I live in the North of England, cooler than the south and it rains more 🙁
However, we had a hot summer, or at least one hot summer day last year lol 2015. So it was late morning, about 11, my girlfriend was going to work and she dropped me off in the next town over so that I could pick up some weed and walk home. I got my money out, started to walk down the main road and peeled my banana. I was eating it but I could feel my lip swelling a bit (I deleted the photo accidentally since then) I carried on and walked onto the canal path, where there was loads of grass, flowers etc. I suffer a bit from Hay fever but nothing an antihistamine can sort. So I’m waiting on a bench, I can feel my lip swelling, my nose getting runny, my eyes blurry, I think it’s just hay fever so I moved away from the grass and waited for my guy on the main road. He eventually came after 20 mins and we walked down the canal path, he didn’t mention my lip, but he is a dopey bugger so he probably didn’t even notice. We separated and I basically ran to the nearest shop and got some antihistamines. I had one and walked home
Once home things started to get worse, I sat on the leather Settee and started to see spots. Now, I’m qualified 1st aid and I knew it was an allergic reaction and if I started struggling breathing I should ring 999, otherwise just go to doctors. So I rang for an emergency appointment, they could do one in 3 hours. It got progressively worse, with stomach cramps – really bad stomach cramps like food poisoning. Hives everywhere, I jumped in the shower and had it on cold, scratching away like a dog I rang my brother to see if he could pick me up and take me, he could.
I got prescribed some steroids from the docs, but I didn’t finish the course, had like 8 or so. At this point we thought it was just a hay fever reaction, a bad one. However, over the course of a couple of weeks these hives kept coming out. I googled my little heart out diagnosed myself and found this site – the best site available too, well done, Ben! – I then went to the doctors, told them about what had been happening and told them what I thought it was. They did naff all, bar give me some special eczema shower gel and strong anti histamines which I’ve yet to try.
Oh yeah I got eczema too! lol yey! I used to be so oily like a old Mediterranean man (ive got an olive skin tone) but now I get eczema on my forehead, forearms, bellybutton and on my ribs.
Its been, about hmmmm, 9 months since the initial reaction, I think I’ve found some triggers, but it’s so difficult to pinpoint. Like I thought milk may have had a big impact. I switched to Gold top milk as I was bulking in the gym, its got 800cals and 30g of protein per litre which is brilliant. I’d been having one a day up til then or one every other day, and I stopped drinking them for a bit, but I had some on Monday which is when I came out in them, but I was also quite stressed sooooo I dunno. Cake I think makes it worse. I think it’s the flour. But it could also be the moldy, dusty house I live in – although it wasn’t an issue before. Hot showers can set me off for a day of it. But brief hot showers don’t.
The key thing I have found with mine and I don’t know if it applies to ya’ll is that its my internal temperature which causes it.
A rapid increase in internal temperature always brings it out. Stress causes my internal temp to rise, as does nervousness – though I rarely get nervous. I used to see the spots and worry, but they get worse, now I just ignore them, I don’t look at them and I try to talk to people to take my mind of it. Temperature differences can cause it too, say I’m all wrapped up on top coat on, hat, but I’m wearing shorts. Then I’m likely to get the spots on my hot part of my body.
I will eventually start to take the antihistamines, but the ones I have now don’t work I can see why they will, especially when a lot of suffers report the same.
I’m looking at buying the book, also that portable sauna just caught my eye. For me saunas/ steam rooms don’t work. I can use one everyday but I rarely do because I come out with the worst hives I ever have and feel faint.
Finally I don’t know if weed plays a part, but I doubt it as I smoked for 4 years before this and its never triggered upon consumption.
If you want more tales of interest from my hives life or any other part of my life just ask.
Peace!
-Daniel420
Phoebe Bates says
Hi Daniel
I am so happy I stumbled upon your post! As a fellow UK Urticaria sufferer (and casual weed smoker), it is nice to know that I am not alone in my suffering with this horrible disease.
For me this all started in September, when the weather started to get colder. At first it was mild, but now my attacks are much worse – creeping up onto my neck and face which isn’t great when I am so embarrassed by the way I look when I am having an attack.
I am trying very hard to be positive and I am hoping that my symptoms will begin to get better as we move into the summer – especially as I have Glastonbury tickets and flights to Sri Lanka booked! The idea of getting attacks during these trips greatly upsets me, but I am trying to stay optimistic!
My Urticaria seems to be very similar to yours – at first I thought it was an allergy, but now it appears to get worse when I experience extreme heat, cold or stress. Drinking Alcohol appears to be one of the main triggers for me which is unfortunate as a lot of my job and social life revolves around drinking. I have also noticed that occasionally when I smoke weed I experience break outs! I had a few joints last night and this morning my attack was so bad that I have had to stay off work, which i the first time I have been defeated by this horrible illness. However this doesn’t happen all the time. I have also completely cut out caffeine which appeared to help at first.
It’s really frustrating that there does’t seem to be a ‘one size fits all’ for Urticaria. A lot of the advise sems very contrasting. At the moment I am on 5 anti histamines a day, but this just isn’t helping control my symptoms.
I am really reaching the end of my tether with this and struggling to stay optimistic as these attacks have ranged from daily and weekly for the last 8 months.
Do you have any coping tips? Have you cut out any foods with benefit?
Daniel420 says
>So bad I had to stay off work
You sure you didn’t just have a Ganjover! :p
I actually have been thinking of going to the doctors to get a sick note, because my work is in a Leisure centre, stupidly, humid, hot places. However I actually like work and don’t mind being there.
Lets get serious for a sec, we’re warming up now, as in going into spring and summer, if your now getting Rashes on your face and neck and its starting to really take a toll, I’d recommend going to the doctor and talking about an epi pen, just to be safe. The last thing you want is to be unable to breathe because of a reaction.
Anyway, i’ve found that my diet has a massive role to play in all this, even from day to day, for example on Thursday i ate loads of high histamine level foods, like 2 cheese toasties, bowl of muesli, and cheap pasta with a thick cheese sauce. The next day at work i was terrible, so i ate low level histamine foods, roast beef, wholegrain rice, chicken etc. Today I haven’t had a reaction yet, and i’ve had a hot shower. Now i can feel it sort of bubbling away under the skin, but its nowhere near as bad. I’ve read that it can take 6-10 weeks for one to fully sort their Histamine levels out.
Drinking is a deffo no no, its full of yeast, sugars, things that trigger you. Its likely that your reactions aren’t based on immediate triggers but rather a culmination of a lot of things. So stress drinking, then having a pizza and a smoke (cig) will make you far worse than normal. Try and knock it on the head, i don’t drink but consume a stupid amount of weed.
Now onto weed, I’m pretty clued up with this stuff as i want a career within the industry, so essentially this condition/disorder whatever you want to call it is, in its purest form, a hypersensitivity to Acetylcholine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetylcholine), cannabis basically interacts with this, it dampens the effect, or dulls it, basically lowering the amount you have in your body, that means for us suffers you should get relief from consuming cannabis. Now tobacco, woah, basically your body has Nicotine receptors everywhere they help your muscles work, Nicotine mimics ACh, which in turn activates the receptors. That means that smoking will likely make your condition worse, whereas smoking JUST weed, should make it better. I use a vaporiser most of the time, good makes are Storz and Bickel, pax 2.0, flowermate is ok, but visit vapecritic his reviews are bob on, i have a Plenty vape gets me well stoned!
However its very important to state that cannabis allergies are a real thing and its worth testing whether you have one, sometimes you can be allergic to contact with the buds and not smoking and vice versa. The Cholinergic system is quite complex and has multiple roles, so smoking is by no means a cure. I’ve read on this forum a few questions down that someone has had success treating this condition with cannabis oil. Also I’ve read studies that have positive results for itch relief, the itching caused by allergies, they applied a cannabis oil to the skin and 82% of people said they felt relief from the itch.
This is a decent explanation
‘anandamide causes CB1 receptor upregulation.
Karaliota et al. 2008
it has also been shown that thc can lower acetylcholine. CB1 receptor agonists have been shown to inhibit binding at the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor in the human brain.(Bordayo et al 1999) this receptor is involved in memory and autonomic function. through this activity they effectively lower the amount of acetlycholine your brain is receiving and therefore how much you are using. through this it can cause symptoms of lowered acetylcholine also. this may have to do with the memory phenomena associated with thc. it could also play a primary function in potheadedness by causeing dismotivation lowered/dulled reaction to stimulii and as above poor memory functions. this effect has some similarity in mechanism to alzheimers because they both’
Now what you want to do now is work on elminating thigns from your diet, its a pain in the ass and i’m by no means religous with it, but i’m getting better. Use this website to get rid of high histamine foods
http://www.histamineintolerance.org.uk/about/the-food-diary/the-food-list/
This website will offer you reciepe ideas and allow you to tailor your diet down to the last macro. Also a Paelo diet is very close to what we need, basically caveman diet. You can select that option and it will give appropriate foods.
Swole.me
Eatthismuch.com
I use Vaseline Intensive care, Advanced repaid for my eczema, its a bit waxy some people recommend a lighter moisturiser for people who have this condition, but my skins so dry that thats the only thign that sorts it.
Daniel420 says
Also, forgot to mention, make an appointment with your doctor and ask to be referred to a Dietitian, they specialise in stuff like this, and can give you a comprehensive plan on what you should eat, when you should eat, how much you can have, recipe ideas etc.
I’m a bit wary myself of seeing a dermatologist as i reckon they’ll just prescribe steroid cream for my eczema when its underlying cause is a product of this condition. By making changes to my diet i think it can help improve my skin.
Also make sure you have cold showers, or at least just warm, it helps enormously and don’t be embarrassed when your spots come up mine come up 4/5 times a day sometimes, i point them out to people who aren’t used to them, wait for their grotesque reaction, tell them i have leprosy and push my limbs onto them haha Then i’ll explain that I’m basically allergic to sweat, and it can be fixed by sorting my diet out which I’m actively doing now. Even though the condition is more complex just ‘sweat allergy’ its just easier to say that, either that or heat allergy. If they are interested i’ll explain more, but otherwise i leave it and move on, helps not to fixate on them, stress really brings it on. A few posts down DutchHiveGuy posted a study that linked to this circular phenomenon.
Lauren says
Hey Daniel!
I, too, live in the North of England (yay for northerners!!) near Manchester and it’s only internal temperatures which causes mine to flair up – exercise being the main culprit. It sucks because I’ve been too worried to exercise (last time I went for a run was December 8th 2014!!). I’m just concerned it’s going to aggravate the condition and make it worse in future episodes.
Please keep us updated – my dermatologist administered fexofenadine (telfast 180mg) – nothing else has worked but these are a miracle. See if they can prescribe you these
JG says
Hey, sounds like I’ve had a similar experience to all of you. I live in the UK and got prescribed Fexofenadine antihistamines which have made a world of difference. I take them everyday and barely feel my flare-ups. I had previously tried loratadine which didn’t help at all so nearly gave up antihistamines but it’s worth trying all you can.
J