Allergies and Allergy Testing for Cholinergic Urticaria Post by: Torim on June 04, 2008, 04:02:13 AM
——————————————————————————–
I was on vacation in another country when I had a allergic reaction. went to the emergency room, had hives that were 4-5times bigger then the heat hives. up to that point I never had heat hives. However, i have had them since. Is this just a special case, or have others had a similar experience?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Did your heat hives start from a separate allergic reaction? Post by: billysielu on June 04, 2008, 11:45:29 AM
——————————————————————————–
like you say, the symptoms of hives are closely linked to those of an allergy. i think cholinergic urticaria is not caused by allergy, but there’s no reason why you can’t be allergic to something which triggers a similar reaction. I imagine you might just have a regular allergy, worth checking with your doctor.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Did your heat hives start from a separate allergic reaction? Post by: HivesGuy on June 04, 2008, 08:31:12 PM
——————————————————————————–
That is an interesting idea. It makes me wonder if at some point if many cholinergic urticaria/heat hives sufferers have had some sort of severe allergic reaction. I did at one time in my life have a very severe allergic reaction. This was several years before I ever developed cholinergic urticaria. One day my mom & uncle went to the lake.
We made a fire, and somehow poison ivy must have been everywhere around us & in the fire! To make a long story short, my face was swollen, I had itchy poison ivy rash all over my entire body, and my mom was the same way…ouch!! I was very miserable for like 3-4 weeks. Anyways, that does raise an interesting point, and makes me wonder if a very severe allergic reaction to some other allergen could have a role in at least some cases of cholinergic urticaria. Like maybe doing something to histamine, or something??
——————————————————————————–
Title: Allergies and Allergy Testing for Cholinergic Urticaria Post by: Duper on July 14, 2008, 10:46:29 PM
——————————————————————————–
I was just curious about how many of you have gotten allergy tests. I took one last week and got the results back today. Obviously, I should have done it earlier considering I’ve had Cholinergic Urticaria for over 2 years now, but I have a fear of needles. Anyway, I looked at the report today and it sure surprised me. It reported back that I was allergic to some things I already knew about: crabs, shrimp, and scallops, my kU/L (unit for concentration of antibodies or something like that) for that around 2 for each.
Class 2 allergy: low – moderate. However, what was shocking was that my test for D. Farinae was a whopping 64 (Class 5 allergy, very very high level). D. Farinae is the scientific name of the house mite. When I eat crab, my throat closes and becomes very itchy. So a concentration of antibodies against house mites that is over 30 times that of the concentration of antibodies for a food that usually irritates me must cause one hell of a reaction when I’m in contact with mites.
House mites are microscopic, and are commonly found in beds and sheets. Well, I thought about it and I remembered that there was a guy who suspected that he was allergic to his detergent and brought brand new sheets and clothes and washed them frequently. It’s quite possible that it wasn’t getting of the detergent that cured him, but simply he had inadvertently gotten rid of the mites. So ponder over this, guys. Tell me what you think.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Allergy tests Post by: billysielu on July 14, 2008, 11:54:58 PM
——————————————————————————–
I didn’t realise there was a broad test like this, my GP told me I would have to test for individual allergens seperately usijng patches?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Allergy tests Post by: Duper on July 15, 2008, 12:08:18 AM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: billysielu on July 14, 2008, 11:54:58 PM
I didn’t realise there was a broad test like this, my GP told me I would have to test for individual allergens seperately usijng patches? There are different types of tests, I hear the patch/skin prick tests are more accurate; but my clinic wasn’t equipped to do it.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Allergy tests Post by: HivesGuy on July 15, 2008, 06:29:15 AM
——————————————————————————–
Great post & thanks for sharing your allergy test results with us. I have personally never had one done, although I would like to have a complete food allergy/environmental allergy test done. At the moment I don’t have medical insurance, so I tend to try to hold off on the medical tests. By the way, do you know how much this would cost?? I wouldn’t be surprised if Cholinergic Urticaria is somehow related to some allergen.
It could be dust mites since you have such a high response to it. Also that is a good point about the person changing sheets often having less reactivity with their hives. In my opinion & current way of thinking, this almost has to be related to some allergen, whether it be a food allergy, water allergen (mold/bacteria), or dust mite, etc. So it would definitely be worth it to try to eliminate/reduce dust mites in the home.
Here are some tips it gives on the Mayo Clinic’s website about dust mites: –Build a barrier. Cover your mattress and pillows in dust-proof or allergen-impermeable covers. –Maintain low humidity in your home. Aim for 30 percent to 50 percent relative humidity. A dehumidifier or air conditioner can help keep humidity low, while a hygrometer (available at hardware stores) can measure humidity levels. –Choose bedding wisely. Use synthetic materials as opposed to wool or down bedcovers. –Buy washable stuffed toys. Wash them often in hot water and dry thoroughly. Also keep stuffed toys off beds. –Wash bedding weekly. Kill dust mites by washing all sheets, blankets, pillowcases and bedcovers in hot water (130 to 140 F). Freeze nonwashable bedding overnight in a chest freezer. –Remove dust. Use a damp mop or rag instead of a dry cloth. –Vacuum regularly. Use a vacuum cleaner with a double-layered microfilter bag or a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.
Vacuum both carpet and fabric-covered furniture. If your allergies are severe, leave the area being vacuumed while someone else does the dirty work. Stay out of the vacuumed room for 20 minutes after vacuuming. –Cut clutter. If it collects dust, it also collects dust mites. So remove knickknacks, tabletop ornaments, books, magazines and newspapers from your bedroom. –Rethink flooring. If your dust mite allergy is severe, replace your wall-to-wall bedroom carpet with tile, wood or linoleum flooring. Also consider replacing upholstered furniture and removing fabric curtains.
The only downside is that if this is being caused by dust mites, it may be hard/impossible to make the cholinergic urticaria go away completely. After all, dust is everywhere. If anyone else has this test done, or has had this test, please share your results. I definitely plan on having some tests done at some point in the future.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Allergy tests Post by: Duper on July 15, 2008, 12:41:41 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hivesguy, I suggest you get the test done soon. I read the front page about your experimentation with your diet. This test has all the common allergies, wheat, milk, types of grass, nuts, etc. If nothing else, it’ll help you narrow down what the culprits might be if there is something actually wrong in your diet.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Allergy tests Post by: jga on July 15, 2008, 08:50:24 PM
——————————————————————————–
I’ve done the test where they poke your arm with a bunch of different pins, you’d then see what gave you the biggest rash. This was when I was like 10 and I’m 23 now so I don’t know how much of my body has changed since then. I remember it said I was allergic to cats but I never have allergy (sneezing, itchy eye kind) whenever I’m at a friend’s house that has a cat (all my friends have cats for some reason). If someone were allergic to dustmites though, wouldn’t the Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms just show up if you’re in a dusty room, even if you’re not getting hot? I’ve been in cold dusty rooms before and I never broke out in hives. Heat and stress are the only things that get my hives out.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Allergy tests Post by: billysielu on July 15, 2008, 11:50:20 PM
——————————————————————————–
I think this is more in line with what the doctors think, and we’ve already established that their treatment doesn’t work. Remember Cholinergic Urticaria is a problem with sweat, it’s not allergy related.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Allergy tests Post by: Duper on July 16, 2008, 10:10:55 AM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: billysielu on July 15, 2008, 11:50:20 PM
I think this is more in line with what the doctors think, and we’ve already established that their treatment doesn’t work. Remember Cholinergic Urticaria is a problem with sweat, it’s not allergy related. You should not, by any means, dismiss other possibilities. You don’t solve a problem by approaching it with your mentality adhering to one possible answer and excluding all others. You have to look at all possible solutions, and ultimately find what works.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Allergy tests Post by: threesixmafia on July 17, 2008, 11:46:53 AM
——————————————————————————–
I’m allergic to 95 things out of 130 thigns that the doctor tested, with very very high allergies to fodos like peanut. But, for example if i eat lots of peanuts I never get the usually allergic symptoms, like rashes or sneezing or anything.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Allergy tests Post by: HivesGuy on July 18, 2008, 07:08:21 AM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: Duper on July 15, 2008, 12:41:41 PM
Hivesguy, I suggest you get the test done soon. I read the front page about your experimentation with your diet. This test has all the common allergies, wheat, milk, types of grass, nuts, etc. If nothing else, it’ll help you narrow down what the culprits might be if there is something actually wrong in your diet.
Yes I would like to get one done, and probably will soon. I might wait a little longer to see if the diet helps first. But I would definitely like to see what the allergy test revealed and see if it has anything in common. I remember that my mom had one done, and she had all kinds of allergies. It showed thinks like a moderate milk allergy, but she can drink it all the time with no problems at all. It had all kinds of food on the list, and I remember thinking, wow…what are people supposed to eat if the allergy test shows they are allergic to all of this lol. I mean it was like pages long showing allergies to random things like fruit/veggies, and all kinds of things she eats all the time with no problems. But I try to keep an open mind and I plan on trying everything I can to see if it helps the hives. I would love to find some allergen that we can simply avoid and have a normal life again. But then again, if it is an environmental allergy (like dust mites), that might not be such great news as it may be impossible to avoid it 100%.
Hopefully if this is being caused by some weird allergic reaction, it is something we can all eliminate or change. I know that the main problem is when we sweat. But why do we itch when we can’t sweat? Most of us have trouble sweating, but still can sweat if it is forced out. Plus I remember reading one article one day, where they took a biopsy of the upper layer of the skin of a cholinergic urticaria person, and the sweat glands were normal. I still hold that it is a possibility it could be an allergy-related issue, because they affect people in different ways. Like some people get itchy eyes, some people sneeze, some people get eczema, etc. Maybe our skin just breaks out??
The mystery of cholinergic urticaria… will it ever be solved? Because if this was strictly a genetic issue, then it seems to me that people would not be cured of it. But some people have been cured according to most medical articles, after a period of time. Plus I even had like a year or two of complete remission & no symptoms. In fact my symptoms didn’t really come back until I moved out of my house & into my new apartment.
That seems to be when it got worse again. So if it isn’t genetic, then it has to be something we could possibly change/cure if we find out why it is happening, right?? Is it an unusual allergy response that is very rare, or is this some chemical imbalance because we are releasing too much of a certain hormone or something?? What is causing this thing? I just feel if we can’t find the cure until we find the cause. We can’t find the cause until we have tried to eliminate every possible thing that could be causing it. A tumor on gland causing something to secrete too much of something? An allergy to food or our environment (dust mites, bath water, etc.)?
A problem with our sweat glands alone or clogged sweat pores? Problem with our nervous system? A combination of those things? What exactly causes this to happen? Or is this something as simple as sometimes we don’t sweat enough, and our sweat glands get clogged. Is it something that simple? Or maybe something in our water such as excess minerals/hard water clogs our sweat glands? But then why doesn’t everyone have this in our area? This is condition is confusing lol
——————————————————————————–
Title: Weird, yet interesting thought. Post by: Klope62 on September 28, 2008, 10:03:58 PM
——————————————————————————–
A lot of the articles I read about this disorder suggest that we are indeed allergic to sweat… This somehow got me wondering, what would happened if we put someone else’s sweat on our skin? Would we react, or would we not? If not, would it be because it isn’t ours, or would it be because it is an internal occurrence? Normally this is something I’d go out and test for myself, but I can’t think of too many occurrences where it wouldn’t be weird to rub someone else’s sweat on you. ;P
Haha, just something that popped in this random head of mine, and I felt the need to share. As a side note, I’m still in only my mildly-reactive phase. Things are going pretty easy for now, just waiting to see if it is going to be like two winters or ago when I thought I might not have had it anymore at all, or like last, where it was more reactive than it has ever been.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Weird, yet interesting thought. Post by: billysielu on September 29, 2008, 10:07:14 AM
——————————————————————————–
I don’t believe it’s an allergy to sweat, because I don’t sweat. I’m also nervous about what this winter will bring for my Cholinergic Urticaria. I’ve been more relaxed about my Cholinergic Urticaria lately, able to be more open about telling people, which kinda helps in it’s own way.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Weird, yet interesting thought. Post by: brockham on September 30, 2008, 01:33:43 AM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: billysielu on September 29, 2008, 10:07:14 AM
able to be more open about telling people I think thats one of the most important steps in being able to live happily with Cholinergic Urticaria! Sadly ive only told my mum and she just thinks im being a hyperchondriac or whatever it is. I still sweat alot and only get Cholinergic Urticaria sometimes, so i dont think I have an allergy to sweat. Personally I think its Diet related! But who knows ey, maybe we have different types.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Weird, yet interesting thought. Post by: HivesGuy on September 30, 2008, 08:50:48 AM
——————————————————————————–
Klope62-I agree with others and don’t think it is caused by sweat alone. I think it is the process of sweating, whatever chemical is released to initiate the sweat glands, because once we sweat it seems we are fine.
It is just the process of starting to release the sweat as we heat up, that is where it seems we get into trouble. I have seen some studies where they have withdrawn blood/sweat serum from a person with cholinergic urticaria as they had a reaction, and then later inserted it after they didn’t have a reaction to see if they would have another allergic response. Some did, some didn’t. Plus there have been plenty of times where my wife has been exercising or doing hard work in which she was sweaty, and I have hugged her, and I didn’t have a reaction or anything. I am glad your hives have been only mild recently! I hope they clear up for us all soon! Billysielu-That is great that you have been able to be more open. I find that it really helps to be able to vent to people about cholinergic urticaria to my wife, and also to have people understand what I am going through as well. I hope winter isn’t bad for you. I know I always dread the sharp temperature changes.
During the summer I fear breakouts when I go outside (from inside cold AC to hot outside), and during the winter I fear breakouts when I go inside (from cold outside to hot heater inside buildings). But it is kind of embarrasing telling people, “I get really itchy sometimes-so just ignore me.” But I try to make it sound like it is diet related and I am having food allergies (which I think helps people to understand it a little better in their mind–since it is some kind of an allergic response–we just don’t know what).
brockham- I also know what you mean about people thinking it is “all in our heads.” Man that is so frustrating. It’s like if they had this for 1 minute they would probably be the biggest wimps in the world. They have no idea what it is like to have this, because the physical symptoms are not that obvious, but the intense inward symptoms of the itching/prickling/etc. are KILLER! It is really bad. But hopefully over time people will understand us more (or hopefully we will get cured and not have to deal with it).
Maybe we do have different causes for our cholinergic urticaria (heat hives). I agree with you that I think diet is playing some kind of role. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I strongly suspect diet involvement in this. I think it is more long term though, not an overnight or even weekly diet solution. I think it will come with months of paying careful attention to our diets and removing the bad foods causing the problems. Have any of you tried any type of diets or food eliminations at all?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Weird, yet interesting thought. Post by: billysielu on October 01, 2008, 10:09:54 AM
——————————————————————————–
I’ve tried eliminating bread and dairy. I don’t think it is diet related, I think it’s some kind of bacterial infection / virus.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Weird, yet interesting thought. Post by: HivesGuy on October 04, 2008, 04:06:33 PM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: billysielu on October 01, 2008, 10:09:54 AM
I’ve tried eliminating bread and dairy. I don’t think it is diet related, I think it’s some kind of bacterial infection / virus. I agree it could very well be bacterial/virus related, and that is something I have thought about before as well. I am doing the diet for a while again because I figure it can’t hurt, and sometimes I think it could be the cause.
But I just wish I knew what was the cause of it for sure. It would be great if it was a bacteria/fungal thing because then we could take a few pills and be done with this. Hopefully one day we will find out.
——————————————————————————–
Title: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: antihives on December 07, 2008, 12:12:01 PM
——————————————————————————–
For some background: I was an avid endurance sports athlete (mainly Triathlons, during college I did many sprint, Int., and Half-Ironman races, including one full Ironman race). Have had a history of allergies. When I was a little kid I would have reactions to nuts, grasses, milk…etc. Then one day last year (age 27) all the sudden I had hives after a long run. Nothing about the run. Needless to say I tried many things, anti-histamines, etc.
Visited an Allergist (only helpful for one thing—you’ll see later). The hives kept coming and were “Very medically impressive” according to my wife who is in the medical field. You NEVER want to be Interesting or Impressive to anyone in the medical field. I was both. Regardless the hives would come after any exertion, sometimes just sweeping the floor, and other times running a 5k. I started to analyze everything, cutting foods out of my diet, running at different times of the day, trying to reduce stress. Nothing seemed to help reduce the hives except one thing: trips outside of my home (btw new house 4 years old).
These were vacations, business trips etc. So i started to do some research and realized that we had recently gotten a free old couch from my parents 2 months before my hives first appeared last year. It took me a year to realize this. Now enter the only useful thing the allergist did: my recent allergy test (surprising I wasn’t allergic to nuts any more, and only slightly so to grass) showed I was VERY allergic to dust mites. So my wife and I decided to ditch the couch and bought a leather one at an outlet (btw–now is a great time to get one, we got a nice sectional for $1000).
Drum roll please…….THE HIVES ARE COMPLETELY GONE! Just got back from another 5k run and nothing. Hung Christmas lights, and nothing. So are you allergic to Dust Mites, I don’t know. But at least for me this was the cause. I think a good approach is to find out what you are allergic to and try to avoid it. I did always think it was interesting that Heat Hives, according to the official medical data will just disappear on its own. I wonder if they ever thought to look into changing environmental conditions (did they move, get new furniture, replace their carpet). I hope this helps. I will respond to any one who has questions.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on December 07, 2008, 07:58:59 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello antihives and Welcome to the forum! Thanks for that incredible post! I got excited and inspired just reading it. One thing that immediately jumped out at me was that another member of this forum (Duper) made a great post under the “Allergy Test” thread.
In his post, he had an allergy test and found out that for the house mite he had a very high allergic response. So it seems very interesting that 2 people now have confirmed that they have a high allergy response to dust mites that also suffer from this hives stuff! I think that is something we should all give some attention to, especially since it seems that you arecured after getting rid of the older couch. Another thing that is interesting is that being outside does seem to help a lot of people as well, and most stay indoors according to a survey I have on the site (they tend to not get out as much, and I know I don’t).
Being outside not only gets us away from the mites, but the sun is supposed to kill mites as well. One thing is for sure, I can’t wait to get a house here in a few months. I live in an apartment right now, and there is carpeting, etc. When I get a house I can get extreme and can remove all carpeting, get all leather furniture, etc. On top of that, I can also get outside way more often than now. I want these hives gone! Please keep us up to date when you get the chance and let us know after a few weeks if the hives are still gone.
Sometimes they can come and go. That is just awesome, and very interesting how 2 people have now confirmed through an allergy test of a high response to house/dust mites. Man, this post really has me excited and optimistic! Thanks again and welcome to the forum.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: gazrang on December 08, 2008, 05:40:04 AM
——————————————————————————–
It is good to hear that. Lucky guy.. 🙂 I wonder your itchiness and pruritus “COMPLETELY GONE”. Aren’t there any slightest feeling on high temperature? If so, I’ll try allergic test at Medical Clinic and keep my room from dust mites.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: antihives on December 08, 2008, 07:29:18 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hivesguy—-First, I should have done this before, I wanted to thank you for creating this site. It has surely helped myself and hopefully many more to come. One more interesting thought: In general people suffering Heat Hives can be put broadly into two categories
1. The Hives have come on recently (within 5 years) and
2. The hives have been there for a while (more than 5 years).
Most of my experience and advice is for the former as that’s where I fall. My next door neighbor who is an ER Doctor, advised me in a way that other allergists and Dr.s hadn’t: He asked me “What has changed?”. In other words, what in my life was different before the hives and after the hives. This got me to thinking: food habits, work, detergents, etc. But after a year with hives, and some more internet searching I read about the possible dust mite link. Then it hit me….the couch (see the beginning of the post). Gazrang: Yes so far they are completely gone, here is an example of two situations where they would normally occur, and then what happens now: 1. Party at a friends house, wearing a sweater and they had the heat blasting. I started to feel hot, which mentally I associated with “I have hives now or I am about to”.
Normally I would break out and try to get the heck out of doge. So I started getting nervous, and kept checking my-self in the mirror and nothing! So I thought, wow, this is what its like to just be hot, with no hive reaction. 2. Running: Normally during a 5-k, about half way through my head would start itching and I would first notice small red bumps on my forearms, then by the end I would have a decent amount of hives (call it 5-10%) of my head/neck/trunk. But then about 5-10 min after the run….bamn they would appear everywhere. So that was the past (keep in mind I was taking Zyrtec and Singulair), during my runs now I feel (out of shape….but without hives no excuses any more!)
I feel a bit hot and overheated, but no itching. Then when I stop, just overheated…then a normal cool down. I will admit I still am having a tough time realizing that my hives are gone. So I keep checking myself usually thinking: Aha, there will be at least one or two dots/bumps. But there is nothing.
Once again, I don’t think Dust-Mites is the cause of everyone’s hives. But it was certainly mine. But I do think there is a core Allergic reaction to something. The first step is to see an allergist and get the allergy test done. That was the first step in my investigation. I advise you take any and all medication that your allergists advises you, but my experience was they just wanted to give me medication and not really go into the story….the “What has changed”.
With our medical system and Dr.’s only being allowed to see patients for 10 min at a time, this will not change in the future. So its up to us as individuals to do our own investigations. If anyone is interesting I can map out my own investigation. (Come to think of it, I did have some “inside help” 1. My neighbor is a Dr, and my wife is a nurse at an allergy clinic in one of the top 3 medical hospitals in the USA who is “on the cutting edge” of research). I would enjoy helping anyone I can in anyway. I will continue to respond to any posts. My goal is to help eliminate heat-hives for everyone. Just remember there is HOPE!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: gazrang on December 08, 2008, 09:53:05 AM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks for your kind reply. I want to know how you eradicated the dust mites. Did you just change the couch and is that all? Is there anything special to keep my room from mites? And, I have a question about how long does it take see the result from this treatment, if I could possibly be free from dust mites.
A week, a 2-3 weeks or a month? I want to know. I hope the day will come.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: antihives on December 08, 2008, 10:23:47 AM
——————————————————————————–
Gazrang, There is a lot of information about controlling dust mites out there. A google search will provide a lot of info, keep in mind however most sites say the common allergic reaction is asthma and wheezing….well most of us with Cholinergic Urticaria aren’t common right? Instead of retyping the info that’s out there I will list what we have done: 4 months ago–we encased our box spring, mattress and pillow cases in special allergy proof bags. I think you can buy these at Bed Bath and Beyond, etc.
But we did get “Medical Grade ones” through a catelog. I will provide the brand later. I thought this would help, but it really didn’t–hives were still present. Cleaning–our house gets fully vacum cleaned once a week. (BTW–upstairs is carpet, downstairs is hardwood floor). I used to humidfy our house in the winter, but Dust Mites need higher humidty levels, so I have stopped doing this–no idea if this helped. Couch–Once I started thinking it was the couch, I avoided it for about 2 weeks.
The hives were let’s just say 50-70% better from that avoidance alone. But I still interacted with my wife and son who still sat on the couch, so probably some mite transfer. Then the day before we got the new couch I moved the old one outside and guess what: with the exertion and touching of the couch the hives came back–within 10-20 min of moving the couch. However, once the couch was out of the house the Hives were gone. I am do jumping jacks all day inside my house till I collapse and no hives. We all may have different situations, but once I removed the couch completely….my Cholinergic Urticaria cleared up in 1-2 days.
I actually find this as VERY convincing data: since when I would take a trip to the beach (East Cost) I would have zero hives even if I went running or was out in the hot sun after staying only one night. Or a business trip to Chicago…no hives. Or a two week trip to Montana for vacation, I even climbed a mountain (small one) on my first day there…..and you guessed it no hives. So my reasoning behind this is: Once you figure out your trigger and remove it, the Cholinergic Urticaria (hives) will go away within 1-2 days.
But I would say this will work only for those who find their Cholinergic Urticaria goes away when they travel. If someone has it wherever they go, then it seems like it may be a different situation (Cause) or they are still encountering their trigger when they travel (maybe food, or their clothing?). Once again….I am here to help everyone in any way I can. Ask away and you shall receive.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on December 08, 2008, 11:13:23 AM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks for the great follow-up with all the extra info antihives! I really appreciate it, and I am sure everyone else on the forum does as well. I will research the web today try and pull together the basic info for everyone today about house/dust mites and post on the blog for anyone that wants the basics about it. This is really interesting and again the fact that 2 people now have a strong dust mite allergy seems interesing.
I agree that there could be different causes for Cholinergic Urticaria, and everyone could be different. However, I suspect dust mites could be at the top of the list if this turns out to be true for everyone. You said you have been able to do jumping jacks with no hives whatsoever. I was just wondering, has your ability to sweat normally returned yet? Or is it just no hives so far? Thanks again for the info.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: L421 on December 08, 2008, 01:55:24 PM
——————————————————————————–
I am so pleased for you,My Cholinergic Urticaria can not fall into that category as mine went away for 12 months,and came back after a really stressful event.winter sucks but I keep them under control by excesive exercise,however this as caused me great pain in my lower spine radiating to my feet,I seem to be allergic to most things now even cold wind?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: antihives on December 08, 2008, 03:35:35 PM
——————————————————————————–
Re-Hivesguy: Yes I am sweating just fine, like Richard Simmons to some oldies music. Sorry for that image, but I am still just so happy. Update—Just went for a run outside, 40 degrees, shorts and long sleeve shirt….no hives! Sweated just fine. Only problem was my ears hurt, but that was because it was cold.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: antihives on December 09, 2008, 04:48:53 PM
——————————————————————————–
Just wanted to update everyone. The Hives are still gone….even though things were pretty stressful at work, and I did another 5-k run today (it was 60 degrees….crazy weather here). I recently mentioned the good news to my Dr. Neighbor, and he 100% thinks dust mites werre the cause. Like I said before, this probably doesn’t work for everyone, but I think it starts to get at the Issue: Allergic to something. For me it was Hives. The REAL QUESTION: What are you allergic to?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: Duper on December 09, 2008, 05:15:42 PM
——————————————————————————–
Great post, antihives. Thanks a lot. I think one of the measures that you guys should take is to take allergy tests so we can reach some sort of consensus on what is happening. I remember my sensitivity to dust mites were ridiculously high. However, I don’t know if this is the cause of my hives since I still had the same reactions when I was halfway around the world (in China). I have a small vacation coming up, and I’ll test this out.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: antihives on December 09, 2008, 05:32:01 PM
——————————————————————————–
Duper–brings up a great point. While I am not a medical professional, and since our “identities are hidden”, why don’t we post our allergy test scores. Maybe Hives guy can create some sort of survey we all can take and see if there is anything there. Maybe Dust Mites is number one, and Milk is number two. I still feel allergies is the cause. Who knows. Hivesguy…..let me know what your thoughts are. I can email or post my allergy results and we can use that as a baseline. But this would be a first step in gathering some data that may be useful. FYI—I have no intention of leaving this post. I want to help every single person reading this post experience the joy that I know have. I can finally exercise and loose that 15 pounds. No excuses! ==============
UPDATE: I made a post awhile ago that eliminating Dust-mites had been the cure for my hives. That was “kind-of” it. They would still sometimes come and go, but less frequently. Then I started doing some research about different OTC medicines. One interesting article was about how there are different “Histamine” blockers. Zyteric — blocks one type, and Zantac — blocks the other. I have found that if I take one Zyrtec in the morning along with one Zantac 150, it will keep my hives away for the full day (sorry didn’t mean to rhyme there).
If i miss it, then they can arise that very day. Its definitely working for me. One other interesting thing, I can take generic Zyrtec, but have to use namebrand Zantac 150 — otherwise it doesn’t work. So conclusion #1–See if this OTC combo works for you. (BTW—I can lift weights, and run etc. no hives with the med, without them, walking to a car they can come back). Also–just wanted to let everyone know about something interesting. I had some blood work done, it looks like I have sub-clinical Hypothyroidism. With some google searching I found a very strong link with Urticaria and Hypothyroidism. I haven’t started any medicine for it yet, but some of the studies out there show that with treatment hives will go away.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on December 09, 2008, 07:01:18 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Duper & antihives, That is a great idea, and I went ahead and posted a new thread below:
Feel free to post any info you want, type your allergy results, and talk about it. I guess this would be the easiest format for everyone to be able to post their results and then comment. However, if you ever want me to put up a simple poll or question, I am always happy to do so. I am always open to ideas or suggestions.
Also, I tend to agree with you. I feel that allergies are probably playing a big role in this in some way. I am not sure if it is only dust mites, or if food has role, or if it is multiple things or what. Even the environment or sun exposure may play a role. I have no idea (and it could even be different for each person).
But this is a great idea, and it would be great if we could find a common cause and figure this thing out for good. I haven’t taken an allergy test yet, but I hope to do so at some point in the future (soon). It kind of frustrates me that out of all the times I have been to a doctor, no one ever insisted I take a test. Instead they just want to give you a pill and send you on your way! Thanks again for all of the great info and posts!
——————————————————————————–
Title: My Cholinergic Urticaria story Post by: ww2 on December 17, 2008, 10:54:28 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey everyone, I’m new here so I’d thought I’d tell something about myself and my history of Cholinergic Urticaria. I’ve only skimmed through the forum and I’ll try to give a brief history of information that might be relevant. I’ve had Cholinergic Urticaria for about 3-4 years now.
Right now, I’m trying out Telfast – see if that helps. Two weeks ago, I took a blood test and revealed I have a very high Serum IgE level (6 times the normal level of allergic cells). I’m highly allergic to house dust and pollen mix. I don’t hang around in the sun alot, rarely.
I don’t develop any weals or sacs during my episodes, I only get a rash around my neck, chest and back along with prickling and itching. I’m considering trying alternative treatments like Acupuncture or even hypnotherapy. Has anyone tried Acupuncture for Cholinergic Urticaria? In China, they use it to treat urticaria.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria story Post by: HivesGuy on December 18, 2008, 11:18:31 AM
——————————————————————————–
Great post loldav and welcome to the forum, That is very interesting that your blood test revealed a high allergic response to dust mites and pollen. That is a pattern that is starting to develop. At least 2 others on this forum have posted a high dust mite allergic result along with their Cholinergic Urticaria. It is also interesting that you get very little sun exposure, which is something I also find in common with many of us Cholinergic Urticaria people out there.
Perhaps environmental allergies and sun exposure is playing a huge role in this?? Anyways, about the acupuncture or homeotherapy, many people on the forum have tried it with very little if any results. I suppose that is always a personal choice, and you may want to give it a shot. But if you do I would talk it over with a doctor first. Personally, I have decided that homeo/acupuncture is a dead end street based on the many people who have tried it without any great results.
My personal experiment is going to be increasing outdoor activity this coming summer (to get away from dust mites and also to increase my vitamin d exposure). I will then see how that works, and may also take steps to reduce dust mites and allergens. Thanks again for the great post!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Lab Results from Cholinergic Urticaria Testing Post by: kl0ud on March 15, 2009, 03:59:16 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey All, I had previously mentioned that I went for some blood work and that I would post my lab results. I did: 1) Environmental Panel, Allergy Test 2) Complete Blood Count Test 3) Comprehensive Metabolic Test … and other tests which wouldn’t really apply here… I think? Results as follows: 1. Environmental Panel, Allergy Test –Cat Epithelia: <0.35 (negative) –Cottonseed: <0.35 (negative) –Dog EpitheliaL <0.35 (negative) –Feather Mix: Negative –Horse Epithelia: < 0.35 (negative) –D Farinae: 34.30 [reference range for negative: <0.34] –D Pteronyssinus: 41.50 [reference range for negative: <0.34]–Rabbit Epithelia: <0.25 (negative) –Cockroach: <0.35 (negative) *The ones in red apparently are what I am allergic to – mold/yeast.* 2) Complete Blood Count: (there are a lot of tests, but I only posted those which I would use to help identify anemia) –Red Blood Count: 5.02 –Hemoglobin: 16.2 –Hematocrit: 45.8 –MCV: 91 –MCH: 32.4 –MCHCL 35.5 *All within normal limits* 3) Comprehensive Metabolic Panel –Glucose: 93 –Blood Urea Nitrogen: 18 –Creatinine: 0.8 –eGFR: >60 –Calcium: 9.9 –Sodium: 141 –Albumin: 5 *All within normal limits* I have yet to call my PCP and discuss the results in person, but when I do, I will let you know about the discussion. I had mention previously I was on prednisone, however I have completed my tapering dosage this past week. I have noticed that my threshold before my hive attacks come on is lowered = (back to almost as it was before I was on the med). However, I wouldn’t want to stay on prednisone for long term, nor do I recommend anyone, unless medically necessary (ie. transplant recipients, etc.). Take care!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Lab Results Post by: HivesGuy on March 15, 2009, 07:01:04 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Kl0ud, Thank you SO SO SO much for posting that! I was wondering how the tests would come out. I guess it is a case of “bad news & good news.” The good news is your completely normal (according to those tests anyways). The bad news is you are completely normal (meaning they didn’t find something out of whack causing the Cholinergic Urticaria that can easily be fixed). Of course, I know that even though the tests didn’t show anything, you definitely are still suffering from Cholinergic Urticaria which is terrible. Every test I had I was secretly hoping they would find SOMETHING that was easily fixed, or could at least give an explanation. Unfortunately all of my tests appear to be “normal” too. I agree with what you said about prednisone 100%. It is a very serious medication, although it does have some beneficial uses, but it definitely isn’t something to stay on long term (unless a doc says so). I don’t think I will ever do it again, especially since it didn’t really help my Cholinergic Urticaria anyways. Anyways, good luck with your doctor appointments, and I hope your hives back down and give you some relief! Thanks again so much for sharing that with us, and if anything new happens please let us know! Thanks again!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HiverNation on March 17, 2009, 07:02:51 PM
——————————————————————————–
can u post a follow up antihives? im really anxious to know how things are going
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: bungeemom on March 25, 2009, 11:26:24 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Hivesguy – Do you think it might be worth while to get a poll of your forum members? Allergy tested or not. Dust mite sensitive or not. Other allergies. I know my son has a severe reaction to dustmites. He was diagnosed at 2 1/2 years after battling major sinus infections from 6 months on. (This is when he started being on the ground and getting mobile. Hmm.) We always run into more mite problems in the winter (Michigan) but I must admit that I have gotten lazy (incredibly busy!) lately and have not been as diligent as I used to be. Lately I just wait until he develops the congestion before attacking the environment. The timing of the biggest problems does happen to coincide with the big winter dust mite season. For the record, he was tested for numerous indoor and outdoor items. (We live on a farm.) The only reaction we got was for dust mites and mold. Both had to be tested subcutaneously. The needle wasn’t even out and his arm was swelling up like a balloon.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on March 26, 2009, 01:04:52 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Bungeemom, There have been several posts made on the dust mite allergy issue. There does seem to be a connection, although I do seem to recall at least 1 or 2 posts where someone said their dust mite range was normal. I also know that many on here (myself included), have not recently had an allergy test (I have never had one). I do suspect that it is possible some environmental allergy could be associated with this causing our skin or sweat pores to clog up or something. The only downside is that it is very hard to eliminate all allergies such as dust mites. So it isn’t always possible. However, it will be interesting to see if there is a connection with your son. I can place a poll in the next post I make on the blog for sure (probably today or tomorrow) as you asked. I will try to come back here & add the link when I get it up.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Allergies and Allergy Testing for Cholinergic Urticaria Post by: HivesGuy on March 26, 2009, 01:12:02 PM
——————————————————————————–
Here is a simple poll on whether or not you have had a dust mite allergy, or any other allergies. Please feel free to elaborate on whether or not you have other allergies, and any thoughts you may have. My Own Results:I have never had an allergy test. I do have some food allergies (milk, possibly wheat/oats). I do not know for sure if I have environmental allergies, however, I do sneeze a lot and have a stuffy nose so it is possible.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on March 26, 2009, 01:17:18 PM
——————————————————————————–
Here is the poll bungeemom:
If you have any other ideas or suggestions in the future, feel free to let me know! By the way, you are always welcome to open your own polls on any board. Just click the board (example, the “Tell Your Hives Story,” then look the the right above all of the “topics” and you will see a link that says, “Post New Poll.” So anyone can add one at any time. Thanks again!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: billysielu on March 26, 2009, 02:31:17 PM
——————————————————————————–
I have never had an allergy test. I have a mild reaction if I touch a cat and then touch my eyes. I also sneeze a lot and have a stuffy nose so it is possible.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: dice on March 26, 2009, 03:37:20 PM
——————————————————————————–
Sorry, I picked the wrong option, I chose “No”, instead I haven’t been tested but I’ve never had any allergy problems that have been persistent enough (if at all) to get tested [not counting the hives thing of course ::)]. My bro has Asthma though.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: bungeemom on April 02, 2009, 11:27:57 AM
——————————————————————————–
I’m reporting for my 13 year old son. He is very allergic to dust mites. He had recurrent sinus infections as an infant. Initial allergy tests (back-prick test) did not show any problems. This was when he was 6 months old. After 2 years of fighting the infections, and doing all sorts of medical procedures and way too much medicine, we went back to a different allergist. The back-prick test was again inconclusive. This time though, the doctor took a deeper interest and recommended a sub-cutaneous test. Needless to say my then 2 1/2 year old was NOT happy about the test but it did show the severe reaction, severe rash and swelling of his arm but also small hives. (These didn’t mean much to me at the time.) We have been able to control his infections by being diligent with his environment and acting quickly whenever he starts showing signs of sinus problems. I have a couple theories that I am pursuing with the idea that there is a connection between dust mites, or other environmental allergies, and Cholinergic Urticaria. We have another appt. with the allergist next week. Luckily our allergist is open to new thoughts and is very willing to pursue different lines of investigation. I’ll let you know if I get any further.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: Jennasmom on April 09, 2009, 08:15:06 AM
——————————————————————————–
In my daughter’s case she has been tested for allergies and all the tests were negative. She does have chronic rhinitis.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on April 09, 2009, 04:54:16 PM
——————————————————————————–
Yes, I seem to have a stuffy nose as well, and many Cholinergic Urticaria people seem to have a stuffy nose. That is interesting that she didn’t have a dust mite allergy, as many Cholinergic Urticaria people on here have had a high allergy to it.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: bungeemom on April 16, 2009, 12:08:01 PM
——————————————————————————–
My son’s dust mite sensitivity didn’t show up until we tested him subcutaneously (needle inserted below the skin – he was NOT happy about it). The regular back prick test didn’t indicate anything. We have an appointment early May to go to an allergy specialist at the UofM hospital. I am going to press for information on any studies for Cholinergic Urticaria. I’ll let you know what I find out.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on April 16, 2009, 05:46:28 PM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: bungeemom on April 16, 2009, 12:08:01 PM
My son’s dust mite sensitivity didn’t show up until we tested him subcutaneously (needle inserted below the skin – he was NOT happy about it). The regular back prick test didn’t indicate anything. We have an appointment early May to go to an allergy specialist at the UofM hospital. I am going to press for information on any studies for Cholinergic Urticaria. I’ll let you know what I find out. That is interesting how it didn’t show up until it was tested subcutaneously. It will be interesting to see what the allergy specialist has to say. Thanks so much for sharing any info, and good luck! ——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: HivesGuy on April 26, 2009, 02:52:51 PM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks so much for the update bungeemom. I hope all goes well with your son, and please let us know if you find anything new.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Post by: Charles B. Good on April 30, 2009, 07:27:13 AM
——————————————————————————–
I hadn’t heard of it before but I think this could be our problem, well for some of us. I came across this subject while browsing a Keratosis Pilaris forum (I also have KP all over). Some girl wrote a “theory” about it and put it in a pdf. I’ll post the link: I really think it’s possible and it’s worth trying, no? I got my blood results yesterday and guess what? I’m perfectly healthy. Not even anemia or nothing. darn it! I guess I have to be grateful, it’s just so f*ck*ng frustrating :- Cheers!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Post by: HivesGuy on April 30, 2009, 03:07:21 PM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks for the update Charles B Good! That is great news (that you don’t have something crazy), and yet terrible news (that they can’t find something easily curable). I too get so frustrated having this! Even last night I was a little down. The theory is definitely something to consider. I never brush any theory off, and I usually try them. To be honest, I am at the point where I am about burned out on trying things. Sometimes I feel like nothing is ever going to work, and it will finally go away on its own (if it does go away). But oh well. We must keep pushing forward. Tomorrow is another day.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Post by: Charles B. Good on May 01, 2009, 07:10:50 AM
——————————————————————————–
True that! I just went out to buy hypoallergenic laundry soap, cause after all, you just never know… It’s not that much effort to wash and dry clothes. If this is the cause to all my problems, then I’ve been living for 20 years with a disease no one could figure out and because of what ??? Laundry soap? That would really piss me off. Doctors are supposed to be smart, how can they miss sth like this??? On the other hand, it actually sound so stupid that it just might work. I’ll start washing 2 day, but it’s gonna take time. In any case, I’ll keep you guys updated! 8)
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Post by: HivesGuy on May 01, 2009, 12:37:03 PM
——————————————————————————–
As I have said in the past, anything is worth trying. If it doesn’t work, you haven’t failed, you have just succeeded in finding 1 other thing that won’t cure Cholinergic Urticaria & KP! In any event, good luck & let us know if it works!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Allergy Post by: Charles B. Good on May 04, 2009, 07:34:15 AM
——————————————————————————–
I had allergy/patch tests done. Amazingly enough I’m only allergic to cat hair ???. Luckily no one in my building has a cat and I’m not intending to buy one anytime soon. My lil’ bro’s allergic to dust mites, polyester, perfume and some other stuff I don’t remember. Has “fragile lungs” but no asthma. And his doc said he has an enlarged heart, but there’re no risks. He has Cholinergic Urticaria too, but not as bad as me.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: HivesGuy on May 04, 2009, 11:15:31 AM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: Charles B. Good on May 04, 2009, 07:34:15 AM
I had allergy/patch tests done. Amazingly enough I’m only allergic to cat hair ???. Luckily no one in my building has a cat and I’m not intending to buy one anytime soon. My lil’ bro’s allergic to dust mites, polyester, perfume and some other stuff I don’t remember. Has “fragile lungs” but no asthma. And his doc said he has an enlarged heart, but there’re no risks. He has Cholinergic Urticaria too, but not as bad as me. My sister is allergic to cats, but I don’t have any cats either.
But that is interesting to know that you weren’t allergic to dust mites. It is also interesting that your brother has a less intense case of Cholinergic Urticaria as well. My brother told me one time he felt kind of prickly, but nothing has happened since. My nephew said his scalp & body gets a little itchy when he gets hot, but it isn’t a stinging kind of feeling like with cholinergic urticaria. I too used to get an itchy scalp out in the sun, etc. before I got Cholinergic Urticaria, so it will be interesting to see if my nephew ever gets it.
——————————————————————————–
Title: allergy test Post by: mik on May 19, 2009, 01:24:50 PM
——————————————————————————–
hi there, I’ve read your article on the home page of heathives – about it being $2000! But as I live in the UK, I would think such tests would be free. Shall I pressurerise my doctor to get me one, and I am also seeing a dermetolergist soon, and ideas on what i should ask him? Do diets affect it? Vitamin deficiency (as i’ve read in another post)….etc thanks!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: allergy test Post by: HivesGuy on May 19, 2009, 02:17:22 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Mik, Yes, the allergy test would cost a total of around $2,000 according to the receptionist my mom talked to at the allergy place. She said there could be a “discount” given, but I would presume it would still be rather costly. I do not know if this amount included any costs for other things (such as potential allergy shots), or if it was strictly for the allergy test alone, but I had the impression that it would mostly be for the actual allergy test. As far as the UK costs, it would really depend on your insurance/healthcare system. If you have really good insurance, it would probably be much cheaper, or possibly even free.
It just kinda stinks for me because my insurance plan my wife & I will get is the cheapest & has a $500 deductible. I can afford it, I just think it is so outrageous that I refuse to pay anywhere from $500-$1,000 just for a simple test that will basically tell me what I already know (that certain foods aren’t my friend). If you can do it for free, I would recommend it because it can help you identify foods that could be really causing allergy sypmtoms that you don’t even know about. For example, my mom had a really high milk allergy rating, however, she drinks it every day and had no idea that her immune system was so against it.
So she suspects it could be causing some of her allergic problems. A part of me really thinks that perhaps some unknown food allergy, or a combination of food allergies/intolerances & environmental allergies (dust mites, etc.) could be somehow causing Cholinergic Urticaria in some way. This is only an idea, and of course I don’t know for sure. But it does make some sense to me. As far as diet or vitamins being the cause—I don’t know about vitamins because I have tried a few & didn’t have great results. However, I have noticed a definite worsening of symptoms when I eat foods that upset my digestion system, or cause rashes on me. I know to avoid milk, wheat, oats, onions, and a few other foods & chemicals for sure. When I start to eat those things, my Cholinergic Urticaria goes through the roof in intensity, and I start to get these red bumps on my hands (I have posted pics in the past), and so forth. I have done a very strict diet in the past, where I just ate mostly raw fruits/veggies, and lean meat (chicken, fish).
I did very well on this diet ,and the Cholinergic Urticaria took a long time to come out, and wasn’t very severe. However, I could only keep the diet for a while, as I really craved other foods, and the costs were getting high to eat so much (you have to eat a LOT of fruits/veggies to make yourself feel “full”). The Cholinergic Urticaria never fully went away, but I plan to continue with a few diet experiments over the next year or so, and I hope to do it long-term (several months) to see how it affects the Cholinergic Urticaria. So in my opinion & experience, diet does have involvement.
I don’t know if it “causes” Cholinergic Urticaria, or if it just increases the symptoms. But I know for sure that in my case it really affects the severity of it, and this is based on diets I have tried. I am definitely cleaning up my diet, and already after 2 days I feel a little better in terms of the rashes I had, and the Cholinergic Urticaria has barely lightened up too. As far as your dermatologist/doctor, you may just want to ask about allergy tests, and other Cholinergic Urticaria people they have had (to see how their case went). Other than that, I can’t really think of anything.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: allergy test Post by: dice on May 23, 2009, 01:23:39 PM
——————————————————————————–
^ More or less any test done on the NHS (not privately) is free for people in the uk, it’s whether it’s actually a service that’s available and whether the GP is willing to give such tests that stand in the way.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: allergy test Post by: Bauer on May 25, 2009, 09:48:46 AM
——————————————————————————–
I know from experience that doctors are reluctant to provide allergy tests on the NHS unless the illness/allergy is life threating e.g. anaphylatic shock.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Did your heat hives start from a separate allergic reaction? Post by: pinkleopard on June 08, 2009, 01:18:41 PM
——————————————————————————–
it might be two conditions existing in your body. for me, i have a whole slew of urticarial/angioedema issues. and they all overlap and affect one another.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Did your heat hives start from a separate allergic reaction? Post by: MoshiMoshi on June 11, 2009, 05:47:46 PM
——————————————————————————–
Well me and my friend (nurse in a hospital) came up with the idea that since we only get Cholinergic Urticaria when we are hot, in addition to the fact that we cannot sweat properly, it is most probably down to us being allergic to our own sweat. As soon as we begin to sweat, we trigger histmaine releases in our body, and then hell ensues…
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: HiveGirl on June 14, 2009, 06:25:38 AM
——————————————————————————–
I needed a different option lol (as always I’m complicated lol)… I am allergic to dust mites AND have other know allergies.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Cholinergic Urticaria is not an ALLERGY, right? Post by: mom on a mission on September 27, 2009, 07:34:08 PM
——————————————————————————–
Ok, I keep seeing about how people are being tested for various allergies, and we have as well. Does this type of uritcaria occur more in people who do have allergies to other substances? From what our allergist/immunologist has told us, as well as some of the information he gave me to read…Cholinergic Urticaria is NOT a true “allergy”, but a disorder of the immune system, right?
And, also my son does sweat…a lot in fact, and we have no connection between the hives and sweating. From the research I’ve done, this disorder can affect the sweat glands, but it’s not always actually an allergy to sweat. Rather, it’s a response from a glitch in the immune system that causes a release of histamines into the bloodstream when there is a rapid change in body temperature. I was just wondering if ya’ll (yes…I’m from the south =)!!!) have been told the same.
Apparently, this is the reason that “allergy shots” do not work on Cholinergic Urticaria…because it’s a PHYSICAL urticaria, not an allergic urticaria. I just wanted to make sure I understood correctly—-PLEASE correct me if I’m wrong. I want and need to learn as much about this as I can for my son’s sake. Thanks!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria is not an ALLERGY, right? Post by: HivesGuy on September 28, 2009, 06:04:14 AM
——————————————————————————–
Good question =), Cholinergic urticaria is definitely classified as a physical urticaria, because it happens as a result to a physical stimulus (ie, heat or increase in body temp.). From what I gather online, most doctors and researchers really aren’t 100% sure why cholinergic urticaria happens.
Many of the online research articles seem to have conflicting information. Some suggest an allergy to sweat serum, others seem to indicate an immune system disorder, or mast cell weakening. What your doctor said certainly sounds reasonable. In fact, a good question would be what is really the difference between an allergy and immune system disorder?
Isn’t an allergy a disorder of the immune system recognizing things as ‘bad’ when they aren’t really an enemy? I guess the “disorder” of cholinergic urticaria is somehow our bodies release histamine in response to getting heated. So I guess it is possible for it to be immune system related without being a typical allergic response. It is really hard to know, and that is one of the most frustrating things with cholinergic urticaria. I don’t thinnk typical allergy shots will do anything. As far as me personally, I never was an allergic type of person. I had no food allergies, nor did I have environmental allergies (that caused stuffy nose, itchy eyes, etc).
I was perfectly healthy, and then….boom one day I got extremely itchy. The only realy allergy problem I ever had was when I would get in poison ivy, which most people are allergic to. As far as sweating, yes many people on here can still sweat (me included). The problem is that it becomes a real challenge for most of us. When we get hot to the point of sweating, we usually have a reaction to hives instead. We can sweat afterwards (usually). Occasionally I will sweat instead of having a reaction, but it is rare.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria is not an ALLERGY, right? Post by: mollythompson28 on September 29, 2009, 09:12:08 PM
——————————————————————————–
My doctor has also told me, Cholinergic Urticaria is not an allergy, it’s an immune disorder. I think you described it well. It is directly involving the mast cells of the skin/histamine so it has a direct relationship to allergy. I had allergy testing to rule out and confirm that it was physical urticaria and not allergic urticaria, in fact in the food panel i had only a sensitivity to the saline control, so they repeated the test to make sure… There is a lot of research out there though, and it is very current (much of it 2009).
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: relaxed83 on February 05, 2010, 08:53:32 AM
——————————————————————————–
I am highly allergic to dust mites…and I’ve recently moved from Phoenix to Northern California. I suspect that this being a moist climate that the dust mites survive much better since I didn’t have this issue in Phoenix.
I go to the gym regularly but I can usually expect my first 30 minutes to be in complete hell while I suffer though the intense itch all over my body. After I finish my cardio and lower my body temp it seems to go away and I forget it even happened until next time. The itch starts on my head then it intensifies to my arms then my legs sometimes to my chest..it’s pretty intense. I’m a 27 year old white male originally from Michigan and I don’t recall having this in Michigan or at least not this intense.
The theory of the dust mites causing this might just be it…I am going to try washing all my blankets in really hot water and dry them really hot see if it makes a difference.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: itchy on February 14, 2010, 04:22:40 AM
——————————————————————————–
What I don’t understand is that dust mites are most prevalent during the summer periods, and are at their lowest in winter. This is the opposite of when my (and many other peoples) Cholinergic Urticaria flares up the most. Still, it sounds promissing. Has anyone else had success by reducing dust mite levels?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on February 14, 2010, 10:27:15 AM
——————————————————————————–
Nope, unfortunately I have had no success. In my house, I have ZERO carpet, no pets, etc. It is basically dust-mite free. Yet my Cholinergic Urticaria is the same. :'(
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: taz on March 07, 2010, 04:31:48 PM
——————————————————————————–
I have had this annoying condition since around May 2006. I had exams coming up at the time but I wasn’t stressed about them at all so I don’t think stress is the cause, at least for me anyway. My first attack happened when I was having a bath. Since then I get it whenever I exercise or just sometimes for no reason. I can relate to the environment change thing. I live in the UK but I went on holiday to America in Oct 2007 and I remember for the whole 10 days I was there, I was breakout free.
There were times when I knew an attack was about to happen but nothing happened and I just got that normal heating up feeling. It was lovely. Then when I got back home, I started getting attacks again. Hmm so maybe I do have an allergy to something. I haven’t been to a doctor about this because I didn’t see the point from what I read on the internet about it.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on March 07, 2010, 06:48:17 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey taz, Great post and welcome to the forum. That is interesting how you didn’t break out during your vacation trip. Perhaps the different climate made your body less reactive or something?? A lot of people have also mentioned how moving or changing environments either caused the hives, or relieved the symptoms.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: taz on March 08, 2010, 01:41:26 PM
——————————————————————————–
Yeah, I mean ideally I would love to move to another country, preferably a hot one and I think I could get rid of this condition for good but that isn’t really feasible for me. Also, I read about the link between Keratosis Pilaris and Cholinergic Urticaria and I think I might have it too. I always wondered what these little skin coloured bumps were all over my chest. I only seem to have them there and on my shoulders and nowhere else. I have taken a picture of what I think is KP on my chest. Here’s the link:
(Ignore the couple of red spots. I think they are just normal spots.)
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on March 08, 2010, 01:46:08 PM
——————————————————————————–
Yeah its interesting how many of us Cholinergic Urticaria people tend to also have KP.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: thecheezit on March 09, 2010, 11:39:51 AM
——————————————————————————–
I think I have KP as well, I have tiny skin colored like bumps across my chest and a little on my shoulders. I have gone to the dermatologist for it and she said it was normal and to just use soap lol, never told me what it was but I assume its KP as mine look similar to that picture someone just posted. From a quick read on KP it seems it blocks your pores, which in turn could block your sweat? “..
This medicine works by causing the outer layer of the skin to grow more rapidly, decreasing the amount of the keratin in the skin. As a result, the surface layer of the skin becomes thinner and pores are less likely to become blocked..” Could some of us be getting Cholinergic Urticaria because of pore blockage from KP? Makes sense to me, an interesting topic at least….
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on March 09, 2010, 02:17:17 PM
——————————————————————————–
Yeah, I have suspected clogged pores before. It wouldn’t surprise me if a large portion of Cholinergic Urticaria sufferers do have some type of issue with clogged pores (whether it is bacterial, fungal, or just KP).
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: taz on March 10, 2010, 02:29:52 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hmm but if KP is common then why don’t more people have Cholinergic Urticaria? I think there must be something else going on. KP might just be a consequence of Cholinergic Urticaria or have no correlation at all with it. I dunno. I think my Cholinergic Urticaria might be an autoimmune thing because I have vitiligo on my left hand. Just a few little spots.
Weird thing is I have segmental vitiligo which means it only occurs on one side of the body which apparently isn’t autoimmune related. Dunno how accurate that is though. Anyone else here have vitiligo?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on March 10, 2010, 04:35:25 AM
——————————————————————————–
It is indeed possible that KP is merely associated with Cholinergic Urticaria, and isn’t a causative factor. There could be a common connection with us that leads to higher risks of KP, Cholinergic Urticaria, etc. Not all people with KP have Cholinergic Urticaria, but it does seem many with Cholinergic Urticaria do have KP.
I don’t have vitaligo at all. I am just curious, did you get officially diagnosed with that condition by a doctor?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: taz on March 10, 2010, 07:00:13 AM
——————————————————————————–
No I haven’t been officially diagnosed with it but I’m pretty certain it is.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Pet Dander Caused My Hives Post by: jda24_7 on March 12, 2010, 11:09:39 AM
——————————————————————————–
I moved with my roommate who had two dogs, there was pet hair everywhere. The kitchen, bedrooms, everywhere! I just cleaned up the best I could. So a month passed and I started to get itchy. Then I had a massive breakout where I got tiny bumps on the arms.
I moved out of my roommates house, but I still get bothered with the hives on hands and feet when I get hot. I take oatmeal baths, it doesnt cure it for good, but it’s a temporary relief. This has been going on for a good 6 months. I was doing some research and I think maybe because I inhaled the pet dander that its now causing my sweat glands to not work. I called up an allergist/dermatologist. But can’t go get a checkup becuase I’m a college student with no healthcare and can not afford the payments.
I tried all the special lotions, oxy hives and everything, but it does not work. I know its something thats maybe inside of me(pet dander) that must get out of me. Do any1 have any suggestions? Oh and in this summer heat, ive been living like a vampire(I only come out at night) when its cool enough.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Pet Dander Caused My Hives Post by: HivesGuy on March 12, 2010, 08:30:33 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello jda, Excellent post and welcome to the forum. It is certainly possible you have developed some sort of sensitivity or allergy to the dog/pet dander. It is always difficult to know for sure, but if your symptoms just started when you were exposed to the dogs, there is a possibility that could be causing it. At the same time, it could merely be a coincidence. Again, it is hard to tell. I can relate to the “living like a vampire” thing.
I have had bouts where I didn’t even want to leave the house day or night. We can do some crazy things to avoid hives can’t we? LoL Anyway, thanks again for the great post and welcome to the forum!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Test During An Outbreak Post by: Motion on May 07, 2010, 11:56:01 AM
——————————————————————————–
Has anyone had a doctor test or monitor your body in some way during an actual outbreak of Cholinergic Urticaria? I would think that the best time to test someone with Cholinergic Urticaria would be during the time their body is heating up and they are breaking out with hives. Maybe it’s at this point that the doctor can detect “the problem” with the person that’s causing the hives.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Test During An Outbreak Post by: HivesGuy on May 07, 2010, 12:17:46 PM
——————————————————————————–
During my first visit to a dermatologist, I was actually having a reaction in front of him (and I took a squirt bottle with me because at that time I was super reactive). He looked at me and said, “yes I can see the flushing. Your body seems to be stressing out. Are you sure you don’t have an infection somewhere?”
I didn’t have an infection, of course. I don’t think he was familiar with Cholinergic Urticaria at all at that point in time. He prescribed me an antihistamine and sent me on my way. On the flip side, they often use “exercise testing” to diagnose Cholinergic Urticaria for some people. They simply put you on an exercise machine or something, and let you get hot unti you get itchy. Then they monitor your reaction to see if it matches Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms. In addition, there has been some testing and research done in the past. I can recall at least one study that withdrew the serum/plasma from the body during a reaction, and tested it agaisnt the body after the reaction subsided. The study’s point was to see if we are actually allergic to our own sweat serum. It was inconclusive, and the study indicated some people with Cholinergic Urticaria may have a sweat allergy, and some may not. But that is all I know about from the top of my head. It would be nice if they could figure it out though, or develop some high-tech testing.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Test During An Outbreak Post by: Motion on May 07, 2010, 06:46:41 PM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: HivesGuy on May 07, 2010, 12:17:46 PM
It would be nice if they could figure it out though, or develop some high-tech testing. I wonder if that has to happen because I’d think that those researching this would have found something with the current testing methods by now. ——————————————————————————–
Title: Severe Cholinergic Urticaria cured for 4 months had to travel outside US Post by: insomnic on July 17, 2010, 07:54:31 PM
——————————————————————————–
I was desperate and frustrated, numerous dermatologists and allergists visits. Finally, it is official cholinergic urticaria. My symptoms include the following, extreme itching over my entire body, the tip of my nose randomly itches crazy, when running I feel like my sweat is acid (allergic to sweat),any time I drink hot liquid I feel miserable immediately, and cannot even laugh hard, I feel like my body is always overheated all the time. I’ve got insomnia I can’t go to deep sleep at all. Tried antihistamines and antidepressants didn’t help at all I live in Indiana and traveled up North to Wisconsin, and could feel a difference and relief in the air outside, except when I walked in any building or got hot. I am positive that dust in air from central air could be one of the triggers I also think I have digestive problems because my stool is not right (like diarrhea) Good news;
Originally I came to States from Russia, Last year I traveled to Russia for four months, and as soon as I sat on the plane the whole thing was 100% gone, no medication or diet at all. I could exercise, do sauna, drink hot liquid, anything indoors or outdoors and it never came back. One thing I want to mention about dust mites is Russia does not have central air in any buildings and I read on a Russian allergist websites that dust can cause Cholinergic Urticaria, a week later after coming back to the states Cholinergic Urticaria came back. I am planning to go back to Russia in a few months, eat healthy, exercise, and boost up my immune system. Anybody traveled to Washington State, Canada, or Maine From my experience Cholinergic Urticaria is 100% over-reaction to allergens in the air (that is the only thing that makes sense after my trip to Russia) Questions and comments welcome. Best wishes, I hope one day we cure it. Serge
——————————————————————————–
Title: Sweats and Cholinergic urticaria Post by: aivory23 on August 21, 2010, 12:58:36 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello! I am 24 years old male from Latvia, I suffer from cholinergic urticaria almoust 4 yaers. It started only as hives on the palms in the mornings before University lectures. Step by step it got worse, hives covered other body parts. I went to the on of the best allergists in Latvia and he put me in hospital to see whats wrong with me. To provoke an outbreak he put me on veloergonometry test. For the big surprise for me the cardiologist stopped the test already in the middle, because i reached sub maximal pulse already 7 minutes after the beginning of the test when the load was not high, my heart rate was 198 bpm, imeaditelly after test i felt a lot of pain in my leg muscles and my heart rate did not drop down normally as it should, after 7 minutes rest it was still 122 bpm. It was a big surprise for me, because all of my life i have been doing sport activities and have been in good shape. In next few days they checked my heart with other methods and thankfuly everything was okey. Cardiologist said that this might be vegetative nervous system disfunction, and suggested me to do electroencephalography.
EEG showed epileptoform paroxysms and they suggested me to do magnetic resonance and I did it, there was everything okey. After one week i were out of hospital, doctor prescribed me antihistamines and that was it. But this was not a solution for me, after some time I realized that this allergy is connected with sweats.
So I talked to my doctor and insist to check somehow whether I am allergic to my own sweats or not. Finally he did intradermal skin test and guess what – it was positive. You can see the pictures here I puted more pictures of my hives, in four years they have changed the look, they change also whether I have taken antihistamines or no, but sometimes and especially at the beginning they looked exactly like willdevs hives. So then my doctor ordered specific filters from Germany to purify my sweats and then he could start immunotheraphy with purified sweats. It was like that – i went to sauna collected my sweats brought them to my doctor, he purified, diluted and injected them to my shoulder, I did it twice a week for three months.
I can not say if it was better or no, because every day is different one day I get a lot of hives other day almoust nothing. I thought that with this immunotheraphy there will be a significant improvement already at the beginning, but it was not so and my doctor said maybe doing this immunotheraphy there will be improvement after a year or after three years or maybe there will not be improvement at all, I needed to go to Spain and so I stopped the theraphy. I have a lot more to say about cholinergic urticaria and my discoveries about it, so I will let you know guys. Sorry for my bad English. I will keep posting my story….
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Sweats and Cholinergic urticaria Post by: HivesGuy on August 25, 2010, 04:04:34 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey aivory, Excellent post and welcome to the forum! Wow, that is very interesting to read all of your tests you had done. All of that was very interesting. And those pictures….WOW. That looks like a very serious reaction. Thanks for sharing those. I am sorry to hear of all of your frustrations in trying to control your hives. I have had a lot of tests in hopes of finding a cause, but so far nothing has been conclusive.
I really wish we could find the cause of them, and find a way to cure them. Thanks again for posting all of that great information, and please keep us up to day on everything. And once again, welcome to the forum!
——————————————————————————–
Title: A treatment for Cholinergic urticaria? hopefully it works Post by: Rogerq23 on September 23, 2010, 10:05:01 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hi everyone, I used to experience Cholinergic urticaria everyday. I am an student in the USA, to be more specific in California. California has a dry weather which is bad for people who suffer urticaria. As you know Cholinergic urticaria is a type of allergy, if one of your parent is allergic then you are likely to be 50% allergic and if both of your parents are, then you have 70% change to suffer allergies. I went back in this summer break to my country which is humid but hotter than California (just for being humid it doesn’t feel like hotter but it is) I went to a very very known doctor with a lot of degrees and diplomas etc…
He was a specialist on allergy. I explained to him that i used to cough a lot and it was due to allergy and now im studying in california and i dont cough anymore but get the itch. He told me it was definitely allergy. Tested my blood, and made an appointment for next week. The next appointment he told me that it wasnt by foods and in my case according to my doctor its the environment. He made me a test and put different substances such as pollen, mold, trees stuff and then checked the reaction in my skin. He proved it was the environment. Since we can avoid some foods, but not the environment. So here are the treatment that he gave me. -Inmunotherapy for a year aka allergy shots (which is basically a substance that has some allergens such as pollen etc..etc..) you shot yourself every day or week depends on the person. It is required to increase the dose every time. This shots will make your body used to the allergen so it wont react with the allergy next time.
-Use Cetaphil soap instead of the others. -Eucerine lotion for dry skin eczema If it gets worst then: Zyrtec or claritin dont remember which one, during the day and benadryl during the night. If it gets it doesnt help either: Those previous things + meticorten cream. Oh he told me to wrap my bed and get a special bed sheet and a pillow case anti-dust mites. When i was in my country for summer break i didnt get the allergy maybe i did but it didnt bother me, no cholinergic urticaria at all. When i am in California i have it almost everyday… in short everyday when i get in my car and its very hot inside… today i just had it, so painful.
When i just came back after my summer break i played sport and it didnt itch me at all and i didnt get the urticaria. I was so happy, but it was the first day. I was pretty sure that after several days i will get the itch and the allergy back. Today 7 days after i came back. I have it back :c so badly. Im afraid of the heat, the nervousness, stress everything that cause the hives come out. Hopefully the shots works after some months and everything goes right. Has anyone tried this things and if it worked? oh yeah i forgot everything i test my blood for the allergy level IgE its always in the highest level… so im very sensitive to allergens. That is my treatment and still proving it so far.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: A treatment for Cholinergic urticaria? hopefully it works Post by: HivesGuy on September 24, 2010, 04:53:23 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Rogerq23, Wow, that was a super interesting post. My cholinergic urticaria has been terrible the past 3 months or so, and it has been the hottest summer on record in my area. Not only that, but it has been extremely dry, which is a bad combination for all kinds of allergies. I have always wondered if perhaps our skin could be just hyper sensistive to the environmental stuff. When I was young, my mom, uncle, and I went fishing. My uncle started a fire, and apparently threw poison ivy into it, because the next day my mother and I were both swelled up horrendously. I had a severe reaction to it.
I always wondered if perhaps that made me super sensitive to the environment or something. Anyway, I agree that a lot of people seem to have their Cholinergic Urticaria disappear or get a lot better when taking vacations or moving to a new place. This seems to indicate there indeed may be some environmental factor. Your treatment sound really interesting, and PLEASE keep us updated from time to time on this. If this actually works for you, I would consider doing it myself. It seems this type of allergy shots are relatively safe (probably a lot safer than steroids or antihistamines). Also, thanks so much for posting this, and all of the additional info your doctor said. Good luck and I hope this works for you (and all of us)!
——————————————————————————–
Title: update after gettin hives in london Post by: jessamine1 on September 26, 2010, 01:04:43 AM
——————————————————————————–
hi there everyone, Just thought i’d update ppl on my cholinergic urticaria story. I first got the hives in july of this year while in london. It’s now almost october so have had the problem 2.5 months….so looks like it might be an ongoing thing. Due to the hives I decided to go back home to Australia. I have been back for 3 weeks now….unfortunatley the cholinergic urticaria is still present (I was hoping it would disappear by going back to my usual environment) but no luck.
I must say it is much less now…they happen less often and not so severe…but it’s not that hot so who knows…. but the decrease in severity is a positive, but it still happens during exercise. I have had blood tests and my ige levels are high…so i am allergic to something…..i’m awaiting for the result of the next blood test to see if they can pinpoint what im allergic too…. the doctor has also diagnosed me with asthma…so have the whole preventer and reliever asthma puffers…. but yeah…..there we go….getting closer to a solution hopefully…… jessica
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: Tokyowoman on September 26, 2010, 11:15:46 AM
——————————————————————————–
I took an allergy test. I had a strong reaction to dust mites.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: A treatment for Cholinergic urticaria? hopefully it works Post by: Rogerq23 on September 27, 2010, 05:15:54 PM
——————————————————————————–
Oh, yeah i dont remember if i mentioned it, but i dont want to depend on medicines i guess all of us want to be cured right? so i try not to depend on antihistamines and stuff like that. When we are used to take those medicines our body will get used to it and the medicine will not make any effect on us that means it wont work any more… so our treatment sources will be limited even more. I guess nothing make us allergic to something, we are born like that. My doctor explained to me… allergy is a illness of the immune system, so our body can activate a switch whenever and we will get the allergy, and it also can be turned off… and then on again… any time in our life. It’s sad to hear that your hives got worst this last months, terrible :S Here this week is so hot as well.. and so dry, even thou we are in fall now. AS you all know we get those hives when we get scared, nervous, etc..etc…
i try not to get nervous. Sometimes we think too much about it and that is why we get it… i was experimenting this week (a hot week) to not think about it if i do try to think about another thing… i think it decreased a lil bit or its my mind… i dont really know. Now, i have a question. Im taking an antihistamine, since Im a international student in the USA, im paying a very expensive insurance and wanna use it, and try to avoid any extra spending on medicine and stuff.
So… I take on the counter antihistamine in my college, which is a random brand… and its loratadine, sometimes it works… well not really just decrease the intensity of the hives i guess, or sometimes it doesnt. So, my question: is any of those claritin or zyrtec better than those generic brand? or it doesnt matter they still work as well as the other and its just that ur body doesnt response well to them? which one is better in your opinion… Claritin and Zyrtec….? Any of those cause drowsiness? :- Good luck, and hopefully near from today some one launch a medicine that will cure this illness for the rest of our life… ;D Faith
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: A treatment for Cholinergic urticaria? hopefully it works Post by: HivesGuy on September 28, 2010, 12:43:34 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Rogerq23, Yeah, I try to avoid medications if at all possible too. About your question on antihistamines: Claritin & Zyrtec (both the brand names and generics), are all available over the counter here in the U.S. You would probably have a little more benefit from Zyrtec, but of course check with your doctor and make sure you don’t get any side effects. I think most people would see a little more benefit from Zyrtec, but probably no antihistamine available will stop the symptoms 100%.
For me, Claritin (or loratadine) probably helps about 5%. Zyrtec (or cetirizine) helps me about 10-20%, and that is about it. So I personally think Zyrtec is a bit better, but probably a tad more expensive. As far as generic vs. brand names–there probably isn’t much of a difference. They are usually the same compounds and give roughly the same effect. Some people think brand names work better than generics, while others think they work the same. You could always try them both over time to see if you notice a difference. You can often buy small 5 packs for about $5 or less of Zyrtec at stores like Walmart. Good luck to you, and I hope you find one that helps. None of them help me too much, unfortunately.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: update after gettin hives in london Post by: HivesGuy on September 28, 2010, 01:07:41 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Jessica, Thanks so much for the update. I am sorry to hear that you may be having this for a while too. I have had it about 8 years now on/off myself at this point. I am so ready for it to stop so I can get back to my life again. Ugh. Very interesting about your upcoming allergy tests. Please let us know if they find anything, or if anything new develops. I certainly hope you can find a way to manage your hives, or even do some sort of treatment. Good luck, and let us know!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: update after gettin hives in london Post by: jessamine1 on September 29, 2010, 03:12:55 AM
——————————————————————————–
hi hives guy and all…. well even though the first allergy test showed ige level was quite high…. the next rast test they did showed no allergy to lots of common allergies…. im not allergic to mould, pet hair, dust or pollens….. so who knows…. have now been referred to an allergist…. quite a similar story to a lot of ppl with cholinergic urticaria. bye for now 🙂
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: tohey on October 02, 2010, 06:23:26 AM
——————————————————————————–
I have also had an allergy test done. This was done by a scratch test as well as blood test. Results came back that I was particularly allergic to dust mites. I ended up buying dustmite resistant pillow cases etc.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: jclarke on October 04, 2010, 10:02:06 PM
——————————————————————————–
I had a prick test done when they were trying to figure out what was causing my hives. The only thing that they found I was allergic too, was dust mites. Soon after I was diagnosed with Cholinergic Urticaria.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: Cass58 on October 10, 2010, 09:51:25 PM
——————————————————————————–
Yep! I am highly allergic to dust mites. I always thought i was only allergic to cats and dogs, but when I got pricked… dust mites were a stronger allergen than cats and dogs (which i am still allergic to).
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Severe Cholinergic Urticaria cured for 4 months had to travel outside US Post by: Rogerq23 on December 05, 2010, 03:08:41 AM
——————————————————————————–
I have the same theory, but not exclusively all are allergic to environmental allergens, some people are allergic to many things in the environment such as pollen, dust etc..etc. mold… I come from another country, a tropical country and I lived there all my life since i was born until my 19 years old. I did not suffer Cholinergic Urticaria back in there. When i came to the USA i got Cholinergic Urticaria. When i went back for vacation to my home country i didnt get it. I came back to the USA i got it back… my allergist said I am allergic to the environment. Some people might say then move back and you will be cured. I LOVE SF BAY AREA and I dont want to move somewhere else.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: taz on December 09, 2010, 08:54:34 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hm so after doing some more research, I am thinking maybe I don’t have vitiligo. The reason being that within most of the white patches I have on my left hand, there is a tiny pin point sized dot in the middle. This isn’t synonymous with vitiligo symptoms. I found a thread with people experiencing similar symptoms to me here:
On the Cholinergic Urticaria front, I still have it unfortunately. The summer just gone was worse than the previous one where I practically didn’t get any symptoms whatsoever. In my case, I don’t really get hives, but my skin does go all blotchy and red. I can live with that since that usually only appears on my torso which isn’t visible. The thing I can’t stand is the tingling and prickling sensation that comes on suddenly. One thing I have noticed recently is that if I take a hot shower in the morning or before I go out somewhere during the day, the itching seems to get a lot worse and is a lot more sensitive to things like embarrassment.
Also, I have noticed if I travel back home for a few days, then come back, I will be symptom free for roughly two days before it just goes back to being like it was again. The environment definitely has something to do with it, at least in my case.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: Mr.Hives on January 01, 2011, 08:49:20 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello, I have had Cholinergic Urticaria for right at 3 years now. At first it wasnt bad and I was able to play golf for my high school varsity team (this was my 9th grade year). The first time it appeared was while I was playing basketball at church in November 2007. At that time there was alot of stress on me: starting high school and my grandpa got really sick and was put in the hospital. We also had just recently moved into our new house in January 2007. 3 agonizing years later I still have Cholinergic Urticaria and it hasnt gotten any better. I have been on all kinds of anti-histamines, allergen diets, and allergy shots. Nothing has seemed to cure or even reduced the Urticaria.
I can be in the shower, using hot water, and if I stay in there long enough I will begin to breakout in my hives. I have swollen up 3 different occasions. Twice while I was playing basketball at my house, trying to get what little exercise that I can do. Once while I was out walking around in the summer. The first two times I had to use my Epi-Pen. I also have taken allergy test (prick tests, patch test, and blood test). My results came back that I am allergic to dust mites aswell as shellfish. Oh yeah, and I also have KP. Seems like some of us have the same conditions.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Any suggestions? Post by: Mr.Hives on January 10, 2011, 09:55:34 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello, I have had Cholinergic Urticaria for right at 3 years now. At first it wasnt bad and I was able to play golf for my high school varsity team (this was my 9th grade year). The first time it appeared was while I was playing basketball at church in November 2007. At that time there was alot of stress on me: starting high school and my grandpa got really sick and was put in the hospital. We also had just recently moved into our new house in January 2007. 3 agonizing years later I still have Cholinergic Urticaria and it hasnt gotten any better. I have been on all kinds of anti-histamines, allergen diets, and allergy shots.
Nothing has seemed to cure or even reduced the Urticaria. I can be in the shower, using hot water, and if I stay in there long enough I will begin to breakout in my hives. I have swollen up 3 different occasions. Twice while I was playing basketball at my house, trying to get what little exercise that I can do. Once while I was out walking around in the summer. The first two times I had to use my Epi-Pen. I also have taken allergy test (prick tests, patch test, and blood test). My results came back that I am allergic to dust mites aswell as shellfish. Oh yeah, and I also have KP. Seems like some of us have the same conditions.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: Rogerq23 on January 16, 2011, 06:39:03 PM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: bungeemom on March 25, 2009, 11:26:24 AM
The only reaction we got was for dust mites and mold. Both had to be tested subcutaneously. The needle wasn’t even out and his arm was swelling up like a balloon. I remember when i took the test. the test haven’t started and i was already reddish… because of the alcohol i guess i have a reaction to alcohol as well.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: nowash on January 22, 2011, 03:21:19 PM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: taz on December 09, 2010, 08:54:34 AM
Hm so after doing some more research, I am thinking maybe I don’t have vitiligo. The reason being that within most of the white patches I have on my left hand, there is a tiny pin point sized dot in the middle. This isn’t synonymous with vitiligo symptoms. I found a thread with people experiencing similar symptoms to me here:
On the Cholinergic Urticaria front, I still have it unfortunately. The summer just gone was worse than the previous one where I practically didn’t get any symptoms whatsoever. In my case, I don’t really get hives, but my skin does go all blotchy and red. I can live with that since that usually only appears on my torso which isn’t visible. The thing I can’t stand is the tingling and prickling sensation that comes on suddenly. One thing I have noticed recently is that if I take a hot shower in the morning or before I go out somewhere during the day, the itching seems to get a lot worse and is a lot more sensitive to things like embarrassment.
Also, I have noticed if I travel back home for a few days, then come back, I will be symptom free for roughly two days before it just goes back to being like it was again. The environment definitely has something to do with it, at least in my case. Hey taz, I think you may have adrenergic urticaria. Red dots with white halos, right?
Have you tried a beta-blocker? I’ve been meaning to look up some drugs/herbs for this, as I feel I could have adrenergic urticaria. My hives are worse with emotional upset rather than with sweating as well, but they both still give me hives, so I dunno. Do you get hives while drinking coffee? Maybe eating chocolate or drinking tea? I don’t get them from tea, but I do from the others.
——————————————————————————–
Title: WOW…maybe Post by: robbie on January 25, 2011, 09:12:20 PM
——————————————————————————–
So I’ve been hiving it up for 3 or 4 yrs now. Pretty badly when I workout. I went and got allergy tested and I’m sever dust mite, severe Wheat and moderate banana. I eat 2 bananas a day! So I’ve given up wheat awhile back and hives reduced a bit. So anyway, I wrapped my bed in the dust mite cover, didn’t have a banana today and worked out this morning with weights and light bike…then tonight I did a 5km run. I wasn’t even itchy tonight!!! – think I counted 3 or 4 super light hives! I may be jumping the gun, but thought I’d share it
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Allergy tests in relation with Cholinergic Urticaria Post by: Duper on January 25, 2011, 11:00:13 PM
——————————————————————————–
I don’t know why the hell I waited so long before actually trying this out. I’ve had moderate success dealing with my Cholinergic Urticaria via vitamin supplementation and VIGOROUS exercise (talking about 3-4 hours per day lol). But lately, it’s dawned upon me just how dramatically it’s affecting my life (even though it’s gotten me into great shape!).
I’ve bought the covers and pillow set. I will buy a few new sets of plain clothes and whatnot. Additionally, I am trying many different supplementations to relieve STRESS, which I know is a HUGE factor for my Cholinergic Urticaria personally. I will update you guys when I have had enough time to experiment. We WILL beat this!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: WOW…maybe Post by: Duper on January 25, 2011, 11:03:51 PM
——————————————————————————–
Thank you very much for making this post. It’s kicked my butt into getting a dust mite cover and pillow set! I’ve know about my allergy for two years but have been fighting it in other ways. I’ll make sure to update how it goes!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Okay so I just got back from the allergist. Post by: AdamM on January 26, 2011, 02:43:39 PM
——————————————————————————–
I got both an asthma and allergen test done. They pricked my back exactly 70 times and gave me over a dozen shots in the arm. He also sent me to Beaumont where I need to get blood testing done. I also got a prescription for Pepsil or something along those lines and Zyrtec. He told me to take 1 Claritin in the morning 2 Pepsil during the day and a Zyrtec at night. I have no allergies or asthma apparently.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Okay so I just got back from the allergist. Post by: HivesGuy on January 26, 2011, 05:53:48 PM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks for the update! That is very interesting med combination. Let us know how it works for you. I hope it helps reduce the symptoms for you.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: WOW…maybe Post by: Rogerq23 on January 27, 2011, 02:39:22 AM
——————————————————————————–
I got covers, and all those stuff… you are lucky that you can stay away from stuff that makes you have Cholinergic Urticaria. But there are some people like me, that cant stay away from the environment, its inevitable. According to my allergist its the environment that triggers my allergies ===> Cholinergic Urticaria. Since you can stay away from those food… good, you got the solution! just dont be greedy and you will be happy 🙂 Sadly, i cant get away from the environment…
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: White Rice on January 27, 2011, 08:35:29 AM
——————————————————————————–
I’m not allergic to anything they tested me for (including dust mites).
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: WOW…maybe Post by: Duper on January 27, 2011, 12:49:36 PM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: Rogerq23 on January 27, 2011, 02:39:22 AM
I got covers, and all those stuff… you are lucky that you can stay away from stuff that makes you have Cholinergic Urticaria. But there are some people like me, that cant stay away from the environment, its inevitable. According to my allergist its the environment that triggers my allergies ===>
Cholinergic Urticaria. Since you can stay away from those food… good, you got the solution! just dont be greedy and you will be happy 🙂 Sadly, i cant get away from the environment… Did your allergist specify what it was in the environment that triggers your Cholinergic Urticaria?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Why I think I have Cholinergic Urticaria Post by: LookMaNoHives on January 27, 2011, 07:02:47 PM
——————————————————————————–
I have given this a lot of thought and come up with thousands of explanations and have settled on one. Since I am a pharmacy student I am taking a lot of medical classes. Right now I am in Pathophysiology and we just covered immunopathologies so a lot of what I have been reading makes sense! There are a bunch of theories to why this disorder develops, and based on my knowledge and particular case I think I know why I have it. If you haven’t read “My story” I will brief you on it to understand. None of my problems existed until I moved into a new apartment that I have never been in before. When I moved in my allergies went crazy and I was the sickest I have ever been from allergies.
I found out that I am highly allergic to dust and dust mites and I believe that my house is probably infested with dust mites. My theory is that my immune system ran itself ragged trying to destroy all of these antigens in my body. In the midst of it all I think that my immune system got hypersensitive and started this whole hive thing. It might seem elementary, but I blame the landlords for inadequate living conditions. I wish I could sue them because as a college student I can’t really afford the medication or the allergist bills.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Why I think I have Cholinergic Urticaria Post by: HivesGuy on January 27, 2011, 08:28:19 PM
——————————————————————————–
Interesting theory, and I have to agree. I think that the most likely explanation at this point (and I have had my share of crazy hypotheses and experiments over the years), is that it is most likely an autoimmune allergy issue. I think it may have multiple causes (maybe dust mites for some, and some other issue for others), but once it starts, removing whatever caused it probably won’t cure it. It just kinda has to go away on its own I think. Like one day your immune system just finally realizes your own sweat isn’t an enemy.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: WOW…maybe Post by: Rogerq23 on January 27, 2011, 08:29:09 PM
——————————————————————————–
He said many things that I forgot. I remember when i was about to take the allergy test. They put alcohol in my arm to sterilize the part that they are going to put the allergens on, after putting the alcohol my arm was already red. No Allergen nothing!… He pointed the areas that were swollen by the allergen, practically all of them were swollen. He mentioned mold, dust mite, dust… etc… i cant remember, I guess to some trees and plants (pollen).
But all of the spot were swollen in a certain way. Since we cant get away from the environment, he gave me allergy shots for a year, but he just gave me for a half year doses since I was coming here to America to study and I keep them the shots for a long time, i guess they expire. A interesting thing that must mention is that I dont have Cholinergic Urticaria back in my country. I just have it in here California, i dont really know about other states. I can really know that because when I go back for vacation it goes away after the first week staying in my Home country. When i come back to California im fine the first week, but after the first week Cholinergic Urticaria comes again. I guess my allergy shows up in a different way in my home country, I cough instead of Cholinergic Urticaria, and i coughed for months.
I remember in my teenage, I tried a lot of coughing medication, when to a lot of doctors, until one figured it it by a IgE test that it was an allergy. I can sweat a lot in my homecountry, and i get reddish in my chest and it can be a lil itchy in my chest but not painful. which in my definition is not Cholinergic Urticaria. It was so light the itchy sensation. So my conclusion: The allergy shows up in different ways depending on where I am. He said I was allergic to mold, pollen –> environment.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: WOW…maybe Post by: robbie on February 01, 2011, 12:07:23 AM
——————————————————————————–
To be honest, he specfied nothing. He kind of smiled and said try it and see. I ran today and yesterday almost an hour each time and nothing yesterday and today about 5 hives total and I’ve just moved so dust galore. I’ll be curious how summer goes as I show very allergic to grass.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Okay so I just got back from the allergist. Post by: AdamM on February 01, 2011, 09:57:11 PM
——————————————————————————–
Alright i’ve been taking it for a few days now. The Claritin/Pepsid in the morning doesn’t do nothing for me unfortunately my dreadful Tuesday work was sure to remind me of that. The Zyrtec i’m not sure if its working since I take it at night but I do know it helps me sleep. I also got blood drawn for both my primary doctor and the allergist. That was a terrible experience since I did both requests at the same time the nurse must of took 10 vials of blood out of my arm in one sitting I nearly passed out lol.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Okay so I just got back from the allergist. Post by: HivesGuy on February 02, 2011, 12:00:08 AM
——————————————————————————–
Sorry to hear you aren’t getting much relief. Try not to get too discouraged though. I am sure you can find a combination that can work for you. Yes, I know it can be very nauseating to have a lot of blood withdrawn lol. Please keep us posted on how things go, and I am hoping you find out some good information and get some relief soon.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Okay so I just got back from the allergist. Post by: AdamM on February 02, 2011, 07:49:40 AM
——————————————————————————–
You know that I think about it the Pepsid has helped me be a little less reactive because before taking it I could guarantee to get a reaction no matter what I do. But after doing it i’m at least able to pace myself to prevent a reaction or a full blown one atleast. Which is better than nothing I suppose lol. I notice others get the reactions when its hot. My reactions only seem to occur under stress or strenuous activity like I can sit in a car with a coat on while the heat is blasting and not get a reaction but lugging something up and down the stairs will cause a hive breakout. I’m fortunate for this but at the same time puzzled.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: WOW…maybe Post by: robbie on February 04, 2011, 12:51:34 PM
——————————————————————————–
Update: I’ve been running again and starting back with weights. I just moved into a new place with carpet and lots of dust as it was not cleaned prior to my arrival. I got about 5 or 6 hives per run but I’m cleaninging ALL of it this weekend. Overall, I’m thinking the dust is a huge one for me as I seem to notice it most when I’m in a dusty environment then exercise.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: WOW…maybe Post by: LookMaNoHives on February 04, 2011, 03:28:00 PM
——————————————————————————–
Has anyone tried Allersearch X-Mite Anti-Allergen Carpet Cleaning Powder? It is supposed to kill dust mites and I was thinking of buying and trying it to see if it makes my symptoms better. I just didn’t know if it was a waste of money or not. And if you haven’t tried it do you think it would work?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: LucidHvn on February 07, 2011, 10:30:06 PM
——————————————————————————–
Oh my God!!… this makes so much sense!! dust mites of course! I’ll tell you guys my story. first of all.. I’m new here so nice to meet you all 🙂 It basically started around September.. I get hives every time I sweat.. get nervous… anyways, you know the rest 😛 I’ve really suffered with this because I’m a musician so when I play live, I immediately get infested with hives. It feels like 1000 needles all over my arms, chest, back, legs..
I’m under an antihistamine and antidepressants treatment.. but honestly I don’t feel any effect. It has been extremely frustrating and sometimes I really think I’ll go crazy because I can’t do anything anymore!! I hate the anxiety of knowing that I’ll get a hive attack at any moment. Now I see this topic for the first time and it hit me! Last year and up until now, I have been sleeping every single weekend in an old mattress on the floor, next to my girlfriends bed (her parents won’t let me sleep with her on the same bed hehe) anyways, this mattress is always hidden under a bed on a very dusty wooden floor… but I never realized that this could harm me in any way.
LAST WEEKEND, I was simply sitting on the mattress and talking to my girlfriend when suddenly.. I got a hives attack! the strange thing was, I wasn’t nervous, not sweating at the moment.. the temperature was excellent. ALSO, during that night..
I began to have a lot of itching on my back in the middle of the night, and I knew it was the mattress so I had to sleep in the living room… even then, still I couldn’t associate any relation to the mattress with the hives. Now by reading this post it all just makes sense. It’s that darn mattress! Now that I just realize this I’m never sleeping in that matress again. But I need advice on how to get rid of the dust mites that are in my body right now. Thank you all so much for sharing your opinions! 🙂
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: HivesGuy on February 10, 2011, 09:10:12 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey lucidhvn, Great post and welcome to the forum. If you are allergic to dustmites, it could definitely make your allergies/hives worse. But eliminating them may not make your hives go away. But as far as what you can do, you basically can just get dust mite proof bedding (usually plastic coverings that cover your matress/pillows), wash your sheets at least 1 time per week, keep the temperature in check, and so forth. That is about all you can do really. Oh, and keep your house clean so dust doesn’t build up.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: taz on February 10, 2011, 12:32:58 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey nowash. Thanks for the link. That is interesting as I have never heard of that kind of urticaria before. Unfortunately, I don’t think that is what I have got. The dots I have aren’t hives. They are like tiny pin prick red dots on my left hand. I started getting them about 6 months after my Cholinergic Urticaria started so… Tbh, you can barely see them if you aren’t really looking, but since I noticed them when they first started appearing, I always know they are there.
They do have a kind of patch of lighter skin around them, not necessarily an even circle though. It is very weird and I can find hardly anything about them on the internet. In terms of my Cholinergic Urticaria, it is still bothersome at times. Actually, I just had a really good sweat by walking/running earlier today which felt really good. I wish my body would sweat more easily in the winter. Oh well.
I haven’t actually been to the doctor for this thing but I don’t see the point. I have taken anti histamines in the past like benadryl, but they only work now and again. I think if I keep taking them more and more, they just get less effective and in the end make the condition worse so I have decided to not take them anymore. I don’t drink coffee but I do eat a lot of chocolate. I don’t get hives as a direct result of eating it no, but I guess it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to lay of it a bit! ;D
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: Henrik on February 18, 2011, 02:09:50 PM
——————————————————————————–
I’ve had several allergy tests since my heat hives started nine years ago. None of them have come up positive for anything.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: LookMaNoHives on February 19, 2011, 12:08:14 PM
——————————————————————————–
I got the skin prick tests done, and I thought I was mainly allergic to cats and dogs, but it turned out I was really allergic to dust mites! The histamine spot was about the size of a mini M&M, my dust mite spot was the size of a jelly bean. Dust was my 2nd largest allergy and it was about the size of an M&M. After that, mold, cats, and any animal with fur elicited a small response.
——————————————————————————–
Title: The reason why Cholinergic Urticaria is incurable Post by: ken8lk on March 02, 2011, 07:03:00 PM
——————————————————————————–
After months of theorizing, I came to the conclusion that Cholinergic Urticaria is incurable. Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms are probably universal, and their causes are specific to each person. Like how some people’s Cholinergic Urticaria was caused by dust mites, while others’ were caused by chocolate. This means that there MUST be a cure for everyone, but it might be really subtle/sneaky, while obvious in some. I heard that someone had similar symptoms from an allergic reaction to radio waves. So start searching for possible allergies (I havent been tested for anything yet), you might be surprised in what you find.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: The reason why Cholinergic Urticaria is incurable Post by: willdev on March 13, 2011, 05:08:11 PM
——————————————————————————–
I would say some ChU cases are completely internal, the auto lugus test confirms this theory. Those who fail this test I believe have an allergy to something
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: The reason why Cholinergic Urticaria is incurable Post by: ken8lk on March 13, 2011, 10:06:25 PM
——————————————————————————–
Whatre auto lugus tests?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: The reason why Cholinergic Urticaria is incurable Post by: nowash on March 13, 2011, 11:27:43 PM
——————————————————————————–
Autologous tests. Autologous means from the same body, so an autologous test is a transfer of something from your body to another part of your body and watching the reaction, if any. Researchers have used two kinds of autologous tests on ChU patients using either: 1) Their own sweat or 2) Their own serum (blood plasma).
There is a high incidence of a positive reaction (hive reaction) to either of these tests in ChU patients, suggesting there is something in the sweat or serum causing our hives, either through IgE mediated means or not; I’m not sure what the researchers think, as I can’t read the article. And so what willdev is saying is that people who do not have a positive autologous reaction are probably allergic to something in their environment and not in their body. I personally think ChU is curable, even if that cure comes with chronic treatment.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: The reason why Cholinergic Urticaria is incurable Post by: ken8lk on March 14, 2011, 08:58:15 PM
——————————————————————————–
hmm…should I ask for one of those at the doctors? I dont have any hives, though.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Highest Pollen Count in 2011 Post by: Slick1020 on May 07, 2011, 09:25:47 AM
——————————————————————————–
On CNN or FOX news they reported this year as the highest pollen count on record.
——————————————————————————–
Title: So I went to a Urticaria/Allergy specialist Post by: Lothy on October 20, 2011, 12:21:06 PM
——————————————————————————–
I just got the results from all the blood work they did. All my results for everything was really good, except one thing. Vitamin D. Apparently they couldn’t even find a trace of it in my blood. So starting today I’ll be given 50,000 iu of vitamin D. I can’t recall at the moment if that was daily or weekly, but its for two months. I’ll know when I pick up the prescription later today. Hopefully this will help cure my urticaria, or at least make it happen less often. Currently they have me taking Zyrtec, 2 tabs in the morning and 2 tabs at night along with Zantac 150mg twice daily. This combination has helped me, but I still get outbreaks.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: So I went to a Urticaria/Allergy specialist Post by: Lothy on October 21, 2011, 05:59:25 PM
——————————————————————————–
The dosage they gave me was 50,000 iu once a week for two months. I’ll report back any successes this might bring.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: So I went to a Urticaria/Allergy specialist Post by: nowash on October 21, 2011, 06:00:20 PM
——————————————————————————–
That’s interesting. How often do you go out in the sun? Are you completely pale? Or can some people not make much of their own vitamin D…? I think I’ve read a study where some people can’t convert beta-carotene to retinol efficiently, maybe there’s a vitamin D version of that. Hopefully it gets rid of your urticaria. I think it should! I don’t think I’ve ever gotten my vit D levels tested, has anyone else?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: So I went to a Urticaria/Allergy specialist Post by: Lothy on November 04, 2011, 02:41:51 PM
——————————————————————————–
I’m on week three of the 50,000 units of vitamin D per week treatment and all urticaria outbreaks have pretty much stopped. I’ve noticed a couple wheels here and there but nothing that’s caused any discomfort or itching/pain. I am becoming more and more optimistic about this treatment and I’m about to start a new work out routine that involves more of an actual workout(time to go jogging). I’ll pack my epipen with me just in case 😛 Wish me luck.
——————————————————————————–
Title: 15+ Years Suffering Post by: Cathie on November 23, 2011, 07:24:21 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello everyone, I’m Cathie and have suffered with Cholinergic Urticaria since I was about 17 years old. I started to notice it in high school weight training class when our coach would make us run a mile…my legs would itch like crazy. I blew it off. I can’t remember if I had it before then, but for the 3 years prior I wasn’t very active. I have asthma and eczema as well. I found out that I had Cholinergic Urticaria in about the year 2000 when I was 21, researching something like “hives while walking” or something, and came across an obscure article online. At that time that was it. There was no other information, but my doctor prescribed me an allergy medication and it helped.
I eventually went off of the that and just avoided strenuous walking and running. In 2008 I broke out in hives non-stop chronically, mainly on my legs and bikini area. I didn’t know what it was at first (they didn’t look like hives) so I went to my General doc and GYN…one said probably eczema, the other yeast…a couple of weeks later I finally got in to see an allergist and he said Hives. He did a ton of testing on me and I’m allergic to TONS of trees, dust mites, etc. I’m on another allergy med now which has helped a TON but suddenly…the hives are back. ??? I’m taking it religiously nightly. So it looks like allergy shots will be my next step. During pregnancy NOTHING helped. 🙁 I’ve started taking zantac (and my allergy med) to help with the hives until I can get in and be seen. It’s been 15 years suffering through Cholinergic Urticaria though.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do You Have a High Dust Mite or Other Allergy? Post by: Cathie on November 23, 2011, 08:00:32 PM
——————————————————————————–
I have had testing and AM allergic to dust mites (both types), plus most trees, and ragweed. I can’t remember what else I tested positive for, but it wasn’t grass or mold. No pet allergies or known food allergies, however I’ve been having an oral allergy syndrome reaction to something in buttercream frosting. In a recipe I made it included: butter, cream cheese, milk, powdered sugar (which contains cornstarch), and pure vanilla extract. I eliminated the butter and vanilla, using vegan butter and shortening, and made it chocolate with cocoa powder, and had no reaction. I used margarine with a little vanilla, no reaction. I picked up some alcohol free vanilla to see if that does anything when I use the original recipe…because I tend to get very plugged up when drinking ANY alcohol (so I rarely ever drink).
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: 15+ Years Suffering Post by: HivesGuy on November 24, 2011, 05:09:27 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Cathie, Thanks so much for sharing your story, and welcome to the forum! Wow, you’ve definitely been battling this for a while haven’t you. I’m going on close to 11 years now since I’ve dealt with this, and thank God I’ve finally got it to where I can manage it. I am glad to hear that the meds you are on help some though. Thanks again for your post and welcome ;D
——————————————————————————–
Title: Anyone have an allergy to… Post by: Cathie on November 24, 2011, 11:08:41 AM
——————————————————————————–
I have an allergy to all cillins (Penicillin, amoxicillin, etc), and I’ve had it since I was a toddler. When I was 18 I developed an allergy to Tetracycline. I also have a sensitivity to erythromycin, and azithromycin (zithromax). Feel free to elaborate on your poll reply.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Anyone have an allergy to… Post by: HivesGuy on November 24, 2011, 05:19:00 PM
——————————————————————————–
Nope, not that I know about.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: 15+ Years Suffering Post by: mousqy on November 25, 2011, 12:29:41 AM
——————————————————————————–
try omega 3 works for me
——————————————————————————–
Title: Detox? Post by: Batavan on December 03, 2011, 12:54:02 AM
——————————————————————————–
This may be a little bit early, but when I’m done school in 4 years and move out, I wan’t to try and start completely fresh to try and get rid of allergens that may be causing or making my urticaria worse. I know I am allergic to cats (and I currently live with one), so not having an animal in the house may help. I’ve heard laundry detergent can also be a cause, so I may try starting a brand new wardrobe too. I’m going to stop drinking milk. I believe this is a factor because I’m allergic to cheese/milk and especially ice cream / milkshakes. And hopefully living on my own will remove stress which I heard is also a leading factor. Is there any other things I could do to “start fresh”? Also, I remember reading a while ago that urticaria goes away on it’s own after many years, but I couldn’t find any info on that now. I think I remember reading that it went away on its own after around 7 years? Does anyone have any information on this? Thanks in advance. 😀
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Detox? Post by: HivesGuy on December 03, 2011, 06:55:38 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Batavan, Great post and welcome to the forum. I use a brand of detergent by ALL that is hypoallergenic (recommended by dermatologists). It is good stuff. You probably don’t need a whole new wardrobe if you simply wash them once or twice in new detergent. I’ve written some info on my blog of some things to consider. You don’t have to do it all at once, and most of it isn’t very expensive at all. But some other ideas are shower filters, dust-mite proof bedding, try to clean regularly, avoid excessive rugs and carpet which harbor dust/dirt. I have all laminate, wood, or tile in my house, and also leather furniture so dust can just sit in the furniture. Diet can also help, and I have found that there is no doubt that diet will make my Cholinergic Urticaria significantly worse. So eating clean and doing elimination diet can be beneficial. Yes, urticaria can go away. The study you are referring to was on a website called emedicine.com. It said the average duration in one study was around 7.5 years I think. Some people retained it longer. It may go away on its own, or it may not. Some people on this forum have had it much longer than that. It has been 11 years now since I first got it, but now I manage it and control the symptoms.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Detox? Post by: nowash on December 03, 2011, 12:46:22 PM
——————————————————————————–
Has yours come back, HG?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Detox? Post by: HivesGuy on December 03, 2011, 01:16:05 PM
——————————————————————————–
Nowash, No, I am not experiencing Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms (itching, hives, flushing). I am managing it 100% at this point. I am able to workout and sweat, go to the store, and live without experiencing symptoms or using drugs such as antihistamines–so long as I stay on my strict diet and do the other things I mention on the blog. At the same time, I consider myself to still have it only in the sense that I still consider myself allergic to poison ivy.
I don’t experience poison ivy symptoms as long as I don’t touch the plant. Likewise, I don’t experience Cholinergic Urticaria as long as I stay on this strict diet, and do the other things I’ve mentioned on the blog and other posts. If I stray from the diet, don’t workout regularly, and don’t use the other things I’ve mentioned–then it would most certainly be back within a week or two. Also, this time marks the 11th anniversary since I first got it. So I’ve had it 11 years (minus a year or two that it went away).
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: Struikgewas on January 18, 2012, 03:06:47 PM
——————————————————————————–
Great, great, great post. I didn’t think about a link with dust or mites yet! A few weeks before my cholinergic urticaria started (a year ago) i bought a realy big dust-attracting chair; and guess what I just removed it. Also did an allergy-test today (food, mites etc.) Hope the result will make me wiser! Greets from Holland
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria Hives Cure: They are gone! Post by: Daria on January 20, 2012, 01:11:30 PM
——————————————————————————–
i saw this revisited post & thought i would also chime in..my first allergist that i saw in 2007/2008 did the skin testing & confirmed that i do have an allergy to dust mites..not sure what to do about my office job though since there is carpet..i do not have carpet in my house & just got a new bed- tempurpedic with mattress protector that prevents dust mites..though i am better this year than all previous years i am not sure it is the dust mites..maybe its my pets?..i had 3 cats when i was hive free..
but since then i have added 3 dogs in the past 3 years..but i have gotten better..i think it may be my vitamins that are actually helping me..but i just wanted to comment..thanks antihives -daria
——————————————————————————–
Title: 1 and a half years Post by: nshiell on January 25, 2012, 06:05:24 PM
——————————————————————————–
I developed urticaria for the first time about a year and a half ago during the summer. I thought maybe I’m just a little sweaty maybe a nice warm shower will sooth it. AAAGGGGHHHH!!!!! Anyways every other day in the evenings I now take a cetirizine hydrochloride tablet (over the counter – non prescription). This keeps it manageable so I can sleep. I had a blood test & a chest X-Ray done and my doctor said looking at the results “hmmmm, well this test says your allergic to something”. The strange thing is it hasn’t eased off at all since I first developed it and apart from flaring up more in the evenings it has been quite stable. Strange that nothing seems to bring it on, familiar to anyone?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: 1 and a half years Post by: HivesGuy on February 11, 2012, 07:46:26 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey nshiell, Thanks for sharing your story ;D. That’s funny what your doctor said. Typical doctor intelligence hehe. If your test indicated an allergy response, it may be wise to spend some time examining your diet, environment, etc. Diet can certainly increase the inflammatory response of your immune system, as can many other factors. There are lots of posts on this site and forum to help give you some ideas of what’s worked for others (as always consult a doc first).
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Detox? Post by: mtdew24541 on April 16, 2012, 11:37:15 AM
——————————————————————————–
What’s the diet that you’re on? What do you eat, what do you avoid eating? How did you determine those things?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Detox? Post by: HivesGuy on April 16, 2012, 12:19:17 PM
——————————————————————————–
@mtdew24541, If you read my blog (it may be a few posts back), I go into detail of what I eat. Basically right now, I eat this: –Turkey (no additives/preservatives) –Chicken (no additives/preservatives) –Lettuce, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, corn –Strawberries, blueberries, bananas (usually in the form of a smoothie–check my blog for the recipe) –Water –Multivitamin Basically, I’m avoiding dairy, gluten, additives, food coloring, preservatives, etc. Pretty much raw fruits/veggies. I also avoid things such as oils (since they often have added things to prevent rancidity), and so forth. Again, I go into much more detail on some of my blog posts concerning diet.