DH thinks these are hives?

[Heidi]

I woke up yesterday morning with 19 "bites" on my left forearm. I knew they weren't there when I went to bed - and they were there when I woke up. This happens to me in the summer, the bugs just eat me alive-day and night!

Last night I was scratching them like crazy :o and DH told me they were probably hives since he didn't have any on his body. I have never reacted to anything before, and to my knowledge I have never had hives.

I just looked in the google images to compare, but I still am unsure. I think if they were hives they would be contained to just my forearm. Some of the photos looks similar to my arm, but they also look like bug bites to me.

Oh yeah - in case this means anything - last night when it was itching I put Cortizone (my usual itch cure for bug bites) on it and it seems to make it itch even more. DH went and got the aloe plant and put aloe on it which fixed it for the night :D

Do hives usually spread to other skin areas, or do they stay in one area? Even if they are hives I just have to wait for them to go away, right? I guess I should have taken a picture to post and ask your opinions:p

[LeslieandPaul]

Did you take anything that you may be allergic to and not know it? Like medication. I wouldn't think it was the Cortizone since you've used it before.

[MidwesternGal]

Hi!

I've had hives before. Twice. Once when I was 13 and once about 4 months before my wedding. Both were stress induced. The first time it was only on my legs and torso, but they itched like CRAZY!! I took a few oatmeal baths and it cured it.

The second time, I was feeling VERY itchy and was scratching my head and back all night long. I even woke up in the middle of the night to scratch my back and face. I woke up in the morning with MASSIVE red lumps all over my body. . . . arms, legs, butt, stomach (those hurt!), back, palms, head, and face (eww!). I was really uncomfortable and kinda freaked out at the sight of myself. I went to a clinic and ended up with a prescription for an allegren reducer and Prendisone (sp?), which is an anti-inflammatory steriod. The doc said he usually doesn't give out the steriod, but my case was extreme (lucky me!).

So if you only have it on your arm, I'd guess one of two things: 1. they are hives but haven't spread very far yet. . . . or 2. Your arm came in contact with something that irritated it yesterday. Not necessarily an allergic reaction, but just irritated from contact with maybe a detergent or fabric of some sort?

I'd keep putting cortizone or aloe on it, and maybe take an OTC like Benadryl.

If you feel your throat closing up/hard to breathe, go to the ER immediately, as that is a severe allergic reaction!!

Hopefully this goes away in a few days!

[Heidi]

So it has been 5 days and they are still there, so I have to say they probably are bites of some sort.

As I was updating my other thread in the health section I thought about how these appeared the day after I did a yeast infection treatment, so I wonder if they were related.

But since they are still here and haven't spread (but are less itchy - thankfully!) I assume that what ever bit me had a full course meal that night!

[tenofcups]

Being a conscientious CC'er, I'm bumping this rather than start a new thread :) I'm in the middle of a horrible case of hives that came from... who the hell knows? They started last night and by this morning were all over my arms, torso, legs, face, skull under my hair, EVERYWHERE--enough to get a "WOW" from both the nurse and doctor who saw me today.

They gave me a steroid shot, and told me to take Benedryl and Zantac as well as use a topical cream for the itching.

But I have NO idea where they came from! I had crab about 24 hours before--which I've never been allergic to (I'm 42). Besides that, I've changed nothing and done nothing different in the day before it started. DH thinks maybe we have dust mites or something in our den since it started there, got better when I left the room, and then got worse again later when I went back. But that could all be coincidence since it preceded to get worse through the night as I slept.

Anyone else with stories of hives that appeared to come from nowhere for no reason? (And no, I'm not even stressed right now!)

ETA--I'm not stressed in that I don't think stress caused this reaction; I am NOW extremely stressed since it's started!

[Marie]

Yep, had a horrible case of them and they never could figure out what caused them.

[guinevere]

The nurse told me I can use ice for about 10 min on the area (yeah, ok I need an ice machine then! ;) ) and to try the Aveeno Oatmeal bath stuff.

[guinevere]

I think this is the bath stuff she meant:

Aveeno Soothing Bath Treatment (http://www.aveeno.com/detailAction.do?id=3640)

[tenofcups]

Guinevere: You've got my sympathy too!

My doctor recommended Calamine lotion, but the pharmacist recommended Hydrocortisone cream (which came plus "soothing aloe") and I went with his recommendation instead. I also double-checked that I could take all the medicines together and use the cream with the medicines (just being a little paranoid but since I'm already in the middle of some sort of allergic reaction, I didn't want to make it worse!) I actually haven't used the cream yet since I seem to be feeling a little better now, either from the shot or the benedryl or both. I might pick up the Aveeno bath treatment tomorrow too if I still feel I need help.

Anyway, best of luck to both of us in getting rid of them! :)

[guinevere]

I'm glad you're feeling a little better!

I wanted to add that I just noticed that there are two Aveeno Bath Treatments that are very similar but both can be used for hives.
The other one: Aveeno Skin Relief Bath Treatment (http://www.aveeno.com/detailAction.do?id=3689)

I will look into the hydrocortisone cream as well if this doesn't go away soon!

[Aug2002Bride]

I get hives almost every day!!! Im extremely allergic to dust and dust mites...which is pretty much everywhere and I cant really avoid it. I get weekly allergy shots as well.

My hives vary in size and redness. Some itch really bad and some dont at all.

Just noticed as well that your from VT!!! I grew up and graduated from South Burlington High. My entire family still lives there, mostly in Charlotte area. LOVE VT!!!!

[Weddings by]

My dad had a doctor tell him that hives can come from anything. They can be caused by a combination of things--things to which, individually, a person doesn't react, but when together, itch-city. My dad got them repeatedly for awhile, and they didn't ever figure it out.

I don't think he has had them since. I got hives once, no idea what caused it.

Another interesting point--we had our young toddler break out in hives and the only new thing she had eaten (but again, it doesn't have to be something new) was brown rice. This kids loves rice and would eat white rice like crazy! But it was the first time she ever had brown rice. The ND mentioned that brown rice, compared to white, has more things in it to which a person could have a reaction. If I remember correctly, it happened again, a looooong time later. We don't eat brown rice anymore.

She also can't have red delicious apples from one particular chain store, but from anywhere else, she's OK. :confused: We've had them in separate years, from separate locations, and hives each time.

[{b}]

I just got hives for the first time in my life last week.

But we were on vacation, so the Vegas air/water/schedule/food probably did it for me. Not sure, but mine weren't too itchy and 6 days later are almost totally gone.

[Aug2002Bride]

Ive been to numerous doctors and allergy specialists and so on and they really dont know exactly what causes mine because sometimes I get them and sometimes I dont so they just blame it on my dust allergy.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

I've gotten hives a couple times when I've had fevers from colds. They go away as soon as the fever does.

[tenofcups]

Updating--the hives are almost entirely gone! There are a couple of random dots and an occasional touch of itchiness, but nothing that I would even notice if I hadn't been covered in it all yesterday.

I don't know if I should attribute it to the steroid shot, the Benedryl or just going away on their own. But I'm very relieved!

Guinivere: If you're still reading, I only used the hydrocortisone cream last night before I went to bed and this morning after a shower, but it really did seem to help! So, if you're still having problems, you might want to check it out.