Hello!
I’m a 23-year old ex-collegiate rower, and wanted to share how I developed cholinergic urticaria. My whole life up to 23, I never knew I had CU. I played sports all my life (important for later) and was a rower in college for my freshman and sophomore years.
I stopped rowing due to a back injury, and so for a few months I hadn’t been sweating, which was a first for me. My whole life I sweat regularly most week days due to sports.
After those couple months of not sweating, I began to get extremely bad, prickly needle symptoms in my skin, everywhere. I noticed the burning and knife-feeling spread as time went on. At first it was the stinging, then the physical hives rash set in, and it freaked me out.
The cholinergic urticaria bump fields were everywhere in my upper body and were spreading to my lower body. I went to two dermatologists and one allergist, and I explained to all of them the timeline as I did above a little bit. I told them “All these symptoms started when I stopped sweating”.
They thought it couldn’t have been from sweating, but somehow non-coincidentally the hives just “started up”
I refused to believe that because my body’s intuition was telling me that it felt like the hives and the stinging was trying to push something out (like sweat). They put me on antihistamines of all sorts, I guess the name-brands such as Zyrtec, Claritin, etc. Nothing worked at all.
So I said screw it, I’m gonna exercise to see if it starts going away. At this point, the hives were most everywhere on my body, and the burning stinging was everywhere. It started to become almost emotionally unbearable, because it would happen many times a day.
Low and behold, after consistent biking and more conditioning-type of working out (bike, run, etc.) the stinging and the hives went down down down.
I kept sweating like I had done when I was an athlete, and the symptoms were coming down basically to wear I wouldn’t feel them anymore daily.
Unfortunately, during the months I was not exercising and going in the sun due to not knowing that I had CU, I got multiple heat exhaustion episodes. This was partly because I hadn’t gone into the sun, purposefully, but also because the CU was/is preventing me from sweating like a normal person would perhaps.
Anyway, with the sun/heat exhaustion part aside, I would suggest to anyone with CU symptoms like mine to try (if not already, or if you haven’t yet tried) to start with a couple of weeks of consistent exercise that results in you sweating a lot. Literally, try to push out the sweat as much as you can, and hopefully you can get the results I did.
With my own history of athletics, I basically had kept my CU condition away because of constant athletics. I had it, but didn’t know I did because being in the sun and sweating A TON.
Now I’m exercising regularly and my hives (burning, and the rash) are basically gone again. Again, may not work for everyone, but just a tip for trying to lower these nasty symptoms!
-Hayden T.
Editor’s Note: Please talk to a doctor before trying an exercise program. Also, sweating may not be safe or feasible for all people, especially those with anhidrosis, anaphylaxis, or other health issues.
Hivesguy says
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Hayden. I hope your hives continue to improve and stay away.
Rash says
Totally agree with you re the sweating. Suffered for about 35 yrs with some tears in between with no outbreaks. In the last year have been taking Cetirizine daily but then started jogging at the gym and sweating and virtually stopped Cetirizine. Been on holidays for over a week with. I exercise and have had 2-3 rashes daily with daily tablets.
Rash says
Meant to edit before I posted. Basically I am saying I’ve been on holidays for a week with no exercise and my rashes have been awful even with taking a daily Zyrtec. Sweating and exercise really help me
Mary Kate says
Thank you so very much for sharing. I have basically gone through the same thing. I have been an athlete my whole life, 57 years. I stopped sweating due to a sciatic nerve injury last year and developed CU (autoimmune). Went to Derms., Allergists…my Chinese medicine Dr. told me to start sweating! I am having my back operated on in September and will return to physical activity soon. Thank you so much for telling your story. I has helped me.I wish you well Hayden.
Josh says
Hey Hayden,
I’m also 23yrs old and developed CU spontaneously 2 weeks after I moved to Denver. Any chance I can pick your brains about a few things? Either way, thanks for posting this. Doctor’s haven’t been much help.
-Josh
Hayden says
For sure! Would love to help as much as I can from my own experience
Theresa says
Hello everybody. Same accounts for me – sweating helps a lot. But what are your reactions if you stop sweating through sports again? Does it come back? What is your theory why CU appeared? Did you take an antibiotics? Do you have digestion problems? (This is what I think is the issue)