Hives worsening on dd, spreading to more parts of body. Advice?

[iamme]

Summary here....

Dd was sick w/sore throat, slight off/on fever, achey,extreme fatigue combined with inability to sleep since AM of March 5.

Strep tests negative. Mono negative. CBC negative.

March 16 dd breaks out in hives on top of hands, top of feet, next to mouth. This contunues off on for 36 hours. Sore throat is gone by end of day.

March 18 dd breaks out w/hives that spread up her arms and covers left side of face.

Dd is now having constant panic attacks, not sleeping as she is afraid she will die in her sleep of airway closing.:-(

March 19(this AM) dd breaks out in hives that travel from hands up both arms, top of feet, ankles,face, shoulders, and back. Thay vary in size and shape, color is either red or white.

Our tub clogs very easily, so we are strictly shower people here. Other than an epsom salt bath, is there anything I can do to give her relief?

Dd is 13yo.

Thank you.

[tinuviel_k]

I don't know if this will be of any help, but here is my own "hive story."

I had hives for several months a few years ago. Pretty much from late November through March. I would get a flare-up every time I caught a cold. I was getting sick twice a month or so, getting hives for 10-14 days each time, so i spent a lot of itchy days and nights. It was horrible!
Benedryl and Claritan worked for awhile, but soon it lost any effectiveness. Prescription antihistamines left me practically asleep all day, so I had to stop taking them. The hives would come and go during the day, first on my bum and hips, next on my legs, then on my arms. Sometimes they would go away for a while, then they'd come back hard, then fade again.

I did a couple things for relief: cool baths, hot baths (which are supposed to make it worse, but actually helped with mine), and oatmeal baths were my favorites. But what really ended up happening is that I just got used to them.

After eliminating all sorts of foods and possible environmental triggers my doctor finally figured that my body was reacting to the cold viruses, and that it was triggering a histamine response. We checked my vitamin D and it was super low. I started supplementing under his direction, and after several months I stopped getting sick. The next year I only got sick a few times, and while I had hives (twice that year, a week each time) it wasn't nearly as bad.

This year I've only gotten a cold twice, and NO HIVES at all. The vitamin D is the only thing that has changed, really. My doctor says that D deficiency can play a large role in autoimmune issues, hence my body reacting to the cold virus with hives.

[Crafty]

I recently read that 80% of hives cases are idiopathic- no one knows what causes them. The article also said that most cases of hives resolve within 6 weeks (longer than that and they're considered chronic). I broke out in hives from time to time as a kid, and twice I was covered from neck to toes. My mother was horrified and whisked me off to the ER as soon as she saw them.

I was one of those idiopathic cases. There was never any rhyme or reason as to what triggered them (one head-to-toe case was at age 7, the other at age 12). Benadryl helped, but it made me sleepy. Oatmeal baths in cool water are nice, and loose clothing (pajama pants, loose yoga pants, etc. would've been perfect) are a must. Topical anti-itch creams are good for the itchiest areas, and our ped just recommended some of that stuff you use on sunburns (aloe-based with lidocaine, maybe? That's the kind we have, leftover from when I burned the heck out of my arm on the oven and was in serious pain) and keep in the fridge. My son has inherited my hiveyness, so we've been dealing with them from time to time as well.

Good luck to you and your dd.

[sbgrace]

It's so hard to track down the cause of hives and it sounds like this might very well be one of those viral/infection based hives cases. That will usually occur as or after the child is getting better (and the immune system is shifting). Hives can go on and on unfortunately but in viral cases I think they run their course in a week or two usually. What I would do in your case is give her zyrtec (available over the counter) and see if it helps the hives which can be very uncomfortable. In my understanding the zyrtec will usually help no matter the underlying cause. I don't think there is anything you can do to make them leave sooner though--I really think they have to run their course when not allergy related. But you can help her be comfortable.

[iamme]

Originally Posted by tinuviel_k

After eliminating all sorts of foods and possible environmental triggers my doctor finally figured that my body was reacting to the cold viruses, and that it was triggering a histamine response. We checked my vitamin D and it was super low. I started supplementing under his direction, and after several months I stopped getting sick. The next year I only got sick a few times, and while I had hives (twice that year, a week each time) it wasn't nearly as bad.

This year I've only gotten a cold twice, and NO HIVES at all. The vitamin D is the only thing that has changed, really. My doctor says that D deficiency can play a large role in autoimmune issues, hence my body reacting to the cold virus with hives.

Thanks for sharing your story! I did find it helpful. Just within the last few weeks or so I became aware of the importance of Vit. D3(my new chiro suggested 10,000 IUs, an d I thought he was *whacked!lol) and started taking higher doses, and of course, also givng them it to our dc. Slowly I have raised the dosage and am using a higher quality/purer form. I have been givng ds about 4-6,000 IUs, dd is at 8,000 IUs, and myself at 10,000IUs. Since JaneS recently posted an informative site about the importance of Vit.D3, I'm no longer thinking my chiro is a nut. lol.

So, hopefully next year will be a better year for all of us-especially dd-if we have a good "storage" of Vit. D3. This definitely gives me hope.

Originally Posted by Crafty

I recently read that 80% of hives cases are idiopathic- no one knows what causes them. The article also said that most cases of hives resolve within 6 weeks (longer than that and they're considered chronic). I broke out in hives from time to time as a kid, and twice I was covered from neck to toes. My mother was horrified and whisked me off to the ER as soon as she saw them.

I was one of those idiopathic cases. There was never any rhyme or reason as to what triggered them (one head-to-toe case was at age 7, the other at age 12). Benadryl helped, but it made me sleepy. Oatmeal baths in cool water are nice, and loose clothing (pajama pants, loose yoga pants, etc. would've been perfect) are a must. Topical anti-itch creams are good for the itchiest areas, and our ped just recommended some of that stuff you use on sunburns (aloe-based with lidocaine, maybe? That's the kind we have, leftover from when I burned the heck out of my arm on the oven and was in serious pain) and keep in the fridge. My son has inherited my hiveyness, so we've been dealing with them from time to time as well.

Good luck to you and your dd.

Ugh. I'm sorry you have to deal with this w.your ds also. I am a "I want answers, and YESTERDAY!" kind of gal. Not knowing what is the cause of a health issue drives me crazy, and it seems I've passed this onto dd. *sigh*

Thanks fo sharing. If I get our tub usable for baths, I will try your suggestions.

Originally Posted by sbgrace

It's so hard to track down the cause of hives and it sounds like this might very well be one of those viral/infection based hives cases. That will usually occur as or after the child is getting better (and the immune system is shifting). Hives can go on and on unfortunately but in viral cases I think they run their course in a week or two usually. What I would do in your case is give her zyrtec (available over the counter) and see if it helps the hives which can be very uncomfortable. In my understanding the zyrtec will usually help no matter the underlying cause. I don't think there is anything you can do to make them leave sooner though--I really think they have to run their course when not allergy related. But you can help her be comfortable.

This is good to know about viral vs. allergic. I see you responded to my post in the allergy forum, so I will address the zyrtec there...

(Thanks)

[iamme]

Originally Posted by Crafty

I recently read that 80% of hives cases are idiopathic- no one knows what causes them. The article also said that most cases of hives resolve within 6 weeks (longer than that and they're considered chronic). I broke out in hives from time to time as a kid, and twice I was covered from neck to toes. My mother was horrified and whisked me off to the ER as soon as she saw them.

I was one of those idiopathic cases. There was never any rhyme or reason as to what triggered them (one head-to-toe case was at age 7, the other at age 12). Benadryl helped, but it made me sleepy. Oatmeal baths in cool water are nice, and loose clothing (pajama pants, loose yoga pants, etc. would've been perfect) are a must. Topical anti-itch creams are good for the itchiest areas, and our ped just recommended some of that stuff you use on sunburns (aloe-based with lidocaine, maybe? That's the kind we have, leftover from when I burned the heck out of my arm on the oven and was in serious pain) and keep in the fridge. My son has inherited my hiveyness, so we've been dealing with them from time to time as well.

Good luck to you and your dd.

Originally Posted by sbgrace

It's so hard to track down the cause of hives and it sounds like this might very well be one of those viral/infection based hives cases. That will usually occur as or after the child is getting better (and the immune system is shifting). Hives can go on and on unfortunately but in viral cases I think they run their course in a week or two usually. What I would do in your case is give her zyrtec (available over the counter) and see if it helps the hives which can be very uncomfortable. In my understanding the zyrtec will usually help no matter the underlying cause. I don't think there is anything you can do to make them leave sooner though--I really think they have to run their course when not allergy related. But you can help her be comfortable.

Just wanted to give you both an update, and see if this "tells" you anything(other than I'm not a very patient person)...

At 2AM last night, dd was very uncomfortable with the itching, and was afraid of sleeping. I gave her the anti-itch cream on a few patches on just one arm. OMGsh!! She had the worst breakout ever-her entire arm was swollen and covered w/hives-angry, angry hives. We washed it all off, and eventually she settled down and was able to sleep.

[pianojazzgirl]

Aw, no advice that hasn't already been given, but I wanted to give hugs to your dd and you. That sounds miserable. Good luck finding some relief for her!

(Have you tried Benedryl?)