In my last post, I talked about how I suspect my hard water supply is really having an impact on my Cholinergic Urticaria (or may even be the cause).  Hard water is water that has a high amount of dissolved minerals in it (usually calcium and magnesium). Hard water does not allow soap to lather […]

Well it has been a while since I have posted, and I have a new theory that I am getting excited about: Hard Water! I am becoming more and more convinced that there is something in the water that is causing my hives to get worse, and could possibly be the source of my Cholinergic […]

There have now been a couple of posts on the Cholinergic Urticaria forum (which I removed because it seemed spammy) about some “parasite zapper” that supposedly can cure or treat cholinergic urticaria hives (among other things).  So I thought it was time to address this whole thing. After a quick search on the web, apparently […]

New Combination of Antihistamines for Cholinergic Urticaria (H2 & H1) Zyrtec Plus Pepcid for hives Experiment. As I have often stated in the past, antihistamines are virtually useless on me. Zyrtec does take some of the sting off the hives, but only about 20-50%. And the more I take them, the less effective they seem to […]

Hello Everyone, I wanted to give a few quick updates, and also briefly discuss an interesting post on the forum as of recent. My diet is still doing great, despite eating another pizza, and so forth. So I am very happy about that. As far as my Cholinergic Urticaria hives, they have been significantly better. […]

The DollyWood Trip: This past Sunday my wife & I took our 2nd DollyWood trip of the season. It was a blast, and perhaps even more fun than the first trip we took a while back. We rode tons of rides (Daredevil Falls being my favorite), and really enjoyed ourselves. The great news is that […]

As I promised in my last post, I thought I would take the time to give a complete review of Digestive Advantage Lactose Intolerance Dietary Supplement/Probiotics. This doesn’t have an effect on my Cholinergic Urticaria, but it works wonders for my stomach and digestion. Here is what the product looks like: First, just let me […]

My Recent Sun Exposure Experiments & Results Today I felt one of the most exhilarating feelings I have felt in a long time–SWEAT. It was incredible! I never  thought the feeling of wetness on my face and body could be so….WOW. How did I finally sweat? Well I have been trying extremely hard to get […]

Starting today I am going on a strict water fast to see if it helps my hives, IBS, and to see what it is like. This is a type of fasting where you only drink water, and completely avoid foods. It is the hardest of all fasts to do, however, it can also be the […]

Yesterday my wife had finished taking her Nclex boards (to get officially licensed as an RN Nurse), so she had the day off after she was finished. When she got home, we ate and spent some time together. I know this sounds corny, but we were watching some “Leave it to Beaver” episodes on Netflix (I […]

My “stomach issues” always have me wondering if how they are connected with Cholinergic Urticaria. When my stomach feels bloated, achy, or crampy, I usually have a more intense level of hives. In contrast, when my stomach feels really great and my digestion is great as well, my hives seem to be a lot less […]

I was recently thinking about Cholinergic Urticaria (aka, the dreaded heat rash). After all, it is kind of hard to forget about it when you feel it every single day, blog about cholinergic urticaria, and so forth. Anyway, I was thinking about how the lack of medical knowledge and research seems to be quite shameful. After all, many […]

Apparently there is some type of allergen in our apartment. I have often remarked in other posts how I sometimes get these very small patches of itchy skin (eczema). The patches themselves are barely noticeable, and only located on my upper arms. But they are there and always lightly itch. They always annoyed me, but […]

Whew, my wife & I went to DollyWood yesterday with my nephew & his girlfriend. I had purchased my wife season tickets as a part of her graduation gift, and we finally had a chance to go for the first time this year. It was an absolute BLAST! I love that place. They have so […]

Hello Everyone! I have some information regarding the cost of getting an allergy test for hives, as well as a general update on my heat hives. My Cholinergic Urticaria  (Heat Hives) Has Gotten Worse Once again, after a crappy diet of mine over the past 2-3 weeks, I am suffering with some new eczema rashes, and […]

Whew! After 4 long years of struggling to get through school, my wife has finally graduated from Nursing School. She is now officially an R.N. (Registered Nurse). This is so awesome because it has been a struggle for both of us over the past 4 years. We have both struggled with school, finances, time, and […]

Ear Pit: Preauricular Ear Pit- I have always noticed this very small hole at the front of my left ear that was present since my birth. I asked my mom about it a long time ago, and she said that she had asked the doctor when I was born & he said that it was […]

Watching the Incredible Hulk with Netflix Today, my wife & I took the day off. We started the day watching a movie we rented from Netflix– The Incredible Hulk staring Edward Norton & Liv Tyler (2008). By the way, if no one has tried Netflix.com yet, it is AWESOME! It blows blockbuster or any other […]

My digestion is not the best in the world, and I have blogged about this before on the Cholinergic Urticaria blog. When I eat extremely healthy foods (vegetables, fruit, & lean meat), my digestion is usually very good. However, whenever I eat anything complex at all (grains, dairy, processed foods, etc.), my digestion goes haywire! […]

Wooo hooo! Spring is fully here, and summer is around the corner. We have had a lot of days in the 70’s recently (very warm), and the forecast is calling for weather into the 80’s in the next few weeks. This is great because I am hoping to see if sunlight helps Cholinergic Urticaria. I […]

Hello Everyone! I am trying a new “experiment” recently to see if it will have any effect on my heat rash. So far, it looks like the anti-candida treatment did virtually nothing for the hives. They are about the same. But hey, it was worth a shot. So I thought I would forge ahead & […]

I think I seriously have a Candida/Thrush Infection. This is serious!! Okay, let me back up for a minute. Yesterday I wrote an article about how I think our sweat pores could be clogged, and that Candida or Bacteria could be the culprit. Could this be a cause of Cholinergic Urticaria after all? Okay, so […]

Hello Everyone! I have really been thinking about this sweat gland occlusion thing since I last made a post about sweat gland obstruction. It seems to me like there has to be something clogging our pores. After all, most of us can’t sweat unless we get REALLY hot. Also, when I have a Cholinergic Urticaria […]

I think we can all agree that Cholinergic Urticaria is a sweat issue (at least in part).  However, could one of the causes maybe caused by one of the following conditions: Miliaria Rubra, Crystalline, and Profunda. Most of us have a major issue sweating. I know that I personally cannot sweat in most cases unless the […]

As always, I am thinking of potential theories of what causes cholinergic urticaria. As most of you know who read the blog & forum regularly, I am hoping sunlight exposure has something to do with it. So IF sunlight does have some involvement, I ask myself, “How does it effect us, and how could it […]

My Toes Cramp A Lot One thing I have noticed is that my toes seem to cramp quite a lot. They don’t do it all the time, but sometimes (usually at night when I am about to go to sleep), they will suddenly cramp up. I hate it. It has happened the past couple of […]

Why does the sun always give me a headache? After a bout of rainy & cloudy weather for the past week, yesterday was finally a sunny & warm day. So my wife & I thought we would take advantage of it! We managed to sit outside and enjoy the weather for about 1 1/2 hours […]

Hello Everyone! It has been a little while since I updated the blog, and I just wanted to talk about a few things I have done the past few days. First of all, we had a nice shot of sunny & warm weather where I live (highs were in the mid 70’s). It was like […]

When thinking about my cholinergic urticaria (heat hives), I try to be as analytical as possible in trying to understand what happens in my body. I feel that the more I understand, the better chances I have of trying to control reactions, and hopefully one day be cured of this terrible condition.  Again, please remember […]

I noticed today that I have a skin condition known as Keratosis Pilaris. I think I may have found another thing some cholinergic urticaria sufferers have in common. What is Keratosis Pilaris or “Chicken Skin?” Keratosis Pilaris is a genetically inherited skin condition in which “bumps” can appear on certain parts of the skin. It […]