How to Cope with Exercise With Cholinergic Urticaria

[kez0605]

Hi

How does everyone cope with exercise, I have had a baby and really want to do some exercise.  Everytime I do anything vigorus ie get my heartrate going which really is the only way to try and loose weight, I break out.  I cannot go to the gym as nearly always break out, I try to do dvd's at home with a fan and windows open but again always end up having a breakout.  I am so frustrated, has anyone got any tips or just carry on and keep having the break outs.

[HivesGuy]

Exercise is very hard for me to, and let me just caution that some people with Cholinergic Urticaria (not all) can go into anaphylactic shock, so always beware of that. I never have, but some have reported doing that, so be careful.

But what I usually do is I turn a big fan on me, and turn on the A/c to get it as cool as I can. I then workout, and when I feel itchy, I take a break for a minute. Some like to work through the attack. I can do this sometimes, but other times it is much too severe to even try.

But that is how I do it. A cold squirt bottle of water can help too.

What about everyone else? Do you do anything special?

Good luck.

[thecheezit]

Only thing I can recommend is just keep trying to workout as much as possible. When I first got Cholinergic Urticaria 2 years ago I was not able to lift weights, I would quit every time because I just got so itchy/prickly and the rash on my face just got to me. I sucked it up and tried as hard as I could to fight through it and now I can finally lift weights without having any problems, took me about 4 months to build up a tolerance to be able to lift weights. I don't know what changed but I guess maybe I am in better shape now and have learned to pace myself to get through a workout. I can also run on an elliptical machine for 45 minutes fine without breaking out in a rash, maybe a mild one if that. But I still can not run, if I try to run outside I will break out in the worst rash and sometimes have a hard time breathing. It is really strange to me how I can run on an elliptical machine but cant run outside .

So my recommendation is learn to pace yourself through your workouts, allow your body to cool down a little bit between sets or what ever your doing, and maybe try to run on an elliptical machine to see how you can handle that if running isn't an option like me.

[ladylindsey]

Hello all! This is my first post on this forum as I worked out for the first time in awhile today, had issues, and immediately googled the symptoms and voila! Here I am.

I have always been very fit and exercise quite often. I'm a dancer and started running in middle and high school at cheerleading practice. Never had a problem.  After I stopped running for a few years, I had problems when I tried to upstart running again for fitness.

Well I really haven't ran in about 10 yrs. But I do remember the same thing happening after only 2 yrs away from running for fitness. If I'm jogging or running, inside or out, sweating or dry, hot or cold, after about 30 seconds, my thighs and butt are on FIRE. And not in a good way! I am trying to train for a 5K and I just don't think I can. It's awful to end your training session not even out of breath hardly but DYING. My thighs and butt itch so so so bad. I don't have welts or anything, but the skin gets very splotchy and red, and yes, don't ever scratch it or it's bad!

I want to run- I want to do this 5K- I'm fit enough to do it, but I don't know if I can. It burns and itches so badly. All the doctors I've talked to have no idea what it is and think it's in my head. I can do absolutely ANY other exercise and it doesn't happen, but if I start running, it itches and burns.

Any other cases similar to mine find any relief? Should I fight through the breakouts or stop? I don't know how dangerous it is.

I literally almost started crying from the pain today on the treadmill.

[HivesGuy]

Hey ladylindsey,

Excellent post and welcome to the forum!

I am so sorry to hear about your itching when you run. I know a few people seem to get Cholinergic Urticaria on their legs, and it drives them crazy.

I don't usually get it in that area (it is mostly my upper body that goes crazy), but I know how you feel.

As far as your question of trying to fight through or stop, it depends. Some people on this forum like to fight through the breakouts, and for them, sometimes they eventually stop and they sweat. Others have a very hard time fighting through the reaction, because the reactions can become very intense and long lasting. Rarely, some can even go into anaphylactic shock if they continue having the reaction, which is very serious and could lead to death.

So it is hard to give you specific advice because it is hard to tell how your body could react. One thing I would recommend is talking to a dermatologist about some antishistamine combinations. You may be able to get enough relief to run your 5K, and you could perhaps take them only on days you run (since that is when the reaction typically presents itself).

Good luck and thanks again for the great post!

[ladylindsey]

Thank you for your reply! It is very helpful!

At first, I assumed since I carry most of the extra fat on my body,as most women do, on my butt and thighs, that it was just me burning off the fat(haha literally) or working that area more than usual. But that just can't be what it is haha.

My training for the 5K is walking for 90 seconds, jogging for 60 seconds for 20 minutes.  I don't have a problem at all when I walk, but after about 20 seconds of the 60 intervals, I'm itching and burning like crazy! Then when I walk again it goes away, only to return when I start the next jogging interval. It is quite frustrating!

I run again tomorrow so I'll see if it's the same, better, or worse. Hopefully, it might get better over time as I run more often. If it gets worse I won't be able to take it and will have to stop. I'll see a dermatologist for sure though- thank you! I wasn't quite sure which type of doctor would be best to consult. Most general practitioners have no clue when I mention it to them.

I started a group of people doing this 5K training program, and I just can't drop out haha. I would feel so bad! So we'll see how it goes- I'll keep everyone posted and hopefully, it gets better

Thank you! So glad I'm not crazy like the doctors think haha.