Cholinergic Urticaria (Chronic Heat Hives)-Cholinergic Urticaria.net I Get Itchy Heat Hives (Cholinergic Urticaria) When I Get Hot or Exercise

Ahh, what is a normal day in the life of a person with Cholinergic Urticaria? Really, it is the same as a any other person, with a few exceptions (of course). I mean technically we are completely healthy and normal until the heat gets cranked up, then our bodies go nuts. So what is a normal day for me? Here is a typical day in my life.

A Normal Day for a Guy with Cholinergic Urticaria

Yesterday I woke up as the sunlight peeked through my curtains in my bedroom. It was around 8:00 a.m. I immediately reached for my laptop off the side of the bed to check the web and see if anything new was going on. Nothing was.

I then surfed the web for a while as my wife slowly woke up, and we then talked about our plans for the day. My wife then went off to the kitchen to make breakfast. It was scrambled eggs with 2 pieces of toast (with blackberry jam), a side of fried potatoes, and some juice. Yum, it looked delicious.

I quickly glanced to make sure nothing spicy was on my plate. My wife knows at this point to never put pepper or any spicy things on my plate (thank goodness). We all know how spicy food can evoke a painful skin burning reaction. Luckily, no spiciness was found. I then ate the delicious breakfast. This was the 3rd day in a row my wife has cooked a big breakfast, and it was nice because I had been eating cereal for the past few weeks and was needing some “real” food for breakfast.

My wife and I then made out a grocery list (as it was once again time for shopping). We added the usual items, finished out our list, got dressed, and off we went to Walmart. Lately, I have been staying in the car and I have let my wife do the shopping. It just works out better that way, and ensures I won’t have to deal with a public attack of cholinergic urticaria. Not that I always have an attack, but it is a much greater risk in the winter because stores generally have a heater going full blast. All it takes is for the stupid self-checkout to keep going, “Please place your item in the bagging area….” five times in a row, and that will usually get the hives kicking.

Of course, my wife doesn’t mind shopping solo either, because she can get some extra snacks that weren’t on the list (she knows she can get away with it). She says they are for the Superbowl (but I know that is just an excuse). Anyway, neither of us really care about watching sports (especially me, which I admit, is odd considering I am a male). So I sat in the car and I wrote down a few ideas and things I need to do on my notebook as my wife battled the always-crowded retail store. My wife was finished before I was even done with my comprehensive list.

We then headed home, unpacked the groceries, and made lunch. We had spaghetti and a salad for lunch. It too was delicious, but also brought my first “mini-attack” of cholinergic urticaria for the day. I had accidentally put too much vinegar & oil on my salad. I can usually eat vinegar just fine, but this time I added slightly too much, and the acidity made my temperature rise slightly. This caused that uncomfortable sensation on my whole body, followed by a couple of small “prickly” sensations on my forehead.

So I quickly grabbed a cold drink of water to dilute the strong vinegar taste, and sat there for a few seconds trying to calm my body down. It worked. The uncomfortable sensation soon passed, and I was back to enjoying my meal. So far, so good.

I then talked to my mom on the phone, and spent some time working on some website stuff for a few hours while my wife enjoyed her day off by reading and surfing the web on her laptop. Things were moving right along, but I knew I wasn’t out of the woods yet…

My wife and I have really been trying to focus on working out lately. We have fallen out of the habit, and so we have both been trying to get ourselves back into an exercise routine. So after I got some online work done, I went and got my wife and we headed downstairs to workout.

I always dread working out, because I know the pain and suffering I will endure during the process. Even when I take time to prepare (by getting a water bottle, fan, etc.), it still usually can’t shake an attack. But this time, I didn’t bother with all of that stuff.  I just wanted to get a quick workout in.

As I started to slowly lift weights, I felt like a cow being led to the slaughter house. I knew some misery and pain lie in wait just ahead.  I started by slowly doing a few bicep curls with my dumbbell. I did a few sets until my biceps began to burn. So far, so good. I then did a few tricep exercises. At this point, I can feel my body heating up. So I took a quick breather. I knew not to push myself too hard, or else I will go into a massive attack.

After catching my breath and letting my body cool down a bit, I started again. Meanwhile my wife was running on our old and outdated treadmill. I usually life weights while she runs, and then we switch off.

I started to lift weights again until my muscles were burning with intensity, and my body temperature rises. Once I feel the uncomfortable feeling like a few prickles and itchies are imminent, I slow down and take a break.

Finally, I finished all of my arm workouts, and managed to get through it without a major attack. For some reason, I can handle lifting weights a lot better than when I start running or doing ab crunches. Those things raise my body temperature in a hurry (for some reason).

My wife finishes with the treadmill running, and I know it is my turn. So I get on, and slowly turn the dial until the motor starts to hum and the belt starts churning. I start with a brisk walk. Then, I crank up the dial and get into a nice jog. I continue this for a few minutes with no problems, knowing that at any minute my body temperature could spike above that fine line between normal and hives. At this point, I know the hives are lurking beneath my skin, waiting for my sweat glands to even attempt a release of sweat.

I continue running. The uncomfortable sensation starts coming on. I call this my “spider sense” (like spider-man’s). It lets me know an attack is coming before it actually comes out. I push it harder. I run even faster. Then, like clockwork, I begin to feel random “stings” and itches on my face, torso, and so forth. At first it is uncomfortable, but manageable. I keep running.

Then, the stings come on far more strongly. As if an army of fire ants are crawling on my body and biting me, my skin burns and stings and itches with incredible intensity. At this point, I say, “No more.” I can literally imagine millions of mast cells under my skin erupting with histamine.

I flip the off switch, and jump on the sides of the treadmill in a balancing act to prevent myself from getting thrown off the machine as it comes to a stop. I then take off my shirt, and I make sure I don’t move at all. I am very still, waiting and hoping the attack will quickly subside. Luckily, my basement is rather cold  (approximately 55 degrees) since I haven’t been running a heater down there. So my body is able to quickly calm down.

Little by little, the itching and stinging stops. My skin was temporarily left a little red and blotchy, but thankfully the attack is over. I was a little disappointed, because I wasn’t even beginning to get my heart pumping hard. I know it is virtually pointless to start again, because as soon as I get to the point where I actually get my heart pumping, the hives will start. Oh well. My wife and I conclude our little workout session and head back upstairs.

For the remainder of the night, we had a nice long talk about lots of random things. I also did a little more work online, and we finally  headed for bed.

As I got in bed, I went through my normal nightly routine: I first get in with my socks, pajama bottoms, and shirt. Then, as my body gets warm under the covers, I try to manually adjust my body temperature by removing my socks, shirt, or changing into shorts (as needed) until my body feels comfortable.

It sure can be a pain at night trying to constantly (and manually) adjust your body temperature to make sure you are comfortable. Otherwise, I will be left with a very “icky” feeling on my body as my body struggles to remain cool without the aid of sweat. I finally dose off, and sleep peacefully.

Just another typical day in the life of a guy with Cholinergic Urticaria…

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As we all know, it is important to exercise to stay in good physical health. But when you have a condition such as cholinergic urticaria (heat hives), this can be a serious challenge. So I thought I would write a few tips for those who want to still exercise, and also for those who may just be finding out that they have this condition and don’t want to be like a hermit all the time.

First, cholinergic urticaria is slightly different from another condition called “exercise induced anaphylaxis.” Exercise anaphylaxis is a little more life threatening than CU. Basically, people with this condition have similar symptoms as CU sufferers because they have a response when they get hot as well, but the main difference is they begin to go into shock (their throats can swell shut, etc). People with this condition can actually die from lack of oxygen & shock. So this post isn’t really geared towards that, however, some of these tips may help those with that condition as well.  Instead, these tips are for people who break out in hives & itching when they get hot. (As a side note, thankfully my throat has never started to shut on me, even during my worst break outs. So I guess I should be thankful for that).

Also, some of us try to “force ourselves to sweat.” This can be great sometimes to help manage the hives, but for those occasions where you have intense reactivity, and just want a simple workout without going through the agony of the itching & stinging, then these tips can help minimize your hives.

Tip 1: Consider Home Gym Equipment–Gyms can be a great place to socialize. They also usually have all the best equipment to stay in shape. However, it can be quite a challenge & very embarrasing to be breaking out in front of a group of people scratching yourself to death while you wait for the hives to finally give up its ruthless grip on your body. Plus many gym memberships can be a bit pricey. So if possible, it may be a better idea to invest that money in a few basic exercise machines, and some free weights. This way, you can work out in the comfort of your own home. Treadmills or elliptical machines have come down in price over the years, and you can often find them for as little as $100 or less on sale.  Also, home gym machines and free weights can also be found for less than $200. This equipment would be more than enough to ensure you get a full cardio & physical workout. Or, in some cases you don’t even need equipment. You can do ab crunches, pushups, ect. & stay in great shape as well.

Tip 2: Prepare for the workout–If you make the move to set up your own home exercise area, then you can easily work out in the comfort of your own home. I have always liked this better, because then you can listen to whatevere music you want, wear whatever you want, and don’t have to drive your car somewhere, or wait on a person to stop using an exercise machine. But I like to do a little preparation before I exercise (especially when I don’t want to break out in hives). 

Tip 3: Turn on the AC–First, I usually adjust my thermostat to a cooler temperature. This way, my body will take longer to actually heat up once I start exercising. It is a good idea to do this at least 30 minutes prior to exercising to give your heat pump/air conditioner time to cool the rooms.

Tip 4: Get a Fan–Next, I like to get my fan ready, and angle to where it will be blowing air directly at me as I work out. I am talking about those large square fans that really move a lot of air. I bought mine for only $10 at Walmart. This is a great way to keep cool during the workout. (As a side note, a nice loud fan can be your best friend if you live in an apartment & don’t want to hear your neighbors doing whatever…)

Tip 5: Wear Cool Clothing–After I get the temperature controlled, you should think about your exercise clothing. It is probably not the best idea to wear sweat pants  & a sweat shirt, or other tight or thick clothing. Instead, I usually wear a light pair of loose-fitting black shorts (the nylon net kind), and either don’t wear a shirt at all, or I wear a very light & thin t-shirt or tank top. This can be a BIG factor in helping you stay cool.

Tip 6: Get a Cold Drink–After this, it is a good idea to have a cold drink on hand. I usually have some cold water ready, so I can drink it any time I get thirsty during the workout. This also helps you stay on the inside, and keeps you from getting dehydrated.

Tip 7: Make Your Own Sweat–Last but not least, this is perhaps your best friend when it comes to preventing outbreaks…A Squirt Bottle. You can usually get a standard squirt bottle in a store for $1 or less (I wouldn’t recommend using one that previously had any chemical cleaners in it though–I would opt to get a new one).

Fill up your squirt bottle with water, and stick in in the freezer for a while & let it get really cold (but not frozen). Then, set it somewhere while you work out. If you start to get itchy, squirt yourself a few times with a cold mist. This will usually stop the CU dead in its tracks, especially if the water is ice cold and you stand in front of the fan. You can also squirt yourself a few times to help prevent an outbreak as well as stopping one after it started.  Remember, we have trouble sweating, and this mist simulates sweat on our bodies. So it helps cool the body down tremendously.

Something that has always been somewhat strange to me, is that I can literally start having a terrible hives reaction, but if I jump in a cold shower or somehow cool my body down really fast, it will stop almost immediately (I am talking like 2 seconds). Isn’t that strange? Just that quick & it will stop.

Anyways, don’t let cholinergic urticaria stop you from having those tight abs, or bulging biceps. You can still find ways to stay in great shape, and have a great workout. Don’t let the hives ruin your life or prevent you from staying healthy!

Diet Update:

As you all know, I have been going gluten-free and milk-free to see if it has any relationship with the hives. So far, the hives have lessened in intensity a little. It is not a huge difference, but again, I am going to do this for at least 2 months, so I can finally rule the diet out once and for all. Some days I think the diet may be causing it, other days I just don’t know. But since other people I have spoken with confirmed that it took them up to 1-2 months before their hives went away, I am not giving up on the diet until the full time has passed.

But the way I look at it, is like Thomas Edison when he was inventing the light bulb. Supposedly it took him 1000 times until he got it just right to where the light bulb would burn. He didn’t view those times as a failure.

Instead, when someone asked him about it he said, “I have not failed 1,000 times.  I have
successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb.” So that is the way I kind of look at the cholinergic urticaria. I hate it so bad, that I will try everything I can to make it go away. If it doesn’t work, then I have not yet failed. I have just successfully found a way that Doesn’t work, then I can mark it off my list and move on to the other idea. Maybe one day, I will find the one thing that is causing this, and if I can change it, I can live hives free once again…

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