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!!!" :)