Hives

[DammitJanet]

I have started having hives ever since I finally got rid of the bed bugs. I do think we got rid of them.

Recently I bought I hospital bed that has a mattress that is completely covered in vinyl or plastic. Not sure what it is but its very hot when I sleep on it makes me sweat and I have to cover it with several layers of thick underpads. I have a thick cotton pad that they use in hospital for hospital beds, a very thick mattress pad and then a quilt and a large sheet to go over all that. All of these things are brand new. These things are brand new because the bed is a twin size bed and I didnt have any bedding in that size. I did have some blankets and a quilt to go on top in a full size that I washed at a commercial laundry in high heat and dried on high heat. I have sprayed my room completely and my dogs are not only flea dipped but have a flea medication they take monthly so I dont think it could be fleas, I also have never seen a flea on them. They also dont scratch as if they have fleas. I stopped getting bit for about two weeks after I did the whole change in bedding and getting the new bed. However, one day before I got my bed I did break out in these awful hives on my chest just out of the blue. They just appeared in about half an hour on my left breast starting in the area between the area between the breast and moving towards all over the left breast. The hives were large and ran in a line sort of down my stretch marks. They itched horribly. I got both a benedryl cream and pills and they went away. Several weeks later I started getting them on my legs and upper arms but only on the left side. That is when I got all the new bedding and then they went away. Last night they came back with a vengance. They are all over my arm from the back of my arm from the back of my arm down to the elbow but now they are circular lumps with no heads like bites. Now they are coming up on my right arm.

I dont know what I could be doing wrong. I havent changed soaps or laundry detergent. Eaten nothing new. Its possible I have developed an allergy to one of my medications because this normally happens at night but how on earth am I going to figure that one out? I take so many and I need most of them badly. Only thing I can think of is to go to an allergist and take my medication list and have them do a panel for those and see if any of those show up. I cannot imagine any of those will though because I stopped the only one a month ago that I had even started in the last 6 months. Though I am sure most of the medications will have hives as a listed side effect as a possible side effect but most of them I have been on for years. Could I posssibly develope an allergy after all that time?

Also is there anything I can do immediately to help when they appear? They are awful and the benedryl takes a long time to get in my system, they are still there the next day and the cream doesnt seem to help. I wake up several times during the night scratching like hell.

Help!
l

 

[susiestar]

(((((hugs)))))

It very likely is all the stress of Buck causing them. I have known other people who were in situations like yours and they only went away when the source of stress was removed from their lives. One friend finally kicked her twenty something son out after her doctor told her that he was causing the hives and if it continued he would label her a vulnerable adult and have DHS come in and the son would likely end up in jail for drugs and abusing her. He didn't hit her or physically harm her, but he was much like Buck and felt she owed him anything he wanted. She was on disability and after the son left her body started to settle down. It took a couple of months after he left, mostly in my opinion because her body wasn't sure if she was going to let him come back or not.

Walmart sells something called BurnJel Plus. It is amazing. We use it for almost all skin problems including eczema and my psoriasis. It has aloe, tea tree oil and lidocaine. You still need the oral benadryl, but this will help with the surface itching. So will soaking in an oatmeal bath. Just take some regular oatmeal (old fashioned, quick cooking, even instant if it is not sweetened or flavored) and put it in an old sock. Tie the sock and put it in warm/cool water. Hot will make the itching worse. Soak for at least 15 min. This is what the expensive Aveeno baths are made of, but cheaper and you don't have to go and get them. Toss the sock and soggy oats out after the bath.

I am sorry you are dealing with this. I would go see your doctor ASAP because they may be hives or they may be something else. they could be the start of shingles. My Gma had them start in her breast area, which is not typical, but they were horrible. If your doctor can say they are shingles, medicaid will pay for lidoderm patches. I know they have caused problems in the past, but they might be worth a try. Otherwise, use the BurnJel Plus or ask the doctor for an rx for lidocaine gel. It is topical and you use a small amt but it keeps things from driving you nuts. I have an rx for the gel and I use a small amt when I get what I call hot spots. I get spots that itch and itch and itch because the nerve is freaking out. The lidocaine gel keeps me from scratching in my sleep. Even using duct tape to fasten socks over my hands didn't work to stop it, and when I scratch even a little bit I can open up sores bigger than a 3 by 5 index card. They take a month or more to heal because they still itch even after that.

It sounds to me llike your body is reacting to all the stress. If Tony can take you to the doctor, maybe after you talk to the doctor alone then Tony can come back and the doctor can tell him that having Buck around is taking a toll on your PHYSICAL health and it is time for him to go.

The gel is sold in the first aid area of Walmart near the calamine lotion, guaze pads and neosporin. It is usually below eye level, at least here and in Tulsa, and it was five or six bucks for a bottle last time I got it. WELL worth the $$. I even use it when the kids get splinters. I put a dollop on the splinter, let them sit for five min, then they don't feel the splinter come out at all.

You also might try adding zyrtec to your benadryl. Our allergy doctor had both thank you and Jess taking zyrtec daily and if they had a reaction to an allergen they were to take benadryl ASAP also. The zyrtec takes a couple of days to fully work, but it seems to really help. Benadryl seems to work faster if the kids are on zyrtec also.

Last idea - have you seen those bite sticks sold to treat mosquito bites? They are ammonia. Not kidding, it is right there on the package if you read the active ingredients. A qtip dipped in reg ammonia works as well for a lot less. if this is a bite of some kind, that might help? I don't know if it will, but there is a chance. The bite sticks are the same strength as what you buy in a bottle in the cleaning aisle, so you don't have to dilute it. I would use it on one small area first to see if it will help.

 

[tiredmommy]

We use liquid Benadryl when Duckie gets hives because it gets absorbed faster. Have your pharmacist check your medications to make sure you can take the Benadryl.

 

[TerryJ2]

I have no idea ... it could be stress and it could be the bedding. I've had 3 diff kind of hives in the past yr.
I feel for you, though!

 

[Hound dog]

The zyrtec is a good idea. It's something you can try OTC and take daily to see if you can keep them at bay.

The vinyl of the mattress can make you sweat.......the pads might be making it worse as they also hold in body heat. What you can use to help with that I'm sorry I dunno. It's one of the things I hate about hospital beds, at least all the ones I've used. I do a lot of lying on my side on them, less body contact.

Could be a random bite from some other little insect that gets inside randomly. Could be a medication (no it doesn't matter how long you've taken them, you can develop an allergy at any time). Could be nerves as in Buck has got you riled enough to put your system in an uproar........and sometimes it can stay that way. The body can attempt to de-stress itself in some odd ways.

Don't scratch. Do all you can possibly do to resist the urge. I know, I know, it's horrible......but scratching just brings on more of the darn things.

Call your docs and let them know what is going on. You need to get working with them to make certain this is NOT medication related as if it is then you need to STOP taking the medication immediately before the allergic reaction becomes more severe. Don't assume this is just stress. You need to make positively sure this is not a reaction to a medication. With all the medications you take, this is not going to be an easy task but it can be done.

I hate hives.

((hugs))

 

[DammitJanet]

Im going to my psychiatrist tomorrow so I will talk to them about this. May have to go get a referral to an allergist. It definitely could be stress because I sure dont know what else it could be besides medications stress or some kind of bites

 

[FlowerGarden]

You might want to see if any of the ingredients changed in the soaps, etc. that you use. A parent, of a girl with serious allergies, once told me that her doctor told her to check ingredients often because companies change them without notice. Hope you find the cause of the hives fast.

 

[buddy]

Along with allergy medications, Ilike Benadryl Gel. that shouldn't bother you like you say cortisone does. (or is that only if intermal?). hope the bed bugs aren't building up again!

 

[hearts and roses]

Bites are bites, hives are a reaction to something. I you're certain they are hives, look into what others have mentioned regarding the bedding. However...consider this:

Have you introduced any new ingredients or foods into your regular diet? It could be a new sugar, flour, fruit, veggie, dressing. Think and be sure. The kind of hives that begin on the face or TRUNK of the body are usually caused by a food allergy. It could be something you've always used that has a new additive in it or an ingredient that has been switched out. Do you eat a lot of packaged foods?

When difficult child has hives, the only thing that helps her is a combo or allergy medications, but not benadryl-she's allergic to that as well! Zyrtec is good for hives, but it makes her sleepy. I hope your psychiatrist can refer you to someone good.

 

[buddy]

But you can have an allergic reaction to bug bites right? My sister blows up and hives spread with lots of bug bites. For me, I get them from stress and plants im allergic to. Used to be from detergents. Drove my mom coocoo.

 

[hearts and roses]

But you can have an allergic reaction to bug bites right? My sister blows up and hives spread with lots of bug bites. For me, I get them from stress and plants im allergic to. Used to be from detergents. Drove my mom coocoo.

Oh yah, definitely! I was just pointing out that Janet should look at the diet...it is the usual culprit for trunk and facial hives. If difficult child ate anything that had touched a cherry, her entire body became a hive...it always began on her trunk. Our allergist said that is typical for food allergies and since many food manufacturers change their recipe fairly frequently to save money or become more appealling to the market, it's likely food.

 

[InsaneCdn]

My first reaction was "shingles". Combination of stress plus change of sleeping situation and being on the trunk...
But you'd definitely want a MD to rule between the various options.

 

[Liahona]

Don't have any suggestions. I just wanted to say I hope you feel better soon.