Do I Have Cholinergic Urticaria? Are These the cholinergic urticaria symptoms and signs? Post by: enoch on October 16, 2008, 11:39:30 AM
I have been having a problem for several months and going crazy trying to figure out what it could be…. A number of months ago I noticed my feet seemed itchy that would just come and go on both feet at once (both the sole and top of my feet). It seemed to get worse with heat. I notice now what I thought was itchiness is really them kind of tingling. This continues to be a problem pretty much daily.
In the past few weeks I have had the feeling in my whole body but on a much worse scale. It only seems to happen when I get hot or are doing a physical activity. My whole chest and arms get really tingly and I get what seems to be a rash. It goes away after a few minutes, especially when I stop what I am doing or get into somewhere cooler. The rashes go away quickly after the tingling stops, the whole episode lasts for maybe 5 minutes.
Looking online it seems like Cholinergic Urticaria makes a lot of sense but really am not sure. Below is a photo of my chest during an episode. What do you all think?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Could this be what I have? Post by: L421 on October 16, 2008, 12:06:12 PM
——————————————————————————–
First of all I am not a Doctor but I am a sufferer,the first rule of thumb is looking at your rash it does seem like it but you need a doc to confirm it,as long as you have a rash there is no need to worry,have you tried antihistimne they may work as they sometimes do at first,I dont bother anymore I have had this for 2 years on and off and I must say its bloody awful,try not to worry it may be uncomfable but its not life threatening and lets be honest there are worse diagnosis about.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Could this be what I have? Post by: enoch on October 16, 2008, 12:16:19 PM
——————————————————————————–
First of all I am not a Doctor but I am a sufferer,the first rule of thumb is looking at your rash it does seem like it but you need a doc to confirm it,as long as you have a rash there is no need to worry,have you tried antihistimne they may work as they sometimes do at first,I dont bother anymore I have had this for 2 years on and off and I must say its bloody awful,try not to worry it may be uncomfable but its not life threatening and lets be honest there are worse diagnosis about. I went to a doctor who had no idea what it was, this is before I noticed a rash, and sent me for a bunch of tests. All I learned so far is that I have carpal tunnel syndrome. One thing that looking online I am not clear about though is it effecting your feet. I have not seen any rashes on my feet just my chest. Also no one really mentions it about their feet. It does not go up my legs at all just below my ankles. What kind of doctor would be better to go to a dermatologist or an allergy doctor? I did try antihistimines and didn’t really notice any help.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Could this be what I have? Post by: L421 on October 16, 2008, 02:43:45 PM
——————————————————————————–
dermatologist is the way to go,Doctors havent a clue,I get the itchy feet. infact itchy all over,remember! not every itch results in a rash it really is trial and error with treatment some people find sweating it out helps it did for me, but then I even became immune to that.mine went away for a year and I have had it back for a year,hot climates make me feel better to as much as 90% the cold weather makes me worse which is why sweating is a key to this condition.Carpel tunnel has nothing to do with Cholinergic Urticaria. Ask you doc for this drug it cured me for a year until it came back…………..good luck keep posting you will get a lot of help here.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Could this be what I have? Post by: HivesGuy on October 16, 2008, 03:34:05 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Enoch and welcome to the forum! First it does sound like your symptoms are very similar to cholinergic urticaria, but many timed diseases can have very similar symptoms, so I would recommend you see a dermatologist as L421 suggested since this is mostly a “skin” issue and they specialize in skin to make sure of a diagnosis. Your primary doctor may be able to give a referral or recommendation on that. There are a lot of helpful posts on this forum by all of the great members here, with people talking about what works and what doesn’t for them. Every person is different, so again always check with your doctor and try any treatments they feel may help you. You mentioned that antihistamines don’t really help, and for most of us they really don’t help either. As L421 pointed out, this is a pretty bad condition to have to live with, but I suppose it could be much worse. But again, I would go to the doctor/dermatologist to get a confirmed diagnosis first just to rule out any type of other condition or disease. I hope all goes well, and if you find anything out or have any more questions, just let us know.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Could this be what I have? Post by: billysielu on October 17, 2008, 11:04:36 AM
——————————————————————————–
sounds like Cholinergic Urticaria to me
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Could this be what I have? Post by: Newear2006 on October 18, 2008, 06:19:30 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Enoch, The photograph you have posted looks pretty much like Cholinergic Urticaria, but please get a dermatologist to confirm the diagnosis that way you can be sure. After you have a confirmed diagnosis come on over to the forum and start reading every post and you will know more than your doc on what treatments work and what doesn’t.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Does anyone know what I am suffering from? Post by: ferrarifrs on March 17, 2009, 04:21:47 AM
——————————————————————————–
Unlike the other posts here, my condition starts with sunlight and heat exposure but instead of itching, i get full blown swelling all over just my face so that my eyes close up. It then takes about 3 weeks to go – on week for the swelling but then two weeks while the whole surface of my face looks like a bad burn and peels off. This occurs when I am in sunlight and start to get hot. I can feel pricking on my face and I know that the reaction is starting and nothing seems to be able to stop it progressing to the full 3 week nightmare. Has anyone an idea what this could be – please?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Does anyone know what I am suffering from? Post by: HivesGuy on March 17, 2009, 09:51:03 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello ferrarifrs, Great post & welcome to the forum. I am sorry you too suffer from some kind of physical urticaria. It definitely sounds a little different from cholinergic urticaria since you swell up. I know another woman on the forum (bbroom), that has Cholinergic Urticaria and also experiences some swelling on her face if she gets too much sun. So you could have 2 or 3 conditions that overlap. It sounds like your body is definitely having a reaction, and it sounds like heat/sun. It could possibly be exercised induced anaphylaxis. In that type of physical hives, the body begins to swell and so forth when exposed to exercise/heat. In many cases food allergies can cause this, although in some cases they never know why it happens. It could also be some form of solar urticaria, which is somehow also causing swelling. I am not sure, it could be either one I mentioned above, and then again, it could always be something different. If you have not yet been to a doctor, you may want to go. They may give you something called an “epi-pen” which is a shot that contains epinephrine (spelling?). This shot can help in case you ever have a severe reaction and your throat starts to swell shut. They give these to many allergy patients with a history of severe swelling-type reactions. They may be able to run some tests as well, and confirm a diagnosis. If you ever experience it again, it would be a good idea to try to take pictures of yourself so you can show your doctor or dermatologist. I am very sorry you have to deal with this. It sounds like a very difficult thing to experience. I hope you get better soon! Thanks again for stopping by the forum!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Urticaria ? Post by: mb73 on May 17, 2009, 03:10:16 AM
——————————————————————————–
I need help from you all, I have been diagnosed as having Urticaria by one dermatologist and been told it’s not by another. My main problems are a redness round my nose and mouth that gets really sore it is worse earlier in the day. As the day goes on the inside of my nose and mouth feel like they are burning and most days wake up with blood all over my teeth, I have been checked my dentist and doctor and they say there is nothing wrong with my teeth or gums. As the day goes on i get soreness and stinging under my arms and in between my legs but there is no physical signs. When I get hot it gets slightly worse but still no physical signs, I have tried many differnt antihistamines and none of them work, I have had steriods that didn’t help and now don’t know what to do. Doctors aren’t intrested they just give me loads of pills and send me away. Can any one help me ???
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Urticaria ? Post by: HivesGuy on May 17, 2009, 08:07:59 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello, Thanks for the question mb73. In my opinion, it doesn’t sound like cholinergic urticaria. Usually that is only defined as a prickly/itching type of hives that occurs after the body becomes heated. It sounds like your symptoms are much more varied, and happen without a heat stimulus. I have no clue what it could be, but I know it must be really frustrating dealing with it. It may be some type of urticaria, it could be the early symptoms of some other disease or genetic condition, and more. I would definitely advise you to keep getting tests run, and keep searching for great doctors who may be able to help you. I hope you get better soon, and thanks for the question.
Also, you may want to check out frequent questions about the signs of cholinergic urticaria.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Urticaria ? Post by: billysielu on May 18, 2009, 10:06:43 AM
——————————————————————————–
I’m not sure about your skin, it sounds like excema. I’m quite sure this is not Cholinergic Urticaria. As for your bloody teeth, it sounds like you are having something like a nose-bleed in your sleep. I don’t know what would be causing it, but I’d definitely give that priority over the skin thing. Try a different doctor if your current one isn’t helpful, or even try A&E.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Urticaria ? Post by: mkd134 on May 22, 2009, 12:38:54 PM
——————————————————————————–
Have you tried Xyzal? I have chronic cholinergic urticaria. I cut back on my sugars big time and started using like organic toothpaste and detergent for my clothes. It took care of my minor attacks. Just much easier to get through or the little attacks just stopped. Just becareful of all the pills your doctors start giving you. I have been on a steady regiment of anywhere between 6-8 pills a day all different ones for the past 11 yrs and now has absolutely no effect on my body even with high doses and my urticaria only has gotten worst. Good Luck
——————————————————————————–
Title: Do I Have Cholinergic Urticaria? Are These the Symptoms Hives? Post by: snapple888 on May 22, 2009, 02:41:50 PM
——————————————————————————–
I have needle sticking itchiness when my body gets hot, but I never have any hives. The itchiness/prickly feelings are just unbearable. Some of the posts in this forum recommends regular exercising and more sun light exposure. This is not possible for me. The needle sticking sensation is so unbearably strong that it’s simply not possible for me to endure the pain and carry on the exercise.. Depending on my condition, even 2 minutes of fast walking under direct sun light is enough to induces the needle sticking sensation. But again I never get any hives at all… I really wish that I could start exercising again and start sweat again as other normal people. Are there any people out there who do not get any hives but just unbearably strong needle sticking sensations?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Is this UC?? Post by: hivesblow on May 22, 2009, 03:02:07 PM
——————————————————————————–
yes it most likely is Cholinergic Urticaria. about 6 months ago when i first got Cholinergic Urticaria, i never got any hives, just the itching and pain. then one day i was having an attack, i look down and my arms were covered.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Is this UC?? Post by: HivesGuy on May 22, 2009, 03:30:48 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Smapple888, Great post & welcome to the forum. We aren’t doctors, so please don’t take this as a diagnosis, but your symptoms sound exactly like cholinergic urticaria to me. Intense itching & prickling when you get hot. Don’t feel too bad about not being able to exercise or get sun exposure. It is very hard, and sometimes I quite frankly can’t tolerate the itching/stinging feeling myself & have to just stop. As a matter of fact, I just got such a severe reaction about 30 minutes ago that I was furious & scratching my whole upper body in a fit. I hate this crap.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Urticaria ? Post by: HivesGuy on May 22, 2009, 03:38:12 PM
——————————————————————————–
Have you tried Xyzal? I have chronic cholinergic urticaria. I cut back on my sugars big time and started using like organic toothpaste and detergent for my clothes. It took care of my minor attacks. Just much easier to get through or the little attacks just stopped. Just becareful of all the pills your doctors start giving you. I have been on a steady regiment of anywhere between 6-8 pills a day all different ones for the past 11 yrs and now has absolutely no effect on my body even with high doses and my urticaria only has gotten worst. Good Luck I have only tried Zyrtek, Claritin, Hydroxyzine, and Benadryl. I think Zyrtek-D worked best out of those. You said you took up to 6-8 pills per day. Which ones? Were they all antihistamines or what?
——————————————————————————–
Title: my story, please tell me what you think i may have Post by: mtdew24541 on June 05, 2009, 02:03:24 PM
——————————————————————————–
i am very happy to find this site because i hope it gets me closer to an answer. i have a horrible heat allergy. here is my story. when i was in middle school i got a cat inside. i soon discovered i was allergic to it. i didn’t want to get rid of it, so i started taking anti-histamines (throughout 4 years i took almost every different kind there was). fast forward a few years, high school. i get hives all the time, more when i’m upset or hot, but in general just all the time. also sweat a lot under the arms. start using a Rx strength anti-perspirant.
i go to college, and stop taking the anti-histamines. the hives go away. amazing. i was just abour perfectly healthy at 18 years old. about 3rd year of college, sweating stops being so bad, around the same time i figure out i have asthma and i’m getting a heat/sun allergy: if i get sunburned (even if it’s cold) i will have spots all over my skin (even where i’m not sunburned) for the next 24 hours. the heat allergy is worse – sun or not, heat turns me into an exhausted, swollen, hives-covered collapsed body.
i can’t work out – even inside an air-conditioned gym, i get overheated and red rashes of hives are all over my body – mostly my feet, hands, chest, back, stomach, and face (like almost everything!). because of this, i can’t: go to the beach. go on vacation to hot places. hike. exercise. pretty much do anything fun. it started when i was 20, i am now 23. they itch also, but they do not itch too horribly. MORE THINGS WRONG WITH ME: allergic to: cats, dogs, dustmites, mold, some other random plants but not very badly, and strawberries. allergic to: ceclor, aspirin and all things like it. anti-histamines give me hives. asthma that started at age 20. allergy and exercise induced. any time i clean the house thoroughly, i have to take my inhaler and usually take a shower afterwards to get my sinuses cleared.
my mother has very bad sinuses, had to get surgery on them many times to remove polyps. i have bad sinuses too. had many ear infections as a child. -headaches. a lot. sometimes migraines (had 2 or 3 last winter, haven’t had any since). head hurts about 40% of the time, i would say. -horrible memory problems -tired all day -takes over an hour to wake up in the AM -can fall asleep anywhere, including car, meetings, class, etc -sleep paralysis for at least 5 years -episodes: Basically, I will collapse, but I won’t lose consciousness. It usually happens when I get up after sitting down. My eyes don’t work for a second, it’s like they cover up with blind light, and I’ll do anything from feel weak to have to collapse on the floor (but I’ll be able to get right up again). I know it’s not related to my iron in my blood because I had that tested and it was ok someone suggested these could be absent seizures -it takes an act of god to wake me up – noises and alarms are a joke -i am naturally awake at night. if left to my own devices, i will sleep until about noon and stay up until about 3 or 4am.
i feel most productive and alert in the mid afternoon (1pm-4pm) and late at night (1opm-2am) been tested for narc and sleep apnea, got neither, apparently. i feel like this sounds like i have autoimmune problems because all these things can’t be unrelated. i’m only taking birth control and singulair (need it for the asthma). can anyone help me? i’ve been brushed off by derms before telling to me to ‘stay out of the sun’ and i finally and going to try and go again, but there is no appt opening until august 12! ugh.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: my story, please tell me what you think i may have Post by: billysielu on June 05, 2009, 03:31:55 PM
——————————————————————————–
Things we have in common: – Age, I am 23 too – cat allergy – stupid amount of sweat in small areas – I used to have visible spots, but not anymore – bad sinusses – I’m sure I have mild asthma, but haven’t been tested – I had so many ear infections as a child that they were scared to prescribe me any more antibiotics – lots of headaches, which I put down to wisdom teeth, but who knows – my short term memory is embarassing – tired all the time – I have collapsed before, for no reason whatsoever, but only once to my knowledge Things we do not have in common: – I wake up perfectly alert – I can’t fall asleep unless I’m in bed, cars, planes etc don’t work They say if you have one allergy, you’re more likely to have more than one. There’s something about a person that makes them susceptible to allergies. A lot of people on here have had some kind of infection, stress, or relocation in the period before their Cholinergic Urticaria started. You’ve listed a lot of things wrong with you, and I imagine you’re not liklely to fix all of them. My advice would be to focus on your mental well-being. Try to be a generally more relaxed person, try to get into a state where these allergies don’t bother you so much. That’s what I’ve been doing anyway, and I feel better about life in general.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: my story, please tell me what you think i may have Post by: HivesGuy on June 05, 2009, 03:46:09 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello mtdew, Great post & welcome to the forum. Yikes, I am sorry that you are dealing with so many allergy-type problems. I have no idea what could be causing all of that, but I would definitely keep going to doctors in hopes that they can find the cause of all your problems. I would definitely avoid any known allergies you do have. Cholinergic urticaria is the only thing I have that is similar to what you mentioned. One thing for sure, if your wisdom teeth are bothering you, they could be the cause of your migranes. I remember one of my sisters told me how she would get the worst migranes in college. She eventually got her wisdom teeth removed, and the headaches stopped. I get a stuffy nose sometimes as well, but that is about it in comparison to your list. I know it must be a pain, but hang in there. Don’t give up, and i am sure you will be able to eventually figure out what is messing up your body. Good luck, and welcome to the forum!
——————————————————————————–
Title: I’m not sure if I have Cholinergic Urticaria but omg this itches! Post by: janey on July 20, 2009, 04:10:25 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hi, um, I’m not sure if I’m posting this in the right section but I’m kind of confused as to where this might belong. I have had this rash that looks just like Cholinergic Urticaria for over a month now. I read that Cholinergic Urticaria clears up after a bit over an hour (or longer, the point being that it does clear up until the next time it’s triggered), but I was wondering if anyone could tell me if their Cholinergic Urticaria doesn’t clear up. I guess I’m trying to diagnose myself (no insurance, etc.) and all of my symptoms match up with Cholinergic Urticaria except that it doesn’t clear up. Sometimes it itches a little less, or it’s a bit less visible, but it’s always there. Thanks to anyone who can help me out with my question.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I’m not sure if I have Cholinergic Urticaria but omg this itches! Post by: HivesGuy on July 21, 2009, 09:04:19 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Janey, Thanks for your post and welcome to the forum! I have no visible rash at all when I am at rest. The only time I see any kind of rash or skin redness/symptoms is when I get hot. At that point, my body starts to tingle, and itch in a sort of prickly sensation that stings and itches at the same time. Then, if the itching persists, I may develop some tiny hives all over my body, and also have flushing (redness) of the skin in the itchy areas. After the reaction stops, it will all disappear within about 15 minutes without a trace, and it will stay gone unless I have another reaction. It sounds as if you may have some time of rash. It could be something caused by mites (such as scabies), or it could be a type of eczema. I can totally relate about being tight with money and no insurance. I know how frustrating it can be dealing with it, but from what you said it doesn’t sound much like cholinergic urticaria. Also, I might add that if it doesn’t go away, you may be able to visit a local clinic (such as a government ran health department), and they may be able to help for a very small cost (as opposed to going to an actual hospital or doctor’s office). I hope you get better soon!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I’m not sure if I have Cholinergic Urticaria but omg this itches! Post by: nisperos on August 10, 2009, 03:04:37 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Janey, I’m new to the forum and hope you are checking back at times. Apparently there are several types of hives and different people with different types of hives seem to comment on this board. I’m a mom trying to help my 21 y/o daughter who is developmentally delayed. I think she has a different variety of hives than the heat hives (though even the more common hives can be triggered by heat one time and something else another time). What all varieties of hives seem to have in common is that histamine produces the rashes and it’s likely an autoimmune reaction. My daughter’s hives are more like what you describe. Her hives clear up over days and look horrible.
My daughter’s hives start out looking like mosquito or spider bites and then develop rings and seem to spread. It may be that some are disappearing while others are developing and this is what makes it seem to last days. Then they clear up and then we have another several day episode. Please click on the link suggested as there is some good written information on hives as well. I think it’s awesome that there is this site and people are sharing their stories, because any type of hives is very frustrating and you end up with the feeling often that you aren’t getting the help you need – even if you are lucky enough to see a doctor. If you are trying stuff on your own, you may want to try a generic antihistamine and Vitamin C and a B complex for starters. Vitamin C and B12 both have antihistamine properties and they are water soluble, so any excess is excreted in the urine. If your rash is any type of an allergic reaction, even if it isn’t hives, the antihistamine may help. You may want to try something you may have used before or ask the pharmacist at the drug store. The best thing is, as HivesGuy suggested, to try and find a low cost clinic and hope someone is familiar with skin conditions.
Good luck! BTW, the antihistamine and vitamin C do help my daughter some, but they only seem to diminish the attack not take it away. I’m not sure they help prevent future attacks, but I’ll take what I can get. The doctor also prescribes a steroid cream which I think provides added help to clear things up some, just that it doesn’t do the trick to keep them away.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I’m not sure if I have Cholinergic Urticaria but omg this itches! Post by: HivesGuy on August 10, 2009, 03:36:36 PM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks for the great info nisperos, and welcome to the forum! I am very sorry to hear about your daughter’s struggles with hives. I know frustrating that must be, my heart and prayers go out to you. That definitely sounds like a different type of hives that she has. I am glad that the antihistamines do at least help her some, and also the steroids help. Anyway, I just wanted to say welcome! Thanks again for your posts and I hope your daughter’s hives improve soon.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Do i have Cholinergic urticaria?? Please help – Photos attached Post by: burr_ger on November 10, 2009, 01:33:29 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hi Everyone, I have recently been getting what i think is Cholinergic urticaria. I have been to a dermatologist and all he could say was that it could be a rare form of urticaria. Fleofedine – the antihistamine hasnt worked for me, it made no difference. Basically i get it when theres a change in body temp and has been happening for about a year. This includes when i walk to work and about 20mins in i get what feels like prickly heat all over and can feel my body get warm. It also happens at the start of when i play sport (2-3 times a week), but once i sweat it out im fine. Its very uncomfortable when it happens and the only thing that helps is getting some cold like a cold drink or an air conditioned room. Its frustrating as i walk to work and exercise regularly to keep healthy and its almost like its god way of saying STOP being healthly. The following photos are from after a 1hr game of squash. Can anyone confirm that its Cholinergic urticaria? Any help would be great.
Thanks Simon
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do i have Cholinergic urticaria?? Please help – Photos attached Post by: burr_ger on November 10, 2009, 01:39:45 PM
——————————————————————————–
the photo of my arm is very bright, if you turn down your brightness you can see in detail the little lumps and redness on my arm. Thanks
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do i have Cholinergic urticaria?? Please help – Photos attached Post by: dice on November 10, 2009, 08:23:42 PM
——————————————————————————–
Whilst having these marks/rashes doesn’t guarantee that you have Cholinergic Urticaria (your dermatologist should aid in confirming this), your symptoms certainly suggest this. I developed Cholinergic Urticaria when I was around 4-5 year old and had pretty severe rashes along with constant itching. This stopped until I was 13 having taken a number of dosages of a specific type of steroid (from the ER – it isn’t recommended, I don’t recommend that you go down this road either). Whilst not a permanent solution (depending on how you see this method), I find that daily cardio exercise provides an itch free day for, especially in the winter where it’s pretty cold (in the UK). I believe that is a lack of sweat that is causing this as I only feel relief once I’m sweating efficiently. In the right conditions/exercise routine I could be sweating within 3 minutes. I suggest you read some of my posts if you want more info. I know it’s not a permanent solution but it’s the first time in about 6 years that I’ve more or less had an itch free winter (so far). And it’s a motivator to keep fit. Good luck.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do i have Cholinergic urticaria?? Please help – Photos attached Post by: HivesGuy on November 11, 2009, 04:42:19 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Simon and welcome to the forum! I second what dice says and you should get a definite diagnosis from a licensed doctor to confirm, but it could definitely be cholinergic urticaria. Sometimes my skin gets red and kinda blotchy during an attack (which is how yours kinda looks in the pics), and I don’t actually get the hive bumps. In fact, my chest looked like that just 2 nights ago. Plus the fact that this only happens when you get hot or exercise, and it is relieved by cooling down (or once you start to sweat), sounds exactly like cholinergic urticaria.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do i have Cholinergic urticaria?? Please help – Photos attached Post by: burr_ger on November 15, 2009, 02:20:41 AM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks for the replies. When i went to the dermatologist he said that it was possibley a RARE form of urticaria and gave me the fenofexadine to try. He said there was no point booking another appointment as there is nothing more they can do. I guess from reading the forum that its true that there is no cure 🙁 and that its more trial and error to see what helps. The strange thing for me is that it happens more in the summer, looks like for most its happens in the winter. The fact that its cold now is a relief, in the summer when the sun is shinning my body temp rises and i get this prickly heat sensation – which is the start of it happening and becomes very uncomfortable. One thing i noticed for myself is it i stop doing exercise and put on a bit of wieght i actaully get it worse. Im guessing with the extra fat the body heats up a lot more quickly and its a lot worse. Also like with a lot of people once you sweat it out you feel better. Is it ture that it may have something to do with the hardness of the water? Im thinking of putting a watrer filter in to soften it.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do i have Cholinergic urticaria?? Please help – Photos attached Post by: HivesGuy on November 15, 2009, 05:20:57 AM
——————————————————————————–
About the water softening: I have found that softer water, combined with a good moisturizing soap (like dove), helps a lot to keep the skin in better condition. This, in turn, seems to make the skin more bearable, and may slightly decrease the intensity or frequency of attacks. But just let me stress that it by no means is a cure-all, and I still have Cholinergic Urticaria. But it may be worth it just to have better skin that is less dry/itchy. As far as the season thing, I really get Cholinergic Urticaria in BOTH summer and winter, but in different ways. For example, in the summer, I get a reaction on days when I go outside and the sun is scortching. But after that, I usually sweat (sometimes for days), and I don’t have as bad reactions. So when going from my air conditioned house to the heat outside, it spurs a reaction.
In the winter, however, I usually enjoy a nice relief while inside my house (I rarely turn on the heater), and of course outside it is nice and cold as well. But the problem here is going into a crisp, hot building. That extreme temperature change from cool/cold to warm/hot sends my body practically into shock. Yesterday would be a great example of that. I went into walmart, and they had the heat blasting. I instantly started getting prickly/itchy, and I just handed my wife the credit card and told her she is going to have to shop without me. I then went to the car, and scrached with the A/C on full blast until I cooled off. Like you said, once we sweat we are usually fine.
However, during the winter it gets very dry and cold, and sweating becomes a serious challenge. So I can hive multiple times per day, as opposed to the summer where I may just get hives once and then sweat.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Confused Post by: katie on January 19, 2010, 08:30:09 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello. I am not even sure whether I should be posting here as I have not got a diagnosis for my condition yet. I had a holiday in Florida in October/November 2008 – no problems at all with heat or itching. Over the following winter, I found I would start itcing terribly whenever I got heated – having the oven on, getting too warm in bed etc. The itching could be all over, arms & legs, scalp, stomach, back – anywhere. It got so bad I had to stand outside until I cooled down again. Scratching didn’t help – just cooling off again. During the night, I’d alternate between lying on top of the bed when I itched and getting back into bed when I got too cold.
This continued into the summer when I started trying to find out what was wrong with me. I read that if I could sweat, it would releive the symptoms so off I went for a course in my local sauna. I started off at 30 minutes but stayed as dry as a bone even as I increased my time in the sauna. Other ladies would leave the sauna driping sweat and I would still be sitting there dry as a bone!! I can’t get to sweating through exercise due to a painful lower back problem. In the meantime, I developed other symptoms – chronic sinusitis, a productive cough, lymphoedema in my ankles, face and abdomen and my finger and toe nails became discoloured and painful.
My GP did a chest X-Ray which was OK, he tried various antihistamines for the runny nose and sinusitis as he thought I had an allergy but they did nothing for any of the symptoms. These latter symptoms were diagnosed in December 2009 as Yellow Nail Syndrome by a dermatologist. It is a rare congenital syndrome and current thinking is that a problem develops in the anatomy of the lymphatic system causing all this build up of lymph in my lungs, ankles and face.
I have had antifungal tablets for a secondary candida infection in some fingernails and am currently taking my third course. I had three courses of antibiotics for the sinusitis in 2008/9. When I read some of the stories of the members here I can identify with the painful itching and although I get lobster red in the affected itchy areas, fortunately I only get raised bumps over my breast bone area. I see my dermatologist in a few weeks about the Yellow Nail Syndrome and I am now wondering whether the itching is part of the syndrome, or even caused by it as it has been reported to be related to auto-immune disease such as Rheumatoid Arthritis. This YNS is so rare, there is very little research done on it although I did see that there are 29 different symptoms accredited to it. I will ask my Dermatologist if this is Cholinergic Urticaria and if it is related to the YNS.
I hate asking as I’m sure they think I’m turning into a hypochondriac. But hey – if we don’t do our own research, who else has the time to?? From what I have seen on this forum, I am unlikely to find a cure for the itching but I would like to have a diagnosis. Also, I was hoping to get back to Florida again in October/November when it is not too hot but I am so confused as to whether I will be able to cope with the heat as it is relatively cool here in the North of England where I live. If I can’t cope with the heat here, how will I cope on holiday?? Sorry to go on but I do Thank You for reading this. Katie 🙂
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Confused Post by: HivesGuy on January 19, 2010, 08:55:54 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Katie, Thanks for sharing your story and welcome to the forum. First of all, I only share the heat symptoms you describe. I do not have yellow fingernails, or lung problems. I do have a stuffy nose quite often, and not a very good sense of smell, but nothing extreme. In terms of the itching, I am just like you. I find myself every night constantly alternating between a thin sheet and large comforter. I get too hot with the conforter during the night and sometimes switch to the sheet, then get cold, and switch back, etc. Of course, anything that makes me hot sets off a very uncomfortable hives/itching/stinging sensation.
About the sweating thing, I too have a very difficult time sweating, although I can sometimes do it if it is hot and humid enough. There are plenty of times where I have been out working in 90 degree weather for hours, and not even a drop! But sometimes it will finally come out, in which case, I then sweat normally without the hives. I am unsure about your condition. It could be causing the hives, or it could be that perhaps you have cholinergic urticaria along with a separate condition. It is really hard to tell. Hopefully a doctor could tell you whether one is causing the other, or if you just have 2 separate health conditions. Anyway, I sure hope you feel better soon, and you are able to find some answers. Thanks again for the post, and good luck, Hivesguy
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Confused Post by: katie on January 19, 2010, 09:15:48 AM
——————————————————————————–
Thank You for your reply Hivesguy. I only mentioned the YNS because it was because of that disease that I was taking antihistamines – my Doctor thought it would help my runny nose etc. The fact that I took antihistamines all last year without any relief for the itching, has made me think that I’m wasting my time looking for a cure in established medicine. I did try my homeopath last year but her treatment didn’t help either though I must admit I didn’t have a diagnosis at that time so I may go back to her now.
I feel happier just writing all this down – this is a great site. I am going to look at the older posts here now and see if I can get any further help on coping with the itching. Thanks again. Katie 🙂
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do i have Cholinergic urticaria?? Please help – Photos attached Post by: burr_ger on February 08, 2010, 02:45:00 PM
——————————————————————————–
Feeling 90% better.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Do I Have Cholinergic Urticaria? Are These the Symptoms Hives? Post by: Ilovemysurfer17 on August 01, 2010, 03:46:10 PM
——————————————————————————–
I’m 18 years old and for as long as I can remember whenever I get hot I get all red and blotchy. I get it mostly on my legs and it itches but I haven’t noticed any bumps like hives just blotches of red that are really itchy. I also get it on my arms and chest. I don’t think I go a single day without it happening atleast once. I break out when I wash dishes, takes showers or baths even when the water isn’t really hot, when I go outside in the heat, or exercise. I also get red and blotchy when I get nervous or I get emotional. It’s really annoying to have to deal with this all the time. My skin is already really white to begin with so when I break out my legs looks like gray, red, and purple it’s weird. Can anyone please help?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I think I have Cholinergic urticaria but i’m not sure? Post by: HivesGuy on August 02, 2010, 04:13:40 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Ilovemysurfer, Great post and welcome to the forum! It definitely sounds like it could be Cholinergic Urticaria, but it is always good to go to the doctor to get a definite diagnosis. My hives don’t always have visible bumps, and sometimes my skin just gets really red in areas, and itches/stings like crazy. It happens to me whenever I get hot, which includes exercise, hot weather, nervousness, anxiety, etc. There are some great tips on the forum on managing this, so I hope you will find those helpful =).
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I think I have Cholinergic urticaria but i’m not sure? Post by: Ilovemysurfer17 on August 02, 2010, 01:56:32 PM
——————————————————————————–
Thankyou, I really appreciate it 🙂
——————————————————————————–
Title: I thought I had Cholinergic Urticaria, but not sure! Please read and help! Post by: No I Got Hives on August 12, 2010, 08:48:08 PM
——————————————————————————–
The past 2 month’s I’ve been getting hives on and off, sometimes it occurs multiple times per day sometimes I don’t have them for a day or longer. In the beginning I thought it was Heat Hives because it’s the summer, I was pretty hot. But later on like 2 months later, I started to think back, I noticed I was stressed out about starting school, stressed about talking to a girl I haven’t talked to since school ended, which caused a lot of stress and nervousness.
If my hives are caused by stress and nervousness, would taking Benadryl each day prevent my body from stinging, itching if I do get an out break? Would the Benadryl eventually eliminate my hives if I get use to going to school again? I scheduled to see my doctor but she’s booked until October so if worse comes to matter I will visit the General Hospital for an answer.
——————————————————————————–
Title: A question Post by: Joeshep on September 02, 2010, 06:22:41 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hi guys, I was just wondering about the physical symptoms of Urticaria. I’m sorry if this is in the wrong forum… I never thought I had any visible symptoms of this condition but just recently I’ve had a bit of a realisation. Do hives have to be red in colour? Because when I have a reaction, I don’t get red hives. But I have noticed that I have loads of sort of raised white marks scattered all over my torso. Could these be hives do you think?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: A question Post by: HivesGuy on September 02, 2010, 03:32:37 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Joeshep! Yes, hives can be red or sometimes skin colored (or even lighter than skin color) in appearance. When I have a reaction, this is what typically happens (as of recently): My skin kinda flushes red. Then, I start developing lots of small pinpoint hives. These are red at first. Then, they turn sorta light colored (even lighter than my skin). So in my opinion, yes, hives or wheals can be kinda light flesh colored in appearance.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: A question Post by: Joeshep on September 03, 2010, 06:09:41 AM
——————————————————————————–
Are they still visible even when they are dormant?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: A question Post by: HivesGuy on September 03, 2010, 07:28:30 AM
——————————————————————————–
No, these are only during a reaction. They disappear completely after about 30 minutes or so. I do, however, have these white dots on my skin in a few areas (mostly my upper back). They aren’t raised or anything, just white dots. I assume it is just a hypopigmentation or something. I don’t think it is related to the hives.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Do I have Cholinergic Urticaria?? Help appreciated! Post by: Freed84 on November 27, 2010, 04:56:12 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hi there, I’ve just found this site and it has already raised my hopes for this thing I have. Brief story is as follows: Since January I have started to concentrate on my appearance a lot more (manily due to getting married :)) I have lost 2 1/2 stone with the help of cycling to and from work and regularly attending the gym etc. All was going fine until July when I started to get this rash over my forearms after excercise. I would get it 3 times a day, morning after riding to work, lunchtime during and after the gym session and evening after riding home. This has gradually got worse and is now on my chest, biceps, neck and sometimes on my forehead. I am finding the whole thing very difficult after finally getting over my fears of people watching me in the gym because i was overweight, this has now changed to people looking at me because of this unsightly rash.
I have been to the doctors twice now, the first time he gave me fexofenadine and told me to come back two months later. I went back as it did nothing and he upped my dose. I am halfway through the treatment now and I would say my symptoms are getting worse. I am worried about going back as he basically said he didn;t know what was wrong with me. I initially thought it was washing powder, then diet but I have changed these things. I am now wondering if it was my latest tattoo as that links in with the timescales. Has this been heard of before starting after a tattoo? Seems weird because this is my fifth one. I don;t want to give up excercising because I like the new healthier me but it is stopping me do other things like join a football team or take part in any activities such as MMA.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I have Cholinergic Urticaria?? Help appreciated! Post by: Cain0 on November 27, 2010, 12:30:18 PM
——————————————————————————–
Yeh, that looks like it. I will share my experience with you and hopefully give you some advice. Around March time this year, I found that whenever I exercised, I got an intense prickling feeling on mainly my forehead by also on my arms and torso. I thought nothing of it, and carried on going to the gym, playing sport ect. Then I injured my back and I rarely did any physical activity during the summer (april-august) and during this time, I literally had ZERO break outs (I think that I only get it in the winter), but when I started going to the gym again around mid-october, I realised that I was breaking out in a rash and the intese itch was back to, I started not exercising because of it and I went to the doctors.
The doctor didnt seem to have any idea what it was but told me that it should go away in weeks, however it didnt, so I started doing my own research and this is what I found. > The hives arnt triggered by exercise, they are triggered by heat or a sudden rise in temperature, perhaps there is something the matter with our sweat glands, but you should also break out when you go from hot to cold or you get nervious/anxious. The people who say that it is cause by an allergy to our own sweat cannot be correct because I sweat loads at the gym and the rash seems to go away after a few minutes of sweating. >
First generation anti-histamines can reduce symtoms quite well so I went back to the doctors and I was prescribed Chlorphenamine (1 tablet 3 times a day). Im pretty sure that this has helped me quite a bit but it is hard to tell. It takes a few weeks for anti-histamines to start working so dont stop taking them if you dont see an immediate effect. > Water helps greatly, I only drink water now, and as much as I can as possible, I find that if im dehydrated, I break out 10 times more badly. For example, last week, I worked out 6 times and I was pretty much fine on 5 days, but the day I ate loads of crap (LARGE McDonalds) and didnt drink much water, I got hives pretty badly. >
I found that the temperature outside makes a big difference, for example, I think I only get it in the winter mounths as I was completely fine during the summer, also, I went on holiday a few weeks ago and them temperature was 10C+ constantly and my hives were much better, it didnt itch at all and the rash was mild. I think this is due to the dryness in the air and the central heating in my house. This is a bit crap considering I live in northern england and the weather is constantly terrible. :O (for example, its -4 outside and there is a foot of snow on my doorstep). A lot of people with Cholergic Urtcaria only get it in the winter mounths apparently. > Exercising helps greatly, I know this might sound wierd as it is the thing that seems to trigger, but it helps. It releases the histamine and prevents outbreaks for 1/2 days, think of it as letting the cap off.
The itching goes after the first 10 minutes and if it doesnt, keep going until it does, while you are still itching, there is still histamine in your body and you need to get it out, the aim of exercising is to sweat as much as you can, as soon as you start sweating, the rash usually goes within 10-15 minutes, however if you experience more extreme symtoms such as trouble breathing during exercise, it is probably for the best that you are accompanied by a friend who knows about your condition while exercising. If you get embarrased about the rash, wear a sweater, no-one will know your hives are there (unless you get it on the face) and it will help you sweat. I try to exercise 6 days a week and it is convenient that there is a gym in the city right ouside my college. >
Dont eat junk food or food that contains excessive amounts of salt, it will make it MUCH worse as I said earlyier as it appears the condition gets much worse, the dryer your skin is. > Try using aqius cream all over your body daily, it will put moisture back into your skin and seems to relieve the itching for me. > Most mild cases of Cholinergic Urtcaria goes within 1-4 years, however, more severe cases last longer and some lasts up to 30 years. In almost all cases though, it does usually go away on its own accord. The average is 7.5 years apparently, however I think that is a rather inaccurate study as only a few people were tested and the people wh owere tested probably had more severe cases of it.
In my expericne Cholinergic Urtcaria is not life changing but I dont have it that badly, but I am able to go about my daily life without too much difficulty. It also helps if you dont think of Cholinergic Urtcaria as a disease or condition, I just think to myself “Its just something that happens when I get hot that can be avoided by constand exercise”, if you think of it as a “disease”, you may get depressed like I did for about a month, then I relised that it isnt life changing and I can do basically everything I could do before.
I have also just became aware that someone in my classes has a condition called Ichthyosis, read up on this and then think to yourself how lucky you are not to have it as it is far worse than Cholinergic Urtcaria in my opinion as it will affect your daily life, there is nothing you can do to prevent it as it is genetical and it is ALWAYS there. The last thing I will say is to stop browsing every page on Cholinergic Urtcaria there is on the internet as most of them have a negative viewpoint and there really is no point, I have told you everything there is to know in this post and searching up negative articles will also lead to depression. Instead go and look up the success stories on this forum as it made me feel much better I hope this has helped 🙂
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I have Cholinergic Urticaria?? Help appreciated! Post by: Rogerq23 on December 03, 2010, 03:51:23 AM
——————————————————————————–
Ouch… looking at your pictures made me feel the pain :/ I have the same thing and sometimes it looks like the one in your picture… sometimes they are less severe though. @Cain0 Sometimes it is easy to say: think that Cholinergic Urt. is something normal… and try to live with it… sometimes it is so severe and painful that you can avoid fearing it…
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I have Cholinergic Urticaria?? Help appreciated! Post by: Brazen on December 17, 2010, 08:26:50 AM
——————————————————————————–
It most definately looks like you do. I get the same rashes only not like spots, I get more of an area of my skin covered in redness. I’ve only just got cholenergic urticaria (Oct this year) and like most people have had to self diagnose as the doctors either don’t know or are reluctant to advise you of it because they know it can’t be treated. I got the same anti-histamines ritual from the doc, then went back because they never worked etc…eventually took photos of my skin and told the doctor what I had. I got stronger anti-histamines…..great….. What’s important is to follow the advice of other sufferers, I hadn’t exercised for weeks when I first got this and things got worse, but now I try and run or play football as much as possible and things do get better, also watch your diet. Good luck!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I have Cholinergic Urticaria?? Help appreciated! Post by: Freed84 on December 30, 2010, 01:02:56 AM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks for the replies guys. I’ve beenback to the docs and showed them some pictures, he said there’s nothing I can do! Although he has referred me to a specialist so I’ll wait and see what that brings. Think I’m gonna follow peoples advice and start taking my excerising more seriously again! fingers crossed ;D
——————————————————————————–
Title: Confused..Do I Have This? Post by: tonk0022 on January 02, 2011, 08:13:49 PM
——————————————————————————–
I’m a 19 year old female and I’ve been experiencing cholinergic urticaria symptoms for about 8 years now. I get a severely blotchy, burning face after every time I shower (no matter the temperature) and after any type of physical activity. It’s really embarrassing and uncomfortable. People stare and I am now too afraid to go to the gym anymore. Everyone that sees my face after a reaction thinks I look horrible. I never knew what it was until just recently. I tried going to a derm a few years ago but received no help and was told it was a normal part of growing up (yeah right..). I went to a dermatologist the other day and she said there is nothing she can do but prescribe Zyrtec. She told me I have cholinergic urticaria. However I’ve been reading through your posts and it sounds like all of you describe a severe itch, as well. I never get itchy and my blotchy-ness is not raised. Should I go to a different dermatologist for a 3rd opinion? I was once told by someone to use a nasal spray on my face, but that didn’t work. I’m trying the Zyrtec now. Thanks
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Confused..Do I Have This? Post by: strapped1977 on January 02, 2011, 09:40:07 PM
——————————————————————————–
You don’t mentioned the itchiness and stinging. It does not sound like you’re in pain. Thus, I’d say no.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Confused..Do I Have This? Post by: tonk0022 on January 03, 2011, 12:19:04 PM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: strapped1977 on January 02, 2011, 09:40:07 PM
You don’t mentioned the itchiness and stinging. It does not sound like you’re in pain. Thus, I’d say no. I said it doesn’t itch but I never said it doesn’t hurt. It burns and stings for up to 2 hours after every shower I take and any physical activity. However, I think the derm just stuck me with this condition because of the fact it happens after I take showers or exercise. I don’t get hives and it’s not raised or itchy, so I do agree it probably isn’t this. Anyone have any ideas what it could be?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Do I Have Cholinergic Urticaria? Are These the Symptoms Hives? Post by: luv2fish on January 08, 2011, 03:45:15 PM
——————————————————————————–
I’m not entirely sure I suffer from this only because I do not have to sweat to itch. I itch of my body temperature rises at all. If I get angry or embarrassed, if I’m stressed, if I eat peppers, if I laugh too hard, etc.etc.etc….. When this first started about 4 years ago, it was only under my arms and I would itch like crazy. In fact, I thought I must surely be allergic to my deodorant so I changed what I was using. Now it could be anywhere on my body or all over my body. It is never in a “usual” or “consistent” area.
I probably itched like this for about 3 years before I actually broke out for the first time and I still do not always break out. The first time I broke out was while exercising. I have also broken out so badly that someone said something to me, yet I was not itching at the time.?????? All I know is that it is maddening and I am scared to death to work out for fear of the itching. Mine is not mild at all. Does this sound at all like what you guys are suffering from?…..OH!! One other thing, unlike most of the stories I have read on this blog site, I do this year round. I notice you guys mostly seem to speak of having this affliction during the winter months.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: not sure if I have this or not Post by: HivesGuy on January 09, 2011, 03:58:31 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello luv2fish, Great post and welcome! It sounds like Cholinergic Urticaria to me, and your symptoms sound identical to ours. Of course, I am no doctor so always get a qualified doctors advice. I itch if my temperature rises at all. Most of us do not sweat at all, and those who do often have to endure an attack before sweat an even be released. Some can’t even sweat after an attack. I get prickly/itchy the first time my temperature increases.
I do this year round too. It is actually worse for me in the summer, because I have a hard time sweating and escaping the heat. In the winter it is easier because I stay cold most of the time.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Confused..Do I Have This? Post by: tonk0022 on January 14, 2011, 10:46:18 AM
——————————————————————————–
So I found out I do have this…just in case anyone was wondering.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Confused..Do I Have This? Post by: HivesGuy on January 15, 2011, 10:30:13 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Tonk, Excellent post and welcome to the forum. I am very sorry to hear that you do in fact have this. At first I was going to suggest you may have rosacea since you said it was mostly isolated to your face (they sometimes get stinging/burning), but since you have a definite diagnosis, I’d say it must be this then. Cholinergic Urticaria can also sometimes affect mostly 1 area of the body (although my whole body is involved now). When we say a severe itch, what we generally mean is that “prick” sensation, which feels like a bee sting. It makes me (as a reflex), automatically scratch the area.
There is itching, but by far it is the “stinging/burning/prickly” sensation that is worse for me. It does cause me to go on a scratching rampage each time I get a reaction. I know what you mean about the embarrasment having reactions in front of people. To me, it makes the reaction much worse because then I begin to stress about it even more. More stress equals more stinging. Is the Zyrtec helping at all? If not, then there are lots of antihistamines on the market. People really respond differently to different antihistamines. If the Zyrtec doesn’t work, then you may want to talk to your doctor about trying Allegra (fexofenadine).
You can also try H1 and H2 antihistamine combinations (again, talk to a doctor). Anyway, I am glad you at least did get a diagnosis, so maybe you can read up about it and find some information to help you manage it a little more effectively. If you have any questions at all, then feel free to reply or open a new thread on this forum. Best of luck!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Not sure if it’s Cholinergic Urticaria yet… Post by: Jooje on January 26, 2011, 11:48:05 AM
——————————————————————————–
Intense itching started about 10 days ago on my ankles. I have never had a rash in my life before. Now the itching has spread over my whole body – but not my face, palms or soles of feet. The itching is accompanied by raised white bumps max 4 mm wide, and also small red spots. As I write, the raised white bumps are all down both inner arms. When I itch them, they grow redder and itch more. Itching makes the itch worse.
The itching grows super intense so I feel I want to rip my skin off or that my head will fall off with some huge intense feeling of “unsatisfaction” if that makes any sense. I have the wheals, bumps, spots all over, especially on my ankles, tops of my feet, all over my legs esp backs of knees, all around my waist – especially areas where jeans waist band rests.
The itch and bumps are all down my arms, esp inner arms, wrists, all over my whole back and sacrum, shoulders, around my armpits but not in them, all up my neck, but not front of neck. The itching comes and goes. But the bumps stay. Between bursts of intense itching, the white bumps and red spots stay, and really flare up when I itch them. I try not to itch, but sometimes I just have to and get into a frenzy of itching. I also seem to get tons of goosebumps and feel generally a new weird relationship to hot and cold sensations in general. The whole “rash” has been getting worse over the past ten days. Today I took a sick day from work. I haven’t been to the gym all week (usually go 4 times a week) because I just feel moving around (friction from clothes) as well as heat makes it worse and have just been trying to decrease the discomfort. Now that I have read posts here saying sweating at the gym may make it better, I am going to try the gym again tomorrow and see what happens.
I almost couldn’t stay at work yesterday due to wearing boots that made my feet/lower legs hot. I have been reading the posts here and it seems that there is no definitive medical treatment for Cholinergic Urticaria. So I will share what I am trying, maybe it might help others. I am seeing a homeopathic doctor, and she prescribed Apis Mellifica at 30C dosage. I am taking this each 12 hours for a few days to see how it goes. The homeopath said the rash may get worse on taking it, and this has definitely happened. Another remedy she may try depending on how the symptoms go is Aconitum.
Then there are others. I am not saying to just go and buy these remedies and take them for Cholinergic Urticaria, since you need to actually see the homeopathic doctor so they can take your whole case. I will post later to let you know if the remedies help. Also wondering if the laundry detergent brought this one, since I started getting the rash and itching right after doing the laundry. It was a new kind of Tide (I bought without realizing the extra added ingredient) so maybe this has set off the rash. Since then have washed clothes in Purex Baby Soft but no change in the rash due to changing the laundry detergent.
I am hoping this goes away and that I do not actually have Cholinergic Urticaria and if I do that I won’t have it for years like some of you on this post. Living with this is a huge challenge. Thank you for this site and for all the sufferers of Cholinergic Urticaria, my heart goes out to you, hang in there. I’ll let you know how the homeopathy goes.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if it’s Cholinergic Urticaria yet… Post by: HivesGuy on January 26, 2011, 06:03:29 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Jooje, Thanks for your post and welcome to the forum. I am definitely sorry to hear about the rash and hives you are experiencing. It does sound very odd, and I am not sure by your description if it is Cholinergic Urticaria or not. I would definitely consider avoiding that detergent though if that is when your symptoms seemed to have appeared. As far as homeopath medication, it would probabaly have no effect whatsoever if you truly have Cholinergic Urticaria.
I and many others on here have tried a lot of homeopath type remedies, and they generally do nothing at all for Cholinergic Urticaria. Having said that, if it isn’t Cholinergic Urticaria, then there is a good chance your hives probably will clear when and if you can determine the cause. I would think hard about your diet, consider removing the detergent, etc. Thanks again for the post!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if it’s Cholinergic Urticaria yet… Post by: mody on January 27, 2011, 05:08:11 PM
——————————————————————————–
hi, sorry to hear this about you remember that cholinergic urticaria with any thing make you sweat or with stress & exercise, so try to observe if this is happening to you sometimes it coexists with other types of chronic idiopathic urticaria like pressure urticaria wear light cloth which allow your to cool rapidly remove allergens from your environment & try to avoid spicy food use antihistamines & as a must, you should a good dermatologist you can see wikipedia also to read more about this
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if it’s Cholinergic Urticaria yet… Post by: Jooje on January 27, 2011, 09:35:06 PM
——————————————————————————–
Thank you for your replies, HivesGuy and Mody. Just hearing that what I have may not be UC gives me hope. Today my homeopath changed the remedy. I still have the welts all over my body but the itching is less intense today. It flared up after a warmish shower, so I stood in front of the open window for a few minutes and the cold wind cooled down the itching. I do find it hard to wear the light and breathable clothing that many posters suggested since outside it is -10C or thereabouts.
Blue jeans sure feel rough on the skin. I have scratched my skin raw in many places so that hasn’t helped. Learning that cooling down quickly is a better bet than scratching my skin off for 30 minutes. Couldn’t sleep due to the itching last night from 5 am onwards. Had been reading a lot about chemicals, detergents, shampoos, soaps etc and what is in them. Also about urea formaldehyde resins and anti-microbials that give off urea formaldehyde (or something like it.)
I suddenly remembered that I had these same symptoms about 25 years ago when I was in university – rented a basement apartment and it took about 10 days for the rash to come up. When it did – it came on fast, just like this rash. Fast and furious. I had no idea what was going on, but I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t study, and covered in these same itchy welts and red spots. Finally figured out with some help that I was reacting to the urea formaldehyde in the cheap particle board and carpets they’d lined the place with in their renovations of the basement. I packed my stuff and moved out of there asap, lost $ etc but had to get out quick – and within a couple of weeks the rash had cleared up entirely – and I have not had anything since, until these past 2 weeks. I just remembered this last night when reading about the chemicals.
I had just bought a new mattress a month ago – and read that the mattress is treated with anti-microbials. With some deep searching on the internet, I discovered that many mattresses containing synthetic latex, memory foam, other foams, fire retardants, etc have been treated with formaldehyde and off-gas this as well as other chemicals. I got up at 6 am today scratching like crazy, and re-packed the mattress in its plastic bag (it was going back to the shop anyhow this coming Saturday due to the backache it was giving me) and I am getting a new one delivered then. I turfed the mattress in its bag out onto the balcony.
Washed the floor down with white vinegar. Routed through my whole apartment and boxed all the shampoos, soaps, detergents, creams, WD-40, bike oil, bleach, comet, dish soap etc etc and turfed that out on the deck too. Don’t know if its due to the bed being out, the cleaner space due to absence of product chemicals, or the remedy, but the rash was less severe today. Taking the homeopathic remedy again now and will update if any changes. And yes, Mody, I guess I will be arranging to see a dermatologist if all else fails. Take care, all.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Confused..Do I Have This? Post by: tonk0022 on February 03, 2011, 08:53:09 PM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: HivesGuy on January 15, 2011, 10:30:13 AM
Hey Tonk, Excellent post and welcome to the forum. I am very sorry to hear that you do in fact have this. At first I was going to suggest you may have rosacea since you said it was mostly isolated to your face (they sometimes get stinging/burning), but since you have a definite diagnosis, I’d say it must be this then. Cholinergic Urticaria can also sometimes affect mostly 1 area of the body (although my whole body is involved now). When we say a severe itch, what we generally mean is that “prick” sensation, which feels like a bee sting.
It makes me (as a reflex), automatically scratch the area. There is itching, but by far it is the “stinging/burning/prickly” sensation that is worse for me. It does cause me to go on a scratching rampage each time I get a reaction. I know what you mean about the embarrasment having reactions in front of people. To me, it makes the reaction much worse because then I begin to stress about it even more. More stress equals more stinging. Is the Zyrtec helping at all? If not, then there are lots of antihistamines on the market. People really respond differently to different antihistamines. If the Zyrtec doesn’t work, then you may want to talk to your doctor about trying Allegra (fexofenadine). You can also try H1 and H2 antihistamine combinations (again, talk to a doctor). Anyway, I am glad you at least did get a diagnosis, so maybe you can read up about it and find some information to help you manage it a little more effectively. If you have any questions at all, then feel free to reply or open a new thread on this forum.
Best of luck! Thanks so much for taking me seriously.
Because the reaction in my face was so bad I didn’t pay attention to the rest of my body. I get hives on my entire body. I always thought it was normal to be itchy after taking a shower or exercising. I have lots of scars on my legs/arms from itching. I didn’t think my face burning was normal, though. Every dermatologist I’ve seen said it definitely is not rosecea. I actually read on cholinergicurticaria.net that sometimes people with the most severe looking reactions have the least itchiness..which would make sense in my case. Thanks for your suggestions, as Zyrtec isn’t helping. I will ask about Allegra. One dermatologist said she can put me on beta blockers however she said that it barely works and isn’t worth the side effects. ——————————————————————————–
Title: Advice on possible Cholinergic Urticaria and next steps? A mental roadblock! Post by: compal on February 20, 2011, 08:24:21 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey all – I’m a 31 year old male, Asian-Indian, fair skin and have noticed recently during this year something unusual and seems to be in its peak now in how my skin has been behaving. I’ve tried googling around but it only left me in circles. Signs and Symptoms I have been experiencing : > when I am exposed to high heat, i.e. jumping into a warm car in the afternoon – my face starts tingling in different areas and within minutes turns into red blotches in RANDOM areas of my face (i.e. left cheek, chin middle of my forehead, side of my temple.
The area would turn into a “pimple” like lesion – and then probably in 30mins to a few hours (max) the red color would go down. I’d still be left with a raised non-red pimple, but by the next day it usually turns into a whitehead from that area. > some mornings I wake up, feeling anxious and hate turning on the light to see any flare-ups like that, it’s been frustrating me me each day – but I’d flip on the light and everything “looks” ok. I go to the kitchen to start the coffee and then go back to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wham – there’s a single red splotch near the corner of my mouth – I didn’t even feel or get a warning tingling feeling – > sometimes if I put a hot washcloth face – various areas of my face again would repeat the same thing. > exercising : I use to exercise/workout a lot over the years but then stopped for a few months – I would sweat/do strenuous weight activities and have no issues. * fast forward to the recent months and now and every time I try to do any “strenuous activity” I would feel random areas of tingling on my face – and these areas would turn into red splotches with no diffuse pattern. I notice I do not sweat as much like I did before – > anxiety/stress/social situations under pressure – during these moments I can feel the same type of feeling – this stinging, tingling feeling and probably in a few minutes they would appear like above. If I start laughing and be put on the spot – I can feeling these tingling pressure points on random areas of my face and that makes me even more anxious and worried – > showering – hot showers – some days trigger a splotch but not always, usually I would notice a red splotch or two or area on my trunk or thighs – and then go away in short while (probably less than an hour) *
I’ve tried cooler showers with no remedy. It seems I get these mostly on my face and neck – but it does not look like actual welts. More of a tingling feeling. I don’t experience any major itching – just these areas turn into whiteheads after on my face. My diet is mainly a gluten free, low (to no sugar) and limited grains – mainly vegetables, lean meats and good fats – I take a fish oil supplement, multivitamin and 1000mg vitamin C. ****** What I have noticed is – that all this happened since I moved to my new apartment.
I vacuum regularly, have a few air filter cleaners BUT there is one thing – I get ZERO direct sunlight in my place. I can’t even keep any living plants here because of that. I am a graduate student that studies right now mostly indoors and at home during this past year – I don’t get much social contact during that time and yes it can be depressing. I notice if on the days I go outside and get some sun while driving to class and am around some form of light (even for a few minutes it seems while going to class) – I won’t experience any of the above situations. I can go days without any problems. I suffer from mild acne, and rarely get any major problems.
I thought it was a problem with my skin care routine – so over the months I’ve been keeping things minimal. I really thought it was a cosmetic issue but everything seemed to cause the same issue – i.e. cleanser – cetaphil / moisturizer – cetaphil with SPF x AM/PM. Now I am not sure what to do 🙁 This is seriously screwing up my everyday routine – from studying/socializing because I am constantly worrying about this. I don’t even have insurance to go to see whomever I would see for this because the “condition” just randomly happens. I don’t think this is rosacea – any thoughts? I don’t get red diffuse cheeks/nose Is this linked to just lack of sunlight and no vitamin D? or just no sunlight? I really want to continue exercising – and I did notice that I don’t “sweat” as easily before. – Should I just go all out and keep trying to sweat to break this cycle? I don’t really exfoliate Is there a possibility of dead skin cells just piling up in exposure to the heat buildup? My indoor home temperature is set at like – 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity ranges but lower in the winter months – I initially thought all of this was a heat-humidity issue but even now with the temperatures slightly warming up in the South East, USA – I’m not seeing improvement.
I don’t have any other “known” medical conditions or allergies – When these flares happen – I don’t have any breathing or shortness of breath experiences, and there’s no itching. My next plan of action I am planning to go to the store this evening and purchase some Claritin 24 hours to start taking daily and maybe start Vitamin D over the counter therapy in 7,000 units/day (I read here from a post it helped somebody else) and also some people have felt limited sunlight might be a culprit.
I see some others use Zyrtec – I was looking for the least “sedating” but was this more effective than Claritin? I’ve been holding off on even trying to date and get into a relationship because of this – because mentally – I haven’t been able to control this issue 🙁
Does this sound like cholinergic urticaria to any of you? I really don’t have access to a doctor at this moment – I’m taking a leave of absence from school (mainly due to this issue now) and can’t be reimbursed for insurance. I still have student loans but those are mainly for food/rent/gas. I can’t imagine how much it would cost to go see a specialist out of pocket with lab testing! I don’t think that over the course of living here for this past year, there has been a week where these symptoms wouldn’t arise. I can go a few days without them and them bam they are back – most noticeable in my extended indoor stays. I am hoping the loratadine/claritin will work with the Vitamin D – but I am still worried it’s not going to help.
I think that’s my problem of not trying to stay positive. I was thinking of trying to reduce this stress by meditating or starting some yoga? How else can I stop worrying? Are there any other supplements/vitamins that I am missing? Sorry for the long post- this is my first time venting this out to the public. I had so many things I wanted to do in my life at this time, and it’s being hindered by this – Thanks for any help and please let me know of other steps I can try or do!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Advice on possible Cholinergic Urticaria and next steps? A mental roadblock! Post by: nowash on February 21, 2011, 12:48:18 AM
——————————————————————————–
Maybe Miliaria?:
If it is that, from what I know it is either caused by sweat gland obstruction by dead skin or microbes or some unknown cause. Regarding the two former causes, I know that sunlight (UV radiation that is) can kill microbes on the skin and vitamin D production from sunlight is involved with cathelicidin and increased innate immunity (antimicrobial) as well as being antiproliferative to keratinocytes (the cells that eventually become dead skin). Maybe try spraying your apartment with some lysol or something? Also, since you don’t exfoliate, try bathing with vinegar, or some other keratolytic. Get more direct sun, too; glass is opaque to UV light. My ChU never comes up as pimples, and it is always all over my body, so I don’t think it is ChU. However, I’ve never been professionally diagnosed, but if it is ChU: welcooome~! What’s your major, btw?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Advice on possible Cholinergic Urticaria and next steps? A mental roadblock! Post by: compal on February 21, 2011, 03:32:18 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hi nowash, thanks for writing… I’m majoring in political science but initially started with biology – I have taken some introductory biochemistry classes so I have some idea of what you were talking about, but it’s been years. This (miliaria) was something I forgot to mention with all the other info posted and sebhorric dermatitis as possible differentials.
The pictures you linked me to and the ones I have seen of Chu online don’t ever show up in that kind of broad pattern. With the seborrhic dermatitis – I don’t experience any “flaking” or “patchy” areas like the images show either… However either of these two (Miliaria/ChU) might be the closest things I can think of… my hive/reactions turn into those “pimple” like spots but then clear/unclog the next day after washing my face or body with cleanser. There were a few forms of Miliaria though – and Miliaria Rubra most likely would be the best description of that I suppose. From google imaging – I’d say it would look like and start like this but mainly on the face and in less quantity and random distribution. Sometimes there might be only just 1 red blotch that happens or multiple which is not all the time, but the most I have ever seen on my face was like maybe less than 10 random areas like that :
I do notice after a very hot shower I might have some spotches like that on my torso similar to the picture but they would not be “centralized to one location” When it does happen, the area around it gets pretty red, maybe a little bigger than a quarter (~25mm) and sometimes more/less. Whatever this is, it does feel stingy/prickly heat like from how the definitions claim – The lack of me sweating (anhidrosis) as much over this year is something else I am concerned with and only came to notice after reading some posts here and from the web. I am going to make an attempt to layer as many clothes as possible and try to break through a work-out session at home with some weights and interval bodyweight cardio exercises and see if something happens with more sweat. I use to be dripping in sweat when I did these exercises in the past… I am going to look for some better keratolytics (chemical) like Salicylic Acid and see what that does – but I just need and hope to talk about this with some people to perhaps get a better understanding. I’ve read just like you have mentioned about UV light, helping people with Seborrhic Dermatitis for example because a yeast (not sure how valid this is) – but I wear Sunblock if I ever go outside and indoors too – so I doubt any UV radiation would help in that instance…
I can see where UVA/B might help in killing certain microorganisms but then the risk of long term sun damage – man, what a trade off ? When you mean “antiproliferative” to keratinocytes – are you saying then that there is a less chance for dead cells from sloughing off and allowing new cell turnover? I’m coming up with some searches re: cathelicidins that too much vitamin D in excess may exacerbate those that suffer from Rosacea. I was taking a lot of Cod Liver Oil before the fish oil transition, especially in the early winter time – and I know my multivitamin provides 1,000 IUs of Vitamin D3. I wonder how much Vitamin D3 was taken to cause an excess production to cause Rosacea sufferers the increased amounts of cathelecidins that may have attributed to their symptoms. As one study mentioned higher levels found in them. Link to one article and study extraction (work friendly safe).
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Advice on possible Cholinergic Urticaria and next steps? A mental roadblock! Post by: HivesGuy on February 21, 2011, 04:58:22 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello compal, Excellent post and welcome! It does sound very interesting indeed. I am torn between possible rosacea and Cholinergic Urticaria, but it could be rosacea if you ONLY feel this on your face. Not all rosacea people have the red face, and it is possible you may develop the redness later on. But, I would go to a really good dermatologist and ask him/her which one they think it is. I guess rosacea would be the better of the two, since it is localized to the face only in most cases, whereas Cholinergic Urticaria affects the whole body usually (or at least the whole upper torso). But we do know the feeling of the stinging/itching on the face! It happens to me, but the feeling is also spreading over my entire body. Very uncomfortable. I hope you are able to get a definite diagnosis, and keep us up to date. Good luck!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Advice on possible Cholinergic Urticaria and next steps? A mental roadblock! Post by: compal on February 21, 2011, 05:35:46 AM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks Hivesguy – unfortunately the lack of insurance is going to be a bit of a problem setting up anything with a Derm for the time being… Yes it is more localized to the face more often, sometimes my ears get red (I forgot to mention this) – but not simultaneously… My question is does rosacea affect below the face to the neck and collar bone? I don’t know if “rosacea” affects the neck region – because I do get these on similar blotches turned to pimples on my upper torso / collar bone area, sometimes in the back – perhaps some redness after showering on the thighs – I haven’t noticed this on my arms, maybe on the hands when running hot water (but these don’t turn into whiteheads like the other areas) and haven’t noticed them on my lower legs.
The itching and diffuse pictures of what some other members are unfortunately experiencing are not occurring to me – but I think I read from one of your blog posts (I’ve been searching and reading prior to registering here) I am feeling those types of stages… I just got back from the store and purchased some loratadine (Claritin) and a salycylic acid face/body wash to hopefully start breaking off some of these dead skin cells – I haven’t taken or done anything yet. I am a bit unsure as to what I might do with this sunlight / Vitamin D3 issue – nowash had raised some interesting points.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Advice on possible Cholinergic Urticaria and next steps? A mental roadblock! Post by: HivesGuy on February 21, 2011, 05:41:24 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hmm, it may be Cholinergic Urticaria then. Sometimes it starts out in one main area and spreads. For me it was my upper torso/face, but now it affects my entire body. I am sure you will find out over time if it starts to get worse.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Advice on possible Cholinergic Urticaria and next steps? A mental roadblock! Post by: nowash on February 21, 2011, 06:24:38 AM
——————————————————————————–
I don’t know much about rosacea, but from looking at wiki it says it can affect down to the collar bone. Papulopustular rosacea maybe? Says acne-like pustules could last 1-4 days (amazing, wish that’d was the same with my acne, lol). You do or don’t have itching? If it’s rosacea vit D may make it worse, but you said sunlight helps so I didn’t think it was rosacea… And yeah antiproliferative, so you don’t have an excess of skin cells sloughing off.
If I understand it right, keratinocytes are the basic, barrier skin cells. They are pushed outward and eventually lose their nucleus through apoptosis and the cytoplasm becomes mostly keratin. Less keratinocyte proliferation, slower cell shedding? I haven’t really researched acne too much, but that was the gist from one doctor (Loren Cordain, IIRC). My hives look like that pic you linked before they go into wheals, though.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Advice on possible Cholinergic Urticaria and next steps? A mental roadblock! Post by: compal on February 21, 2011, 07:24:23 AM
——————————————————————————–
I hope it doesn’t hivesguy 😮 Nowash – yeah I don’t get any centralized redness – and every google image I’ve seen of rosacea doesn’t appear nothing like that… in the first post I kind of described my “hives” in different settings. No itching on face –
I’ve never had any itchy feeling on my face – just those tingly feelings moments before where I know and expect a hive or red area to appear. Itching only when I am stressed (like now) – I will start itching behind my knees or arms – they do get a little eczema, but I usually slap on some Vaseline and hydrocortisone or try to think of something else because I use to itch those areas a lot under stress this year – almost all this happened since I moved to this place. Last year and all the rest were completely different.
I’m familiar with Loren Cordain’s work – the paleo diet. I do tend to follow something similar to what he had prescribed – about 90% because I still eat some dairy products. What part of the information where you finding of his and Vitamin D inhibition of cell proliferation? He does write an “Acne Free” book too, but it’s almost similar to eating Paleo (lean meats ok, no grains (whole, starchy) or legumes, little fruit ok , plentiful vegetables ok and good fats (from nuts like walnuts,almonds (not peanuts), oils like olive and fish oil, avacado’s.
The acne free portion just emphasized No dairy (which is pretty much paleo). I do think diet plays a role in so many roles – but maybe it will help some of the ChU sufferers. I got some of the keratolytics and later today I am going to wrap myself up in many layers to see if I can sweat again. Do all sufferers of ChU have sweating (i.e. minimal or anihidrosis)problems? Nowash or hivesguy or anyone else – I do notice if I get these flare attacks – if I put on 2% diphenhydramine cream (generic benadryl) OTC on the area – the redness subsides very fast, but I stopped doing this – because it was almost a bad habit – I wouldn’t leave the house without it and had to carry it with me at all times when I did leave to go out. 1% hydrocortisone did not help like the diphenhydramine.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: not sure if I have this or not Post by: luv2fish on February 21, 2011, 07:59:34 AM
——————————————————————————–
well, I have made an appointment to see a new internist in a few days. Here’s hoping he has even heard of this because I sure plan to hit him with it. I’ll let you know if I’ve stumbled upon a medical genius or not. lol.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Advice on possible Cholinergic Urticaria and next steps? A mental roadblock! Post by: compal on February 21, 2011, 10:17:16 AM
——————————————————————————–
Okay last thing to add and I am going to sleep – I never tried this before until now – I took a pen (blunt end) and started lightly rubbing on my torso making a few short lines to spell a few letters – within a few seconds, the areas outlined in RED! They were not raised, and then in maybe 2 minutes went back to my skin color. The areas do not hurt. I have no idea if this is normal for anyone or if I am just tripping out. I wasn’t stroking or rubbing with much force.
I looked up dermatographic urticaria – but this is no way raised or painful. I tried just rubbing my finger on my chest on both sides to see if something similar would happen and it did – same on my forearms. Oh boy I am freaking out now! 😮 I still haven’t taken the 10mg loratadine yet – going to take it after posting.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Advice on possible Cholinergic Urticaria and next steps? A mental roadblock! Post by: HivesGuy on February 21, 2011, 11:10:18 AM
——————————————————————————–
Yeah, the dermotologist scratched my skin gently and said I have very mild dermatographia. You can have a mild case, and most people with allergies or hives issues have at least a small amount of dermatographia. However, it is a little different from having it severely. Some people get huge wheals when something touches their skin. Not me. Like you, I just get a little redness for a minute, and then it goes away.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Advice on possible Cholinergic Urticaria and next steps? A mental roadblock! Post by: compal on February 21, 2011, 08:23:11 PM
——————————————————————————–
I see hivesguy – wow. I wonder what was going through your mind when you first experienced that. So what did your Derm tell you exactly then? i.e. What to do about it? Management plans? I suppose the underlying cause is a mystery…. Given some of the info I had mentioned, what does that entail for me? What should I do? I took the 10mg Loratadine – “waiting to see” what happens…
I think what’s most frustrating is the limited data and studies behind this along with challenges from health providers on how to tackle this… I am going to examine my diet a bit more closely to see if there is any type of “chronic insult” that I am missing…. I do have a mild seafood fish-shellfish allergy, and I have been taking fish oil – but I was told by my doctor over 1.5 years ago (when I had insurance) that the allergy antigen “fish proteins” are usually not included… Who knows – that’s the only culprit I can think of in my diet to take out… I didn’t get a chance to exercise to try the sweating out… that’s a new finding/observation from reading these posts that I never noticed on myself until the other day… I will have to see if this is really true. Do those with ChU have bouts of anhidrosis?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Advice on possible Cholinergic Urticaria and next steps? A mental roadblock! Post by: nowash on February 22, 2011, 12:32:18 AM
——————————————————————————–
The vitamin D stuff is not Cordain’s work, just something I came across searching PubMed.
You guys are blowing my mind, so scratching or rubbing/pressing your skin lightly isn’t supposed to leave redness and itch? I itch a small amount when I do either, but not as bad as hives. I thought that was normal; I just asked my brother and he says it isn’t? Whaaat…? This disorder is rediculous, haha. Regarding ChU on the face: mine usually doesn’t itch or itch as bad as other areas. So maybe you have ChU, and most ChU sufferers have sweating problems.
I can’t tell if I sweat normally or not, I’ve had it so long, but I mostly sweat on my palms; very little elsewhere unless I force it in a workout, AFTER I get my hives. There SHOULDN’T be proteins in fish oil, but you can never tell how or how well they extract it. I think a bottle of fish oil still has a warning on it. You know it’s funny, compal, most of the relevant studies for ChU I have seen are from asian or indian researchers, lol. Maybe it’s largely genetic…
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I have Cholinergic Urticaria?? Help appreciated! Post by: Freed84 on February 22, 2011, 03:04:08 PM
——————————————————————————–
Quick update…….I’ve been to see a specialist at Wythenshawe hospital, he confirmed that I have chronic urticaria. I thought here we go and was waiting for him to tell me that it will eventually go but there is nothing he could do. But to my surprise he told me he was going to get it under control! He has written to my GP with a plan of action, he even said that GP’s do not have a clue about the condition!!
The first step will be to increase my current medication, Fexofenadine. For the last 6 months I have been taking 180mg per day, although my new specialist told me that I can have up to 4 of these as day!! So for now i will double, then try 3, then try 4 if there is no change. If there is still no change I will take 4 and another drug (can;t remember what it is called) which I will get from my GP. I go back in 8 weeks for a review, he even said that this was just the first few steps in stopping this and that if this plan didn’t work there are more things to try! Hearing this after reading such horror stories on here and other sites has filled me with hope and I can’t wait to see whether I will finally be able to get back to normal!! I will keep updating here and I hope this helps someone else!!! ;D
——————————————————————————–
Title: Do I have this horrible disease? Post by: ken8lk on February 23, 2011, 07:13:04 PM
——————————————————————————–
Since December of 2009, I started feeling an intense itching sensation in my back. Over the course of a year, it spread to my hands, fingers, scalp, and feet (although it completely disappeared from my hands, which is weird…) I never got red or developed hives, so I had no clue. My skin looked completely normal. I recently noticed that when I get in the shower and stay in for a long time, I get blotchy on my chest and stomach. It looked similar to the picture that was the second to last one on this page, but it wasnt quite the same thing mine were more thinner, so to speak.
The strange thing is that the blotchy areas didnt itch at all. My back was red, but it is most likely due to my blood vessels expanding (my body would get red in the shower before Cholinergic Urticaria). So do I have it? My skin is pretty sensitive, and Im white, so if I had hives it should show up… Either way, I think I found out why; I’ve had braces for about 2 years, and I was attacked by Cholinergic Urticaria shortly after I quit my school sport (XC running). I could have an allergy to nickel, or whatever kind of metal is used for braces. I used to have mildly itchy skin when I started the XC season (which was when I got my braces) and I sweat a lot everyday, so I probably had this but didnt realize it since I was unconsciously controlling it with the constant sweating. Or it could be from Vitamin D deficiency (which I have for sure, it showed up in my blood), a flea allergy (I have a dog), or dust mites.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I have this horrible disease? Post by: HivesGuy on February 23, 2011, 08:31:40 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey, It sounds a lot like it to me. But of course, a good dermatologist or allergist would be able to give you a definite diagnosis. Since you do get itchy, I would say it is likely (especially if you only get itchy like this when you get hot/nervous, etc.). I sometimes get itchy and have no redness/hives. Sometimes heat (like a heating pad) can cause my skin to get a bit red, but it doesn’t itch. It could be that your skin just gets really red from the hot water, but it doesn’t cause a reaction for you. Even my wife’s skin gets red and blotchy in the shower from her skin getting warm. As far as the allergy to metal, it is always possible, but really hard to ever know for sure.
There have been a lot of speculation about what could trigger Cholinergic Urticaria, but without proper scientific studies, we won’t know a lot of those answers. But it is always possible I suppose. I take vitamin D right now, and a multivitamin. I don’t have braces anymore, but I do have those metal fillings in my teeth.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I have this horrible disease? Post by: ken8lk on February 24, 2011, 02:00:30 AM
——————————————————————————–
I read from a magazine that said something about people with metal allergies and their symptoms. Their symptoms were surprisingly similar to Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms. I dont know for sure, but I still have hope. The people with metal allergies were completely cured when their metal fillings were gone. Was there a point in your life where you had no metal on your teeth?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I have Cholinergic Urticaria?? Help appreciated! Post by: morales329 on March 09, 2011, 02:50:47 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hi just recently found this website and basically it was through searching for an answer to what my 5 year old is going through. She shows all of the Characteristics of this C.U. – She definitely cannot do anything or be anywhere that would raise her body temperature and this is difficult to control with a 5 year old. Even when she gets upset or anxious the burning swelling, prickly hives and itch take into immediate effect.
She has always been a sheltered child and spoiled under the AC during those hot summer months! Everything was indoors, in the car or just plain old comfortable. It wasn’t until last year that we started all of the park things and walks on hot summer days only to find out that she would swell, break out and start screaming about a burning sensation. She had the hives, the itch, the uncomfortable swelling etc…
I thought she was allergic to the SUN but turns out this happens now with heat period! I cannot over bundle her even on the coldest days. It seems to attack her mostly on her upper back. My question is…can this happen so young? does anyone else experience the burning sensation only in one particular area? I am taking her for blood work and just recently stopped an MRI in the middle of the process because her body temperature rose and she was baking under the sheets. Even the Tech couldn’t believe her eyes. My little girl would have cooked if she were sedated and kept in there for 90 minutes like they had planned!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I have Cholinergic Urticaria?? Help appreciated! Post by: ken8lk on March 09, 2011, 03:23:35 PM
——————————————————————————–
:0 ouch, that looks painful. Unfortunately, this probably is cholinergic urticaria. Im sorry that it claimed another victim.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Is this Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: wag on April 27, 2011, 03:51:42 PM
——————————————————————————–
Happens when I get hot, but I don’t seem to get the raised/red bumps. Just splotches. Itches like hell though.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Is this Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: HivesGuy on April 27, 2011, 03:55:29 PM
——————————————————————————–
I used to only get splotchy exactly like this. Now, I do get very many bumps/hives all over after this splotchiness. It looks a lot like Cholinergic Urticaria to me. If you have many of the symptoms (itching when hot, etc), then there is a good possibility you could have this. Of course a doctor familiar with this could make a diagnosis for sure though.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Is this Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: wag on April 27, 2011, 04:08:13 PM
——————————————————————————–
How long before your bumps developed?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Is this Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: HivesGuy on April 27, 2011, 04:17:50 PM
——————————————————————————–
There is no set time. You may never develop them, or you could develop them next week, next month, next year, etc. Cholinergic Urticaria runs a variable course for each person.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Is this Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: Henrik on April 28, 2011, 07:25:51 AM
——————————————————————————–
My hives look very much like that. I never get bumps, only splotches. Sometimes, I don’t get any hives at all, and then the severe, stinging itching is my only symptom. At other times, I get hives (reddening of the skin) very similar to what is seen on your photo. Attacks which cause hives are also the ones where the itching is worst.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Not sure if I have Cholinergic Urticaria Post by: bonnie on May 11, 2011, 08:05:45 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello…I have had episodes of hives since I was very young, generally around holidays or stressful situations. They would come and go within a day. Rashes would just travel from one end of my body to another and then be gone. I also have dermatographism–my allergy doc years ago was just fascinated by the fact that he could scratch my skin and within a few minutes you would see a red streak following exactly the scratch pattern-but that has never bothered me much to my knowledge. Lately though I have intense itching all over my body–torso, legs and arms.
Generally I see little red spots but they aren’t bumpy and generally red areas but not what I would call splotches. Certainly not “hives” that I used to have or so I thought until I read this forum. I am not sure what brings them on. Lately I have had a lot of stresses; seems more at night or when hot or sweaty. I have hydroxizine but it makes me so drowsy it is a last resort at night when I’m just at my wits end with the itching. I’m trying over the counter Allegra today to see if it helps. I dread going to the doctor with this…I just figure it will go nowhere and be frustrating. Thanks all for being there.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Does this sound like Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: lilcee on May 13, 2011, 09:23:22 AM
——————————————————————————–
I’m not sure if this is what I have. Sometimes it sounds like it, sometimes not. My symptoms: ache all over itchy all over – get red areas inside my elbow, knees, back, back of neck, face, feet/ankles that feels hot. They itch for awhile and then go away like they were never there. I know I have pressure urticaria, I can draw on my self but this seems different, I get achy all over when I get this. it starts when I feel hot – like I’m burning up inside or have a fever but I don’t.
The itchy sounds like it and looks like the pics I saw but when I get a bad flare up, I hurt all over like someone beat me up. My shoulders and neck feel stiff and my ribs hurt. Sometimes my legs, feet and hands will hurt too. Today my hands hurt to touch anything, like they are burned. My head itches and feels crawly sometimes and when I comb my hair, it starts to itch. And today I have a bad headache I’m not on any kind of meds that would cause the itchys Does Urticaria cause you to feel achy? Thank you for any help you can give me. I’m new to this forum
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Does this sound like Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: Soaring on May 13, 2011, 09:52:40 AM
——————————————————————————–
I want to say a vast majority of people do not experience aches during an attack.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Does this sound like Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: nowash on May 13, 2011, 11:47:14 AM
——————————————————————————–
You could have mastocytosis, which is an excessive amount of mast cells in the body. Your increased sensitivity to touch is called allodynia (innocuous stimulus felt as pain). This could mean you could have fibromyalgia (which high mast cells and urticaria have been associated with), neuropathy (highly doubtful since you have symptoms all over your body, but could be systemic; I’m no doctor, but again it’s highly doubtful), or something else. Would you say you have migraines?
I agree with Soaring as there is usually no ache associated with ChU, although I do feel achey most of the time. It’s also a symptom of mastocytosis. I highly recommend seeing a doctor.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Does this sound like Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: lilcee on May 13, 2011, 12:12:05 PM
——————————————————————————–
Thank you for your reply s. It could be the fibro, I was diagnosed with that a couple of years ago.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: Ray on June 04, 2011, 02:36:12 PM
——————————————————————————–
I have a skin condition called Urticaria and It’s very painful to live with, the prickling feeling of needles and stinging all over my skin whenever I get Hot, Nervous, Excited, or Anxious Is just tough to live with, and now It summer time and while every one else Is outside enjoying their day I’m stuck In here because of this darn condition. I just graduated last year from High School and I’m 19, I can’t even get my license with this condition.
I have become very stressed since having this, It started about seven months ago. It has become so depressing that I’m thinking about suicide almost all day everyday, the only thing that keeps leveled Is watching Bulls games, I live In Chicago and watching them everyday just relieves my stress a little, but still I just feel like dying every day. I went to a doctor and nothing they gave me works, anti-histamines, they don’t work at all. I can’t even workout because If I do theirs a chance of me getting an anaphylactic shock due to all of the histamines being released. But tomorrow I’m gonna workout and If I die let It be.
I was wondering could I have something else that’s just has similar symptoms as Urticaria patients or are the symptoms I described evident enough that I have this hideous skin condition?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: HivesGuy on June 04, 2011, 03:03:23 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Ray, I am sorry to hear about your frustrations with this. There are a few conditions that can mimic cholinergic urticaira, such as miliaria and a few others. However, a good dermatologist knowledgeable about these types of urticarias would be able to give you a definite diagnosis. I can certainly relate to your difficulties. I’ve experienced the same sorts of feelings and frustrations as you. I have had this on/off for 10 years now.
I had a very severe case this past year, and nothing would actually help me at all, and I felt like a prisoner in my own body. Eventually I took Allegra and that helped a bit, and combining that with an H2 antihistamine (taken 2 hours later) helped even more. But nothing would stop it 100% (especially if I did any physical activity). (NOTE: Make sure to talk to a doctor before trying antihistamines, and especially combinations as it may not be safe for everyone).
My hives have now left. I am able to workout, sweat, etc. I say that because there are a lot of stories like yours on this forum, and they do end with a happy ending. Many people are able to live full quality of life even though they have this. You should never let yourself become so discouraged that you want to end your life. There are far too many options out there to help manage this than to let it get you that upset (although I have been just as frustrated and hopeless myself in the past).
I would highly recommend talking to a doctor, and if you do attempt exercise, an epi-pen may help reduce the risks of an anaphylactic shock. This isn’t very common, although some people with Cholinergic Urticaria on this forum have experienced it. I would also start very slow, have an adult with you, and also I would stop at the first sign of Cholinergic Urticaria. If you check my blog, I have posted my experience of how I was able to gradually work myself up to a full workout. After 3 1/2 weeks of exercising and watching my diet, my hives finally went away. Anyway, I hope you get things under control, and welcome to the forum.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: Ray on June 05, 2011, 02:11:12 PM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks Hives guy, and yeah I saw your story on your 6 week workout and diet that helped you get rid of your symptoms, I’m gonna start working out tomorrow and try to maintain a healthier diet, I eat loads of junk food and that may be the reason I have this condition, but Instead of doing the bike exercise I’m gonna run on a treadmill for 20 minutes a day 6 times a week. I’m just hoping to get rid of this problem before I start my EMT courses on June 28th, my dads a firefighter/paramedic and he’s trying to get me going In that direction.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: HivesGuy on June 05, 2011, 03:05:25 PM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks for your reply Ray. Best of luck to you with everything!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: LuckyHives on June 05, 2011, 10:13:49 PM
——————————————————————————–
I feel ya. most of my friends are very active and it saddens me sometime to not be able to participant in certain activities. Most of my good friends show me support but I feel I wont be fully happy unless my hives goes away. I love my family so I use them as motivation. anyways you should keep ur head up think about the people in your life and appreciate them and how hurt they would be if you decided to hurt yourself.
After a while you come to terms of your condition and accept that its possible you can live with heat hives for very long time. I am on my 7th year got it when was 17 but whatever.i think everybody has thought of siucide not just you.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: Ray on June 07, 2011, 10:38:36 AM
——————————————————————————–
@LuckyHives I could less about hurting the people that care about me because It seems like they could care less about the condition I’m going through. I have two brothers that live with me that doesn’t have any medical conditions but yet my Mom calls me all day to do favors for her and to clean her room, by doing this she’s raising my body temperature causing me to itch.
My Dad Is always trying to pressure me into going Into public and I keep telling him that I can’t with this condition and It seems like he doesn’t understand. And my brothers are always asking me to go play sports with them and I keep telling them I can’t participate, they don’t understand either always telling me that If they were In my shoes they would be able to. My life Is very depressing man, and now I have to deal with this but whatever man It Is what It Is.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: Duper on June 10, 2011, 09:06:32 PM
——————————————————————————–
First, fix your attitude. Be grateful you have family and especially a family that is trying to do the best for you. Are you seriously whining that your brothers invite you out to play sports with them? Boo*******hoo. Yes, having Cholinergic Urticaria sucks, but do you think you’re justified in having a ****** attitude just because your brothers don’t understand what it feels like? Do you think they COULD understand what it feels like? You’re also obviously depressed. You live a sedentary lifestyle and describe your life as though it has no purpose.
Stop looking for excuses, do what exercise you can, find some new hobbies; just find something that interests you. I had your attitude my teenage years and it’s a darn shame I wasted so many of my years drowning in excuses. Cholinergic Urticaria is a roadblock, it’s not a dead end.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: Ray on June 11, 2011, 02:49:43 AM
——————————————————————————–
@Duper You know what you’re right I’m gonna stop making excuses.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: Ray on June 11, 2011, 06:35:01 AM
——————————————————————————–
@Duper I’m not just sitting around either, I’m active I just can’t do the things that I want to do or use to do, but I am gonna stop making excuses though, I have a very severe case of urticaria, I get the symptoms every time I show any kind of emotion or do any kind of physical activity, so It Is kind of discouraging.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: nowash on June 11, 2011, 10:21:13 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Ray, Welcome to the forums. I’ve got a few questions: Antihistamines don’t stop either the itching or whealing? Do you have redness? What are your symptoms like? Cholinergic Urticaria is more than one disease, and to get a clue which one you have you need to be specific. How well do you sweat? What do you your wheals look like? Where are they located? If there are portions on your body where you cannot by no means sweat at all, you could have anhidrosis, which could be caused by an autoimmune attack on your sweat glands. This can also happen when you have portions where you can sweat only a little, I imagine. Immunosuppressants are needed in this case.
If you get worse in the winter and better in the summer or can sweat normally only after working out you could have poral occlusion, in which sweat therapy seems to help people and keratolytics such as sulfur might. A low glycemic diet (diabetic diet) might also work well here since a high glycemic diet has been associated with hyperkeratinization and epidermal hyperplasia in acne (Citation Retinoids might help. If you get worse in the summer and better in the winter (as do I), your symptoms might be a true allergy (IgE-mediated), in which omalizumab or specific immunotherapy might be warranted. If your wheals are located superimposed on (inside of) hair follicles, you might have a true allergy to your serum (protein in your blood plasma). If your wheals are not superimposed on your hair follicles then you might have a true allergy to your sweat (protein in your sweat) (As I might). The researchers haven’t done the studies to isolate either protein yet. I am not personally taking any drug right now. I am experimenting with specific immunotherapy myself which I can tell helps, but am cautious about unintended consequences. I do not understand why antihistamines do not help some people. Ray, perhaps you could ask your doctor about Singulair, which is a leukotriene antagonist. This helps some people.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: Ray on June 11, 2011, 10:21:43 PM
——————————————————————————–
@nowash I don’t sweat at all, even when I try to run on treadmill for 10 minutes I can’t sweat one drop, and I don’t think I get any welts at all I just get severe Itching, It’s really not an Itch It feels like sharp needles are poking my scalp, legs,arms, torso every time I get hot,nervous,excited,anxious, and when I’m cleaning up I get these symptoms too.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: nowash on June 12, 2011, 10:35:18 AM
——————————————————————————–
You really do not sweat at all ever? Do you sweat under your armpits? Okay so you have no wheals, but do you have redness? Are your symptoms worse in the winter or summer, or are they the same all year round? You also need to go outside in real heat or in a sauna to really test it, I can’t even sweat inside that much. You can also go buy Betadine, which is an disinfectant in the first aid aisle, and some cornstarch.
Apply Betadine to your arm or wherever you think you don’t sweat and let it dry. It is important to let it dry. Next dust some cornstarch onto the same area and start exercising. If you sweat anywhere in that area the mixture would turn deep purplish-blue. The iodine in Betadine reacts with the starch in cornstarch when exposed to the water in sweat, changing its color. By cleaning up, what do you mean?
Do you mean the action of moving your muscles causes you to have attack? Or perhaps it is the water you are using? What bothers you about cleaning up? Do you have an aversion to getting dirt on you, or water? Oddly enough it seems these are symptoms of Cholinergic Urticaria. You can even have itchiness or an attack from mental strain.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: HivesGuy on June 12, 2011, 10:49:23 AM
——————————————————————————–
@ Ray, Yeah, I didn’t sweat 1 single drop for an entire year, and my hives were crazy itchy. It didn’t matter if it was 110 degrees outside, or what. No sweat would come out at all, even if I endured painful attack for a long time. The hives just never stopped. Don’t give up man. Like I said on my blog post, it took me 3 1/2 weeks of clean eating and spurts of exercise until my hives went away and I was able to sweat again. I just got done working out a couple hours ago–and I was drenched in sweat with zero hives.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: nowash on June 12, 2011, 11:43:39 AM
——————————————————————————–
HG did you sweat under your armpits any while you had hives? Just wondering if there is a difference with the apocrine and eccrine sweat glands here. This has been bugging me. You sure you didn’t have anhidrosis? I know it can come with ChU but I mean like complete anhidrosis.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: HivesGuy on June 12, 2011, 11:55:48 AM
——————————————————————————–
@nowash The thing is that all sorts of strange things started happening to me about this time last year. First, my hives got more severe. Second, I started getting this odd prickly sensation on my wrists, back of hands, and ankles/top of feet–which felt like hives but would happen without any serious heating. This would happen randomly throughout the day, and especially in the morning and drive me nuts. I could never get to the point of sweating because my hives were so severe. In most people with Cholinergic Urticaria, they can generally sweat after suffering through the attack. But there was no getting through an attack. I tried everything.
It is like I had so many inflammatory cells that it created some condition in my body where the sweat ducts lost communication from the nerve impulses. I could not get a drop of sweat out, and even after wearing a sauna suit under pants, a big jacket, and exercising in a bathroom with a heater cranked–my skin was bone dry. I wasn’t sweating on under my arms as far as I know, and if there was sweat, it would have been a very small trace amount at most.
It is difficult to say because I also wore deodorant, and so I could never tell if any dampness there was sweat or deodorant. But now I can sweat easily. I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever, that if I stop exercising, and create a calorie surplus (and eat a much more messy diet), then my hives would be right back with me. In fact I am almost tempted to try this after a while as an experiment. But right now I am trying to enjoy life hives free.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: Ray on June 12, 2011, 03:23:59 PM
——————————————————————————–
@nowash Yeah I don’t sweat at all man, and by cleaning I mean I could just be sweeping the floor or cleaning the stove In the kitchen and I would start getting that painful prickling feeling all over my entire body, and hivesguy I’m not gonna give up, I’m going to keep going at It everyday.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: daddeo on June 12, 2011, 04:07:54 PM
——————————————————————————–
My son had a pretty rough spring… began sweating less and getting increased hives. I found this site and stories and we came up with “a plan.” Now mind you, this isn’t any huge breakthrough, but for us it was. I noticed quite a few folks talking about water intake. I’ll go on record right now saying a 16 year old kid rarely pays attention to drinking enough water! His diet is/was fairly good.
I would have to even say excellent when comparing to others I know eating fast food multiple nights a week. Anyway, had a talk with my son… We no sooner stopped talking and he was pouring a glas of water. He has really paid alot of attention to drinking more water and it seems to be helping a good deal! His diet is already ok, he takes a multivitamin, and we have been working out about 6 days a week for the last two weeks. The sweat is back in full force. He has not had any hives during excercise in the last two weeks. He does still get them when he showers and they stick around for 15 or so minutes.
I’m thinking he is happy if this is how it is going to be. Another huge thing, and I could see it when we talked, is that he can talk freely about it now… Before it was like he was trying to hide it… Anyway, wish you luck! I didn’t see anywhere on this thread about maybe having an epi pen around when you excercise.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: LuckyHives on June 12, 2011, 06:34:46 PM
——————————————————————————–
Epi pen should be near by if your allergies are bad after a workout….thumbs up. Go mavs
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: Duper on June 13, 2011, 04:11:05 AM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: Ray on June 11, 2011, 06:35:01 AM
@Duper I’m not just sitting around either, I’m active I just can’t do the things that I want to do or use to do, but I am gonna stop making excuses though, I have a very severe case of urticaria, I get the symptoms every time I show any kind of emotion or do any kind of physical activity, so It Is kind of discouraging. I know it’s very discouraging, but it gets better. When I first realized I had Cholinergic Urticaria, it was obviously very painful. When I realized it wasn’t going to just go away (about 3 months into it), I couldn’t take it. This is when I was 14 or so, I just became so overwhelmed with frustration, anger, depression, I started to tear up and broke out in hives EVERYWHERE.
As I stood over my bathroom sink crying, I looked into the mirror, the hives had covered my entire face, neck, etc. My eyelids were swollen from hives. It’s tough. And yet I’m here today, nearly 7 years later. Happy and living an otherwise normal life. Just 3 hours ago my shirt was drenched with sweat from exercise; a routine I’ve followed for many years now. See your doctors (and I’ve seen a lot…). Do your own research. Experiment with whatever routine works for you, what vitamins/supplements help, and you’ll eventually get better. Don’t lose hope; realize you’re not alone and that others have gone through exactly what you’re experiencing now. Even better, they’re willing to help you out. =)
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: Ray on June 13, 2011, 07:44:44 PM
——————————————————————————–
@LuckyHives Lol yeah go Mavs, I was getting tired of Miami man, they just took advantage of my Bulls inexperience, It won’t happen next year.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: nzer on June 15, 2011, 10:20:34 PM
——————————————————————————–
I have the same problem but I dont go into shock so I just endure skin tearing pain for 30minutes and then I can play basketball without itching cuz apparently ur body gets used to it? but i still cant workout because I dont get warmed up enough and too much people looking at me scratching… but basketballs intense you know so I just scratch freely 😀 anyway Im praying for us all, haha its gonna be the knicks in the east finals so bulls watch out
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Do I really have Urticaria? Post by: Ray on June 18, 2011, 12:27:50 AM
——————————————————————————–
@nzer Thanks for the reply, and I don’t work out In front of a lot of people I agree I wouldn’t be able to because a lot of people would be starring at me when I’m scratching, I go to this place at 5:30 In the morning when no one Is there, and good luck with your condition as well I’ll be praying for you too. The Knicks Is not gonna be In the conference finals next year, lol maybe when they get cp3 or Williams, but until then It will be my Bulls vs the Heat every year In the conference finals but It will end In a different outcome though.lol
——————————————————————————–
Title: Do I Have Cholinergic Urticaria? Are These the Symptoms Hives? Post by: Arrzee on July 04, 2011, 07:29:31 PM
——————————————————————————–
I have been suffering from these symptoms for 30 years and have never even heard of cholinergic urticaria untill today. Over the years I have tried everything and dealt with countless doctors. I have tried creams, pills and candida cleanses. Nothing helped. My hives are the worst when I shower and when I go to bed but are not limited to those times. I have always assumed (since I’ve never been given a reason for it) that I was allergic to water! I take allergy pills before every shower and have for the last 20 years. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. It primarily affects my legs and torso. It was even suggested to me that it was a psychosomatic disorder that was the result of a near-drowning accident I had as a child. This weekend I had to cut the grass and it was very hot outside.
After I was done I was sweating like crazy and felt like I was being bitten by fire ants. My arms and legs broke out in itchy goosebumps. At first I thought it must be heat rash since I have only ever experienced flushed welts. After 3 days they are still here although it seems like they start to clear up and stop itching and then come back a few hours later. Today I went to the doctor and he advised that it wasn’t heat rash but suggested it may be a sensitivity to moisture and that it should just go away.
Out of frustration I turned to the internet which lead me here. After reading your posts, I’m thinking I may have an answer! This would be a huge relief for me and would mean so much hope if this is what I have! It has been such a long hopeless road until now. At least now I feel like I have some new options and that there are others out there who understand what I’m going through…and that maybe one day it will go away! Thank you for starting this site and I look forward to being involved in this group. Cheers!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Is it sad that I’m hoping this is what I have?? Post by: HivesGuy on July 06, 2011, 07:49:42 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Arrzee, Excellent post and welcome to the forum! No, you aren’t crazy for hoping you have this. I know exactly what you mean. When I first had this, I felt like a freak of nature. Like I was the only one in the universe cursed with this disorder. It was so nice when I finally figured out that many others have also suffered with it, and that it had a name. I am glad you found the site. There are a lot of articles on this forum and the main website, which I hope you find useful. Best of luck, and welcome!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Is it sad that I’m hoping this is what I have?? Post by: kiloup on July 07, 2011, 10:36:52 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hi Arzee,
You are not alone in thinking that. My Mom use to tell me it’s in my head or its stress or it’s something I ate. I was thrilled when I found out what I had been going through had a name. For the past 10 years I have seen countless dermatologists, endocrinologists and allergists. Two weeks ago I was told my hormones are fine. It’s atopic dermatitis and eczema. But finally a dermatologist said you have an allergy to the sun. I thought that makes sense. It usually happens when I am hot.
I have to be cold all the time and I love the winter and fall so that’s what it is. I bought some sunscreen and allergy medicine and was ready to go until I had a talk with a friend via e-mail. I was telling her what the dermatologist said and what my symptoms are and she said my husband has something similar to that but its not the sun. It is usually when he gets hot he gets hives but she couldn’t remember the name. I started researching heat induced hives and there it was. Finally an explanation for having to stop 30 minutes into my workout because my chest started itching unbearably or having to take strong antihistamines and slather steroid cream on my swollen itchy arms just to get relief. Just this morning my upper arm had a large swollen raised hive with little tiny bumps. I had to use an ice pack to get relief.
This is so frustrating and upsetting at times. I have gone to Egypt, Jamaica this year and I am going to Florida net week. Before I leave for every trip I pack up steroid cream and 6 different antihistamines hoping one can get me through and my friends and family don’t ask what is that on your arm or see me putting a cold water bottle on my chest. It can be limiting and frustrating but I will live my life. I have read many tips on this forum and I will try different things until I have this under control. I am so happy I found this forum and a name for what I have been going through.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Do I Have Cholinergic Urticaria? Are These the Symptoms Hives? Post by: ItchyAussie on August 14, 2011, 05:31:47 PM
——————————————————————————–
The first time I remember being all red and itchy while running is when i was 15 during a sports activity at school. We were doing a cross country run and my legs and stomach were so itchy and red I was running along scratching for about 5km.
I actually didn’t realise anything was weird about me at this stage, i thought it was just one of those things that happened to everyone sometimes. I exercised plenty before this, being a national level gymnast training 30hrs a week. I have read there is a link to this being an allergy, of which i have many. As a kid i was diagnosed with asthma, an allergy to dust mites, allergy to sulphur, horses, cats… I think that’s everything. A side note, i go all red and blotchy when i get embaressed, nervous or upset (which again i thought was just something that happens to everyone… apparently not!! Some people look beautiful when they cry…
I am NOT one of those people!) (In this case the redness doesn’t itch and it’s more on my face and chest, where as when it’s from exercise it’s very itchy and mostly on my legs / stomach) I’m not sure if it’s related or not. On some occassions when i exercise I also get Very wheezy, to the point i find it hard to breathe. I thought this was the asthma “coming back” (i haven’t had asthma since I was in my early teens) however I’ve read now this can sometimes be a symptom of Cholinergic Urticaria. I have antihistamines in the house at all times due to the other allergies i have – it works as a bandaid until i can get to a hospital or doctor for an adrenalin shot, which i have had to do a couple of times.
I think it’s time to go to the doctor and get some tests done – but I don’t know what to ask for? I don’t want them to palm it off as “Asthma” or as something i just have to live with (I’m 27 now), I’m sick of being uncomfortable when i exercise, I wont go to a gym because it’s embaressing, I’m sick of being blotchy red in important meetings. What should i ask for to be done? Cheers, Itchy Aussie X
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I think I might have this… It ticks all the boxes! Post by: HivesGuy on August 15, 2011, 03:59:52 AM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks for your great post and welcome! Well, it sounds like you have definitely had a lot of allergy issues in your life. Let me tell you what I would do if I were you: I would be eliminating all sources of inflammation. What do I mean? Well, I would examine and remove all things that can potentially evoke an allergic response in your body. This includes: Environmental allergies: Dust mite proof your house (get bed sheet covers, eliminate rugs or carpeting, keep your home clean, etc.—as much as possible).
Also, consider getting filtration or a water softener for your water if you suspect that could be an issue. If you use lotions or soaps, make sure they aren’t a cause. Food Allergies: I suspect this may have very serious involvement with Cholinergic Urticaria. Delayed onset food allergies is something I have recently discovered within myself. When I eat very lean foods (white rice, chicken, salmon, brocolli, banans, strawberries, blueberries, and maple syrup), my Cholinergic Urticaria has vanished.
When I re-introduce certain foods, it comes back in about 3-7 days (and then takes about 1-2 weeks to go away once I remove the offending foods again). I am going to post more on this on my blog in the next week or two. Anyway, it will take a lot of experimentation on your part, but I have had incredible success, and I would urge you to consider doing the same. I can now sweat, exercise, and whatever with no hives or itching at all. Also, a food allergy test may help, but it generally doesn’t pick up the delayed food allergies/intolerances, it only usually picks up the more immediate type of reaction. Good luck.
——————————————————————————–
Title: I don’t know if I have this condition but? Post by: Joe on October 13, 2011, 05:10:15 AM
——————————————————————————–
I am 62. About 1 and 1/2 years ago I started getting this itchy feeling all over. Like when your scalp itches you scratch it lightly and it goes away except mine comes back and is all over and moves around.
In addition I get a prickly sensation also. I have no rash, am only 10 lbs overweight, have been 99% gluten free for over 14 months, eat mostly organic free range , don’t drink sodas or diet drinks, and it is not brought on by heat. I sweat easily but this condition never goes away. I’ve been the alternative route with chiropractic/neurologist, rolfing, accupuncture, elimination diets, etc. I just found this website and was wondering if anybody that has been suffering (evidently way more than me) has any suggestions on how to proceed. Any help appreciated Joe
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I don’t know if I have this condition but? Post by: HivesGuy on October 13, 2011, 05:18:12 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Joe, Sorry to hear of your health issues. If you are sure this isn’t Cholinergic Urticaria, then I’m not sure what it could be medically. Perhaps it is some other nerve disorder or something starting to present itself. Have you tried antihistamines (Allegra or Zyrtec) for the itching? Or an anti itch lotion? Or something along those lines? You didn’t mention if you have tried those. Have you ruled out miliaria or one of those “pore clogged” type scenarios?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Do I Have Cholinergic Urticaria? Are These the Symptoms Hives? Post by: freeme3 on October 27, 2011, 10:51:15 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello, I am new here and unsure if I have Cholinergic Urticaria or not. Maybe you guys can help me figure things out. For the past 3 or 4 months, I have developed a blotchy and sometimes flushing rash on my chest. The rash does not itch, but it burns and stings and feels hot to the touch. I uploaded an image of my rash on one of the “Ask the Doctor” forums and the doctor said that it looks like Cholinergic Urticaria.
I do have Dermatographic Urticaria (skin writing disease) so it would make sense if I do have Cholinergic Urticaria. Sometimes my chest will sting and burn but there will be no rash, which I find is very weird. I look down expecting to see a rash and there is nothing there. When I do have the rash, I do not have any hives or bumps. I do notice that I get this rash when I am wearing a lot of layers or when I am warm in bed with a lot of covers. I often wake up with it because I am warm. More recently, the skin on my face has been bothering me. Sometimes if I am laying on my side on my pillow, when I get up to go the bathroom, that side of my face is all blotchy and warm to the touch. Sometimes my face will blotch up for no reason. Just within the past couple of weeks, my face has developed this burning itch that comes and go and it feels warm to the touch. Most of the time I do not look red but sometimes my cheeks will flush. The burning/stinging sensation is there a lot without any visible symptoms.
Could this be cholinergic urticaria as well. My neck also feels very warm to the touch but is not red. I get this sensation on my upper arms as well. My face feels very sore and it has this burning itch. My doctor does not think that this is rosacea but is not sure what the problem is. With cholinergic urticaria, do some people feel a burning itch with no rash? Is it common to experience this sensation most of the time? I do notice that coming inside from cold weather, extreme emotion and hot showers make it worse. I am on zyrtec and zantac but they do not seem to be helping. The burning on my face hurts a lot and is causing me much anxiety.
I am constantly thinking about it, so maybe I am causing my symptoms?? Ugh.. I just don’t know! I need to add that I was on steroids for nasal inflammation 2 weeks ago but have been off them for a week now. My doctor told me that my adrenals could be out of whack from the steroids and it may take a while for them to get back to normal. This burning itch began when I was taking the prednisone. I also have moderate to severe allergies and am very allergic to ragweed, grass, trees, dust, cats,, pretty much everything. I am a 30 yr. old female and have had allergies my whole life. Can anyone shed some light on this?
I am getting very frustrated here! Would I be able to upload the picture of my chest rash on this site? Oh also, I tend to flush when I am nervous and my chest will get all blotchy. Common?? Thank you in advance for anyone who can help. I am sorry my post is so long! -Freeme
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: HivesGuy on October 28, 2011, 07:15:05 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Freeme3, Thanks for the great post and welcome to the forum. I can certainly sympathize with you because whether you have Cholinergic Urticaria or not, we have all experienced the exact same frustration that you are experiencing.
The fact that you have dermatographism, other allergies, etc—tells me that your body is definitely having allergic/immune system issues. It could definitely be Cholinergic Urticaria, as is is fairly common to have 2 or 3 allergic symptoms that overlap (ie, eczema and hives, or dermatographism and hives, etc.). With regards to the symptoms–yes, many times in the past my hives have felt like they kinda burned with a stinging/prickly sensation. The prickly/sting sensation is what made me want to scratch the most–although scratching doesn’t really help Cholinergic Urticaria. I have had times when I had this prickly sensation with no hives or flushing, times when I would flush red when it would happen, and then also times when I would be covered in thousands of tiny pinpoint hives. So yes, the symptoms can vary in Cholinergic Urticaria quite a bit (even in the same person over time). Some people even get the flushing or hives with no itching at all (lucky people).
I know this may seem like common sense, but if you aren’t doing any of the things below, you may want to give them a try: 1. Cold showers–this is big–hot water leeches out the oils and dries the skin more (especially during winter/fall). Also, hot water contains much more dissolved minerals, which can irritate and dry skin even more. Take showers as cold as you can stand them, and consider getting a shower filter that reduces chlorine and other chemicals (I got mine on Amazon for $15, Culligan brand).
Also, use a hypo-allergic moisturizing soap (I use Dove hypoallergenic). Shower no more than 1 per day if possible, possibly ever other day. Also, if you struggle with cold water in the winter, I place a small heater in my bathroom for about 15-30 minutes before I shower so the room is nice and hot, which helps a lot with a cold shower in the winter. Oh, and pat your skin dry with a soft towel–don’t rub it. Scrub gently in the shower with a non-exfoliating soft cloth. Try not to soap up your body every day (maybe every other), as even the best soaps do dry the skin a bit. Just soap up the important parts. 2. Lotion 2 times per day (always right after a shower)–In the summer, I use lotion 1 time per day. In the winter, 2 times per day (after a shower in the morning, and before bed at night).
I use Eucerin Calming Creme–the stuff has nearly 5 stars on Amazon, and glowing reviews by people with eczema, hives, and rosacea. It is a very good moisturizer, and I recommend it. 3. Take a hard look at your diet. Read on my blog for my diet experiments and findings. If you are allergic to something (or something in your diet causes minor skin inflammation), it is all-but-guaranteed that it will make any skin issues worse. So it may pay to experiment with your diet, and possibly try to remove foods that may be upsetting your system. 4. Sleep with a vaporizer or humidifier on at night. This will help your skin and nasal passages stay moisturized, and this is very important during the winter/cooler months. I prefer vaporizers because they also put out heat, and they aren’t as hard to keep clean as a humidifier (and no filters to replace). But there could be a slight burn hazard from the steam if you have pets or kids–so keep that in mind. You can get a vaporizer for as cheap as $16. 5.
Detergent–Also, I recommend a hypoallergenic detergent. I use a brand by “ALL,” and it works quite well for me. 6. Exercise–While you may not be able to jump right into it (and it may not be safe for all people with anaphylaxis issues), regular exercise may also help improve skin quality, reduce hormone secreting fat, boost your self esteem, and improve your overall health. Read on my blog for tips on how I did this even with pretty bad Cholinergic Urticaria at the time. 7. Hypoallergenic/Dust mite proof bedding–I bought this about a year or so ago. It will help reduce allergens from getting in your bedding, such as dust mites, bed bugs, pet stuff, etc. Oh, and if you have a pet, you may want to consider that as a source of irritation too. I love animals to death, but I’d never live with one. 8. Vitamins–You may want to consider supplementing with vitamins if you have any deficiencies. I take a multi-vitamin (Centrum), calcium (since I can’t eat milk/dairy), and vitamin D3. Others have seen some help from B vitamin complexes as well. So that is something you may want to try (always talk to a doctor first). I know the above may all seem like common sense and that it won’t make that much of a big deal. But trust me–some of the things on the list above can make a huge difference. Cold showers alone will rid your body of unnecessary harsh minerals, which can make your skin feel immediately different.
I think there is a very good chance you can see many of your skin issues improve significantly if you consider trying the things above. I do not even take antihistamines, and my hives are under control by using the methods above. If the above hasn’t given you any relief after a few weeks, then you may want to experiment with other antihistamines under a doctor’s care. People really react to antihistamines differently. One can be completely worthless for one person, while it may be the answer to a prayer for another. So it helps to try different ones over time to see what helps best. But again, no medicine is always the best approach, and my personal philosophy is to only use meds if you absolutely must, and to try healthy/natural ways of improving health first. I hope that helps you, and God bless.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: freeme3 on October 28, 2011, 09:03:25 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Hivesguy. Thank you so much for your response, I appreciate it so much. First, I would like to ask if I could post my rash online or maybe have you take a look at it? I realize that you are not a doctor but have a wealth of knowledge on cholinergic urticaria and I would like your thoughts on what you think it looks like. I have an appt. with my allergist next week but it is bugging me. I posted the rash on an “Ask the Dr. Forum” and the doctor seems to believe that it looks like stress hives. Is that the same as cholinergic urticaria? So you have experienced the prickly and burning sensation and no rash and other times have flushed? It seems that most of the time I do not flush on my face but feel al almost constant tingling/burning/itchy sensation on my face. My face will also feel tight at times.
Is it common to feel almost constant sensations but not really have visual symptoms? My chest, on the other hand does not have constant sensations or symptoms. Also, do you know if it is common f or cholinergic urticaria to be confined to chest, neck, and face? Sometimes my neck will get all blotchy. I do suffer from seasonal and perennial allergies.
In addition, I have dermatographic urticaria which I already mentioned and eczema outbreaks from time to time. I also suffer from anxiety, problem due to all of these skin conditions. That is interesting about taking cold showers. Most of the time, I take baths to minimize the water hitting my face but the are warm to hot baths. I will try the cool showers and see what happens. I will look into trying Eucerin Calming Cream. Do you know if it can be used on the face? I don’t generally have acne prone skin but it can break out if I use the wrong products. I wonder if it will help with this tight feeling that I have on my face. I feel like I got a facelift or something… it is so tight. I guess that it could be dry skin even though it does not look visually dry.
Could thid tightness be from cholinergic urticaria? I will definitely try the shower filter, that can only help! I have tried a humidifyer but will try a vaporizer. My nose does get very dry inside and I am constantly putting vaselline up there. I am on a zyrtec/singulair/zantac combination but have not noticed any changes. My allergist has me avoiding chocolate, berries, tomatoes, peanuts, beans and peas. No change yet so I will definitely take a look at your blog and view your diet. I do try and exercise daily and sweating does not seem to bother my symptoms except sometimes I will get a rash along my hairline from my sweat which I find is weird. It’s like I have an allergy to my sweat in certain places on my face. SO WEIRD! I probably should have dust proofed my bedding a while ago when my allergist mentioned it but I never did.
I will most definitely do it now. Do you find that cold weather affects you? Sometimes if I am out in cooler weather, my face will start to tingle. That could just be my allergies/sinuses acting up though. I currently take fish oil and vitamin D3. Maybe I will add in a multivitamin. B vitamins make me feel MORE itchy and flushy, oddly enough. Thank you again for taking the time to write a lengthy post and offering me your suggestions. It really does seem like you understand my frustrations. That is so wonderful that you have your hives under control, I hope that it stays that way, and I am sure that it will. Please let me know if I can post the picture of my rash somewhere. I would really like for you to take a look at it, even though I know that you are not a doctor and cannot diagnose. Thank you again, Freeme3
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: freeme3 on October 29, 2011, 02:25:22 AM
——————————————————————————–
I want to add that sometimes when I am sleeping and laying on one side of my face, my cheek will be red and hot. Is this a form of urticaria, possibly my dermatographism or a form of pressure urticaria? I do not get bumps or hives, just the redness and warmth. Although last week my cheeks flushed and I developed a couple of small bumps that went away when the flush went down. I just wish I could figure out what is going on with me! I definitely am going to try changing my diet and cold showers.
Do the showers have to be COLD or just cool? Cold showers everyday might be hard to do, but if it means I can minimize my symptoms, then I will do it. Thanks, Freeme
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: HivesGuy on October 29, 2011, 03:32:54 AM
——————————————————————————–
Your welcome :). Yes, I will take a look at your rash. Just keep in mind up front that it can be nearly impossible to discern which type of urticaria (or physical urticaria) it may be from the picture alone, as hives and rashes almost always look the same, regardless of the cause. But I will be happy to look and see if I (or anyone on the forum) can chime in with any thoughts. It would be best to use a free photo upload site (such as photobucket or flickr), and then post the full url of it here. Just please make sure it is of an area that isn’t showing any x-rated parts please.
Yes, sometimes Cholinergic Urticaria is referred to as heat hives, stress hives, etc. since stress or emotions can cause a reaction (among other things like heat). Yes, Cholinergic Urticaria is often confined to a localized body area. For some people it affects the legs. It probably most commonly affects the upper torso, especially since this area has a lot of blood flow and can heat up more quickly than the extremities. When I first got it, it was almost always on my chest/back/neck/ and sometimes face. It eventually got worse until I would get a reaction from head to toe. Yes, that is very interesting how you seem to be allergic to so many things. That is why I strongly suggest you also closely examine your diet and environment. It could be a source of much of your frustrations (it was for me). Right now I am eating a very restricted diet, but it is worth it. I am slowly adding foods back. In all honesty I don’t know what chemical in the foods it is causing it. I have tried to isolate an individual component (salicylates, amines, preservatives, dyes, etc.).
I can’t isolate it based on one chemical alone, so I have no clue what causes it, but the diet is a huge difference for me and my skin. If you have an intolerance or allergy to something you are eating, it often presents itself in the form of dry, irritated, or rashy skin. So again, take a look at my diet, and maybe talk to your doctor about going on an allergy elimination diet similar to mine for a short time and see if that changes anything within a couple of weeks. Yes, I use Eucerin Calming Creme on my face. I recommend you Google this and find it on Amazon, and read the reviews. People with eczema, rosacea, dry itchy skin, etc. recommend this highly. That is how I found out about it (one day I was googling “good lotion for eczema or dry skin”). I use it on my face 2 times per day in the winter, and 1 time per day in the summer.
I have ZERO acne, zits, and so forth on my face. I maybe get like 1 zit every 2-3 months, but I don’t think it is from the lotion at all. So it does not cause zits or acne at all for me (and other lotions like Jergens have in the past). But–everyone can be different so I can’t guarantee it won’t do anything for you. But it seems that others also put it on their face daily with no issues, so it may be worth a try for sure. Also, if you aren’t moisturizing your face, I recommend you start doing that soon. One of the signs of dry skin is a very tight, itchy sensation. Even if there is no rash, no flaky looking skin, your skin could be mega dry. My skin usually looked fine (no visible flakes or cracking), but it was in bad shape. Before I started putting lotion on, taking cold showers, and running a vaporizer, my skin felt so dry, tight, and itchy (a non-hives prickly/itchy feeling). It would drive me crazy. The lotion makes my skin feel so cool and smooth. This is really amazing stuff here. It is pricier than other lotions, but you truly get what you pay for with this stuff. Make sure to try the Calming Creme specifically. About cold showers–yes, they are pretty much cold. Let me put it this way–in the summer it actually feels good, because my house gets hot and humid. So it is a nice relief. In the winter though, I have to run my heater for 30 minutes or so to get the room blazing hot. Then I take the cold shower. I don’t stand in the water the whole time, because it is so cold, and it doesn’t last for more than a few minutes. It feels like when you first jump in a swimming pool and you have that “brrr” feeling lol. So yes, as cold as you can stand to briefly rise off any soap/shampoo. I suppose you could do a cool shower–but this is what I noticed: I often boil rice on the stove.
So one day when I filled it up with hot water, I noticed that the water looked cloudy. I emptied it and filled it up with cold water and it looked really clear. I googled online and found out that it was due to the mineral content (hot water dissolves more minerals in your water heater and pipes, and contains more copper, lead, magnesium, and calcium). So the hotter you have the shower, probably the more minerals you are dowsing onto your skin–which likely will dry it out and irritate it. Plus the temperature of the water itself can make your skin drier. I noticed that after a hot shower my skin felt TERRIBLE. Hot, itchy, tight–it was a mess. So I started to take cold showers and I immediately noticed it was better. Cold water is softer, and feels more slimy than hot water. If you get a filter, you may be able to take “cool” showers. But I would always strive to get it as cold as you can stand it (again, a small heater to heat up the bathroom will help in this regard). Also, do you use makeup? I notice you posted a lot of issues with your face.
That could be drying out your face even more, or you may be allergic to something you put on your face. Also, antihistamines can also make your skin and nasal passages more dry–so moisturize well. I’d recommend you make sure to drink several glasses of water each day too, to prevent dehydration. Yeah, if those antihistamines aren’t working, you may want to ask your doctor about switching to another combo. Pepcid and Allegra seemed to help me the best (I didn’t take them at the same time though, but a couple hours apart). But some people get a lot of relief from Zyrtec, etc. So if it isn’t working for you, try something else over time to see if that works better. I hope that helps. I’ll try to take a look at the picture sometime after you post the URL.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: freeme3 on October 29, 2011, 04:00:19 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hivesguy, Thank you for the info. I will write more later.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: HivesGuy on October 29, 2011, 04:34:23 AM
——————————————————————————–
Yes, the link works. My skin did often look very similar. It would flush just like that in blotchy areas on my torso. I can’t say with certainty that it is Cholinergic Urticaria, because any type of rash can do something similar, but mine did look like that sometimes.
If you notice that it does this with a sharp increase in temperature, emotions, exercise, or anything like that, then that would be a strong indicator that it could be Cholinergic Urticaria. Again, since you have so many allergy issues, it is common to have a physical urticaria along with it.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: freeme3 on October 29, 2011, 08:44:51 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hi Hivesguy, Thanks for taking a look at my rash. Sometimes it looks blotchy like that and other times I look completely flushed with blotches up my neck and face. There are times when I am lying on my cheek and it will turn red and hot. My neck will blotch up too. It’s like the pressure of my skin against the pillow causes the problem. I suppose that is some form of physical/pressure urticaria, what do you think?
I do worry about rosacea sometimes because my face gets warm and red but I don’t think that is the case and neither does my doctor. I Really, Really don’t want to have that though!!! I took my first cool/cool shower tonight. It was definitely tough because I had to be in there to shave my legs. Most of my shower was cool and then when I rinsed my hair, I put it to as cold as I could stand. My skin might feel a little better, but I am not sure. If I can get rid of this prickly/ burning itch on my face then I would be happy. So, your skin felt prickly and irritated even though it did not look dry? How long after taking the cold showers and moisturizing with Eucerin calming cream did you get any relief? I was put on steroids (prednisone) for nasal inflammation for 10 days. I tapered down from 60mgs to 0 mgs. I noticed after about a week of being on the prednisone that my face felt dry, itchy and burning. I read that all of those can be side effects of oral steroids…but I have been off of them for 10 days now and my face still doesn’t feel right.
Maybe they just take some time to get out of your system, I suppose? Do you have any experience with steroids and the way it affects our skin? i do not wear much makeup. Sometimes I will brush on some mineral powder to make my face have more of an even skin tone but not much other than that and some eyeliner and lip gloss. I do take a lot of antihistamines throughout the day and wonder, like you said, if they are adding to the dryness of my skin. I guess I don’t know what to do. Doctors say double up on the antihistamines, but ARE they WORKING?? Part of me wants to go antihistamine free for awhile and see what happens.
Ugh, I guess a lot of it is trial and error. I would like to buy a water filter. Are the difficult to install? Do you know if you have to buy a certain type according to the kind of shower head you have? Stress is my worst enemy. If I am very worried or upset about something, my whole chest, neck and face can flush or have that blotchy look. Sometimes extreme temperatures do it to me too. A lot of it, I think, is in my head as I have developed this fear of turning red.
I am going to ask my doctor about a beta blocker. Have you had any success with those? I think a big part of my problem is anxiety and then stressing over my skin just makes it all worse. I worry that I have some skin condition that won’t allow me to live a normal life. The anxiety of it all is actually worse than the flushing and redness because I don’t know what is happening to my body. It is scary at times. You have definitely helped shed some light on my problem and given me some great tips. I have some hope now. Thank you for that!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: HivesGuy on October 30, 2011, 04:57:40 AM
——————————————————————————–
Yes, that is interesting about the prednisone. It could definitely be still bothering your system if it has only been 10 days. Sometimes it takes a few weeks for things to return to normal. I mean, even if a person had a food allergy and ate something that gave them a rash, it could take up to 2-3 weeks to completely clear. So I would definitely give it a little more time to see if things gradually get better as your body’s hormones return to normal.
Yeah, it could be pressure/contact urticaria on your neck and face. You will know for sure as time goes on, because it will either go away or remain (or become a little more noticeable)–and then you should be able to know for sure. As far as dry skin getting better–it should get better in a matter of a few days if that is making your symptoms worse. Maybe like 3-5 days or so you should see a huge improvement. If you put lotion on, it may feel more comfy right away, as the Eucerin has a very “cooling” effect and makes the skin feel great for a couple hours after you put it on. If your doctors say to double up on antihistamines, then you could give it a try I suppose. But if it were me, I’d probably ask them to recommend another brand first to make sure you can’t improve your symptoms on just a regular dose.
Then, perhaps you could try a higher dose if you don’t get any relief from other types. But always follow your doctor over what I say for sure. Most shower heads are like 1/2 inch thread I think. Yes they are easy to install and don’t require tools in most cases (unless you need a pair of pliers to get the old head off if it is really tight at first). It isn’t actually a new head, but just a filter that goes between the pipe and the head. It simply screws on until you tighten by hand, and then thread the old head onto the filter. Yes, I definitely know how anxiety and stress can make things worse. But you have to think positively.
First let me say that without a doubt–what you have is NOT going to stop you from having a happy and normal life. So try to push those types of negative thoughts out of your mind. There are so many ways you can manage this right now, and it will probably even get better or go away on its own eventually. So remind yourself of that and don’t let it get you down. Also, don’t worry about looking red at all. Many people, without any type of hives condition, flush red when they get nervous or embarrassed. People really probably won’t even notice most of the time. In fact, when I used to get terrible attacks, people rarely even knew I was having an attack (even though I was lighting up red like a lobster).
They didn’t know until I frantically scratched myself to death and ran to splash some cold water on me. So it is never as bad to others as you think in your mind. I hope that helps. Just give it some time for the prednisone to subside, try to keep your skin in good condition, maybe work on the diet, and work with your doctor on finding a good antihistamine (or the right dosages to keep the symptoms minimal). Trust me, you will be okay 🙂
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: freeme3 on October 30, 2011, 11:56:49 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Hivesguy, I don’t have much time to write, but all of our talks about skin care got me thinking. You have been so much help that I figured I would ask you… I use a calamine lotion mask every night on my face because I read that it helps shrink your pores. I do think that it’s working BUT I wonder if it’s the reason why my skin feels so dry and tight. What do you think? Calamine lotion is marketed to “dry up” rashes and poison ivy so it probably is drying out my skin.
I have been doing it for a while now and just started noticing problems though. Maybe that in combination with the prednisone, cooler weather and indoor heat, my skin totally dried out? Maybe I should give that up for awhile. Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but you really got me thinking about ways to help my skin and this just dawned on me. MAYBE it’s the calamine lotion!!!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: HivesGuy on October 31, 2011, 05:01:35 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey again, Ah yes, calamine lotion. I can remember that stuff from my many encounters with poison ivy as a teen. Yes, that sounds like it could be a HUGE factor in excessively drying out your face. (especially combined with the fact that the humidity levels are dropping now since cooler weather is here).
If you are only putting it on for cosmetic reasons, I’d stop it pronto. Also, make sure to start moisturizing immediately to help repair the damaged skin. Even if your skin doesn’t look rashy, it could be damaged significantly at the microscopic level.
So give that some time, and let the prednisone get out of your system, and give the lotion and so forth time to work its magic, and hopefully that should solve (or at least help) your problem on your face. Also, its worth mentioning that some women do have an issue with that mineral powder makeup. So if things don’t improve after you’ve done all that, you may want to give it up for a week or two to see if that helps later down the line. Best of luck, and I hope that’s the problem.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Two questions Post by: villandra on November 04, 2011, 05:36:41 PM
——————————————————————————–
I have two questions. First, is it true that people with cholinergic urticaria have trouble sweating? I sweat very heavily. Second, does this look like cholinergic urticaria?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Two questions Post by: HivesGuy on November 05, 2011, 11:03:32 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello, Yes, it is true that many (but not all) people with Cholinergic Urticaria have difficulty sweating. The biggest factor in determining Cholinergic Urticaria is probably a hives/whealing/itching sensation when the body becomes hot (either passively or actively). Yes, that rash does resemble Cholinergic Urticaria, but like I always say, it is hard to say for sure, as rashes can often look the same.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Cholinergic Urticaria or Not!.. Perhaps a variation. Post by: Him_Osiris on November 22, 2011, 02:12:50 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hi everyone I am new to the forum, in fact this is my first post. I have had urticaria probably Cholinergic Urticaria since puberty, now I am 25. I have made peace with the disease and I don’t take much medication now apart from histamines only on important occasions. Rest of the time I just try to avoid an attack by not aggravating it. Now the peculiar thing about my condition is that I am relieved by sweat. My attack is unbearably itchy and inflaming until i break sweat. I have read everywhere that sweat is the problem but for me it is like a threshold that I need to cross. For me its either tolerate the attack until sweat breaks out or cool it down immediately. But once I get sweaty I don’t get another attack for at least 3-4 hours no matter what I do. Water always helps in cooling down.
I don’t get attacks from hot water/shower. I can even do steam bath comfortably. But can’t do Sauna ( the dry one) at all even for 5 sec. Another thing about my condition is that its certain to happen from cold to hot temperature change, but I am fine with the heat if it happens gradually (say a period of 30 mins) or I am already hot ( say when I am in tropics in Summer and there is heat everywhere). Hot to cold temperature change has no effect towards an attack. And finally the last thing, During an attack not paying attention to it helps a lot.
Maybe ignoring it avoids panic (which is an emotional stress). I think that is the reason why I never get an attack when I am drunk no matter what I do. But you can’t stay drunk 24×7. I know Cholinergic Urticaria has many variations but I am not sure which type of urticaria I have. The doctor just confirmed Urticaria. Please feel free to express your thoughts.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria or Not!.. Perhaps a variation. Post by: HivesGuy on November 23, 2011, 04:34:05 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Him_Osiris, Great post and welcome to the forum. It was very interesting reading your story. Sounds like you’ve definitely had this a while. It does sound a lot like Cholinergic Urticaria to me. I am glad you have been able to find ways to cope with it through the years. Some people have also noticed a similar effect with alcohol. I don’t drink myself, but many of the ones who did said to be cautious, as it seemingly made their hives worse after drinking (although they didn’t notice attacks while drinking). I’m not sure if you’ve noticed a similar thing or not. Thanks again for your post, and welcome to the forum!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria or Not!.. Perhaps a variation. Post by: Him_Osiris on November 24, 2011, 11:59:22 AM
——————————————————————————–
cheers! dude, thanks. Just wanted to know if this sweat breaking thing is common? I was wondering if I intentionally induce attack every morning and bear with it, so that later I can get smooth day, a good idea? Or will it have some other repercussions.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Does this sound like Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: MonsCalpe on November 29, 2011, 12:53:03 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Everyone, My Dr told me today that I have Cholinergic Urticaria, however, after reading all your posts I’m now having my doubts! After showering I experience red blotches all over my back, shoulders and face. They are not raised and don’t itch and tend to disappear after 30 minutes. This is the only time they appear. I’ve also been recently diagnosed as a coeliac, so I eat a very healthy diet, loads of vegetables and ‘super’ foods, nothing processed and also no dairy. I’m flummuxed as to why I’ve started displaying these marks! Can you please help put this frustrated mind to rest? :- Many thanks MC
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Does this sound like Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: Him_Osiris on November 29, 2011, 01:50:07 PM
——————————————————————————–
Shower as in Hot showers or just contact with water? Does it happen with any other contact with water like rain, pool etc?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Does this sound like Cholinergic Urticaria? Post by: HivesGuy on December 01, 2011, 05:52:45 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Monscalpe, Great post and welcome to the forum. Cholinergic Urticaria is usually distinguished from other urticarias by presenting during active OR passive heating. It can present with flushing, red pinpoint hives, or just intense itching (or a combination of those). If you ONLY get this during the shower only, and no passive or active heating causes this, then it sounds a little more like perhaps water (aquagenic) urticaria. But I am no doctor, and you can always get a second opinion on it if you question the diagnosis. Not that it would probably help much though, as the treatment they give is usually the same: Avoid the activity as much as possible and take antihistamines. Also, with regards to your diet, it sounds very healthy. But keep in mind that even the most organic and natural foods could cause problems if you are allergic. But foods may be nothing to do with it–I just thought I’d throw that out there.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria or Not!.. Perhaps a variation. Post by: VIP on December 03, 2011, 06:00:07 PM
——————————————————————————–
@Him_Osiris If I had read your post without viewing who posted it, I would have assumed I myself had posted that! You describe down to the most minute detail exactly what I experience I do firmly believe we have cholinergic urticaria due to poral occlusion (see below) Cholinergic urticaria due to poral occlusion There are several cases suggesting that Cholinergic Urticaria is caused by poral occlusion.7 In such cases, occlusion of superficial acrosyringium due to keratotic plugs and dilatation of sweat ducts are evident by histological examination. Such interferences of sweat secretion sometimes cause hypohidrosis.
Kobayashi et al. hypothesized that poral occlusion leads to the leakage of sweat which contain numerous enzymes, such as renin-like substances, secretory IgA, IgE and cytokines including interleukin 1a and b, and interleukin 8 that, in turn, induce local inflammation and cause weals.7 In line with this hypothesis, an intradermal test with cholinergic agents was negative, and did not induce any wheal in Cholinergic Urticaria with poral occlusion.7 The symptoms are usually exacerbated in winter and resolved in summer,7 suggesting that daily sweating in summer may inhibit the formation of keratotic plugs to prevent the occurrence of Cholinergic Urticaria.
This as a result is the reason that I will be moving to a very warm country soon, when in a warm climate with low humidity it is very easy to sweat and sweat all day long… and what does that mean? Some sweat and no hives!!!!! In the winter (cold) months our condition is worse because it’s harder for our already blocked sweat glands to open so as a result there is more leakage of inflammatory mediators under the skin compared to the summer.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: freeme3 on December 04, 2011, 01:40:19 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hi Hivesguy and everyone else, I haven’t been on here much because I have been quite busy but wanted to update you on my condition. I am still not sure what I have but here’s the latest. I went to my dermatologist because my face was feeling very dry and tight with a burning sensation. My dermatologist prescribed me locoid cream and said that I have sensitive and dry skin. The steroid cream has been helping a lot with the burning and dry/tight feeling.
I have been staying out of the wind and cold as much as I can so that has been helping too. I wrote in before because I was getting a blotchy rash on my chest and my face would blotch up at times. Well, that went away but now is kind of back. My face will suddenly get warm to the touch and then all of my old acne scars will turn bright red. I don’t have a lot of scars, 3 or 4 marks.. but they turn bright red for about a half hour. My chest will blotch up too.
This generally happens when I am laying in my bed. Is this hives? My dermatologist does not believe that I have rosacea.. just sensitive skin. I do not get blotchy when I exercise or after a shower. It does occur with extreme emotion though. The burning and stinging on my face comes and goes.. I have no clue what that is. I’m just so confused! I apologize for posting to this forum if I don’t have cholinergic urticaria, I’m just looking for answers. I do have dermographic urticaria but that doesnt seem to bother me. Any help would be much appreciated. Freeme
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: HivesGuy on December 04, 2011, 08:58:20 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey again, I’m sorry to hear that you are still struggling with some of these symptoms. At least the cream seems to be helping some on your face, so that is positive. Yes, it could be hives, but like I said–it is sometimes hard to know for sure, or diagnose. It could be some form of urticaria developing. The only advice I can give is to really work with your diet. I’ve skimmed your posts above and I didn’t see anywhere that you’ve maybe experimented with that. It could be helpful.
In fact, I attribute diet as probably the biggest thing that has helped me. If my symptoms (breaking out in bright red blotchy rash with raised hives and itching half-to-death) were helped that much with diet, it may be something for you to investigate for yourself. Other than diet, antihistamines, and the other things I’ve mentioned above, that is about all I can come up with for you to try to see if it helps. I hope something works.
Try to be patient, and don’t give up hope. I’d advise you to remain proactive when it comes to trying to solve. Keep trying new things (always check them with a doctor first of course). Best wishes, and I hope you get things under control.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria or Not!.. Perhaps a variation. Post by: silvertones on December 04, 2011, 02:32:33 PM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: VIP on December 03, 2011, 06:00:07 PM
@Him_Osiris If I had read your post without viewing who posted it, I would have assumed I myself had posted that! You describe down to the most minute detail exactly what I experience I do firmly believe we have cholinergic urticaria due to poral occlusion (see below) Cholinergic urticaria due to poral occlusion
There are several cases suggesting that Cholinergic Urticaria is caused by poral occlusion.7 In such cases, occlusion of superficial acrosyringium due to keratotic plugs and dilatation of sweat ducts are evident by histological examination. Such interferences of sweat secretion sometimes cause hypohidrosis. Kobayashi et al. hypothesized that poral occlusion leads to the leakage of sweat which contain numerous enzymes, such as renin-like substances, secretory IgA, IgE and cytokines including interleukin 1a and b, and interleukin 8 that, in turn, induce local inflammation and cause weals.7
In line with this hypothesis, an intradermal test with cholinergic agents was negative, and did not induce any wheal in Cholinergic Urticaria with poral occlusion.7 The symptoms are usually exacerbated in winter and resolved in summer,7 suggesting that daily sweating in summer may inhibit the formation of keratotic plugs to prevent the occurrence of Cholinergic Urticaria.
This as a result is the reason that I will be moving to a very warm country soon, when in a warm climate with low humidity it is very easy to sweat and sweat all day long… and what does that mean? Some sweat and no hives!!!!! In the winter (cold) months our condition is worse because it’s harder for our already blocked sweat glands to open so as a result there is more leakage of inflammatory mediators under the skin compared to the summer. Ditto
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Not sure if this is what I have or not.. please help! Post by: freeme3 on December 07, 2011, 02:33:39 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hi Hivesguy. Thanks for your response! I am not sure what is going on with my skin. Dermatologist says that it’s just sensitive so who knows?! In regards to my flushing and burning, with urticaria, isn’t there usually some preceding event that causes the hives? Like, sometimes I wake up with a flushed face. I think that it’s because I am warm. It goes away when my body temp. goes down- after I no longer am in my warm bed.
Oddly enough, it doesn’t happen when I exercise but I get burny and flushy with emotion. Other times I blotch out is after I have an icepack on my face. It helps for the time being but then afterwards I will get warm and blotchy. I think that is normal..some kind of rebound redness. I will take a look at your diet recommendations. I am thinking about staying off gluten, maybe that will help.
According to my dermatologist, I have “eczema looking skin”, and I read that a gluten free diet can help. This is all just so upsetting because it’s my face. Honestly, I never really look bad, just pink at times.. it just feels bad. The rash on my chest has been under control. Yay. I take zyrtec and zantac twice a day. I hope you are well! Thanks, Freeme3
——————————————————————————–
Title: Hives?? Post by: freeme3 on December 18, 2011, 06:01:52 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hi Hivesguy and everyone, I need your opinion on these rashes I am getting. My face has been feeling very tight and burning. The past few nights ny face has broken out in rashes, I don’t know if it’s hives or not. Then last night, my lips turn bright red and swelled along with two rashes along my hairline. I also had blotches around my mouth. The rashes feel hot and burning but not really itchy. My face feels very swollen.
My skin has suddenly become very sensitive to a lot of products and gets irritated from the wind. I guess it’s possible it could be eczema because my skin is very dry but I am not sure. I will see my doctor next week. I have included some pictures of the rashes and welcome any help you can offer me. Thanks
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Hives?? Post by: freeme3 on December 18, 2011, 06:04:04 PM
——————————————————————————–
I am not sure how to add pictures.. I thought that I did it before??
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Hives?? Post by: VIP on December 18, 2011, 06:13:35 PM
——————————————————————————–
Is it localized to your face only? Almost impossible to diagnose any condition over some text on the internet From the sounds of the swelling it could be some sort of edema you are experiencing Let us know what the doc thinks! good luck
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Hives?? Post by: freeme3 on December 18, 2011, 06:16:13 PM
——————————————————————————–
VIP, Thanks for the message. I also get the rash on my chest but my chest doesn’t seem swollen. My face just feels swollen with these weird rashes/blotches. Hopefully my doctor will know what it is. thanks
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Hives?? Post by: HivesGuy on December 19, 2011, 09:05:09 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello, In all honesty, I have no idea what it could be. It could be some odd reaction your having to something you eat. It could be some variant of a physical urticaria. It could be some variant of rosacea. I wish I could help, but honestly I am not sure what it could be. I hope you get this resolved though, because I know how badly it is bothering you. Best wishes
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria or Not!.. Perhaps a variation. Post by: Him_Osiris on January 09, 2012, 02:36:05 AM
——————————————————————————–
Dude VIP, thanks for your detailed explanation. I almost gave up on this forum thinking no one ever checks post here. So just checking randomly today….and wallah!.. Although I have to be honest that it took me some time to understand poral occlusion phenomenon due to lack of medical background. But I got it mostly. Google helped ;D as I didn’t know the nature of those enzymes.
Well contrary to your strategy I moved from warm tropical country to cold country which I myself thought was stupid but I did not want my condition to govern my decisions and life. Only thing I am unclear about is that what happens when u calm down (i.e. reduce/remove the stimulus). The sweat gets absorbed back or something?…going by the occlusion theory. Also could you share your thoughts on this? I was wondering if I intentionally induce attack every morning and bear with it till sweat breaks out, so that later I can get smooth day, a good idea? Or will it have some other repercussions.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria or Not!.. Perhaps a variation. Post by: Nathaaan on January 09, 2012, 06:57:46 PM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: Him_Osiris on November 22, 2011, 02:12:50 PM
don’t get attacks from hot water/shower. I can even do steam bath comfortably. That’s something I must ask, why do hot showers not trigger an attack? I could stand under the shower for hours and not get an attack, but walking for 5 minutes will. Can anyone explain a reason?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria or Not!.. Perhaps a variation. Post by: Him_Osiris on January 09, 2012, 10:49:51 PM
——————————————————————————–
Water is our Savior my friend. Its the moisture that prevents attack. Something to do with heat dissipation/conduction etc. Try going in a hot tub but no steam. You will get symptoms on ur face if it is not wet….or any other part which is not wet but not on the submerged parts even if the water is hot.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria or Not!.. Perhaps a variation. Post by: engineer on January 11, 2012, 03:39:23 PM
——————————————————————————–
Him_Osiris: >> So just checking randomly today….and wallah!.. I created a thread “10 years – detailed..” after yours , and I just saw your post now. Very similar. Is there a certain time frame in which your body starts sweating ? Perhaps only on a single occassion in the past 10 years, during winter was I able to momentarily sweat and got relief from the heat and hives. Otherwise its during some summers, and when I travel to warmer climates. I have recognized this from the onset, but the only problem I have is, I am unable to induce the sweat by external heating, exercise or any other stimulli, as it simply triggers the hives, followed by agony that feels like eternity. I have tried for extended durations, but no sweat. If people have developed “tried-and-tested” strategies for sweating that works for them. That would be awesome !
——————————————————————————–
Title: New guy Post by: In pain on January 15, 2012, 03:39:45 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello, obviously new to the forum and while I haven’t been diagnosed with Cholinergic Urticaria, the symptoms are there for me to have it. Itching and burning with bumps and redness on my body when I do a physical activity, get nervous, or shower. I have a physical job and I play softball. I’ll be 25 in March as well. I’ve never really been one to notice things happen or why so I’ve never kept track of my history but here’s what I remember. As early as 19 years old I can remember only my chest turning red but itching from my chest down when i would get warm. No itching or burning on my arms, just chest and legs. Also i never got bumps anywhere. I remember getting it every now and then up since then up until now. Since about 6am on Monday January 09,2012, I have been breaking out into the itching/burning once or twice a day with the bumps.
I do have asthma but havent had any problems in a couple years with it. I do work nights and I have noticed in the last 3-4 weeks that when I sleep, I can’t seem to wake up in time to get out during the day time. Before that, I would be able to go to sleep from 8am-230pm and still feel well rested and on my days off I would get off and do the same sleep schedule then go to sleep at 230am-ish and wake up around 9-10am that morning so I could have a normal schedule for two days to spend with my girlfriend. Since I’ve found this website on Wednesday, I have stopped drinking sodas, switched my bath soap and laundry detergents to hypoallergenic and washed my sheets and clothes in it.
I’ve also noticed that after my suspected Cholinergic Urticaria attacks, sometimes my arms, chest, and back are reddish and the redness is amplified when I throw lotion on. It also feels like a sunburn which is why i throw lotion on it. I had blood drawn on Thursday for a blood test and am waiting for the results. I live in Southern California and am hoping for any resolution or hope before January 24.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: New guy Post by: HivesGuy on January 15, 2012, 06:06:59 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello INPain, Great post and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry to hear that you may be suffering with this. Your symptoms and pictures certainly do sound a lot like Cholinergic Urticaria, but of course a doctor familiar with this should be able to tell you for sure. It’s always nice to have blood work done just in case, although most people on here usually get “normal” results. The only exception is that some have been tested for Vitamin D deficiency (which most of the population has anyway), and have been found very deficient–so that’s something you may want to consider (especially since you work nights and you may not get a lot of sun exposure).
I take a supplement myself. About your asthma–it isn’t uncommon at all for Cholinergic Urticaria (or any physical urticaria for that matter) to overlap with asthma and other allergic conditions. Many people here on this forum have it (although thank goodness I’ve never had it). My advice to you about getting this under control is to spend some time reading what has/hasn’t worked for people on this forum, and then try some of those things (after you check with a doctor first of course).
Antihistamines may help in the short run (to take the sting out a bit), but in the long run you should be trying a safer approach and try to get to the root of the problem if possible. It may take some time, but if you are able to take some advice here and apply it to your situation, I feel that in the long run you will definitely be able to get this under control and live a happy and productive life.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: New guy Post by: In pain on January 15, 2012, 06:25:21 AM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks for the welcome. I forgot to put down I have had one anxiety attack and also history of high blood pressure and shingles. From my understanding and from the doctors I’ve seen, also signs of stress so another disorder that is possibly derived from stress is probably no surprise.
I think I’m still to new with Cholinergic Urticaria (if it is indeed what I have) so it’s hard for me to suck it up and deal with it so I try to get cold ASAP but hopefully I’ll get it under control with the help of this site. With the blood test that is currently being done, will the vitamin level results be shown? I’m not sure if there are different types of blood tests for different things or if they can all be generalized in one or two samples that they took from me
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: New guy Post by: HivesGuy on January 15, 2012, 06:29:58 AM
——————————————————————————–
They probably did just a “CBC” which means “complete blood count.” This is the most common (although it is always possible they will check for more things–every doctor is different). These tests usually rule out major blood disorders and other illnesses that will often affect the blood count levels. You can always request a Vitamin D test separately if you feel that you may be low. Some people here have mentioned that supplementing helped, while others said it didn’t help. But if you lack a lot of sunlight it may be a good idea to give it a try if your doctor agrees. Best of luck to you, and let us know how things progress.
——————————————————————————–
Title: I think I might have Cholinergic Urticaria but I’m not sure? Can someone help? Post by: katjaneway on January 17, 2012, 07:49:59 PM
——————————————————————————–
I’ve been doing a bit of research on the subject of hives, and now heat hives in general. I’m pretty sure I have hives. My breakouts start with a tingling, and then intense inching sensation accompanied by raised bumps on my skin. They range in size from a pen tip to huge – as I believe the histamine released under the skin joins together in one massive blob of white (I have one on my arm right now that it currently about 4 inches long). Most seem to look and be about the size of a mosquito bite. (I’ve also gotten red splotches that don’t seem to itch). The wheals seems to hang around for about an hr or 2. My main question is… how long are you exposed to a heat source before the itching begins? That’s how I’m trying to pinpoint this. It’s winter now, our first snow just hit, so being outside doesn’t bug me.
But I LOVE the heat. I have a personal heater next to my computer; I often sit in front of the heater to our living room. I also like to take REALLY hot showers. That was my worst breakout yet… about 10-15 minutes after my hot shower, I started to break out everywhere. My chest, my neck, my arms, my stomach… but I also SEEM to break out when I’m not stressed or hot… I spend my days inside, always wearing a light jacket because I’m almost always cold. At work today I was almost 100% fine, but by the end of the day, and when I’m at home it seems to get worse. I never sweat. I joke to my mom about it all the time because she sweats like crazy.
But I’m wondering if I have heat hives if it only happens when I’m mostly exposed to extreme heat? I just tested the theory after sitting at the heater in our living room, with my left arm (still in my jacket) getting the brunt of the heat. About 15 later I was itching. So, tested it on my right arm… rolled up the jacket, left my arm exposed to my heater at my computer and… whamo. Inching about 15 minutes later. I itch a lot at night, too. About 4 hrs in, I get so hot that I usually open the window and sometimes turn on the fan… in the middle of winter, just to cool off. So, even though I’m not sweating, is it still considered heat hives? What if I get them if I’m not hot? (or maybe you can get them without realizing that you’re warm in some places?) I’ve gotten them twice on the back of my neck, for example. Also, does your scalp itch with heat hives, or hives in general?
That’s how this all started before I even got breakouts on my skin… Thanks for the help!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I think I might have Cholinergic Urticaria but I’m not sure? Can someone help? Post by: HivesGuy on January 18, 2012, 08:18:28 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Katjaneway, Thanks for your post and welcome to the forum. You asked some great questions so I’ll try to briefly answer them: 1. How long after heat exposure does it take to develop Cholinergic Urticaria—Cholinergic Urticaria tends to happen after a CORE body temperature increase.
This is important because even when I had hives very badly, I could have a heating pad on a localized area of my body during the winter (it would get red hot and flushed from the heat), but I wouldn’t develop hives from it. I would only get hives after a core body temperature increase. Once my body passed a certain threshold of core temperature increase, then I would immediately begin feeling a prickly/stinging sensation on random parts of my body. So, for example, if I walked into a hot room–I’d probably be fine for a few moments. But once the heat from the room caused my core body thermostat to hit a certain point (could be a minute or several minutes), then the feeling would come on.
2. Shape/Size of Hives–Yeah, that just varies a lot. Some people with Cholinergic Urticaria get very little actual hives forming (and just mostly flush and itch). Some get very distinct pinpoint hives. Some get wheals and different sized hives. It just really varies a lot from what I can tell from people’s description and experiences.
3. Sweating–Yes it is very common for people with Cholinergic Urticaria (and even other physical urticarias) to have significantly reduced sweating ability. When I had this very badly, I couldn’t sweat a drop. Now I can sweat.
4. Itchy Scalp–Yes, the summer I got hives the worst, my scalp would itch like crazy when I would start to get hot. It drove me mad that whole summer. That doesn’t happen any more either (thank goodness). 5. Tips to know if it is Cholinergic Urticaria–It can be very hard to tell if it is Cholinergic Urticaria, a combination of physical urticaria/allergies, etc. The biggest distinguishing features of Cholinergic Urticaria are: hives after core body temperature increase, which will typically resolve once you cool down.
This can come from passive heating (ie, entering a warm building) or active heating (ie, exercise) of the body. I hope that helps you. A good doctor or allergist familiar with the physical urticarias should be able to help you identify what you have right now. Again, sometimes these different hives and allergy conditions can overlap causing odd symptoms. Best of luck, Hivesguy
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I think I might have Cholinergic Urticaria but I’m not sure? Can someone help? Post by: katjaneway on January 18, 2012, 08:45:00 AM
——————————————————————————–
Wow that’s weird… maybe I have a new variety??? Because I was sitting in front of my living room heater again, and only the parts that the heat was directly blowing on, started to itch. What’s weird about me is that my core temp is usually lower than 98.6 (either that, or my thermometers suck) ever since I was little. I’ve only had this issue for about a week. The Benedryl seems to help at night, for the most part, and I’ll take some claritin today.
But instead of seeing my dermatologist, I should find someone that specializes in hives? Might be a good idea, with the weird reactions I’m getting… Last night, I seemed to be getting the hives everywhere my skin was hot (but I didn’t feel overheated; I rarely do) like on my stomach, and between my legs… As soon as I begin to break out, should I try to take my temp? What if my temp is normal? Then it’s probably not heat hives?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I think I might have Cholinergic Urticaria but I’m not sure? Can someone help? Post by: HivesGuy on January 18, 2012, 08:53:43 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hmm, I guess it’s possible that maybe some Cholinergic Urticaria subset could be induced by heating on a localized area, but I do know that most professional articles I’ve read seem to suggest a core increase–not just localized. Again, it comes down to the hypothalamus being activated to send a signal to “sweat”–which tends to happen with a core increase. At that point, depending on which Cholinergic Urticaria subset a person may have–something goes wrong with the sweating process (either blockage, autoimmune-type reaction to acetylcholine or other antigens released, etc.). Also, my own experience was that my overall body would become hot to initiate the prickly sensation–not just a small area (ie, heater blowing on my arm or heating pad on my stomach).
Unless, of course, the heater also caused my entire body to become warm (internally)–in which case I would have broken out in hives. But if the rest of my body stayed very cool, and only a localized part became warm–I’d never get hives as far as I can recall. Does anyone else on this forum with Cholinergic Urticaria get this from only localized heat on a body part, or is it pretty much collective increase in core temp. (from spicy foods, exercise, passive heating)? As far as taking your temperature–No I don’t think that will reveal anything. It isn’t so much that the actual body temperature increases in a measurable way, but rather, the increase in core temperature internally stimulates the hypothalamus to send the signal to “sweat,” which usually then induces Cholinergic Urticaria. A GOOD dermatologist or allergist would probably be who you’d want to see. Make sure they are familiar with hives. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a hives specialist anywhere in practice, except for a few desparate individuals online with websites trying to promote some silly eBook or magical spray (which I’d advise you to avoid). But if there was a real licensed medical professional who did specialize specifically in hives alone (and wasn’t promoting some silly eBook or magic potion), then yes that would probably make sense.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I think I might have Cholinergic Urticaria but I’m not sure? Can someone help? Post by: nowash on January 18, 2012, 09:22:16 AM
——————————————————————————–
You could have localized heat urticaria which is different from cholinergic urticaria. However if you are to unable sweat that’s an indication of cholinergic urticaria. There are a couple of ways to distinguish the two. If you ever note hives after embarrassment then you most likely have cholinergic urticaria. If you place your legs and feet in a warm bath and note hives on your upper body you most likey have cholinergic urticaria; if you notice hives only on your legs and feet you most likely have localized heat urticaria.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I think I might have Cholinergic Urticaria but I’m not sure? Can someone help? Post by: HivesGuy on January 18, 2012, 09:59:38 AM
——————————————————————————–
Yeah, I agree with nowash. If you can determine for sure that this is only happening localized, then it could be localized heat urticaria (which I had practically forgotten existed until I read nowash’s reply). It seems to be even more rare than many of the other physical hives.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I think I might have Cholinergic Urticaria but I’m not sure? Can someone help? Post by: anjelwings on January 18, 2012, 10:17:14 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello Kat ~ I think you explained me to a T!! Up until I turned 18 I ran track and was very active outside, especially in the summer (lived in Louisiana), then all of the sudden WHAM! Hives. I can feel it starting up, usually my arms, then underarms, chest, head & face, feet, legs, stomach…if I am driving down the road with the windows down and the sun is beating on my arm, it will start there, then slowly move to the rest of my body. Red splotchy skin with white welts and a serious itch. I recently started taking Allegra & Previacid which help slow down the breakout but I have yet to find anything that will stop it completely…
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I think I might have Cholinergic Urticaria but I’m not sure? Can someone help? Post by: katjaneway on January 18, 2012, 10:33:54 AM
——————————————————————————–
Although my hives attacks are not painful at all (except a slight pinprick sensation sometimes), when I take a shower, the water drains slowly, and it’s usually up around my ankles by the time I get out, and my feet have been hurting. Although I don’t get hives on my feet, they sting badly, and itched something terrible. I also have yet to get hives on my lower legs (or the hairy part of my arms for the most part) but everywhere else seems to be fair game. So, I’m not sure if sticking my legs in bathwater will tell me anything, except give me some nasty stinging in my feet. But, I’ll give it a shot. Boy, if I’m this rare, this may never get diagnosed. (Reminds me of that show, Mystery Diagnosis) Thanks for all the replies! In all my research, I didn’t even know there WAS a Localized Heat Urticaria. I’m glad it at least exists 😛
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: New guy Post by: In pain on January 18, 2012, 10:41:20 AM
——————————————————————————–
Not much of an update but here it goes. Yesterday (Tuesday) I woke up, took a warm shower without a flare up, although I rarely do or did when I showered. Left my house to put gas in my pickup and I purposely parked in the sun and had what I’d consider a small flare up. The weather was less than 70* and I wasn’t wearing a sweater. Later in the day I went to my softball game and the weather was around 45-50* so i was wearing pants, an under armor wicking long sleeve shirt and a t shirt on top of that. I started to toss the ball around to warm up my arm and noticed the needles starting to poke me on my back and arms. I continued with the hopes of trying to sweat. Also noticed my whole body would feel the needles when I would swing the bat. In both instances the feeling would go away immediately, I’m assuming because it was so cold. Later that night I went to help my dad with loading horses and while loading the tack and hay I also had a flare up.
A couple things I’ve noticed- 1- when I go from cold outside to warm inside, I have only had flare ups in one room period and that’s the break room at my work. I’ve gone into several other warm buildings without the hint of a flare up, just the fear. 2- I don’t have flare ups in my bedroom 3- I rarely get them in the shower and when I do, I’m taking a super hot shower for a long time. 4- I got these severe symptoms after I switched to a body wash that was “made for winter”. I bought it because Costco didn’t have a body wash for men and I did have pretty dry arms. But the red bumps and the needles didn’t come until about 3-4 weeks after I switched but I did start about two weeks ago REALLY rubbing the body wash into my skin. Maybe one or both of these has something to do with it and maybe it doesn’t.
Last Wednesday I did switch to hypoallergenic body wash just in case. 5- As I’ve said before, I have had one or two flare ups when I get nervous 6- I have been shaving my arms/chest for about 4 years now. I’ve noticed that my hair is growing back slower than normal since my first flare up with bumps last week 7- And finally, I find it odd that I had a flare up while putting gas in when it was not even warm out to me, I did not have a jacket or sweater on, and I was in the sun. Some of these actually make me think I don’t have Cholinergic Urticaria after all and make me think I could have miliaria rubera. So I ask, how can I tell the difference?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: New guy Post by: HivesGuy on January 18, 2012, 11:11:25 AM
——————————————————————————–
If I recall correctly (and it’s been a while since I’ve researched it), miliaria rubra seems to be self-limiting (usually clearing up within a few weeks at most), and is mostly caused by bacteria clogging pores causing minor sweat gland infection/blockage. Also, a rash sometimes forms that basically remains on the skin at all times until it clears up (prickly heat rash). Cholinergic Urticaria, on the other hand, tends to last longer (is much more likely to become “chronic”), usually has no visible symptoms with the hives aren’t there, and is not generally thought to be caused by bacterial blockage of the pores (although there may be pore blockage by way of other methods, such as keratin plugs in some Cholinergic Urticaria cases).
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: New guy Post by: In pain on January 18, 2012, 11:21:14 AM
——————————————————————————–
I know your no doctor but what are ways that I could tell the difference? Any physical difference or just wait to see what happens?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: New guy Post by: HivesGuy on January 18, 2012, 11:29:43 AM
——————————————————————————–
Well, you may want to research it more, because it has been months (if not years) since I last read up about Miliaria in depth. But the main thing is that there will likely be a prickly heat rash in many cases. You could talk to a dermatologist for mroe information if you feel you may have one over the other. Cholinergic Urticaria can sometimes be fickle though. It doesn’t always come out in every situation, as you described. Sometimes it can be very mild, and sometimes it can be very sensitive.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: New guy Post by: In pain on January 18, 2012, 11:30:09 AM
——————————————————————————–
Some of the things I’ve read on MR say that it happens where tight clothing meet the skin. I don’t wear skinny jeans but my jeans aren’t really baggy either. My sweaters are In constant contact with my arms and I have been wearing a sweater virtually everyday since octoberish. But another thing that makes me feel MR is a strong possibility is I never felt an itch or anything on my face or head. I do always wear a hat though
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: New guy Post by: HivesGuy on January 18, 2012, 11:33:19 AM
——————————————————————————–
Oh yeah, I also seem to recall that most articles suggested that Miliaria tends to happen after frequent sweating (such as in tropical climates or during the summer). Cholinergic Urticaria can happen only on isolated parts of the body (such as only the torso, or the legs, etc.) sometimes. When I first got it, it would only happen on my upper body. Over time, it migrated to affect my entire body from head to toe.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: I think I might have Cholinergic Urticaria but I’m not sure? Can someone help? Post by: katjaneway on January 18, 2012, 02:36:50 PM
——————————————————————————–
Or, I could take a hot shower, expecting the worst cuz surely, if it’s not localized heat then it’s Cholinergic… annnnd… nothing. Not one breakout. I guess I’m happy, but what the heck? Is it possible that I won’t react every SINGLE time? Or maybe it’s just random regular hives after all… maybe the left over benedryl in my system from the night stopped huge reactions and I only got small local ones instead? I don’t know… I guess if the claritin doesn’t stop it, I’ll see what a doctor says.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria or Not!.. Perhaps a variation. Post by: Him_Osiris on February 03, 2012, 08:13:59 PM
——————————————————————————–
Start every exercise with running on treadmill cause that’s the easiest. Dont focus the hives ignore it, think of something else, just pretend its not there. Trust me it helps. Run for 5 mins and u will get sweat in no time.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria or Not!.. Perhaps a variation. Post by: Struikgewas on February 05, 2012, 05:14:55 AM
——————————————————————————–
For me running on a treadmill is the easiest way to sweat. The burning begins in 8 min, and it dissapeares 7 min after that. So after 15 minutes of running the job is done and I can workout. The thing you need to understand is that sweating is a learning process, so how more often you sweat, how easier you can sweat.