Is Cholinergic Urticaria progressive? Does it Get Worse?
Post by: hivessuck on November 19, 2009, 05:40:15 AM
I’m really happy that I found others with this ridiculous affliction. I’m beginning to believe that it gets worse over time. Mine started happening about a year and a half ago. It started with getting really red in the face while working out, (but still sweating) to itchy bumps that popped up on my arms (still sweating), to itchy bumps all over my body (no more sweating). Now it makes my scalp itch like crazy and my hair is falling out bad. I’m not sure if its related, but something tells me it is.
If sweating is your body’s way of cooling itself down, do we run the risk of having a heat stroke? Its not that easy for me to see a doctor since I have no health insurance at the moment. Has anyone found something that works?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Is this progressive?
Post by: HivesGuy on November 22, 2009, 06:56:17 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey hivessuck,
Thanks for the post and welcome to the forum!
I am sorry to hear that you too have been struggling with this. I will try to answer your questions.
1. Does this get worse over time? Well cholinergic urticaria seems to kind of go up and down in intensity, and also has a tendency to clear up altoghether (sometimes permanently). So I wouldn’t necessarily say that it gets progressively worse like other conditions (alzheimers for example).
In fact, I had a period of about 2 years where I didn’t have any attacks. More recently, I had a string of about 2-3 weeks with no attacks. However, my intensity level is going up with the increasing cold temperatures & hot rooms.
2. About the hair falling out: It may be due to your excessive scratching your scalp, or you could simply have male pattern baldness (it happens). Or you could even have another medical issue causing the hairloss. I am 27, and I still have a nice head of hair. Granted, slight recession at the temples (slight receding hair), but nothing major. So I wouldn’t think Cholinergic Urticaria has any connection to the hairloss.
3. Do we run the risk of heat stroke/exhaustion? Yes, I believe so. In fact, I have written articles on the blog in the past where I have warned other Cholinergic Urticaria people to be careful trying to “sweat it out” due to the increased risk we have. I have noticed that because I don’t sweat easily, I sometimes get a headache when I get hot, which could be an early indicator of heat exhaustion. So you should always be careful when you get heated, or exercise.
4. Have we found something that works? No, unfortunately not. We have tons of tips on this site that can HELP, not cure, Cholinergic Urticaria. But right now managing it is as good as it gets. You can sift through the forum to see tips, experiences with antihistamines, etc. But always value a doctor above all, and never take anything or do anything without a doc’s approval.
Thanks again, and welcome to the forum.