Is Cholinergic Urticaria Seasonal For Most People?
Post by: Klope62 on November 18, 2008, 12:53:15 AM
With the changing of the seasons, my hives are back, and with a vengeance. ;p
Sensitively slowly kicked back up, and by Friday last week, it was back in full force. Spicy food was getting to me, and other small things that really should. I later had my first visual, full on breakout that night, just from discussing hockey with my roommates. It was quite bullocks. It was also the first I’ve had since early summer, or so.
Today was just awful. I think probably the coldest day of the year thus far, so the entire day I was going from being freezing cold to hot, prickly, and irritated every time something non-mellow happened. I walked into the library with motivation to print out a paper, but it was just entirely too warm and all the nervous energy built up. I ended up just walking out the other side, which was unfortunately a long walk, trying to stay calm and I rested outside in the cold until I was verging on being late for class.
Here are some pictures from the breakout on Friday. By the time I got my camera perfectly focused, its battery ran out. The breakout today was also much worse, but I was too frazzled to do just about anything;
Why is this seasonal? Why do seasons affect this so much?
Update: Here’s a video about cholinergic urticaria and seasonal changes:
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Title: Re: And with the changing of seasons…
Post by: amp on November 20, 2008, 08:49:59 AM
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Hi all – I’m new to the site and forum, but with the cold finally hitting the northeast this week, I’m reminded of how much I hate my UC, and went looking for more info online. I’ve had it for a few years, first noticed it when I started coming out of the shower with hives. My general triggers are shower, laying out in the sun, exercise and occassionally stress. My hives don’t sound nearly as itchy as many other folks on here, and taking Zyrtec (which I take for other allergies as well), definitely seems to help – I usually get more red spots than actual hives. The most irritating development that I’ve noticed however is my inability to adjust to temperature changes. I walk to work, and on a day like today when it’s cold, if I don’t strip my hat/gloves/coat/etc immediately when I come into the warm, I’m sweating within minutes. Has anyone else noticed similar issues? I can deal with hives, I know when they’re coming and as long as I don’t scratch they’ll usually go away within the hour, but having no control of my body temp is driving me nuts.
Looking forward to learning more from all you fellow sufferers!
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Title: Re: And with the changing of seasons…
Post by: HivesGuy on November 22, 2008, 09:53:51 AM
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Hello- Great post and welcome to the forum!
I am sorry to hear that you too also have to deal with this terrible condition as well. It can be a real pain (literally). It seems that many of us are having an increase in sensitivity with our cholinergic urticaria since cold weather is arriving for most of us.
I also do something similar to you. I usually have to wear a jacket because it is so cold outside, but as soon as I get inside of a building, I strip it off as quickly as possible to try to avoid getting hot and experiencing a hives attack. I am already looking forward to the summer again, so I don’t have to deal with extreme cold/hot climate change.
Thanks again for your great post, and welcome to the forum!
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Title: Re: And with the changing of seasons…
Post by: billysielu on November 24, 2008, 03:39:24 PM
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I thought my Cholinergic Urticaria was getting worse for a while, I started walking to work every day and it would cause a reaction from the excercise every morning! sadness.
I’ve just had a week off work, and I’m feeling a lot better about it. I walked to work this morning without much of a reaction, and I’ve just been down the pub for a drink – perfectly fine. I’m going out again tomorrow night, fingers crossed.
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Title: Re: “The Hives Aren’t As Itchy Lately!”
Post by: Klope62 on January 08, 2009, 09:38:06 PM
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You know what, now that I think about, my hives haven’t been as itchy with the changing seasons.
I have been in situations where I felt them wanting to fire up, but even with the stress continuing, I’ve not had a full blown outburst. It’s interesting, I don’t even know.
Georgia’s weather has really been flip-flopping too. On Monday, it was mild outside, but the class buildings still had the heat blowing. I was hot a lot, but I did not get a full blown outburst surprisingly. Now it’s really cold again, so the heat is still in full-force inside, but…I’m feeling it almost as naturally as I expect one should.
I’m sure it’s just another overall coincidence, but, it is still cool and interesting to see our ‘hives’ seem to be taking a similar cycle.
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Title: Re: “The Hives Aren’t As Itchy Lately!”
Post by: billysielu on January 09, 2009, 12:57:26 AM
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My Cholinergic Urticaria has been better lately, but I think it’s because it’s been around 0’C for about 2 weeks in the UK.
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Title: Re: “The Hives Aren’t As Itchy Lately!”
Post by: HivesGuy on January 09, 2009, 04:50:53 PM
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That’s great that you are both experiencing a little less intensity with your hives. Mine backed off very good for a couple of days recently. I could jump around, get excited, get hot, etc. without feeling hardly any prickles at all.
Today it was a little more intense, but nothing major. I will just always keep an eye on it, but usually it does go up and down in intensity levels. It could be due to a lot of possible factors such as: hormone fluctuations, weather, environmental allergen changes, diet, sleep, etc.
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Title: Re: “The Hives Aren’t As Itchy Lately!”
Post by: billysielu on January 10, 2009, 03:39:33 AM
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Wow, I’ve been using a bookmark of the forum and didn’t even notice the site redesign / blog, missed out on quite a bit lol 🙂
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Title: Re: “The Hives Aren’t As Itchy Lately!”
Post by: HivesGuy on January 10, 2009, 08:24:18 AM
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Quote from: billysielu on January 10, 2009, 03:39:33 AM
Wow, I’ve been using a bookmark of the forum and didn’t even notice the site redesign / blog, missed out on quite a bit lol 🙂
LOL yea that happens sometimes to me too. I bookmark a page and forget about other parts of a site.
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Title: Re: “The Hives Aren’t As Itchy Lately!”
Post by: HivesGuy on January 11, 2009, 10:17:16 AM
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Quote from: Klope62 on January 11, 2009, 03:06:13 AM
I simply meant reposting some of the blog posts as threads as well. Haha, not to change anything up.
Some just have really good discussional value.
Hello Klope62,
Yes, I will try to post anything I feel that has discussional value over here as well. If you or anyone else ever want me to go into detail about a post, or you want to discuss a post that I didn’t open a thread on, you are always welcome to open a thread on it.
I am also open to any suggestions you or anyone else may have on anything at all. I always appreciate input from everyone, and there have been some great suggestions that have made the site better.
I am not 100% sure if I will disable comments forever. I may bring them back one day. But right now it just doesn’t seem necessary. Plus you and maybe 1 other person were the ones that actually made a worthwhile and “real” comments when I had them enabled. But all the rest were either spam or someone trying to sell something. So I decided I would just have the forum instead.
I think it is a little easier for everyone to make posts on the forum, because when I write an article on the blog, it gets moved each time a write a new one, and it is easier to keep track of threads than articles I think.
Plus I am going to add a few more boards on the forum and try to organize things soon (hopefully within the next week). This should make it a little easier to make posts and keep up with certain topics.
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Title: Re: “The Hives Aren’t As Itchy Lately!”
Post by: billysielu on January 15, 2009, 03:29:20 PM
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Sure enough, the temperature went up and the hives came back. Intresting though how I had no problem at all whilst it was freezing outside, could go live in Alaska or something lol 🙂
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Title: Re: “The Hives Aren’t As Itchy Lately!”
Post by: HivesGuy on January 16, 2009, 08:21:53 AM
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Quote from: billysielu on January 15, 2009, 03:29:20 PM
Sure enough, the temperature went up and the hives came back. Intresting though how I had no problem at all whilst it was freezing outside, could go live in Alaska or something lol 🙂
Yea, Alaska would be nice. Sometimes I wonder if I should move there so I never get warm. Other times I think maybe I should move to the tropics to stay sweaty all the time. I haven’t made up my mind yet lol.
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Title: Re: “The Hives Aren’t As Itchy Lately!”
Post by: Klope62 on January 16, 2009, 11:07:13 AM
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Hahaha. I don’t think I could do either. ;p
Mine have still been relatively less reactive, and we’re having “the coldest temperatures in 6 years”. My only problems in the last couple weeks have really been showers. Not immediately, but after being in a shower for a long extended time like I love. ;p
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Title: Re: “The Hives Aren’t As Itchy Lately!”
Post by: HivesGuy on February 01, 2009, 02:15:44 PM
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I used to do the same thing in the shower. I would turn the water on as hot as I could stand it, and just stand there and let the water hit me! I actually quit doing that after I got Cholinergic Urticaria. However, I still do it a little now and then. It is so relaxing. I just don’t make it as hot as I used to.
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Title: Is your Cholinergic Urticaria always there, or is it on-off?
Post by: adityadennis on August 08, 2009, 07:22:38 PM
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Hi All,
I recently developed Cholinergic Urticaria and I’m trying to figure out if it will ast the whole year or not. What is your experience…is it with you for the whole year, or does it occur during certain months only?
Thanks for your help!
James
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Title: Re: Is your Cholinergic Urticaria always there, or is it on-off?
Post by: HivesGuy on August 09, 2009, 07:52:25 AM
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Hello adityadennis,
Thanks for the post and welcome to the forum!
Generally, cholinergic urticaria can last for the whole year. However, sometimes people do see less frequent attacks at certain times. For example, many on the forum get a lot of relief during summer when they can get outside and sweat regularly and adapt to the heat.
Many of us seem to get worse in the winter. This is probably due to lower humidity, dryer skin, and the extreme temperature differences when going from outside to inside.
Thanks again for the great post. There are some great threads on this forum that can help you manage your hives.
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Title: Re: Is your Cholinergic Urticaria always there, or is it on-off?
Post by: adityadennis on August 09, 2009, 08:44:10 AM
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Ok, thanks for the info, Hivesguy. Is this your website? It’s very informative.
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Title: Re: Is your Cholinergic Urticaria always there, or is it on-off?
Post by: HivesGuy on August 10, 2009, 03:26:38 PM
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No problem. Yes, I started the site/forum to try and provide more information on Cholinergic Urticaria. Thanks for the compliment. I also have to say that what truly makes the forum great is all the people who have contributed very useful information and experiences. Thanks again.
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Title: Re: Is your Cholinergic Urticaria always there, or is it on-off?
Post by: dice on August 19, 2009, 04:02:44 AM
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for me it’s “on-off” (during the winter periods – september/october to february/march usually).
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Title: Re: Is your Cholinergic Urticaria always there, or is it on-off?
Post by: mollythompson28 on September 23, 2009, 08:57:55 PM
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always there, daily – 365.
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Title: Why Is Cholinergic Urticaria Seasonal For Most?
Post by: velocicow on April 05, 2010, 11:44:40 PM
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I have only had heat hives for about 6 months or so (started in early october basically with the start of fall). I am really worried about this upcoming spring and summer, with no signs of my hives subsiding I fear that with the extreme heat outside I will barely be able to walk a few feet without triggering a reaction. I have also heard that for some the hives go into remission for the summer months. Is that true? and what can I expect based on you guys’ experince for the upcoming summer?
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Title: Re: Spring around the corner
Post by: HivesGuy on April 06, 2010, 04:15:14 AM
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For many of us, yes, we experience some relief during the summer months.
That relief often comes at a price, and I personally must endure some discomfort first. Let me share my recent example:
Last year when I lived in an apartment, my hives persisted all summer long. The reason is because I could barely get any outdoor sun exposure. When I did, I would suffer with the itchy prickly sensation for a while before sweating, even on really hot days.
In contrast, this spring I have my own house. Yesterday it was 80 degrees, and smokin’ hot outside. I have been working outside for the past few days. At first, it was the usually intense itchy prickly feeling for a few minutes, then I would eventually sweat (which was really hard).
After a few days, I magically went right into sweating as I got hot, and the hives haven’t been bothering me as much. If I am lucky and I keep on getting out in the sun (cautiously), and I keep sweating like this, I may be able to avoid the hives for the summer. Who knows, maybe they will even stay away longer?
But that is how it is for me. My hives only go away once my body is regularly getting out in the hot and humid weather. It is really uncomfortable at first, but like I said, most of us seem to eventually adapt and sweat. Yesterday I was soaked and barely thought about the Cholinergic Urticaria!
Just watch out for heat exhaustion, sunburn, or if you start swelling call 911 immediately!
Good luck!
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Title: Why Is Cholinergic Urticaria Seasonal For Most?
Post by: Motion on October 26, 2010, 12:27:42 PM
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I see for many people Cholinergic Urticaria is seasonal. Either you have problems with it during the winter or summer and for some it’s year round. For me Cholinergic Urticaria has usually been a problem only during the winter months. But in the summer of 09 it stayed for the summer. But this summer of 2010 it wasn’t a problem. Now with the weather changing in October I feel it coming back for winter. Why is this? Maybe for us people with Cholinergic Urticaria something is happening with how our bodies are responding to the weather? Is there a part of our bodies that’s supposed to control how our bodies adapt to different climates? If so maybe that part of us is out of wack?
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Title: Re: Why Is Cholinergic Urticaria Seasonal For Most?
Post by: HivesGuy on October 26, 2010, 07:46:45 PM
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Great question. For me, my hives seem to be bothersome year round for sure at this point. But you are right, many only deal with Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms during a certain time of year or certain temperature.
I suppose this is possibly due to one of the following reasons:
1. Could be an environmental thing we are unaware of, that makes are skin hypersensitive at that time of year.
2. It could be that during warm months, we sweat more and build a tolerance, while sweating is infrequent during cooler months. Thus the hives are more noticeable/bothersome.
3. It could be some other unknown factor.
I think it is the hypothalamus that controls our body temp. It is kinda like our thermostat. Maybe we have some neurons interconnected in a bad way, and this causes a sort of “short circuit” in our brains, that travels down our nervous system with a funky signal, causing the hives. Who knows. So many ideas and questions, so little answers….
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Title: Re: Why Is Cholinergic Urticaria Seasonal For Most?
Post by: Motion on October 26, 2010, 09:52:05 PM
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Quote from: HivesGuy on October 26, 2010, 07:46:45 PM
I think it is the hypothalamus that controls our body temp.
What types of doctors would be the best to ask about the hypothalamus? A neurologist? Have you ever spoken to one about your theory? Maybe a neurologist could give us a better idea on how to deal with Cholinergic Urticaria if it’s caused by an hypothalamus issue?
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Title: Re: Why Is Cholinergic Urticaria Seasonal For Most?
Post by: HivesGuy on October 27, 2010, 05:50:32 AM
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Yeah, I suppose a neurologist is the person to see. Unfortunately, we really can’t say if the hypothalamus has anything to do with Cholinergic Urticaria though, other than it controls our temperature.
Some studies suggest an actual allergy to our sweat serum. Other research indicates allergy to acetylcholine neurotransmitter. Some speculate it could be something with the mast cells in our skin. Some speculate it could be something malfunctioned in our nervous system/brain. And the list goes on and on. And whats even more frustrating, it could even be a different cause for each of us, and at least some research shows that may be the case.
The problem, is that without a testing procedure, it is very difficult to rule stuff out. We can only really speculate. For example, a week ago my lawn mower wouldn’t start. I knew it was either one of the 3 safety switches, the battery, the solenoid, a fuse, the starter, or bad wiring.
But I didn’t have any testing equipment, so I could only speculate without ever knowing for sure. Then, I went to walmart and got a multimeter, and I was able to test wiring, battery, etc. and rule those things out. I was able to finally narrow it down to the solenoid. I replaced it and it started right up.
There are really no way to ‘test’ anything with Cholinergic Urticaria. Most tests only take place in the context of scientific studies on this condition, which tends to be rare. Most standard tests (hormones, blood count, etc.) ran by doctors seems to be inconclusive and doesn’t show anything wrong for most of us.
So it is very frustrating because obviously SOMETHING is wrong with us. But the question is: what? Without diagnostic testing, we will never know for sure. Even more sad is the fact that even if they do find the exact pinpointed cause of Cholinergic Urticaria, it doesn’t guarantee that there is anything they can do about it.
Example: maybe something is up with our brains, but it will be inoperable. Or maybe we are just allergic to the neurotransmitter that tells us to sweat, but there isn’t much we can do.
It is very frustrating, and I hope we can find out some answers in our life time.
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Title: Pro/Contra list
Post by: hieveryone on November 03, 2010, 10:46:14 AM
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Ok guys, winter is making my Cholinergic Urticaria raw becouse I’m almost all day out, and the cold seems to dry my skin. I’ve been thinking of making a list of tips that are good or wrong for me, specially for my skin that usually derivates in Cholinergic Urticaria, maybe it’s already done in other post but I couln’t find it. Now I’ll put the things I usually do to improve my health, if you have a special one that isn’t here don’t hesitate to add so we can all try them. When I write it in CAPITALS is that makes a big difference.
Good: EXERCISE (running and weigths), drink more water (but slowly), not hot showers, use soft ph 7 soap, positiveness and remembering exercises, stay warm (not hot) during a long period.
Bad: Eat anything with sugar / cafeine / ALCOHOL (first good but then very bad), stress, stay much time at home, COLD (though in this very hot summer it didn’t go away), dogs / cats.
Medical help: Antihistamines, trying singulair and vit. D. (With still no effects).
I can’t recall more tips now, but I surely will so I would add them.
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Title: Re: Pro/Contra list
Post by: HivesGuy on November 03, 2010, 12:22:07 PM
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Thanks for all of those great tips. I think a lot of us will experience increase in symptoms now that cooler & dryer weather is here. Thanks for posting that!
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Title: Re: Pro/Contra list
Post by: Rogerq23 on November 06, 2010, 10:42:01 PM
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I want to exercise, but you know, with Cholinergic Urticaria, exercising is like one of our biggest fear!
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Title: Re: “The Hives Aren’t As Itchy Lately!”
Post by: shypshnius on January 01, 2011, 08:27:00 PM
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Quote from: HivesGuy on February 01, 2009, 02:15:44 PM
I used to do the same thing in the shower. I would turn the water on as hot as I could stand it, and just stand there and let the water hit me! I actually quit doing that after I got Cholinergic Urticaria. However, I still do it a little now and then. It is so relaxing. I just don’t make it as hot as I used to.
interesting… i also used to do the same with a really hot water…. it might be something with it.