on wednesday, two hive appeared on my left hand, one on my palm and one under my wedding ring. after the birth of my first child, i became allergic to all metal and could not wear my wedding ring. i recently got a new one last year and i thought maybe i had been wearing it too often. i took off my ring and expected them to go away.

on thursday, one hive appeared on my right thumb knuckle and two hives appeared on my right thigh. i began to think it was not a reaction to the metal in my wedding ring. i started wondering about bug or spider bites. my husband had nothing.

on friday, five hives appeared on my back.

on saturday, more than a dozen hives appeared on my left calf.

on sunday, i was an itching, miserable mess but no more hives appeared. i used some benadryl cream and was thankful that no hives were on my arms, torso or feet.

on monday, three hives appeared on my left arm.

has anyone had hives appear for no reason? i had surgery on april 4 and wondered if i was having a delayed response to the anesthesia, but after googling it, that doesn't appear likely. i also thought it might possibly be an allergy to the sutures? i don't think it has to do with any medications; i have not been on any painkillers for two weeks, other than an occasional ibuprofen. i have heard that it is possible to become sensitive to detergent, soap, shampoo, etc after using it for years.

let me repeat, i have set a doctor's appointment. i am looking for anyone who has maybe had something similar happen (and maybe some sympathy! lol). did you go to the doctor? what was the reason behind it? did they prescribe a steriod? if they didn't prescribe anything, how did you treat it? how long did it take before it went away?

any other general advice is welcome.

Atlantique

Sorry you're in such misery!

Have you tried taking an OTC anithistamine, instead of just using the cream? Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra (and their generics) are all non-sedating although Zyrtec makes me a little drowsy. It should help.

It sounds as though you are allergic to something that's coming into contact with your skin, yes. It could be any of the things you mentioned, but it could also be pollens this time of year, or molds.

I'd guess that you will be referred to an allergist for more thorough testing, at which point a course of treatment will be decided.

Good luck, from a life-long allergy sufferer.

potluck965

Are you sure it's hives and not poison ivy or poison oak?

JPRobocker

I got random hives once. It started behind my ear and spread from my face to my toes. Nothing I took/put on them worked. I am not allergic to anything that I know of. Not even grass or dogs or cats or peanuts. I ended up going to the doctor who told me it was the worst case of hives she'd ever seen. Which is just weird becasue I'm normally so healthy and not allergic to anything. But she gave me tappered immune surpressants and it worked like a charm. I took 7 day one, 6 the next day and so on till I took the last one. The hives started to clear up the day first day I took the meds. You can only get them over the counter though.

The doctor told me that sometimes people get random allergys and they (the doctor or the patient) don't know where they come from. The immune surpressants reboot the immune system and hopefully the hives don't come back. Hope yours clear up soon!

Suedre

ICK. That sucks. I hope they figure it out and get you back on track as soon as possible.

I did get something like that a few years back. After tons of trial and error, it looks like it's an allergy to 'SPICE'. Each time I eat something like canned red sauce that has the ingredient 'SPICE' in it, I break out. My throat swells too. Who knows if that's really the drama, since I haven't eaten anything with SPICE in it in over two years.

kdouglas11

just curious... did the hives come and go... because that's what hives do. They appear places...leave and appear other places.


If you still have the same things on your hand, for example, it's probably not hives.

I'd still try some benedryl OTC meds for allergies, and see what happens.

K

1234lbsgone

Yes, this has happened to me. To be honest, I never figured out what it was the first time. But the second time, it was my laundry detergent. I had been using a generic brand of a free and clear type detergent. The ingredients were the same as the ones for All Free and Clear, which is what I use and have used with the exception of this one time.

Also, I had what looked like hives when I had my first eczema attack. It started at small wheals and eventually connected to look like patches. I was mistakenly treated for allergies, psoriasis, fungal infection, then finally it was confirmed that is was just an odd presentation of eczema.

I have gone through this so many times, I just have to be honest. Nothing has ever helped more than the triamcinolone acetate that the doctor perscribed. I used essential oils, hydrocortizone, every lotion on the market, taken baths in almost everything you can think of, and even scratched my own skin off. I have never found relief better than the perscription. And honestly, I don't do perscriptions. But this is one thng that I just cannot relieve naturally.

Take advantage of allergy testing if you can. Knowing is half the battle.

rakelros

My mother got hives on her palms and underside of her feet.
The only thing that seems to help her is a lot of moisture giving creams.

cupotee

could it be bug bites? Bedbug bites look like hives.

janna674

are they blistery...scaly kinda hot itchy patches, cuz its ezcema season and i got it on my hands and i know my sis in law gets it behind her knees...i use aveeno naturals 24 hour moisture cream and they prescribe me an ointment for it

godblessourhome

just curious... did the hives come and go... because that's what hives do. They appear places...leave and appear other places.


If you still have the same things on your hand, for example, it's probably not hives.

they are still around.

godblessourhome

Are you sure it's hives and not poison ivy or poison oak?

pretty sure. i haven't been doing much activity because of the surgery.

godblessourhome

could it be bug bites? Bedbug bites look like hives.

i wondered about that, but my husband has nothing on him and when i googled a picture of bedbug bites, they did not look similar at all.

godblessourhome

are they blistery...scaly kinda hot itchy patches, cuz its ezcema season and i got it on my hands and i know my sis in law gets it behind her knees...i use aveeno naturals 24 hour moisture cream and they prescribe me an ointment for it

they are not blistery or scaly, just really large red mounds that itch like crazy. they are not super close to each other either.

godblessourhome

Have you tried taking an OTC anithistamine, instead of just using the cream? Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra (and their generics) are all non-sedating although Zyrtec makes me a little drowsy. It should help.

i hadn't thought to try any of those, but hubby takes claritin so i will steal a couple from him. thanks!

godblessourhome

I got random hives once. It started behind my ear and spread from my face to my toes. Nothing I took/put on them worked. I am not allergic to anything that I know of. Not even grass or dogs or cats or peanuts. I ended up going to the doctor who told me it was the worst case of hives she'd ever seen. Which is just weird becasue I'm normally so healthy and not allergic to anything. But she gave me tappered immune surpressants and it worked like a charm. I took 7 day one, 6 the next day and so on till I took the last one. The hives started to clear up the day first day I took the meds. You can only get them over the counter though.

The doctor told me that sometimes people get random allergys and they (the doctor or the patient) don't know where they come from. The immune surpressants reboot the immune system and hopefully the hives don't come back. Hope yours clear up soon!

sounds miserable! i will keep the immune suppressant in the back of my mind in case they don't suggest it. thanks!

godblessourhome

Yes, this has happened to me. To be honest, I never figured out what it was the first time. But the second time, it was my laundry detergent. I had been using a generic brand of a free and clear type detergent. The ingredients were the same as the ones for All Free and Clear, which is what I use and have used with the exception of this one time.

Also, I had what looked like hives when I had my first eczema attack. It started at small wheals and eventually connected to look like patches. I was mistakenly treated for allergies, psoriasis, fungal infection, then finally it was confirmed that is was just an odd presentation of eczema.

I have gone through this so many times, I just have to be honest. Nothing has ever helped more than the triamcinolone acetate that the doctor perscribed. I used essential oils, hydrocortizone, every lotion on the market, taken baths in almost everything you can think of, and even scratched my own skin off. I have never found relief better than the perscription. And honestly, I don't do perscriptions. But this is one thng that I just cannot relieve naturally.

Take advantage of allergy testing if you can. Knowing is half the battle.

i had pupps (pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy) rash with both my pregnancies. it was the most horrible thing i ever went though. nothing helped. i did the oameal baths, was on steriods, used tubes of hydrocortizone cream as lotion, popped 6 benadryl every 4 hours, etc. (all at the same time). i would have done ANYTHING for a cure.

irishkiss

I too had this happen. It took me 9 months to figure it out. I color my hair. My hair dresser changed brands and didnt tell me. Turned out I was allergic to the new one. The hives sent me to the ER 3 times and was on steroids and every antihystamine available. I was so miserable...I can really feel your pain. Hope you pinpoint it soon.

1234lbsgone

are they blistery...scaly kinda hot itchy patches, cuz its ezcema season and i got it on my hands and i know my sis in law gets it behind her knees...i use aveeno naturals 24 hour moisture cream and they prescribe me an ointment for it

they are not blistery or scaly, just really large red mounds that itch like crazy. they are not super close to each other either.

That definately sounds like an allergic reaction. Have you eaten anything new lately? Or something you just haven't eaten in a while or don't eat regularly?

CynthiasChoice

I had hives a few years ago. They would come and go with no apparent reason. Sometimes twice a day, sometimes skipping a few days. It was torture!

At first, I thought they were a reaction to an antibiotic I was taking for strep throat. I stopped the antibiotic and started a new one, but had stomach problems with that one, so I didn't finish the treatment. Since my sore throat was gone, I didn't worry about not finishing the antibiotics.

The hives continued for a few weeks, though, so I saw my doctor. He was convinced it couldn't be from the first antibiotic, because it wasn't in my system any more. He suggested keeping a food journal, but couldn't offer any more advice.

So I did some research - actually two months of research - and came up with a little known fact that strep can cause hives! Sure enough, when I got a blood test, it showed a low level strep infection. After treatment, the hives went away. I think my doctor was embarrassed - at least I hope he was!

It's a long shot that this will help you, but maybe worth some thought for someone out there who is suffering like I was.

godblessourhome

are they blistery...scaly kinda hot itchy patches, cuz its ezcema season and i got it on my hands and i know my sis in law gets it behind her knees...i use aveeno naturals 24 hour moisture cream and they prescribe me an ointment for it

they are not blistery or scaly, just really large red mounds that itch like crazy. they are not super close to each other either.

That definately sounds like an allergic reaction. Have you eaten anything new lately? Or something you just haven't eaten in a while or don't eat regularly?

i was going to say 'no', but then i started thinking about it. i've been eating a grapefruit for breakfast several mornings and i haven't had them in a long time (like 6 months). maybe that's it. thanks!