1 Year Hives Free - but Now My DAD Has Hives!

I am more than thrilled to say it has officially been 1 year since my last hive from my chronic urticaria bout.  I have to change to a different oral contraceptive medication in 2 weeks, so we will see how THAT goes! LOL.

Interestingly, my father -- who has never had hives in his life (other than an isolated incident here or there) has been having hives on his chest, stomach, and back for the past six days.  Not considered a chronic case yet, his started at the end of a bad stomach flu/virus.  His hives emerge in the late evening and by morning are cleared up.  He has been taking Benadryl, which helps to reduce them.

Like me, he's been going through the list:

• No new shampoos, detergents, soaps, or other personal care products
• No new foods/drinks that he hasn't eaten before
• No exposure to plants or animals
• No medication changes or additions

Since his hives started after the stomach bug, I suggested to him that he contact his doctor for a bloodwork order to test for H. Pylori, a bacteria in most of our digestive tracts which has been reported to have a correlation with hives for some people. He wants to give it a few more days before he does that.

I will keep you all posted, and hope that he doesn't go through nearly 7 months of them like I did! (Or longer, like some of my blog readers have.)

Still no hives! (big smiley face)

I can't believe it has been 2 months since I last authored a blog post here. I remain, most thankfully, hives free.  I am increasingly convinced it was a medication issue.

Just a few weeks ago, I had to change to a different generic of the antidepressant that I am on.  Needless to say, I was VERY nervous. Wondering if some new inactive ingredients would trigger hives again.  I am pleased to report that it did not.

I did just have some of the chest flushing a few evenings last week, while I was on my "one week off" break from 3 months of continuous birth control pills. I have come to know and accept that as just a hormonal thing that is highly transient.

I hope that my blog gives some hope to those of you out there suffering currently. It may be even longer before I write again (hopefully), since there has been very little more to say.

Keep the faith!!

A summary of tests I've had for hives

So thought it might be helpful to share with all of you the various tests and experiments that I went through during my bout with chronic hives last year... maybe you have had the same or get additional ideas:

Bloodwork ordered by my Primary Care Doctor and/or Endocrinologist:

• Thyroid hormone panel - detailed (TSH, free T3, free T4/calculated, T4, T3 uptake, Total T3) -- mine were all normal.
• Thyroid antibodies test  (Thyroid Peroxidase & Thyroglobulin) -- I already knew I had these antibodies from a test years prior, they re-tested to confirm.
• Autoimmune panel  (tested for things like double-stranded DNA, C3 & C4 complement, Sjorgen's, RA Factor, ANA screen, SED rate, and more) -- all of these were normal except ANA was positive but in a very low titer.
• Celiac - negative.
• Metabolic Panel - normal.
• Vitamin D - mine was very low, but is now in normal range thanks to supplements.
• Vitamin B12 - low-normal.
• H Pylori (bacterial test) - normal.

Bloodwork ordered by Allergist:

• IGE Serum  (screen for allergies) - slightly above normal range.
• IGE Antibody - positive but in a very low titer.
• Tree & Grass Pollens - positive across the board, very high for grass.
• Tree Nuts - all bloodwork was negative, but skin scratch tests were positive for a few.

Dietary Changes Tried:

• Gluten free for 4 months (useless; did nothing other than frustrate my life)
• Paleo for 4 weeks  (no change other than created sleep disturbances and fatigue)
• Eliminated added sugars for 2 months  (no change)
• Eliminated tree nuts after getting positive allergy skin test results -- this will be a lifetime thing now, and I was told I need to carry an EpiPen.

Maybe this list will give you some ideas to explore with your doctor.  You can see how my results really didn't point to anything, which is why I now believe that mine MAY have been medication induced.  Good luck!!

9 months hives free...

I am thrilled to report that I am still indeed hives free.  My heat flushing/skin botching did crop up again when I was on a break between 3 months of continuous birth control pills (I am on 3 months continuous with no placebos, then 1 week break, then start again with next 3 months).  But it was only a day or two and not even the full day that the skin flushing happened. So that has definitely proven to be a hormonal thing.

Am I certain that my birth control pill last year is what was giving me hives? No.  I can't be sure. Honestly, I can't. It's just my current theory, based on eliminating many other potential causes and by applying 20/20 hindsight logic. But, I'm not about to switch back to that one again either to find out!

I still have a small worry every day that the hives will return.  I still glance 1-2 times a day at the "hot spots" where they clustered (wrists, neck, under arms, waistline). 

From many who have commented to various posts on my blog, there seem to be common themes among us:

• Reproductive hormone abnormalities (showing up in other symptoms such as endometriosis, infertility, etc.)
• Thyroid auto-immune conditions
• Seasonal allergies
• Taking a slew of medications -- includig those meant to try to suppress the hives 
• Stress/anxiety even before the hives started

My belief is that all 5 of those things should be looked at thoroughly as potential causes for chronic hives, but in particular, hormones and medications. 

My readers will appreciate this:  I recently had a follow-up with my dermatologist about my keratosis pilaris, and I told him about how the birth control pill change solved my skin flushing, and that I had a theory that the same pill caused my hives last year.

His response?

"Could be. Medications can do all kinds of crazy things.  So is that all for today then?"

Are you KIDDING ME??!! I wanted to shake him and say: "Then whey didn't you have us look at that when I was spinning with distress last year and seeing a different doctor or specialist every week seeking answers and doing tons of diet change experiments!"

We are our own advocate.  All the best to those of you reading who are in an active state of chronic hives, and all the best to those of us in remission that it stays that way!

Update - Remission Continues, My Theories on "Why?"

I am happy to say (and knocking on wood each time I say so) that I continue to be in hives remission. I have been asked recently by a few readers about "what I did" to end them.  I don't think I did anything to end them.  They just seemed to fade away. As I noticed them lessening, I stopped taking antihistamines. And just continued to observe fewer and fewer until they were just gone.

Looking back now, I have 3 current theories on why I had chronic hives:

1. They were due to a birth control pill?  I started a b.c pill two months before the hives set in. Now, one might think that I would have reacted right away from that, not two months later. But I look at it more as having a "toxicity buildup" effect, meaning if there was something in that drug that my body didn't like, and more of it was built up over time, that's when my body hit a certain threshold and reacted. I also had flushing/rashing/blotching while on it too. I was on that pill until March, but my hives were gone by early December, so how does that make sense?  Maybe my body just finally realized it did not need to have an allergic response, much as our allergy responses change all the time. But the flushing/rashing/blotching continued even after the hives had ended, and when I changed to a new bc pill in March, that went away too. I believe that part of it was hormonal.
2. They were due to an antidepressant?  I started a new antidepressant for anxiety around the same time that I started the bc pill. As one usually does, I started with a lower dose, and increased it over the next 6 weeks.  Maybe it was at the higher dose that my body reacted to something in the drug -- and again, it just took many, many months before my body desensitized to the allergen and stopped hiving.  I dropped the dose back down in January, which was after the hives had already stopped, and am still on the lower dose today.
3. They were from an unknown cause and not from the drugs, for a reason maybe never to be known?  Could be that my medication theories are all wrong, and they were just a random occurrence. I have read others' blogs on this topic, and the good news is that most everyone seems to go into remission and stops blogging about it.

If you are currently experiencing active chronic hives, you are not alone in your angst and frustration. But just know that remission will happen at some point, that this will be transient ("this too shall pass"), and that life is constantly changing

My best advice is look at ANYTHING that may have changed in the month or two leading up to your hives.  Soap? Meds? Detergents? Fabric Softener? Lotions? Vitamins? I initially was looking on what I ate or used THAT DAY that the hives appeared, not taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.

As for me, it is nice to now go sometimes even days without scanning my body for those dreaded wheals. I can't help but wonder if it will stay like this though. 

I guess the hives weren't seasonal

Not a hive to be found anywhere, thank goodness. So my other theory that they could have somehow been related to my seasonal allergies/hay fever is clearly unfounded. I only took Allegra for 4-5 days this month in total, my seasonal allergies actually haven't even been that bad this year.

I still get flushed easily from the heat, but not more of the prickly rash that I was getting. The new hormone (oral contraceptive) that I am on now seems to be agreeing with me much better.

So in general... not much to report!  Maybe my bout with chronic hives will stay in remission for awhile. I sure do hope so.

Seasonal allergies have started.

This past weekend, my seasonal allergies kicked in, pretty much right on schedule. They were very bad all day and night Sunday, I think they merged with a head cold to create a perfect storm of misery.

Reluctantly, I started the Allegra back up, roughly taking 1 every 18 hours.  I used the term "reluctantly," because based on one of my blog commenter's own experience, I was worried that Allegra was potentially to blame for my hives last year, and that perhaps I had never made the connection.  I am pleased to say that in my case, Allegra doesn't appear to be the culprit.  No hives. I don't know if Allegra has a compounding effect in the body (i.e. the longer you take it, the more that it builds up thereby creating a point in which the body reacts with an allergic response), but I did read that it's half life is approx only 14.5 hours.

I will continue to monitor and see what happens as allergy season continues.

6 Months Hives Free - Flushing Reduced w/Hormone Pill Change

Finally, I am close to saying thatI have been "hives free" almost as long as I had them last year. But they started in early June 2012, so I keep hoping they were just a weird health blip and they are not somehow seasonal and tied to my intense grass pollen allergy (which starts to peak in late May where I live).

The red "flushing" has been greatly reduced thanks to a change in my birth control pill. I can't believe that whole time, not one of my doctors ever thought it could be hormonal -- I had to rule out many other things (including one dermatologist telling me it was rosacea, and another telling me it was related to my allergies and hives) before it occurred to ME that the hormone pill could be the source of the issue. But if you are reading this blog, frustration with the medical community is likely to be a familiar feeling and your head is nodding.

So the flushing/blotching was definitely due to the way the hormone was released from the pill, and here's how I know this:

• I was on a low-dose birth control pill for 10 months and had the flushing the whole time, pretty much daily to varying degrees, except on days during my "breaks" from the pill, the placebo days.
• When I changed to a new B.C. pill after seeing my gyne about this, the first month on the new pill was significantly reduced in the flushing/blotching.
• The second month, the pharmacy substituted a different generic -- same exact hormones, but must have a different way of releasing or being absorbed by the body, because starting week 2 on this pill, my rashing and flushing was worse than EVER before!
• By week 3 of that second month, I went to the pharmacy and they put me back on the other pill I had the previous month and explained to me that it could be an issue with the absorption.
• No more rashing/flushing/blotching since then.

This illustrates beautifully how differently a person can react to even the slightest changes in medications. I don't know if I am particularly "med sensitive" or not, but it certainly reminds me that I am my own best advocate and detective! 

As we enter into early June, I just keeping hoping I remain hives free.

Hives Recurrence Scare - and Confessions of Hives Anxiety

Yesterday, I had a "scare" that my hives were returning. I had what looked like a hive on my neck, and also had a few red blotches on my left palm (looked exactly like the red blotches that appeared before this whole thing started; see my post here.). I started to get very anxious, which made my skin get very flushed and a little bit rashy. A few hours later, the blotches on my left palm were completely gone -- the blotches I had last summer were there 24/7 for several days before the hives kicked in. I also noticed that the "hive" on my neck looked like it could be a bug bite or something else. In fact, 24 hours later, it is still there but lighter; hives usually are gone after 8 hours at their longest life, from what I have experienced. This has caused me to reflect on my anxiety that surrounds the dreaded hives. Why do I fear them so much? Why do I dread the thought of them appearing? As my husband says, "They are just hives, they are not going to hurt you." I break it down into a few things:

• Loss of control -- As a type-A person, I am someone who thrives on figuring out solutions to problems and showing how I can excel in that capacity. This has caused me to spend countless hours seeing specialists, getting tests and labwork done, trying different drugs, and researching exhaustively to come up with the solution. So far, there have been no solutions, despite my best efforts. This is very frustrating to someone who is wired like me, "why can't I figure this out!!" It has been humbling and frustrating, and I don't like it one bit! (imagine a pouty face here.)
• Inhibits my lifestyle -- Some may argue that this has more to do with my attitude about the hives, but really it isn't. On a 90-degree humid day, I need to stay inside because the heat and sweating will lead to a significant outbreak, which leads to massive itchiness and feeling generally miserable. This prevents me from staying out too long in the summer to enjoy summer activities in the heat. It means that I can't wear things that show skin where hives are spotting me (okay well, I CAN wear them, but who would want to?). It means traveling to warm, tropical places for vaction is likely a bad idea. I am supposed to travel for my job, and I have found reasons to not do this as much. It also means that sweaty exercise is off the table too.
• Raises questions about my health -- Because I know I have an autoimmune issue (Hashimoto's), it makes me wonder if there is something "more serious" happening under the covers that is not yet understood by the medical community. It whispers to me, and sometimes screams at me, that something is wrong with me compared to others who aren't afflicted with this. It makes me feel "wrong" and broken.
• Creates confusion -- I don't know where to turn to for help. Dermatologist or Allergist? Allergist or Endocrinologist? Or maybe a Naturopath? Or Holistic doctor? Should I experiment with my diet? Is it my medications? I have tried pretty much all of the above, and it feels like you are on a merry-go-round visiting each repeatedly for help and support and possible new insights. And you are also thinking of yet new ideas to pursue or new things to look into.
• Unpredictability -- Aside from predicting that high heat and sweating will trigger them, you never know what you are going to get each day. Will it be one? None? Several? Where will they be, on my face? Hands? Neck? Will they fade fast, or will they multiply throughout the day? Should I make dinner plans? Travel plans? I have gone sometimes several weeks with none, thinking that they are gone, then they magically appear again one day. I have gone 4.5 months now with none (maybe), and I am worrying they are going to return any day now.

So I continue to work on my own anxiety issues related to the hives, and this is an ongoing battle and lots of work still to do there. I would love to hear if anyone else can relate, and how they have learned to cope!

Still No Hives, Flowers Cause Small Rash, Flushing Reduced

So, I'm at 4.5 months now of no hives. I got them in early June last year, so we shall see what happens over the next 1.5-2 months. Still not taking any antihistamines.
However, today after pulling some old flowers out of a vase to throw them out, shortly after I had a small rash appear on my fingers of that hand -- even after washing my hands almost right away. I have to assume it is from the flowers, because nothing else about today was different. The rash is now finally fading after almost 9 hours. (I didn't take anything for it or use any creams though.)
I just wanted to point it out because it might just show my high degree of allergic response to small things. Guess that means I need to wear gloves when planting and tending to my garden this year!
I am almost 2 weeks into the new oral contraceptive pill now too, and I have noticed a decrease in the flushing and red blotching. However, because it is "early days", I don't want to make any correlation to the medication change just yet. I will assess in a few weeks and post my thoughts on it.

The "Blotch" that started it all!

Today, I had a single, bright red "blotch" (not sure if I would exactly call it a hive, it didn't have that "raised" look to it) front and center on my neck from 7:30 - 10:30 AM. What the hell is that? So random. Wasn't a bug bite either. Just an irregularly bordered circular blotch.

It made me look back in my cell phone's photo gallery to compare it to other blotches and hives and rashes, and I found the blotch that started it all!

Before my CU fully set in, the week prior, I noticed a mysterious red blotch underneath the skin on the palm of one hand:



At first, it didn't itch, then after a few days it started to itch a little. And another one showed up on the same palm. In a few days, I have hives on my wrist of that hand, and on the top of that hand. The CU set in from there. I don't know if anyone else with CU had a similar experience to this. My CU also only ever affected the top half of my body -- from my pantylines (pressure hives) to my head. Never on my legs or feet, even though I would have "pressure" there (shoes, socks) and sweaty areas there too (bottoms of feet, behind knees). I always thought that was curious and somehow meaningful, though the dr's never made much of it.

UPDATE TO THIS POST (JULY 29, 2013)...
Looking back on this post now, with the benefit of hindsight, the red 'blotch' on my neck on the day of this post was most definitely NOT a hive. I think it actually was a little bug bite. Shows you how paranoid you can be after suffering from a bout with chronic hives!! Every little red mark puts you on "HIGH ALERT!!!" :)

Heat rash and flushing continue - bad today. Next trial: birth control pill change?

Well... today was a stressful travel day and I was exposed to some heat.  My husband and I took a nice walk late morning and I got a bit sweaty with the sun being out, and ended up with a nice red rash on one arm and along my bra underwire area. I took a lukewarm shower and that helped to fade them away. Then this evening, after a stressful flight home (very turbulent), I have been getting a mild heat rash on-and-off all evening on my lower left arm of all places. Also my neck has it too.

I have yet another idea for something I am going to try, if the doctor will allow it: changing my oral contraceptive, which I need to use to control my endometriosis and very heavy menstrual flow. So I have an appt tomorrow with my Gyne to discuss this. When I looked back on my journals from last year, the flushing started 2 weeks after I started the pill (and the hives 6 weeks after, though I think the hives are still a separate issue).  And I have been on that same pill this whole past year.  Maybe the hormones have made my skin more reactive and sensitive? So it's worth trying to change to a different one that has a slightly different hormonal make-up, that's my thinking.

One thing that also has me on edge:  I have a small red circle "under the skin" on my left palm.  This was the precursor to the chronic hives last summer. I had one, then a few, then within a week's time, the hives emerged. I am concerned that this means the hives are on their way back.

I still haven't taken any antihistamine since... November, I'd say? So if they return before I start taking any antihistamine, I can rule that out as a cause or trigger, at least.

4 months of no hives...

So I have nearly reached my 4-month mark of no hives (after 7 months of having them!). The hives have been absent all winter (except for the couple that I got on the day I had my skin scratch test for tree nuts). No antihistamines either at all.

Although I am eager to have the "green" return to the landscape, I also have real worries that the pollens will mean that the hives will come back.

As for the red flushing/blotching issue, I am now thinking my birth control pill may be a contributor to that.  I have just recently noticed that when I am between birth control packs and taking the 'placebo' pills, I don't have those issue on those days. Then when I start the hormone pills back, within 1-2 days, it starts up again. I am seeing my gynecologist next week to discuss changing the pill type, to see if that affects it at all.

We shall see!

New dermatologist says the redness is mild rosacea

Ya know, I just don't know what to believe any more!  Early last week, I saw a different dermatologist, to show that my Keratosis Pilaris hasn't been improving with the previously prescribed cream (called Urea cream). I took the visit opportunity to re-inquire about my flushing and light pink blotches on lower cheeks and neck that are now there all the time.  He said that I am likely, as I am aging, prone to a mild form of rosacea.  He does NOT think it is cholinergic urticaria, because I don't get hives or bumps when I flush.  So working under the assumption of rosacia, he prescribed a cream for me to try for that, which I will start doing this week. He said that people with rosacea tend to "flush" more easily.  (He also prescribed me a different cream try to on my KP.)  But I don't think it's rosacea... it's not like pimples, it's more under the skin. Sigh.

I have remained hives free... until today, I think. Maybe, just maybe, I see a few small red hives on the top of my left hand. No idea why or if they are even hives. When they are small like that, smaller than the size of a corn kernel in this case, it can be hard to tell. I am also a bit "redder" than usual around the sides of my neck. So I am trying not to make too much of it.

I know that many who have gone the path of working with natural practitioners / naturopaths will advise me to take out of my diet foods that cause "inflammation" -- but if they refer back to my blog posts from August-October of last year, they will see that I tried that -- even gluten free for four months -- and it didn't help.

Interestingly, my bloodwork for nut allergies all came back as NEGATIVE, but the allergist wants me to continue to avoid them completely since I had the mild reaction to the skin scratch test and because my mouth is itchy when I eat walnuts. So although I have been toting these EpiPens around with me, I hopefully will never have to use them.

I am expecting bloodwork update results back any day now, as my PCP is re-checking my thyroid levels, metabolic panel, and hemoglobin. (My thyroid became highly suppressed in November after a one-month trial of Synthroid / 50 mcg day to see if that would knock-out the hives.)  Will be curious to see how those look. Not that there was any pattern to be found there and with the hives I had last summer and fall.

It is still cold, snowy and winter -- so no "spring pollens" have started here yet.

I was sympathizing a few weeks ago with a fellow Hashimoto's diagnosee who is struggline with a much nastier-sounding case of chronic hives than what I dealt with. I gave her the advice to avoid heat, spicy foods, sweating, etc. for as long as possible, while taking antihistamines, to try to reduce them. I wish her well and hope that she finds some relief soon.

Fingers crossed that these aren't hives coming back...

Diagnosed with Oral Allergy Syndrome

I went to see the Allergist again today, because now that the hives have been gone for a few months, I wanted to ask her about testing me for some food allergies that I have been highly suspicious of.  I brought my list with me, all foods that have caused my mouth short-lived, mild "itching" when I eat them in raw format: walnuts, peaches, melons, apples, pears, avocados, bananas, carrots, figs, kiwi, nectarines, plums.

My allergist looked at the list, and said that because I tested positive for Tree and Grass pollen allergies this past summer, that would explain my "oral" allergies to these foods. They call it Oral Allergy Syndrome or Pollen-Food Syndrome.  I confirmed that most of those foods, I don't have an issue with them if they are cooked.

You can read more about OAS on Wikipedia; the information here closely resemble the handout that my allergist gave to me: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome

She did a skin scratch test on me for nuts -- she was very concerned about walnuts causing my mouth to itch. The skin test showed a positive for pistachios and almonds, though not walnuts -- but since they are all "tree nuts" she said she wants me to carry an EpiPen now. Ugh!! She said it is a last resort just-in-case thing to have in case my allergy decides to go from mild to severe one day, better to have it than not. Wonderful.

I asked her again if these foods and the pollens of summer and fall could have been to blame for my chronic hives. She said she didn't think so, still. But that if I was eating those foods regularly, and raw, than that could be a factor in creating or causing the chronic hives.  I was eating a lot of raw apples during that time. Almost on a daily basis. But based on what I have read, that would have led to hives more localized to the face vs. my hands, wrists, armpits and waistband/pantyline areas.

I have mixed feelings about carrying the EpiPen now. I would hope that I don't ever panic about food and misinterpret the panic attack symptoms as being allergic reactions! That would not be good!

Interestingly, I got a few short-lived hives after the allergy test today, and even after I took an antihistamine (allegra) immediately following the appointment. One on each hand and one on my neck. But they faded rather quickly.

Other than this appointment, I have remained hives-free since late November/early December. So at least a solid 2 months now. I am still getting the red "flushing" from the hot showers, but I have pretty much stopped caring about that. It fades quickly enough and it is nicer to enjoy a hot vs. cool-lukewarm shower in the winter anyway! :)

Still no hives, flushing is lessened

I am happy to report that for the past several weeks, I remain hives free. My heat rash/flushing has also reduced -- though, I have been avoiding spicy food which is a clear trigger. I am back to taking hot showers, and I still get a red flushed face after those, but it seems to be fading more quickly. I am no longer getting the red flushing on my lower legs, as I had in the past. I have been for the past 3 weeks been taking 1/2 the dose of the antidepressant for my anxiety from the dose that I was on during the 6.5 months that I had the chronic hives. Probably just coincidental, but want to just note that.

However, despite all of that good news to report -- my anxiety remains that I have some yet undiscovered allergy to something. Food? Chemicals? Molds?

I have been noticing that when I have milk (not cheese, but milk or cream), I get some congestion/mucous in my nose and throat for about an hour and then it passes. And the other night, I had some ice cream with dinner, and later while reading in bed, I got a slight headache and my heart rate increased to about 125-130 BPM for about 15 minutes, and then passed. I have been thinking about going back to the Allergist yet AGAIN to test for some specific food allergies -- so that I can know once and for all if I should avoid them.

I am also supposed to take a long-haul flight in a few months to another country, and I find myself worrying in anticipation and "what ifs."  What if the stress of the trip causes me a hives outbreak? What if I get a major hives outbreak and allergic reaction in a foreign country and need to see a doctor? Or what if that happens while I am on a plane over the ocean, since I can't "escape"?  For now, I am trying to not think about the trip and focus on what I can do between now and then to build my confidence. I will try to take a few short flights in the next couple of months, so that I can see what will happen with  those.

It is amazing the trauma and anxiety that 6.5 months of chronic urticaria has caused me. If it does return, I hope that I will be better prepared mentally to handle it better. I have been continuing to do yoga and practice meditation, and I think that has been beneficial.

Life... it's a marathon for sure.

Hives remission continues; flushing still happening

My hives remission continues, thank goodness! I am thankful for every day of it. It has been a little over one month, I believe, since I last had a hive. Yesterday, a few red marks on my arm created a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, until I realized they were just some scratches. I operate under the assumption that it is 50% (or greater) likely chance that the hives will return to me at some point in the future. Maybe months from now. Maybe years. The doctors have told me that, and it seems to be the case for many other chronic hives personal accounts I have read online. But for now, a little bit of relief.

I don't know if it was the short-lived thyroid hormone treatment that "knocked them out" or if it is due to seasonality (winter, less allergens) or they have just run their course as they were going to regardless of anything I did or of anything external. I will never know.

However, the heat-induced flushing continues. It has NO correlation to rice, as I had previously wondered. And it doesn't just happen after eating spicy food. So, "whatever." I have decided to just accept it more... I am taking warmer showers now, especially since it's winter! I figure, the flushing fades in about an hour, so by the time I am getting to wherever I am going, it is gone. And warmer showers are more relaxing to me anyway! :)

I am not ready to try for a hot soaking bath. Maybe one day here I will muster up the courage, but for now, I'll make small steps.

I have been abstaining from any medical-related Internet sites and research and information, for about 1.5 months now. My anxiety and stress has been much better as a result. I highly recommend it -- at least to take a vacation from it for a period of time. It's been a bit liberating.

I'll be slowing down my posts a little bit then, since the remission means there isn't much to update on. Please if you are reading this, comment and share any of your questions, ideas, or experiences too! I would love to hear from you.