Random hives are back again - help.

[Blessed_Mom]

Hi,

When I was small (around 8-9 yrs old), I used to get one (yes one) random hive every couple of days. It used to be like a big mosquito bite, itch a little , subside with talc powder and go away. I lived in India then and we didn't really think much of it (my folks and I) but I thought the few triggers were eggplant, chocolate, too hot or too cold weather exposure.

Fast forward one day when I was maybe 12 yrs old and one night I was covered in all-body hives. My mom (dad was away) took me to the nearest doc who immediately gave me a shot of something (maybe some powerful steroid?). By morning they were all gone and the funny thing is - they never recurred. All gone....

Now I am 38 yrs old and I noticed after giving birth to my DD 2 yrs that recently (since 6 months) I am getting these random hives again. Once a week or so. I didn't think much of it except this week, they have been everyday for the past 3 days. We are trying to TTC and for some reason I am worried.

Any ideas? Cures? Insights? any help please? How do I stop reacting to histamine overloads? OR prevent them in the first place?

Thanks so much.

[Blessed_Mom]

Please. No one?

[zebra15]

IDK, hives are funny for me.  Stress can cause them, allergies can cause them, 'random' things can cause hives.  The only relief is high doses of benadryl for me.  Sometimes the hives are so bad I need anti-histamine and steroid injections. 

Sorry you are having this problem

[birdhappy85]

I wish I could help too. :-/ But my encounters with hives were pretty random and difficult to control without a definitive diagnosis. I saw several doctors about it and they didn't have much in the way of suggestions for what was causing it. I ended up on Prednisone for a few weeks but stopped abruptly because I was having severe depression side effects from it. So then I took Allegra regularly for a while after that. Allegra was a LIFE SAVER for me! It was the only antihistamine I could take and still function on (ie: not get drowsy). My hives started just a year and a half ago at the age of 24. They really only appeared when I ate or drank something, though, so I began suspecting food intolerances. I had a bad case of cryptosporidium probably 5 months prior to the hives starting. I wondered if my intestines were damaged to the point that I started having food intolerances and then hives reactions. I did fine when I avoided gluten and casein, even though blood tests wouldn't show intolerances to either of them. But then I eventually only got hives when I ingested anything with sulfites in it! Such a mystery. I'm pregnant right now and haven't had a single hive in over 6 months, and I can eat anything and feel fine for the first time in a while. Weird, eh?

Do you notice your hives travel to difference parts of your body each time too? That is the thing about them that is even crazier to me! When I got them the first couple of times, they covered half of my torso and arms and scared the h*** out of me because I had no idea what they were! Then gradually when they appeared less and less, they tended to only show up on my stomach or my thighs. It's so frustrating when you're suffering with something like that and you are at a loss for how to prevent them. :-/ I feel for you.

Have you taken Allegra before? It's sold over the counter now! Maybe it would help you. Like I said, it was THE ONLY antihistamine I trusted to take care of my hives. If I took a pill before eating something I thought might bring on hives, they actually stayed away! So it helped me preventatively too.

Good luck!