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.