Anyone get hives?

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  • Mel2626
    Mel2626 Posts: 342 Member
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    YES!!! I get them after showering and have every day since I was about 6 years old (I'm nearly 32 now). They have gotten a little better over the years but I'll never be a wash-and-go girl since I'm covered in unsightly spots afterwards! :grumble: I've been prescribed all sorts of meds (usually forms of antihistamines) and all they do it make me sleepy so I just don't take anything. I also get the hives in response to heat and cold in addition to the water~can't take me anywhere!!! :laugh: :laugh: If you get it only in response to water, it's called aquagenic urticaria. The odd thing is that it's supposedly rare but my one sister and I both have it (our other sister and brother do not). Creams and lotions of any sort (including the most un-perfumed kinds) just make it worse so I've learned to live with it. Considering I've had it for nearly my entire life, I doubt it's ever going away. I absolutely hate it but it's part of me!! :smile:
  • tinabell153
    tinabell153 Posts: 298 Member
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    YES!!! I get them after showering and have every day since I was about 6 years old (I'm nearly 32 now). They have gotten a little better over the years but I'll never be a wash-and-go girl since I'm covered in unsightly spots afterwards! :grumble: I've been prescribed all sorts of meds (usually forms of antihistamines) and all they do it make me sleepy so I just don't take anything. I also get the hives in response to heat and cold in addition to the water~can't take me anywhere!!! :laugh: :laugh: If you get it only in response to water, it's called aquagenic urticaria. The odd thing is that it's supposedly rare but my one sister and I both have it (our other sister and brother do not). Creams and lotions of any sort (including the most un-perfumed kinds) just make it worse so I've learned to live with it. Considering I've had it for nearly my entire life, I doubt it's ever going away. I absolutely hate it but it's part of me!! :smile:

    I have learned to live with it also! I'm glad I'm not alone. I'm embarrassed to go in public right after a shower or when I go swimming because they are very unsightly!! :laugh:
  • gimedatnow
    gimedatnow Posts: 173 Member
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    It's called chronic urticaria, which is a fancy name for chronic hives. For some people, it disappears as mysteriously as it came. For some like me it just hangs around like an unwanted guest. They can be triggered by heat, damp, exercise tight clothes and sometimes by that time of the month. Dust also seems to trigger them - it's like anything that flushes the skin triggers them.

    It doesn't have a cure, but if they itch there is a treatment. Take one Zyrtek and one Zantac 150 (I use the store brand for both) every morning. It doesn't prevent them, but they're smaller and don't itch.

    Same here! It's a pain in the butt, but as long as you don't scratch the hives, you won't have any permanent damage. I suggest working out in very light clothing (wear "sweat wicking" clothing, not cotton, so that your sweat evaporates quickly) and taking a shower right away when you get home. Showering with antibacterial soap (Cetaphil makes a good one) may also help prevent hives from getting worse. As you said, using hydrocortizone cream after your shower might help, but otherwise, just make sure to keep your skin moisturized to prevent scarring. I am allergic to everything under the sun and have severe atopic dermatitis, but I swear by aquaphor (omg I love this product) and aveeno skin relief moisturizing cream. Good luck!
  • Mel2626
    Mel2626 Posts: 342 Member
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    Is it terrible that when I saw the title of the post that I sort of wanted you to have the same thing as me?! lol Not that I'd EVER wish that upon anyone but most people just laugh when I tell them I'm basically allergic to water! I know it does sound odd so it makes me laugh a little too when I'm trying to explain it!!
    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • tinabell153
    tinabell153 Posts: 298 Member
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    Is it terrible that when I saw the title of the post that I sort of wanted you to have the same thing as me?! lol Not that I'd EVER wish that upon anyone but most people just laugh when I tell them I'm basically allergic to water! I know it does sound odd so it makes me laugh a little too when I'm trying to explain it!!
    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

    I feel odd explaining it too! No one believes me! I say I'm allergic to water and they think I can't drink it haha. But I explain that it's only when my skin is in contact with it.
  • arcticfox04
    arcticfox04 Posts: 1,011 Member
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    If I get stung by a Bee I'll get hives. That's really it.
  • xxev75
    xxev75 Posts: 2
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    I have this hive issue too. I read about aqautic urticaria. Any elevation in body temp causes the skin to swell. Not much you can do I don't think.
  • xxev75
    xxev75 Posts: 2
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    http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/hives-urticaria-angioedema

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