Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: crowebirds on March 08, 2009, 02:10:20 AM
I am interested in a comparison of symptoms caused by Cholinergic Urticaria. I understand the possible connection between Rhinitis, Keratosis pilaris, Digestion, etc, but what other reactions are people having along with the Urticaria?
My daughter has four separate types of urticarial/angioedema reactions. Two have been identified and the other two have not. One of the reactions in particular causes the skin to turn a purplish blue. The purple is only offset by the wheels and whelps which are red with white circles around them.
Other reactions include digestive symptoms. She has spontaneous vomiting (rarely happens though). She also has trouble getting extremely nauseated when she needs to defecate.
Her antihistamines keep her pretty well controlled, but it seems as though other issues are arising in place of the uriticarial reactions such as lung inflammation and rheumatic symptoms. She has been tested for everything. Everything comes back normal. The only exception is that the allergy test shows that she is allergic to nearly everything, but a modified diet/environment provides no benefit.
Does any one else have symptoms like these?
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Title: Re: Urticarial Reactions
Post by: HivesGuy on March 08, 2009, 08:25:52 AM
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Hello Crowebirds,
Wow those sound like very severe and painful issues. First here are a quick rundown of all things I have noticed/experienced:
1. I do have Rhinitis (I think), which means my nose is always “stuffy.” In fact, a few others on this forum has also noticed that they too have this.
2. I have Keratosis Pilaris as well. I don’t know how long I have had this (as I just recently realized it), but I do have it and A LOT of people with Cholinergic Urticaria on this forum have this as well.
3. Of course, I have Cholinergic Urticaria. That is the only urticaria condition I have (no swelling, cold urticaria, etc).
4. I do have some eczema issues that will pop up if I eat certain foods. I now cut out all dairy/wheat from my diet, and many processed foods as well. This has been difficult, but it has helped with the eczema issues.
5. I have had digestions issues. I did NOT vomit or nearly pass out when defecating, but I would get SEVERE stomach cramps while using the bathroom (I thought I was dying), along with diarrhea. My stomach was also constantly bloated and uncomfortable as well.
All of the eczema & stomach issues COMPLETELY STOPPED once I removed most foods from my diet. This process took a lot of trial & error, and a lot of time to notice the full difference. At one point, I had big red patches on the back of my lower legs that were itchy, bumps on my hands, big rashes on the back of my neck, etc.
I used to eat food all the time, and apparently developed some allergies out of nowhere. But I can say that for sure the following:
1. Cleaning up my diet helps the hives big time. It doesn’t cure them, but they are at least not as reactive as when I eat the foods that I know I can’t eat.
2. Avoiding certain foods completely cures my eczema/rashes 100% (takes about 2 weeks or so).
3. I have great digestion, no cramps, no bloating, and no diarrhea at all since avoiding milk/gluten and foods with artificial dyes.
I am no doctor, but it sounds terrible what you & your daughter must be going through (especially her). I would definitely not give up on avoiding all known food allergies, and even continue to experiment with removing POSSIBLE food allergies that didn’t show up on the test.
The process is frustrating, and again it took me nearly a year, and I still am experimenting trying to make my diet even better. If there is some food allergy to something she eats/drinks, it could be causing at least a small portion of the symptoms. I would be as organic as possible and drink water only, and avoid processed stuff & known food allergies as much as possible.
Also, you said she was on several meds, and it is always possible they could have a food allergy ingredient in them as well.
Other than potential food allergies causing this, I have no idea what the other things could be. I hope and pray that your doctor will be able to find something out and stop this from happening in your daughter.
Just don’t lose faith, continue to be agressive about the food allergies (and environmental allergies), continue to see a doctor (and possibly even get a second opinion or two). I truly hope your daughter gets some relief soon, and try to remind her she isn’t alone, and probably won’t have all of these severe symptoms forever.
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Title: Re: Urticarial Reactions
Post by: pinkleopard on June 08, 2009, 01:09:31 PM
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hi crowebirds,
i have some of the symptoms your daughter suffers from, particularly the “wheels and whelps which are red with white circles around them.” that is something that for me, seems worse when my system is very stressed and (believe it or not) when i take benadryl. benadryl literally ‘changes’ my hives for the worse. at this point i don’t take any traditional medicine (anti-histamines, steroids) because it was not effective. i have several different urticarial/angioedema issues. my least favorite is when my eyes swell shut. this happens about once a month and is usually triggered my complete system overload (major stress, illness, etc.).
what i am doing now for treatment is taking supplements that support the organs. i am sort of reluctant to state that i am “cured” or even claim why they work so well for me when nothing else would, but they do. i am a scientist by education, so natural supplements giving me aid is strange to understand. me being as cycnical as i am, i am certain it isn’t the placebo effect, since i basically had to be PAID before i would consider alternative treatments. (my boyfriend’s family actually paid for my treatment, because alt-med always seems hokey to me.)
my hives, welts, and facial swelling is reduced by about 75%. it’s been about 4 months of reduced hives. there are even some stretches (4-5 days) where i will have no symptoms. alcohol is a major trigger for me. and it always hits me the day after.
if you are interested, i will tell you what supplements i take. they are inexpensive and have worked since february. i just want to be clear that i am not claiming a miracle cure, but my mixture of supplements has helped me tremendously. i have actually cried tears of joy from not having to suffer the stinging, itching, burning, swollen, painful days of being a hive magnet.
i too have been tested for many things, all of which have come back mostly normal. i do have some impaired liver function, which may explain why my body doesn’t tolerate alcohol well. i too have been deemed allergic to “everything” but get no relief from recommended medication and lifestyle changes.
good luck to you and your daughter. STAY STRONG. i know how emotional all this is.
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Title: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: BGILL on June 23, 2009, 12:43:24 PM
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I was wondering if there is any other health problems that we all can determine that we have in common. I’m thinking that if we all have something in common that maybe it may cause us to get Cholinergic Urticaria. Things such as hormone imbalances, thyroid problems, diabetes, allergies to certain foods, etc. It seems that a lot of you have allergies to other things. I have no allergies to anything. So I was just wondering if we could share a few things that we may all be able to determine that it’s causing the Cholinergic Urticaria.
Maybe each of us can just write a list.
I’ll start:
1. Hormone imbalance
2. overwieght
I will post more. I can’t think of anything else right off hand. If I see other’s lists I may be able to come up with something…Hope you all don’t participating. Thanks!!
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Title: Re: Common health problems
Post by: HivesGuy on June 23, 2009, 03:40:48 PM
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Great idea! There are a few of these lists scattered throughout individual posts, but I will go ahead and post mine again:
1. I get IBS/stomach symptoms sometimes. It can be quite bad with gas/bloating, stomach cramps, etc.
2. I have Keratosis Pilaris (just a condition where the skin looks bumpy on the back of the arms).
3. I do seem to have an allergic response to certain foods (milk, oats), however, I have removed these from my diet for about 8 months to a year, and it had no impact on the hives. Therefore, I don’t think it is related or causative.
On another note, I get almost NO SUN EXPOSURE, which means I am probably very vitamin D deficient. Many people on this forum (in the survey and in posts) also indicate a very big lack of sun exposure. I suspect this is involved quite a bit (especially since there have been ample posts of people’s Cholinergic Urticaria getting better during summer or after frequent sun exposure).
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Title: Re: Common health problems
Post by: jga on June 23, 2009, 04:55:44 PM
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-overweight soda drinker when hives first started (I was about 16-17 at the time, weight got healthy at around 20 years old when I quit soda and lifted weights)
-I didn’t get much sun exposure as a kid and now (since the weather is not sunny on a consistent basis anymore), I was always the type to stay at home and play video games as a kid, maybe there was some crucial moment in childhood where the sun was needed for the body to respond to heat right?
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Title: Re: Common health problems
Post by: StrongerThanHives on June 23, 2009, 07:39:25 PM
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Cholinergic Urticaria came about when I stopped running regularly, and I started drinking/smoking occasionally.
My blood check and allergy checks came back negative for anything abnormal.
This sounds kinda dumb, but just now I think… I feel I know exactly why I got Cholinergic Urticaria. There’s no better explaination. I need to change these things immediatly. Even though there are people that say they got better through other methods starting today I WILL run each day and I will stop smoking (even though people say that’s not the issue). I’ve payed the price too much.
Tomorrow. I am going on a run.
(hopefully if I type it out enough I’ll actually carry it out x])
Also… the liquid diet sounds interesting… as of today I’m not going to drink any beverages except for water and milk.
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Title: Re: Common health problems
Post by: BGILL on August 22, 2009, 08:33:49 AM
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Well, it seems so far we don’t have much of anything in common when it comes to health; other than Cholinergic Urticaria. Interesting!! I have been out in the sun most my life. Of course mine started when I was in a hot tub for too long. But this summer so far…I can do just about anything and have been heat hives free. So if you all can think of anything else…please post it here.
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: Snuff on March 27, 2010, 07:29:16 AM
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I often have to clear my throat but alot less now then when it started 1 year ago since smoking. but i quit almost %100 smoking.. Besides that the only other thing i have is Adhd which i quit taking meds for so im not on any meds. besides that stuff this annoying cholinergic urticaria is the only thing i have
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: envy on April 08, 2010, 12:25:01 PM
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Hmm, where to start.
I have Keratosis Pilaris like HivesGuy, also Little sun exposure aswell.
Raynauds disease(circularity problems)
Put on weight recently if this helps, I’m not overweight, but I put on about 25 pounds or so(I was underweight, so now I can be called ‘average’)
I’m the opposite to Strongerthanhives, I’ve never really been a very active person.
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: willdev on August 07, 2010, 03:22:14 PM
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Asthma
Also I get urticaria over my face nearly everytime I eat
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: Chrissy on September 17, 2010, 05:22:46 PM
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I have cholinergic urticaria and:
1. Allergies to food, dust, dander, pollen, etc.
2. Asthma
3. IBS
4. a skin condition called keratosis something… i have them removed from my face.
5. and a skin condition that looks much like keratosis pilaris too, on my arms but I don’t want to say for sure.
6. i couldn’t sweat much in the past 5 years that i’ve had Cholinergic Urticaria… i sweat more now with a lot of antihistamines.
i hope this helps!
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: Tokyowoman on September 26, 2010, 12:43:39 PM
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Eczema, Vitamin d deficiency and dust mites allergy.
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: spiffyg on October 10, 2010, 09:40:19 PM
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1. Stomach issues (I’ve had tests before to no avail)
2. Probably vit D deficient
3. Had allergy tests done with everything coming out negative
I don’t know why, but these health problems that I know I have never seem to be diagnosed properly from any doctors that I visit.
“People are constipated and have diarrhea sometimes, it’s normal. Don’t be too worried about it.”
“I can’t do anything for you until I see your skin react.”
Okay, doc. Thanks for all your help. ::)
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: HivesForDayz on July 28, 2011, 01:06:56 AM
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Hello fellow hives sufferers my other issues are:
1.tinea versicolor: A fungus that makes your skin looked discoloured and grows in patches. Unfortunately it’s also incurable 🙁
2.palpitations: I used to get them when i was a kid not so much anymore but they happened before i got hives…related dunno…did tests on my heart came back fine.
3.I burp a lot?
Like others of you said as a child i stayed inside a lot. I was a gamer 😛 and i took long showers ? Iunno if that effected my skin. I guess im probably vit d definition as well since this condition has made me a vampire.
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: rashional on July 30, 2011, 01:59:58 AM
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1. anxiety
2. poor diet
I see a few people have IBS/stomach issues. I’ve developed that too over the last couple of years, although my urticaria started about 11.5 years ago, when i didn’t have any ‘noticeable’ stomach issues. But then i underate so maybe it just didn’t show.
I still think urticaria has something to do with diet. Its just not an immediate reaction. Heat (in my case) is merely the catalyst. Just like most IBS cases are probably something to do with diet.
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: cure urticaria on October 04, 2011, 08:21:20 PM
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Seasonal Asthma
Had a reaction to a Typhoid Vaccine
Vit. D deficiency
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: clearing up! on November 19, 2011, 01:35:35 AM
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anxiety
depression
addictions
consume food, smoke, alcohol
respiratory infections
very sensitive emotionally
headaches
usually stuffed up nose, most of my life-I like my neti pot,helps a bit
Airborne ALLERGIES!! And they change! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!
…things will change, if you change, try something new! Make appointments with doctors and research while you wait!! You’ll figure it out! Hang in there!
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: Nathaaan on November 20, 2011, 06:45:38 PM
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Wow, a lot of these posts are similar to mine, could these possibly be involved with Cholinergic Urticaria? Anyway, my list;
-Social Anxiety (it’s not as bad now)
-Asthma
-Keratosis Pilaris
-Poor diet
-Same as HivesGuy – Stomach problems
-I hardly get any sun so probably Vitamin D Deficiency
-I find it hard to sweat
-Sometimes get muscle twitches (it’s gotten a bit worse within the past few days ???)
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: Cathie on November 23, 2011, 08:07:31 PM
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1) Acne
2) Eczema
3) UC
4) Seasonal Allergies (Trees, Ragweed)
5) Environmental Allergies (Dust)
6) I avoid the sun
7) Was born 6 weeks early
8.) Asthma
9) Overweight (I’ve had 3 kids :- but I’m working on it!)
10) I don’t think I sweat correctly
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: clearing up! on November 24, 2011, 04:03:55 PM
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anxiety
depression
addictions
consume food, smoke, alcohol
respiratory infections
very sensitive emotionally
headaches
usually stuffed up nose, most of my life-I like my neti pot,helps a bit
Airborne ALLERGIES!! And they change!
Adding on
-felt my health was diminishing when I learned about soy milk. I had been drinking it for about 2 years. Drank that as cow’s milk makes me phlegmy and coughy. It has estrogen like qualities that trick our body thinking it’s real, I being at an estrogen producding age decided I didn’t need extra.
-lumps in my breasts now, mamogram showed them to be ‘normal’, they don’t feel very natural..haha
-overweight..not too much, but I would be really healthy for a while then I would be hard on my body, drink, drug, sleep one day then stay up for two!
not sure about having stomach issues but my doc put me on sulfasalazine(for IBS and Chrones, says it helps the antihistamine work longer)Raniditine(meant for acid reflux) then I take my H1 blockers with them twice a day, then before sleep I take H2 blockers.
If I take my pills and rest properly I can sweat, swim, even run! Something good that has come from this is appreciation for health when it returns..I so took it for granted before!!
If you’re itchy, take some time and read or draw, sleep, relax!! Listen to your body, and be easy on yourself!! Believe you’re gonna get better, you can!!
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: Cathie on November 25, 2011, 07:58:29 PM
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I can’t seem to edit my post but I need to add:
Nickel Allergy
4-6 hours of sleep per night
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: Batavan on December 04, 2011, 04:53:03 PM
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Anxiety
Poor diet involving a lot of fat/sugar
Was overweight when I first got C.U, but I’m normal weight now
Asthma
Allergic to dairy (milk, cheese and especially ice cream/milkshakes)
Acne
No sun exposure (My C.U started when I was using a tanning bed)
Pet allergy, dust allergy
Was forced to be born early (about a week I think) because doctors thought I had a kidney problem.
very sensitive emotionally
Interesting thread! It looks like sun exposure, asthma and anxiety are common among people with C.U.
Quote
“I can’t do anything for you until I see your skin react.”
My doctor said the same thing so I ran up and down some stairs until my body was covered in hives :
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: clearing up! on December 06, 2011, 12:13:52 AM
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don’t think I sweat properly either. Buuut… if I stop taking coffee I sweat less. I love how it makes my brain wake up, but it makes my pitts sweaty! I have drank plenty of pop, usually caffinated and I feel it makes things worse. Will get worse razor burn(?) under arms when taking caffiene, and forget shaving down below!!! Trimmer works just fine! Legs arn’t as bad as they aren’t as sweaty. For products I use everything natural, unscented.
Physically I have been somewhat active. as a child I swam then took dance til 16, I spent lots of time in the sun. Loved heat up until a few yearss ago. My skin began to change, age it seemed so I spent more time indoors for a couple of years, then I had a reaction from the sun.
It ws through a window so maybe it was just the heat.
Once when my hives were at their worst I got really wasted on alcohol and cocaine then rode my bike in super hot/humid weather, I didn’t get one hive. Sobered up, went for another bike ride and it was all back.
Used to have beautiful smoothe skin, people would compliment me. Varicose veins in legs and arms now. Seems it’s blotchy most of the time, increasing with excitement.
I have fordyce spots.
Wondering if anyone has tried the anti-candida diet??
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: Claudia on April 21, 2012, 12:16:58 PM
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I hope you guys don’t mind that I’m posting in an old thread, but I thought it might help people who are gathering information on C.U. to find this kind of info all in one thread, rather than in several different threads.
So here goes:
Mold: I moved into a mold-infested house 2 years ago… 2 months in, I caught the flu and have had respiratory problems ever since (e.g., annual sinus infections, colds, allergies, plus a never-ending cycle of phlegm that I have to cough out at least 5 times a day — sorry if that last part was too graphic :-[). My childhood home probably had mold in it too since I had phlegm problems for as long as I lived in that home
Anemia: I was constantly trying to find ways to stay warm, which meant long, hot showers, 2 comforters on my bed, at least 2 layers of clothing in the summer time, and at least 5 layers in the winter time
Anxiety/Depression: Both were really bad in 2009, but I was getting better up until about two months ago, which was when my anxiety got worse again. My heart would race and my stomach cramped up more frequently in the last two months.
Osteoarthritis: I got diagnosed in 2007, but my doctor said that it was “very mild.” It’s probably related to my…
Vitamin D/Calcium deficiency: I stopped going out in the sun and exercising when I moved to this house.
Weight gain & diet: Two years ago, I put on 20 pounds because I was eating unhealthy foods in unhealthy proportions. Last year, I started decreasing my portions, and started eating more salads. I’ve been eating oatmeal made with almond milk, with a side of wheat bread for breakfast everyday since last year. Just recently (last 2-3 months), I started cooking/eating a lot of ground turkey meat in my spaghetti and spicy meatball dinners
Life-long skin issues: When I was 6-7 years old I drank tap water from my cousins’ house in New Jersey, and my skin started peeling off in my armpits, elbows, behind my knees; when I was 13-14, I tried Clearasil’s vanishing cream and my whole face swelled up; I got the same reaction when I put mint-scented rubbing alcohol on my face. Itchy feeling when I used to go running. When I was 23, I had blotchy hypo-pigmentation (i.e., loss of skin color) after trying a new face scrub. I’m 26, and now this :'(
Allergies: When I was 11-12 years old, I was given Claritin, but it didn’t help, so I stopped taking it. When I was 19, I had a reaction (coughing, itchy skin) the first time I tried perfume from Victoria’s Secret. About 2 months ago, my skin felt a little bit itchy when I tried on my mom’s new perfume.
These days, just 20 minutes of sitting on the living room couch (soft wool-ish texture) will make my lips tingle and then swell. I also wake up with swollen eyes if I rub them before going to bed
Digestive problems: I was prescribed some pills to help get rid of my most recent sinus infection. Half-way through the prescription, it would feel like the pill was stuck in my esophagus. I finished the pills but nowadays, if I over-eat, I’ll get the sensation that my food is stuck in my esophagus. ???
Ear infections & sore throats: I used to get ear infections every other week in elementary and middle school. I had a tonsillectomy at age 13, but that only made the sore throats subside just a bit.
That’s all I can think of for now. If anything comes to me later, I’ll just add it to the list. Thanks for reading this far :
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Title: Re: Common health problems people with Cholinergic Urticaria may share??
Post by: HeatLad on April 22, 2012, 04:22:41 PM
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vitamin deficiency
Headaches
High Salt intake
i use so much tomato sauce it is definitely unhealthy for me