Suffering with Both Cold Urticaria and Cholinergic Urticaria
Post by: L421 on October 12, 2008, 01:56:14 PM
When a cold wind hits me my head itches like crazy like its infested also my nasal pasages block up and I am all bunged up,its like I have an allegy to the cold aswell,also presure makes my skin sting I hate this condition.
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Title: Re: Anyone get this as well!
Post by: Newear2006 on October 12, 2008, 04:29:33 PM
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I don’t have any respiratory effects that manifest and I don’t have any cold Urticaria symptoms as well, I live in the super tropics and temps are always above 25 Celsius here so…..
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Title: Re: Anyone get this as well!
Post by: bbroom on October 13, 2008, 04:35:56 AM
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I don’t experience anything like you describe, but some times the palm of my hands and soles of my feet feel swollen and itch and are very sensitive . This only seems to happen when it is very cold, in the 30’s or below, but I live in the south and our winters are mild.
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Title: Re: Anyone get this as well!
Post by: Newear2006 on October 14, 2008, 08:29:31 AM
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I too get the feet and hand itching bit bb, but I get extremely sweaty hands and feet too recently.
I have been running everyday and it seems to make my Cholinergic Urticaria much much better I will make a log soon and report back to you guys.
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Title: Suffering with Both Cold Urticaria and Cholinergic Urticaria
Post by: elleces on March 03, 2009, 03:30:20 PM
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Hi – I am so glad to have found this forum. I’ve had cold urticaria since I was 16 (now in my late 30’s) and recently developed cholinergic urticaria within the past 3 years. I’ve gone periodically to allergists and have taken periactin, claritin and allegra all of which work for about a year and then stop being effective. I’ve also taken xyzal but it made me a completely cranky zombie! What’s very difficult is that the steps to avoid getting the cholinergic urticaria will aggravate the cold urticaria and vice/versa.
It’s really frustrating but I have some hope having read the recent post on sun exposure. I’ve found that my cholinergic urticaria is worse in the summer but I don’t know if I’ve stayed in the sun long enough to really sweat. I also have keratosis pilaris too so my skin can be hivey and bumpy! I’m going to a new allergist soon and I’m going to ask him if it’s even worth it to continue to take an antihistamine if it will eventually stop working.
Anyway if anyone else is in my boat and has both cold and cholinergic urticaria I’d love to hear what helps you cope or if you have any tips. Thanks!
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Title: Re: Living with Cold and Cholinergic Urticaria – what luck!
Post by: HivesGuy on March 03, 2009, 07:51:28 PM
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Hello elleces,
Excellent post & welcome to the forum!
Wow- I can’t believe you have both cholinergic urticaria & cold urticaria! That must be terrible and I always wondered what that would be like. I can only imagine the frustrations you must feel trying to control reactions between the cold & heat.
I too am looking forward to the summer, and one thing I have definitely noticed is that my hives were way better when I was in the sun regularly (and wife agrees).
I was reading an interesting article the other day that was talking about how the sun makes our skin produce a microbe that helps keep our skin bacteria in proper proportions. Sometimes I wonder if we get too much bacteria and skin issues that clog our pores.
That is also interesting that you also have the keratosis pilaris. I am definitely seeing a connection here as it seems many Cholinergic Urticaria people have it.
Anyways, thanks for the awesome post, I hope your hives back off soon, and good luck at the dermatologist. Keep us posted!
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Title: Re: Living with Cold and Cholinergic Urticaria – what luck!
Post by: dice on March 05, 2009, 06:13:38 AM
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Got nothing else to say but WELCOME!! π
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Title: Re: Living with Cold and Cholinergic Urticaria – what luck!
Post by: Amantis on March 05, 2009, 10:00:35 PM
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I also have keratosis pilaris. And with summer comming im almost in constant Cholinergic Urticaria breakouts, it sucks baaaad. Hopefully I will be able to get out in the sun sometime this summer
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Title: Re: Living with Cold and Cholinergic Urticaria – what luck!
Post by: crowebirds on March 08, 2009, 12:25:59 AM
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My daughter began suffering from these conditions at the age of 7, she is now 11. She has been a competitive dancer for nine years. This year will be her last year of dance because it has become too unbearable. She too is allergic to the cold (it affects internal organs as well as the skin). She also has cholinergice urticaria as she breaks out when she gets too hot, excercises, etc. She has hypohydrosis. We have to live our lives within a very thin margin of temperature control in our home. Going out to the grocery store, school and church often becomes a nightmare.
Nobody at the school understands her condition, there is always friction trying to get them to understand that she can’t wait outside before school begins, she can’t participate in P.E., she can’t have an ice pack on a twisted ankle, and the list goes on. She is currently on three meds to control outbreaks as well as an inhaler for the breathing problems caused by Cholinergic Urticaria. We live in the south and let me tell you it is no better down here. In the north you have the cold air outside and warm air inside. In the south it is just the opposite. Her meds are the type that have strong side effects, but she reacts the complete opposite or has no reactions at all. Summer time has always been easier on her as her threshold of tolerance increases whereas during the winter she is super sensitive, too everything! She does have problems with Rhinitis, KP and of course can’t spend much time in the sun.
You know, I saw one post from HivesGuy regarding the potential conflict of two spouses, each having the opposing condition. The thought was cute and I snickered, but the reality is that one person can live with both conditions. It is terrible for the person involved as well as the family members helping them cope with it.
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Title: Re: Living with Cold and Cholinergic Urticaria – what luck!
Post by: HivesGuy on March 08, 2009, 07:59:09 AM
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Hello Crowebirds,
Excellent post & welcome to the forum!
I am really sorry to hear that you daughter has suffered with this, and at such a young age too! It is rare (at least on this forum) to hear of someone developing this at such a young age. Most people develop it in their late teens or early 20’s. But let your daughter know she definitely isn’t alone and isn’t some kind of “freak of nature” (which is what I thought for a long time). I also know this must be extremely difficult living with both cold & hot Cholinergic Urticaria (but at least a couple of people on here also have both).
It saddens me to know that this has interfered with her dancing. I too have had to make some sacrifices in my own life due to the pain & frustrations of this condition. But I am optimistic that it will one day go away, and perhaps we can even figure out the cause. Just try to remind your daughter that she probably won’t have this forever, and that she isn’t alone.
I am sorry that no one at school understands this condition. I think we can all relate to having friends, relatives, co-workers, and others not really understanding what is going on inside of our bodies. To most people, it seems like non-sense, or that it is all in our heads. But it is quite real, and very intense itchy/prickly sensation that does make it nearly impossible to participate in activites that others do.
It is very interesting that she too has KP, and Rhinitis (I have a stuffy nose all the time myself). Seems like there is definitely an association of these things with these cholinergic & cold urticaria. I just hope that she can get some relief soon.
Thanks again for the excellent post, and welcome to the forum!
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Title: My Hot and Cold Story
Post by: mollythompson28 on September 23, 2009, 08:02:26 PM
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Hi all, I am a lifelong urticaria sufferer. I have had cholinergic and cold physical urticaria for as long as I/my mother can remember (yeah, i have both hot and cold urticaria) we believe the onset was around 10-18 mos. of age . I am now 22, received formal diagnoses at age 17 and have had slight worsening over the years with no remissions. I also deal with young onset osteoarthritis with no known connection to my urticaria. My biggest struggle is finding a suitable way to stay active/exercise without causing too much discomfort.
I have done tons of research, spoken with many doctors, and am very aware of my condition, how it effects me, its progression, triggers etc. I have never actually met another person who has/had urticaria quite like mine, so my goal in joining this group is to connect with some people who can actually understand what I am dealing with as well as offer my experience and advice to people who may be newly dealing with hives.
molly
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Title: Re: My Hot and Cold Story
Post by: mom on a mission on September 23, 2009, 08:17:16 PM
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This may be way off base….but it’s worth a shot in asking! Did you ever have any weird reactions to immunizations? My son has, and our immunologist is looking into whether there is a relationship with the Cholinergic Urticaria and the reactions to EVERY immunization he’s received. I’ve always been a believer in immunizations, but we’ve had such adverse reactions, we’ve had to put them on hold.
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Title: Re: My Hot and Cold Story
Post by: mollythompson28 on September 23, 2009, 08:27:44 PM
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No i have never had any trouble with immunizations. But I did have a severe hive reaction to penicillin the first time i took it around age 3. Along this line, stress is a huge trigger for my Cholinergic Urticaria, aka… crying=hives, fear=hives, anger=hives…. anytime i get upset or feel really anxious about something it is much more likely that i get hives.
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Title: Re: My Hot and Cold Story
Post by: HivesGuy on September 24, 2009, 11:25:06 AM
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Hello mollythompson28,
Excellent post and welcome to the forum!
Wow, I can’t believe that you have had this since you were young, and that you have both cold and cholinergic urticaria. That is really shocking, and you have my deepest sympathies!
I have a pretty aggressive case of cholinergic urticaria, and I can only imagine that you must feel really frustrated at times having to deal with both. I can relate about the emotions or stress causing hives. When I get really upset, it is almost a guaranteed feeling of itchy and pricklies. So I really have to monitor my condition as much as I can, and exercise is a challenge for me also.
There are lots of people with Cholinergic Urticaria that also have another type of hives along with it. If I can recall correctly, I think there are 1 or 2 other people on this forum who also have the cold urticaria along with their Cholinergic Urticaria. Some have dermatagraphism, or some other physical hives type. So just know that you aren’t alone in your condition =).
Anyway, I hope you find the site useful. Feel free to open any new threads, ask any questions, or anything at all! I certainly hope your hives get better soon, and once again… welcome and thanks for the great post!
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Title: Heat, yes. But cold too?!
Post by: kiwismama27 on November 13, 2010, 01:39:14 AM
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I’ve had Cholinergic Thermal Urticaria (Chronic Heat Hives), for as long as I can remember. But I just recently realized that I also get an allergy attack when it’s really cold too. Being allergic to heat was worse enough, but I’m allergic to cold too?!?!
PLEASE tell me someone found an injection, pill, surgery, treatment ect. for this nuisance!
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Title: Re: Heat, yes. But cold too?!
Post by: HivesGuy on November 13, 2010, 06:05:21 AM
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Hello kiwismama27,
Great post and welcome to the forum.
Unfortunately, there are still no pills or shots to cure this for good. Just old antihistamines and other (mostly) ineffective treatments. That must be difficult having both cold & cholinergic urticaria. There are at least 2-3 others here on this forum with both of them too.
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Title: Re: Heat, yes. But cold too?!
Post by: kiwismama27 on November 13, 2010, 10:30:57 PM
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Thank you for your response!
I have mixed feelings about it though. On one hand I’m sorry that others have to deal with both the hot and cold allergy too, but on the other hand, I’m glad that there are people out there that understand what it’s like. SO… I’m sorry, and THANK YOU!
If anyone has ANY tips on this, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know!
I’m becoming a hermit. I only leave the house if it’s absolutely necessary. Because, If I go out, I know I will have an attack.
I’ve tried exercise, antihistamines, vitamins, lotions and everything else my doctor threw at me. As I am sure everyone here has.
At the last visit with my doctor, he told me “I’m sorry, but theres nothing else I can do for you”. Now I don’t know about you, but I didn’t know how to respond to that.
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Title: Re: Heat, yes. But cold too?!
Post by: silvertones on November 17, 2010, 11:08:56 AM
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You need to get out there and sweat your butt off and try to get the Doc to give you antidepressents.
JMHO
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Title: My Cure Story | Cholinergic and Cold Urticaria Relief, Eczema
Post by: paperplane on December 03, 2010, 10:32:36 AM
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Hey guys,
Just thought I’d share my story as I suffer from both Cholinergic and Cold Urticaria and have found some relief from these ailments recently. I’m a 21 year old male living in Western Australia having graduated from college last year. I’ve read many of the stories on this forum and can relate to most of the experiences we’ve all had trying to cure ourselves of this horrible affliction.
It all started about two years ago. During my daily walk to the bus stop, to get to school, I’d have to travel uphill for a good 15 minutes. I noticed that I’d start feeling a weird prickling sensation and then start itching uncontrollably halfway through my walk. At first, it started as only a mild itch. But, as days and weeks went by it would get worse to the point that I’d have to stop and reconsider going to school. My face would flush red and my skin would seize up with hives spread throughout my upper torso, arms, neck and forehead. By the time I had caught the bus I would be so self conscious of how I would look itching, inflamed and hive ridden like some sort of freak. I came to the conclusion that I was somehow allergic to my own sweat. It made sense because anytime I exerted myself to the point of sweating I would have this reaction. I also started to notice that any time I was about to have an episode, I actually wouldn’t sweat. I wasn’t able to sweat and somehow my body would instead seize up at that moment when I was supposed to.
Now, I’ve had eczema all throughout my life, hereditary, so I was used to handling skin problems and itchiness. However, this was something completely different. I knew from instinct and the way it caused my body to “shock” like a rush of adrenaline that I was experiencing something outside what I was used to. After endless research online, I diagnosed myself with Cholinergic Urticaria or Heat Hives. It was a moment of closure for me knowing that I wasn’t alone in this and that I wasn’t crazy and that it wasn’t in my mind. My family had a hard time understanding how it really affected me.
At the worst point, working in a fiery kitchen, I had an episode so bad and fast that I felt my upper body puff up instantly and my lungs swell up. I could barely breathe. I think this was angioedema. I needed to see a doctor and fast. I had already been forced to quit my gym membership as I was unable to workout longer than 15 minutes before having to leave. And, I could barely leave the house in the Summer months becoming a sort of hermit and social recluse.
I stopped seeing my friends and didn’t ever go out. It was very depressing. At this time I also had Cold Urticaria. Airconditioning would cause my feet and fingers to itch but this was more bearable than the heat hives as the cold had a numbing effect on my senses. Stress too caused me to break out. If ever I was nervous or alarmed – a job interview or near car accident – I would also break out. Certain newly washed clothes would cause a reaction too and I promptly changed my washing powder. I was spiralling down and down into hole with no hope of ever recovering.
I decided to see a dermatologist. I had read, however, countless accounts of what this entailed. How the doctors would prescribe you steroids and medications to “suppress” symptoms and not fix anything in the long run. Even complicate things more so, as it was the case for me. The Dr seemed to care little about what was really going on in my body. A well regarded ‘expert’ in his field, he simply suggested my immune system was hypersensitive and promptly prescribed various drugs that would fix this. At first, he refused to give attention to my hives and only focused on my eczema as that was what was visible to him. He put my on Cancer meds for 5 months – Imuran to shut down my immune system.
And, Prednisone – an anti-inflammatory that would also help with the bad eczema I was having at the time. I was all too used to the steroids growing up with eczema as a child – knowing that my skin problems would go away for a while but come back with revenge, with double the intensity. But, I had to do something and preparing to travel home to Singapore, I knew I needed something to combat the heat of the tropics if I was going to ever survive and attempt to enjoy myself.
Throughout my two week holiday, I pumped through the drugs. My morning routine consisted of Prednisone, Imuran, Xyzal, Telfast Etc. (By now I had gone through most of the antihistamine varieties – all of which lasted a week before I became immune and they stopped working.) They actually worked. I managed to get through the trip hive free despite the raging heat except for the last day when all hell broke lose. It was a 40 degree day and I was going to and from the heat of outdoors to icy airconned department stores. I had an episode and my whole body was completely covered in raised red hives.
This was a pretty good run for me though – 1 out of 14 days. What I didn’t notice however was how the drugs changed me. I had become so zombie-like, unable to be emotionally aware, unable to interact with people. I had focused so much on getting through the holidays that I didn’t enjoy a bit of it – or I wasn’t able to. My relatives had noticed too. They commented regularly asking if I was bored as the expression on my face seemed to reflect so. I constantly felt depressed but this was normal to me at this stage and any relief from this affliction seemed to be worth it. Besides the depression, brain fog I also had other symptoms like moon-face and general weight gain. The Prednisone causes this.
To cut a longer story short – This brings me to today.
My father had seen an advertisement in the newspaper for a skin clinic that had a 98% cure rate for many skin conditions. Eczema, Psoriasis, this and that, and HIVES. I had to try it out. At this point I had eczema so bad covering my upper body, arms and face I didn’t like seeing people in general in fear of what they may of thought.
Upon my first appointment I called beforehand to ask about the method of treatment and if they had any success with curing Hives. I asked if they were going to use steroids again. Maria (the specialist) explained to me that they used only natural methods of healing. She described how the symptoms that I had been experiencing – were signs of a bigger problem. That my body was trying to tell me that I was in trouble and that my current lifestyle was not supporting any hopes of recovering.
Also, the previous use of steroids and drugs had seriously altered my natural immune system – freezing it in place. I would have to take some drastic measures and lifestyle changes in order to fix this. It made sense though. If I had not been getting any better all this time, I must of been doing nothing to help this at all. She said that I needed to approach this holistically in order to cure it. She seemed to be very confident in her diagnosis and I took that as a positive sign.
The first session I had with her she explained it all. Simply, I had an impaired gut lining or candidiasis. My intestines were ridden with small holes and this was why I had become increasingly sensitive to certain foods (eggs, dairy and spicy foods would cause my eczema to flare up badly). Whether due to stress, bacteria, fungus, bad lifestyle choices, this impaired gut lining was the reason I had the various other symptoms like Eczema and Hives. These holes would allow food proteins and ingested irritants (chemicals, alcohol etc) to leech directly into my blood stream with a devastating effect. I was also suffering from Acidosis. My body pH was way out of balance and in this state disease thrives – especially autoimmune problems like Urticaria.
This over acidity in my body was a big part of it. I had heard of it before but hearing it from her made it real. She explained that the typical diet Western societies eat consist of nutritionally deficient processed food. Most of which cause the body to become highly acidic. Soft Drinks, alcohol, caffeine, processed meats and meat in general all cause over acidity in the body. Grains do this as well, such as processed wheat – flour etc. Instead I needed to make my body more alkaline. This meant consuming mostly alkalising foods such as wholesome fruits and vegetables and drinking at least 1.5 – 2L of pure water a day.
She devised a very strict eating plan for me (explained below) and various changes that I had to make in order to heal my gut lining and get me back on track:
Restricted Foods:
Caffeine (Coffee, tea and Carbonated Softdrinks, Energy Drinks)
Alcohol
Smoking
Nitrates (Cured meats, hams, smoked salmon, sandwich meats, sausages, basically any processed meat)
Wheat (Gluten; breads, doughs, pastas, biscuits etc. Also no Yeast)
Eggs (Also Processed Foods with egg)
Dairy (Most Important; She said this was major cause for many health problems. No animal drinks the milk of another animal; let alone past child hood like humans do with cows milk.)
Processed Foods (Mass Produced, Nutrient Deficient prepackaged goods, Fast Food, takeaway)
Nightshades (Tomatoes, Chillies, Eggplants, Potatoes, Capsicum – Sweet potato is fine though)
Citrus (Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit etc.)
Berries
Nuts (Except Almonds)
Spices (anything that heats the body i.e. pepper, chilli, mustard, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, ginger)
Red Meats (Beef, Pork, Lamb, Mutton)
Specifically for my Blood Type A+: I was not allowed to eat Olives and Mushrooms as she explained certain foods interact with certain blood types specifically on a cellular level and this was very important to avoid.
Now, My diet would consist of:
Fruits and vegetables (Minus the restricted ones; Leafy, green vegetables: Spinach, Broccoli, Kale, etc. Sweet potato is great for healing the gut)
Every meal I ate, had to have one third of the plate as green veggies (Lunch and Dinner). Breakfast was usually lots of fruit.
Rice was fine, Oats on the rare occasion, and beans perhaps twice a week (no tinned baked beans mind you.)
Fish (I was allowed fish but was advised not to eat too much in this early stage as it causes slight acidity.)
Avocados (I ate these every day as I craved the fat I used to consume and needed the richness I was used to.)
It was a very strict diet but I stuck to it and after the first week or so I did not crave junk food at all and found it very enjoyable. Avocados and rice were a big part of my diet and couldn’t of done it without them. Eating this way meant I did not eat sugar, additives, artificial colourings, flavourings, MSG, chemicals, and cut a lot of sodium from my diet. I was cutting out acid causing foods too.
Along with this I was to walk a minimum of 40 mins every evening (when it wasn’t too hot for me). I usually did an hour a day. She explained that walking was the best way to reduce inflammation in the body and also for lowering stress which she also attributed as a main cause for my hives.
Also, as a naturopath, she gave me various types of homeopathic remedies/tinctures/medicines – all natural of course. Certain solutions would restore my deficiency of magnesium and trace elements, whilst other medicines coerced my immune system to start regulating normally. One medicine would detox my system whilst another would lower my cortisol levels at night lowering stress. I was to sleep early every night no later than 12am; Prior to this I had very irregular nights sleeping at 3am- 5am and waking at 1-2pm. I was to wake up early and seize the day. She approached the problem from all angles and holistically healed my system.
Within the first few days I was already seeing a vast improvement for the first time in many months. My eczema started clearing dramatically and I would wake up without the need to peel off dry skin from my inflamed red body. I could see the pattern of healing and this was making it easy to follow. I originally had problems falling asleep too. Every night I would take at least half an hour to fall asleep and I would stay up as along as I could so that I would feel tired enough to do so.
Upon following these changes, I noticed I could sleep easily – the exercise was definitely helping. I was previously a computer bound body with little movement throughout the day. Instead of waking up feeling lethargic – I arose each morning with ease. No longer was it a strain to get out of bed and I felt refreshed from my sleep now. I also started sweating again! I had not been able to do this for over a year. My body had no way of cooling itself – but now my system had readjusted and I was functioning healthily.
It was probably by the second or third week that I saw any effect on my hives. Every day as I went out for my daily walk I would have a hive reaction upon returning home. However, slowly but surely I noticed the episodes getting weaker and weaker as I continued this process. It was amazing – to the point where my hives did not cause any discomfort at all and were just a slight tingle, barely even noticeable.
This was the first time I had relief from this affliction. I felt so grateful that I had been finally able to fix this problem which is so commonly described as incurable by doctors. My hives eventually cleared to the point that I was free from it. For the first time I could go out, uninhibited by the stress of having a reaction, without that mental barrier that stopped me from exerting myself in fear of having a hives episode. I started doing things I couldn’t do in so long. I was now social again. My skin was glowing and I was radiant…for a while.
However, this is where I also strayed from my routine and it all fell apart.
A little too soon, excited by the quick recovery of my system, I started eating lots and lots of spicy foods. Being Asian, it is part of my food culture to enjoy spicy curries and chillies and what not. I had been so long without these favourite foods – unable to eat them – that now I ate as much as a I could. Delighting in the fact that I could not worry about my hives stopping me. Slowly but surely, I started eating normal foods again. Eggs, my favourite food of all, wheat products, and processed foods, meats and alcohol. Being a foodie, I found it hard to do without all the choice I was once used to. As I continued to eat this way, my hives problem came back slowly.
I had a 2-3 week grace period where I could eat whatever I wanted and still not have a reaction. I stopped walking – out of pure laziness. Continuing on from this my hives came back albeit with a fraction of the intensity it once used to be. As the weeks go on here I am with a mild hives problem eating without restriction. I think part of the problem was I realised what the solution was. I could achieve it easily now, but also “do it later.” With this mentality I am here today. My eczema is practically gone but not as good as it was previously. My hives is back too – the worse I eat the worse my hives gets. I understand the connection but my appetite for the foods I am not allowed is uncontrollable.
So this is my story. I know the solution and I am continually striving to get back there again. I know it may sound stupid – I can easily fix my problem but choose not to. How hard is it to cut out some foods? For me it is difficult. Being a young person, social events call for alcohol – eating out with friends is hard if you’re restricted. It’s hard to constantly say no and refuse letting go once in a while to have fun.
I’ve seen my naturopath at least 5 times by now. She says that I don’t have to stick to this strict diet forever. I need simply to fully recover my gut lining before attempting to reintroduce foods and slowly one by one. not all at the same time as I did. Alcohol, once a week is fine too.
So for now, I need to get back on the wagon and stick it out for a month or two. I will be healed and I can assure you of this.
Whilst a lot of my regime addresses eczema, I think this can help a lot of people with hives and health in general. It is not a single problem and is a sign your body is saying something is definitely wrong. Your body is in a state of over acidity. There is too much toxin buildup and/or your lifestyle needs to be adjusted in order to fix this.
You need to eat right. Cut out all processed foods/junk. There’s too many unnatural additives and artificial substances. Cut out wheat, dairy, and eggs. Instead eat whole-foods. Fruits and vegetables, raw when you can as they have the most nutrients. Cooking only depletes this in most cases and renders some foods toxic. I researched into Raw Food Diets and many say they have been cured from incurable ailments including hives. You might like to have a look at 80/10/10 or the Low Fat Raw Vegan Diet which consists of mainly fruits. Whilst extremely different from what we are used to, it’s emphasis is on eating what we as humans are meant to be eating. If you have a look at some of the advocates for this movement they are the healthiest, most radiant bunch of people many of whom had health problems to begin with but now are free from it all. Research into this field reveals that many of the theories of nutrition we have are simply wrong – What we are told to eat is funded by the respective companies. It is all based on money.
Sleep cycle is important, as your body uses this time to heal effectively. Water consumption should be 1.5-2L minimum a day. Get 40 mins exercise daily – walking is great.
If you do this I’m sure many of you will see some sort of improvements. It takes discipline, devotion and a strong mind but if you want to be cured you have to work for it.
Also to note, what I think may have contributed to my hives occurring in the first place..
From a young age I used corticosteroids, prescribed by my doctors, to control my skin problem. These unnatural substances hinder the immune system and retard natural processes of the body. Also, I used to use recreational drugs often. I would drop ecstasy pills two to three times a week at my worst stage. These pills are cut with toxic substances and many harmful chemicals. They build up in the body and cause all sorts of problems. Cannabis use daily probably also contributed. Whilst the weed itself may not have been so bad, the fertilisers used to grow them can cause major problems internally. And, the process of smoking it too isn’t great for you. I am past my young days now, but it has definitely contributed to my health problems today. It is a long and slow process of fully recovering from the damage.
Wow. What a long rant I have written. But it is good to finally have it out in words. I hope this does help someone else out there. If there are any questions I will try to answer them for you.
Peace out π
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Title: Re: My Cure Story | Cholinergic and Cold Urticaria Relief, Eczema
Post by: itchygirl on December 03, 2010, 01:58:33 PM
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thank you for your story and insight! I was told by my physician to try this as well. Radically changing my diet and basically “detoxing” my body of chemicals. The doctor she wanted me to go to was very expensive(it was a kind of spa) and required me to basically take a month off from work and family and focus on this. I financially couldn’t do this or could I just take a month off from work without losing my job.
But I think a lot of what you say makes sense and it definitely seemed to work for you. The food we eat today is so full of chemicals it’s no wonder our bodies are reacting like this.
Your story definitely has me reconsidering the doctor that my physician advised me to try. π
At the very least, we can be more aware of the foods we are eating and slowly cut out the junk an increase the all natural food.
Thanks again!
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Title: Re: My Cure Story | Cholinergic and Cold Urticaria Relief, Eczema
Post by: Rogerq23 on December 05, 2010, 02:41:55 AM
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Nice and interesting post. I could tell you were Asian. So do I. Anyway… I have the same problem. And when I went to my allergist he made me some blood test and then he told me that I was not allergic to any food. It was kinda weird because he tested my blood then told me to make an specific diet for a week and come back in a week. After a week, suffering and craving for food. I finally finished it… (i broke it the day before to the follow up appointment and i was scared that the result was going to be narrowed.) When I reached to his office, he told me it was not any food. I start thinking, then why did you make me to take a diet in one week that almost killed me. I am still doubting about that test, is there a test that tell what food you are allergic too???? uhmmm…. hopefully he is true cuz I dont want to get in any diet :S it is so difficult to me and I am not fat and greedy. I just need to eat.
When I was a kid, i was allergic to artificial colorant, but most of the food contains some kind of colorant, food, snack, etc..etc.. even some healthy stuff. My allergist, said it wasnt any food so I believed on him, and he said it was the environment. I was allergic to the environment and gave me Inmunotherapy for a year, i guess i am 1/4 of a year taking those shots. I dont know if they really work. I still get Cholinergic Urticaria and well.. not that frequently i guess or not that severe.
@ paperplane: I know its difficult to make the diet limiting to fruits, vegetable, fish and avocado… but arent you curious to know what specific food you are allergic to? because i am sure not all those foods are bad for you. I regret going on diet… i just cant, i feel so hungry and everytime there are foods, they are the one that i cant eat. NOT i am not fat, even though i may sound like, i am just 135lb and 168cm height…
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Title: Re: My Cure Story | Cholinergic and Cold Urticaria Relief, Eczema
Post by: paperplane on December 05, 2010, 09:28:54 AM
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I don’t think I am allergic to anything specific per se. Well, not allergic in the traditional sense. It is more so a sensitivity to certain foods – if I can call it that. I don’t have an immediate reaction upon eating something I am not supposed to. However, if I do eat it I slowly get worse over time (my eczema and hives).
I think for me Eggs, Wheat, and Dairy are the main culprits.
The point of this though is not to avoid these foods because of an allergy. Rather, avoiding these foods whilst eating only a strict healthy diet allows your gut lining to heal. When it does fully heal you can slowly reintroduce these back. If you had the leaky gut like me, eating the eggs, wheat and dairy would then be able to leech into your bloodstream and cause problems from there. This wouldn’t be picked up by an allergist because it works differently. So says my naturopath. And, her theory seems to have worked for me.
I advise everyone out there to take probiotics capsules daily (the ones you store in the fridge). These really help with the healing of the gut. It’s a simple fix and really helps.
I know how you feel with food restrictions dude! I love to eat everything and having to say no to certain things is just disappointing. Try working in a restaurant and being surrounded by so much good food every day. But, when you get to that point when you’ve simply had enough of the Hives crippling your life, going on a diet doesn’t seem so bad or hard for that matter. It’s in your power to fix this. I wish you all the best.
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Title: Re: My Cure Story | Cholinergic and Cold Urticaria Relief, Eczema
Post by: Rogerq23 on December 10, 2010, 02:00:38 AM
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HAHAHA… What is that probiotic capsule? What is it for? and where do i get it? is that a medicine or like a vitamin?
I had worked in a restaurant to be sincere, it dont make me hungry, the contrary, i dont want to see that food anymore. When you have those foods every day, you dont find them delicious anymore. π
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Title: Re: My Cure Story | Cholinergic and Cold Urticaria Relief, Eczema
Post by: HivesGuy on December 13, 2010, 04:45:21 PM
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@ Roger23–I take a daily probiotic (digestive advantage). It does actually help with my digestion because if I don’t take it I tend to have more diarrhea and stomach cramps. It doesn’t affect my hives though.
@Paperplane–welcome to the forum and thanks for that incredibly detailed and interesting analysis and history of your hives. I enjoyed reading it. I too have noticed before that extremely clean dieting can help to lessen the intensity of my hives as well. Unfortunately, I have never been able to fully cure them though.
I think foods can have an impact, although it is probably only a small impact overall. Foods can definitely aggravate allergies, raise histamine or vitamin levels. So I think that may be the reason why our diets may have minor impacts on our hives. I am eating gluten free right now (I have been for months). I also avoid dairy totally. I also avoid a lot of stuff with preservatives and highly processed foods as much as I can. Lately, I am trying to reduce histamine causing foods too.
I am glad that you have been able to improve your hives in the past, and I hope you can continue to stick with your diet to fiind relief. Thanks again for posting your experiences and thoughts on everything, and I enjoyed reading it.
Best of luck to you!
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Title: Suffering with Cold Urticaria and Cholinergic Urticaria Together
Post by: Wally3 on November 16, 2011, 07:09:25 PM
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I have had cold urticaria since I was 12. I moved from Canada to Fl and got older and now I rarely get hives from cold. I sometimes get itchy hands when I hold a cold drink so I usually just wrap a napkin around it and I’m fine. When I took antihistmine when I was first diagnose and was having reactions all the time, but they slowly went away to they were very infrequent.
About 2 months ago I started getting hives every time I take a shower, all over my back chest. They get worst when I then blow dry my hair. I thought it could be an allergic reaction to shampoo but it didn’t help. I took a quick cool shower – no hives – but then dried my hair and totally broke out. I started thinking it could be like cold urticaria but in reverse.
So now what do I do? It is so painful and annoying to take a shower and now sometimes when I go outside (FL heat) my hands get all puffy and swollen. Is there anything to do? I take a bendryll when i get too itchy. Is there anything else?
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Title: Re: Cold Urticaria to Cholinergic
Post by: HivesGuy on November 20, 2011, 02:08:33 PM
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Hey Wally3,
I am sorry to hear about your struggles. Sometimes these urticarias overlap with each other (and with other allergic conditions).
It sounds like you aren’t exactly sure which condition you may be experiencing, but antihistamines may help. Benadryl is strong, but can be sedating. It may be better to try something like Allegra or Zyrtec (talk to a doctor first to be safe).
I hope that helps, and I hope you can determine if you are experiencing Cholinergic Urticaria or some other urticaria or allergic disorder.
lyn james says
I definitely suffer from cold urticaria but mainly from air temperature.I also suffer from urticaria with sudden changes in temperature whether its hot to cold or vice versa. The IceCube test is negative and I don’t have any reaction to cold food or drinks. The itching drives me to despair at times. I have had one episode when I became hoarse could not swallow and had difficulty breathing. I now carry an epipen. But I found that the doctors don’t appear to be very interested in it and just have the attitude of get on with it.
Hivesguy says
That’s interesting that you mostly react to air temperature but not ice cube testing. I’m sorry you have this, and I definitely have experienced your frustration with doctors and their lack of concern or unwillingness to actually investigate. They often just want to write out a new antihistamine and get you out of the office (and then send an outrageous bill!).