Hello Everyone!
I thought I would take the time to make a quick post to let everyone know about some good news concerning Cholinergic Urticaria. My mother has a female friend who’s husband has suffered from cholinergic urticaria for a while. This has bugged him in the past.
My mom told me that he started getting it during the winter a few years back. Apparently, he started getting really itchy and prickly all the time just like the rest of us with hives. She said it started during Christmas season, and they were opening presents and he got really excited, and then had an attack. She said he practically tore his shirt off scratching himself and was embarrassed by it (I know how that feels!).
His story is similar to ours. He went to the doctor, and get this–the doctors told him this: “well it seems like you must be allergic to dry heat.” LOL, some doctors are so dumb! I could have told him that. Don’t get me wrong, a great doctor can save your life. But there are some really dumb ones out there. Dry heat! Obviously he knew nothing about CU or any physical urticaria. It is not dry heat we are allergic to, it is our body’s response to heat or sweat due to increase in body temperature or adrenaline. I guess that isn’t as bad as my first doctor who told me it was probably dry skin. Dry skin. Yeah, right.
Anyways, that was his diagnosis, and I think they gave him antihistamines to help control (which didn’t work). I got my mom to ask her a few questions since I haven’t talked to him myself.
He has had it on and off for a few years in the past, but here is the good news. She said it hasn’t bothered him for quite a long time now (1-2 years)! YES! A little hope for us all.
I say that because this sucks so bad that sometimes it seems like it is never going to ever go away. It is always nice to hear about someone with cholinergic urticaria that now lives a hives free and normal life. As far as I know, he didn’t do any treatments or anything. Apparently it has just stopped bothering him altogether like most medical articles suggest. That is how my hives were when they went away the first time. They just kinda stopped happening and I forgot about them and moved on. But of course they came back after that.
I will try to get my mom to get more info on him, but she only talks to her friend occasionally, so it may be a few weeks or even a month or two. But if I get any more details I will be sure to share as soon as I get it.
Anyways, that is your daily dose of hope for the day: Chances are, you won’t have it for your entire life. Keep fighting. One day I think we can put this itchiness behind us, and give inspiration, information, and hope to the new emerging generations of itchy people.