Cholinergic Urticaria

21 and don’t know what to do anymore

by

I’m 21, male, and have been living with heat-induced urticaria since I was 16. Puberty struck, and I’d find myself walking to class and getting itchy/welts all over my arms and legs, usually hives on my forearms mostly.

I’ve developed a really gigantic insecurity about it, and I practically want to cry even discussing it right now. I used to go to the gym easily when I was 15-16 and didn’t have any problems, but it suddenly began.

I don’t know about sweat therapy, and I’m going to Brisbane this Winter (their summer), and I’m really worried. My health isn’t good, and I’ve developed a gigantic insecurity over my weight/inability to stay consistent with the gym due to these hives.

I know it’s all diet, but the gym was always the lynch pin for me. I don’t know what to do.

Thanks,

Sylvmatic

Comments

  1. My teenage son also has this problem. Have you tried Zyrtec every day as prevention? My son takes 20mg in the am and 20mg in the pm. It’s not just diet and exercise, it’s teaching your body to stop attacking. Good luck!

  2. I practice taking a hot shower before leaving home to provoke it and I have a less intensified attack during the day. I went to a tropical weather country and I suffered for around 3 weeks, but later my body started getting used to it and I was able to go out and take sun lights with rubbing ice in my skin. It is really really hard. Now I am back here in the cold weather, and I just run everyday.

  3. I have heat induced hives as well. I found that using a Combination of aloe and invisible zinc lotion really helps. It’s not a cure, but it will relieve the itch and reduce break outs.

  4. Dear Sylvmatic,
    Dont get depressed my friend. I have been suffering from this since 15 years.
    I do the following and it helps.

    1. I dont let my self have constipation and it helps.
    2. Avoid sugar as much as possible.
    3. Take vegetarian food.
    4. Put a good quality shower filter in your bath shower.
    5. Use ice filled pouch on your affected areas when severe attack.
    6. Take telfast 180 mg tablet once a day for a week or so when
    extensive hives and the hives disappear for some period.
    7. Keep your skin cool, as far as possible.
    8. Apply medicated olive oil after shower in the most affected areas.
    9. Avoid all kinds of soaps, deodorants, perfumes, synthetic compounds
    of all kind on your skin.
    10. Dont rub your body with towels or anything after shower.
    11. Applying Aloe vera gel after shower also helps.

    I hope it gives you some relief. This thing keeps coming and going
    and after some years gets less in intensity.

    Sincerely,
    M. S. Uppal

    • Sorry I meant to say I’m also 21. I’ve been dealing with this condition for 4 years now going on 5. I’M goin to be blunt but for me so far it hasn’t gotten better. I played football and workout extensively. This started in highschool. I had big dreams to enlist in the military after highschool but I could barely think straight with this condition even after 2 years. I’VE been on zantac and zyrtec along with hydroxyzine but they honestly don’t do a good job or any at stopping the hives on a 70 degree day. I am extremely uncomfortable around women if they see the rash. I am again thinking of joining the military and just suffering and be able to do something I know I’ll love and be good at. As the hooligans says Yolo.

      • Ps. THIS disease is bs and has no biological bases. It hasn’t been linked to viral, bacterial, or fungal. I’VE also been treated with a diet that hasn’t done shiznits. AS a bio major it angers me to see this has no effects like sickle cell has to malaria. With the pain and itching we go through the Force is the least we deserve.

  6. Steroids will torture you & destroy ur immune system. Antihistamines & H2 blockers like Zantac will provide barely any relief and never solve ur problem. Meds do nothing. Blood tests will tell you nothing because the cure is not in your bloodstream – it’s in your gut. Two words that will give you back your life: DIAMINE OXIDASE
    (or DAO) which is a naturally occuring enzyme in your gut which breaks down histamine and flushes it from your system is not patentable so your doctor will never tell you about it (if he/she even knows about it) because you don’t need doctors to cure ur problem. Antihistamines merely coat histamine, so even when I feel some releif, those cells are still communicating, ur curing nothing. When you don’t have histamine in your system those cells simply stop acting on the circadian rhythm which perpetuates ur condition. Worst year of my life but I did my research and found a supplement that supplies DAO and immediately my hives decreased. Slowly I reintroduced foods I had abandoned, and within a month of consistent DAO they were gone not to return. I don’t want to recommend a specific product for fear of appearing as spam. I genuinely just want to help people find relief from this torturous condition. Go to Amazon, I’ve checked the drug stores & GNC/vitamin shops – they don’t have it, but search diamine oxidase &/or histamine & get a supplement with 20k IU’s of DAO & ur hives (and ur doctor bills) are DONE! Promise.