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spontaneous large red itchy welts
I am a 24 year old female. About 6 months ago I started getting small red bite-like bumps that would itch like crazy. They seemed to appear in the morning after sleeping. My first thought was bed bugs or some other creepy crawlie and we did a sweep of our home and found nothing. I share a bed with my fiance and our son sleeps in his own room. Neither of them have been getting the spots. The itchies would last about a week and when they're gone the skin pigment is slightly darker. We spent 2 weeks away from home in another state and I still received them there. Shortly after they seemed to stop. There was about a 1-2 month period where I did not receive any. I became pregnant in early April and have since started getting these itchy red bumps on a much greater scale. They started again showing only in the morning and growing to be slightly larger than the end of a pencil eraser. Now, they start all throughout the day, i get small red blotchy spots that do not itch at all. They turn into nickel size swollen intensely itchy bumps that last weeks. They started on my right upper arm, then my left upper arm was attached. My right forearm was hit bad and now my left is covered in them. Sometimes they seem to form a line with a fairly equal distance between them. I also have been getting them on the tops of both feet and on my fingers/hands. They last about 2 weeks now. When they go away, they still have a raised bump that itches but the redness and harsh look is gone. I've been to an allergist who said it was not hives and referred me to a dermatologist. I had a biopsy done on a fresh one and am still waiting to hear the results. I have not been able to find anything online similar to what I have. I've also switched to a gluten free diet recently because my symptoms matched very closely to those of dermatitis herpetiformis, which comes from gluten intolerance/sensitivity. The pictures of rashes people suffer with this problem however, don't match mine. The picture shows the large bumps that developed overnight. There are two small ones that are starting on the inside of my forearm also. Tomorrow, they'll be the same size. Any help is greatly appreciated!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello,
Without examination,confirmation of a diagnosis is tough but it can be due to hives Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red,itchy,raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They have a tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours.
Many cases of hives are "idiopathic," meaning no cause is known. Others may be triggered by viral infections or medications.
The mainstay of treatment of hives is antihistamine which may be necessary for prolonged periods (in excess of 6 weeks). You can take non-sedating antihistamines such as Cetirizine(Zyrtec) or Loratadine(Claritin) to get symptom relief. Sedating antihistamines such as Chlorphenamine(Benadryl) is used at night to get urticaria control. Short courses of oral cortisone or steroids are taken for short periods (one to three days) to settle more severe symptoms but since you are pregnant so these are to be taken after consultation of your gynecologist.You may take Vitamin C and apply calamine lotion on the rashes.
If the hives don’t go after 6 wks of treatment also, then it can be a case of chronic urticaria which needs further evaluation as it may be due to auto antibodies.
Hope it helps. Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries.Kind regards.
Without examination,confirmation of a diagnosis is tough but it can be due to hives Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red,itchy,raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They have a tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours.
Many cases of hives are "idiopathic," meaning no cause is known. Others may be triggered by viral infections or medications.
The mainstay of treatment of hives is antihistamine which may be necessary for prolonged periods (in excess of 6 weeks). You can take non-sedating antihistamines such as Cetirizine(Zyrtec) or Loratadine(Claritin) to get symptom relief. Sedating antihistamines such as Chlorphenamine(Benadryl) is used at night to get urticaria control. Short courses of oral cortisone or steroids are taken for short periods (one to three days) to settle more severe symptoms but since you are pregnant so these are to be taken after consultation of your gynecologist.You may take Vitamin C and apply calamine lotion on the rashes.
If the hives don’t go after 6 wks of treatment also, then it can be a case of chronic urticaria which needs further evaluation as it may be due to auto antibodies.
Hope it helps. Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries.Kind regards.
These do not disappear or move. They last months. I still have itchy spots and small bumps where I used to have the red welts.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello,
Since they are present for such a long time,so possibility of chronic urticaria is there. The cause of chronic urticaria is often more difficult to identify. Most cases are called chronic idiopathic urticaria, which means they're caused by the body's unexplainable development of antibodies to itself (auto-antibodies).
It is essential to rule out the presence of serious illnesses of which recurring hives can be a symptom. Examples are hepatitis, hyperthyroidism, lymphomas, collagen vascular diseases, and cancers of the rectum, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. I feel that you should find out the cause of your chronic urticaria by ruling out the various conditions causing it.Pls consult a physician/dermatologist for this.
I hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.Kind regards.
Since they are present for such a long time,so possibility of chronic urticaria is there. The cause of chronic urticaria is often more difficult to identify. Most cases are called chronic idiopathic urticaria, which means they're caused by the body's unexplainable development of antibodies to itself (auto-antibodies).
It is essential to rule out the presence of serious illnesses of which recurring hives can be a symptom. Examples are hepatitis, hyperthyroidism, lymphomas, collagen vascular diseases, and cancers of the rectum, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. I feel that you should find out the cause of your chronic urticaria by ruling out the various conditions causing it.Pls consult a physician/dermatologist for this.
I hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.Kind regards.
I have what sounds like the same thing you have. The picture looks like me when I'm not yet all the way broke out. Mine started on the thumb side of my inner wrist as a small cluster of very itchy bumps. I scratched them and they turned into a quarter size open, weeping wound. My dr treated me with antibiotics because it turned out I had staph infecting it. That was almost four years ago and I have been tortured with this ever since. The longest I've been nearly symptom free is two weeks. It now covers my body from head to feet in round clusters of tiny blisters. VERY itchy! I recently started using cortizone10 an anti-itch cream to try to keep from scratching. When I scratch and rupture the blisters it turns into staph and gets even worse. I've been to doctors, dermatologists, oncologists & gastroenterologists. My last dermatologist finally did a skin biopsy and the results were, "dermatitis". Well duh! I've been treated with every possible skin cream, taken every possible medication including methotrexate, a cancer drug that made me sick, and nothing has helped.
So far, this last, the cortizone10 which I put on and then put Protopic cream on and cover the whole thing with Aquaphor ointment, has kind of kept the blisters from breaking and getting staph. I have to keep it on constantly or they start popping up all over. I even get them in my nose, my eyes, twice I had it in one breast which swelled up and I had to get a antibiotic shot for it and worst of all, I get it on the mucus membranes of my 'tender bits'.
I haven't been able to work because I can't cover them up and they look terrible and I'm sure people think they are contagious. Oh yeah, one dr treated me for scabies, TWICE! Which I apparantly didn't have.
I don't know what to tell you. If you ever do find out what you have, post it here so I can point my dr in the right direction.
Adrienne
So far, this last, the cortizone10 which I put on and then put Protopic cream on and cover the whole thing with Aquaphor ointment, has kind of kept the blisters from breaking and getting staph. I have to keep it on constantly or they start popping up all over. I even get them in my nose, my eyes, twice I had it in one breast which swelled up and I had to get a antibiotic shot for it and worst of all, I get it on the mucus membranes of my 'tender bits'.
I haven't been able to work because I can't cover them up and they look terrible and I'm sure people think they are contagious. Oh yeah, one dr treated me for scabies, TWICE! Which I apparantly didn't have.
I don't know what to tell you. If you ever do find out what you have, post it here so I can point my dr in the right direction.
Adrienne
Hello,
Just about two months now, i have been suffering of the same condition like you. Although your comment was placed in 2009, it really helps me to figure out what is going on with me. I'm very depressed thinking what could be wrong with me. I also thought it was bed buds. I spray my room many many times and was the carpet, got new mattresses and nothing. I get a bump here and there, two weeks ago it was every day more than two a day for sure, then somedays i even got more than ten or fifteen. Now, I embarrass to show my arms because of the marks they left in them. I got them all over my arms, back and part of my thighs, and few ones in my feet.
Is really sad to say, that not even my doctor knows what i have. I even moved to another house because i thought it could be bedbuds, but they still appear. My husband and daughter sleep with me and they are free from this bump itchi things. I came to the conclusion of thinking that i could be allergic to nuts or something related. Because i had ate some almonds on a friday morning almonds munching of them all day, then the next day i noticed like four new bumps. They itch like the other ones but didn't really want to scratch since they get really big and look nasty. but i didn't eat no more almonds for the rest of the next three days and didn't get any more. But this morning i ate a cookie which i'm not sure if it had sometype of nut in it, which then couple minutes later i noticed one red bump in my forehead. The thing is that this bumps don't look like hives or rashes though.
So, how can i treat this. I really don't want to go another day with having more bumps. It makes me sad and i get depressed just to think that they will not go away. Please help!
If you found a cure or answer, please shared.
Thanks
Rubi
Just about two months now, i have been suffering of the same condition like you. Although your comment was placed in 2009, it really helps me to figure out what is going on with me. I'm very depressed thinking what could be wrong with me. I also thought it was bed buds. I spray my room many many times and was the carpet, got new mattresses and nothing. I get a bump here and there, two weeks ago it was every day more than two a day for sure, then somedays i even got more than ten or fifteen. Now, I embarrass to show my arms because of the marks they left in them. I got them all over my arms, back and part of my thighs, and few ones in my feet.
Is really sad to say, that not even my doctor knows what i have. I even moved to another house because i thought it could be bedbuds, but they still appear. My husband and daughter sleep with me and they are free from this bump itchi things. I came to the conclusion of thinking that i could be allergic to nuts or something related. Because i had ate some almonds on a friday morning almonds munching of them all day, then the next day i noticed like four new bumps. They itch like the other ones but didn't really want to scratch since they get really big and look nasty. but i didn't eat no more almonds for the rest of the next three days and didn't get any more. But this morning i ate a cookie which i'm not sure if it had sometype of nut in it, which then couple minutes later i noticed one red bump in my forehead. The thing is that this bumps don't look like hives or rashes though.
So, how can i treat this. I really don't want to go another day with having more bumps. It makes me sad and i get depressed just to think that they will not go away. Please help!
If you found a cure or answer, please shared.
Thanks
Rubi
My 4 year old son has something similar. It starts off looking like a mosquito bite here and there but when he wakes in the morning the bumps have spread to big red welts. The doctor gives us a prescription and they'll go away for a while but he doesn't diagnose it. He says it can be an allergic reaction to something he ate or touched but then why does it keep coming back. Its very uncomfortable for him. I wish I knew what was going on with my little guy.
Hey girl. Your pic is the only picture I have found that look just like mine. I have been 3 different times to the doc and they don't have a clue what it is. I have looked up everything I can think of that it could be and none of them look like what I have. I have been on steroids for 3 weeks and that alone is about to make me go crazy. I don't understand it. I go from being fine to breaking out all the time. Does yours ever burn? Mine itch and burn constantly....almost like if you burnt yourself. It's crazy. They are sending me to a dermatologists but reading your story makes me disheartened a little. I want to know what this is and I want to find a solution.
Hi,
Has anyone been able to find out what it the cause of the rashes? I have been getting the weirdest rash for the last year. I started taking Cetlef which helped for a few weeks and now it's getting worse again. Mine looks just like those in the picture and it also just started our of the blue
Has anyone been able to find out what it the cause of the rashes? I have been getting the weirdest rash for the last year. I started taking Cetlef which helped for a few weeks and now it's getting worse again. Mine looks just like those in the picture and it also just started our of the blue
I have the same condition and will report back if I find out anything from my doctors.
This is crazy. I am experiencing the same exact thing. Mine has just started up. Like about a month or so. It started with small little bits looking marks that extremely itched. People also suggested bed bugs but our place showed no signs of any bugs. Its impossible not to itch them and it seems like that makes it spread or something. It will start as just a small red circle then eventually turn to a raised mosquito looking like bum. I've also gotten some on my neck and back that were in a row with at least 3 "bits" and all evenly spaced. Then I will still have the random ones on my body. They are always in a group of 2 or more. I have them on my arms, legs, hip, back and neck. Its already so annoying. I haven't seen the doctor yet but now I feel that they are probably going to say the same thing.
Skin biopsy came back with a diagnoses of Erythema Annulare Centrifugum. Got prescribed a high potency steroid called Clobetasol Propionate and an antifungal drug called Griseofulvin Ultra. Both have been highly effective in clearing up and preventing new breakouts over the past month.
Could be you are allergic to sand fleas, have you been to the beach. My husband never gets a mark and I get about 14 each time.
I'm having the exact same problem. It start on my back as itchy white bumps that grew into large red welts over time. They itch like MAD. They were only on my back, then moved to my upper left arm, then onto my left hand. They cleared up and went away for about a week, and I recently had a MAJOR flare up. A huge cluster of itchy bumps are dead center in my back, right below my bra line, surrounded by a perfect square of other itchy bumps. What is happening to me?
Wow. Still going on. I have this too, but it's just on my legs. The bumps are large and red, sometimes expand, like hives. Only they don't spread across my skin like hives do. Then, like you said, a week or so later they reduce in size and get redder in color. I only get them overnight. I know they aren't bed bugs because I don't see any and they are very spread out on my skin.
I found out lying on the carpet of my friend's place gave me a lot of bumps. I have a theory that mine are from a dust mite allergy. My skin is on the sensitive side, so it makes sense. I personally dislike dermatologists because skin rashes from sensitivity just mean getting a prescription cream that only relives the itching and a vague diagnosis. For me, I just put on aloe vera jelly when to relieve itching and hopefully speed healing.
I found out lying on the carpet of my friend's place gave me a lot of bumps. I have a theory that mine are from a dust mite allergy. My skin is on the sensitive side, so it makes sense. I personally dislike dermatologists because skin rashes from sensitivity just mean getting a prescription cream that only relives the itching and a vague diagnosis. For me, I just put on aloe vera jelly when to relieve itching and hopefully speed healing.
Finally. I'm not loosing my mind. First I thought it was something I eat, then the soap I used, then the laundry soap. Which are the same ones I have been using for years. Then I was told it was mites from my chickens. I was even told I was allergic to Mt. Dew..
They started three weeks ago today, out of the blue. Woke up that morning I was fine went to eat lunch and come home, noticed two of them then four, and then ugh.. itching, burning, swelling, all on my arms and now they are on my feet. It seems like at night when I go to bed, is when they really start to go crazy. I thought it was something in my bed, but my husband did not have a bite..Went and bought new sheets, I have tried everything..
Now I know it is nothing I have eat, or drank or my chickens or my sheets..
So I guess now I have to get to the Dr, if there is any use to.. From all of your comments there is nothing they can do, but what I'm doing, cortisone cream. and taking Benadryl..
They started three weeks ago today, out of the blue. Woke up that morning I was fine went to eat lunch and come home, noticed two of them then four, and then ugh.. itching, burning, swelling, all on my arms and now they are on my feet. It seems like at night when I go to bed, is when they really start to go crazy. I thought it was something in my bed, but my husband did not have a bite..Went and bought new sheets, I have tried everything..
Now I know it is nothing I have eat, or drank or my chickens or my sheets..
So I guess now I have to get to the Dr, if there is any use to.. From all of your comments there is nothing they can do, but what I'm doing, cortisone cream. and taking Benadryl..
Yup, happening to me too now. Started happening after our move...we just moved to Brentwood, CA. I wonder if location has anything to do with this.
Fortunately, my mosquito-like bites disappear in a matter of hours. If I can keep from scratching them, they do not leave any marks behind. We have carpet now, and I notice that I get them more in the morning and when my skin rubs against the carpet, but sometimes I get them even if I haven't been on the carpet.
My husband and son (who crawls on the carpet all day) do not get them. I'm beginning to think I'm sensitive to dust mites as well...
Fortunately, my mosquito-like bites disappear in a matter of hours. If I can keep from scratching them, they do not leave any marks behind. We have carpet now, and I notice that I get them more in the morning and when my skin rubs against the carpet, but sometimes I get them even if I haven't been on the carpet.
My husband and son (who crawls on the carpet all day) do not get them. I'm beginning to think I'm sensitive to dust mites as well...
I have the same exact problem. Mine started a few weeks ago. They started off on my left arm. Now- I have been allergic to mosquito bites all my life so that's what I thought they were. Now I wear long sleeves and wear repellent and I still get bumps that look like mosquito bites and itch like CRAZY. They are now on my neck and I have 3 all in the same area and spaced out the same. I received those today away from home. I also have 2 more on my right forearm. I only have them on my arms, hands, and neck. I do not know what to do. I went yesterday and had a cortisone shot that did NOTHING. The doctor told me to take a zytrec and a Pepcid pill every morning and that should help the itching. It did for most of the day but now I feel like I am dying. I have a dr appt set on Monday. I will post if they tell me anything. Also- my husband sleeps with me and he only has a couple bites on his elbows but nothing else. mine just continues.
I m almost two weeks into this. I have all the symptoms described. I started using betadine. It seems to shrink the bumps faster than the cream (sometmimes). Tomorrow I m starting a lemon assault, rubbing on the welts and drinking it. I will figure this out. No matter how long it takes. Happy hunting all. I will post my findings.
My swollen red round itchy hives look just like jamie935's picture. It is going on 9 weeks now that I have had them. They started on my legs and I had them only on my legs for 3 weeks, then they moved to my arms, feet, and hands. Now I have 4 on my face. It seems they are moving up my body and I rarely get them on my legs but have scars from the previous ones. Went to the dermatologist he had no idea and said they looked like bug bites. He did a biopsy and it came back "consistent with bug bites". They are definitely not bug bites, I have ruled that out and the fact that I went away for 4 days and continued to get this rash shows that it is not bug bites although I must admit, they look like bug bites. They are almost always round with a very tine blister in the center. I have tried everything (will not use steroids). Most recently I am using Benadryl at night and Claritin in the day time. Seems like I am getting less each day. I am afraid to stop the antihistamines.
YES, ME TOO. on july 12th in the shower I felt these tiny bumps across my chest. i went to see my primary physican on aug 1st cause they still hadnt gone away,
then on friday aug 8, suddenly i had large, red, itchy welts where the tiny bumps, which didnt itch, were before. later that weekend, the red itches appeared on my lower left arm.
by monday aug 11, they hadnt gone away and i called my primary. she had me go to a dermatologist. by the time i got to the dermatologist on wed aug 13, it was also on my lower right leg.
monday night i woke up in the middle of the night with itchy red welts on my lower right arm. and within the last 2 hours, itchy red welts on the tops of both my arms. ...and the other areas just keep itchy.
on a couple occasions, i used a cortisone & it helped a little but my endocrinologist told me i had to stop.
i took some periactin [an antihistamine] but it didnt really help. tonight i am trying some benedryl.
this is getting very scary!
then on friday aug 8, suddenly i had large, red, itchy welts where the tiny bumps, which didnt itch, were before. later that weekend, the red itches appeared on my lower left arm.
by monday aug 11, they hadnt gone away and i called my primary. she had me go to a dermatologist. by the time i got to the dermatologist on wed aug 13, it was also on my lower right leg.
monday night i woke up in the middle of the night with itchy red welts on my lower right arm. and within the last 2 hours, itchy red welts on the tops of both my arms. ...and the other areas just keep itchy.
on a couple occasions, i used a cortisone & it helped a little but my endocrinologist told me i had to stop.
i took some periactin [an antihistamine] but it didnt really help. tonight i am trying some benedryl.
this is getting very scary!
BED BUGS... I'm serious everyone check for them. It is 3 to 5 bites in a row. As i stated on a recent post I thought it was allergic reaction to my chickens, to my soap hell I was even told It was a reaction to red meat.
My cousin is an RN she told me what to look for and where to look, and there they were. My husband travels with his job and stays in many hotels he brought them back with him. You can have the cleanest house and you can get them.
Once I seen them I started shaking knowing that I was being eaten alive while I was sleeping. My husband does not have a bite. My cousin said he does but he has not had a allergic reaction like I have had. If I would had just gotten up and turned the light on when my itching attack would start in the middle of the night.. I could had seen them. There not to many of them maybe 20 in all but they were there. I found them at the head of my bed, in the seam of the mattress. Also at night we would fold back out fancy comforter. and they were at the edge of it at the bottom.. Also the pleats of my dust ruffle, and the curtains had some in the folds at top. I can tell you all I puked my guts out, when I seen them. Just because for a month I was told by Dr it was this and that.. and it took a RN to tell me what it was.
We took our bed apart I got raid bed bug spray and sprayed all around my mattress and all over it. cut the box springs underneath and sprayed. I sprayed the rails and ever place all around the seams. Vacuum too. I them got some Harris Spray and sprayed again today my couch just in cause and also harris dust. put it on the box spring and under my bed.
I let everything dry for two days we crashed in another room. I did not sleep well knowing that was in my bed. Tonight my husband is sleeping in there, I will get up off the couch around 3am to take a flash light and inspect it. I still have not got the will go go back in there. My arms are starting to clear up and my feet. First time I have woke up in over a month with NO NEW BITES. Sad that Im scared to still sleep in my own bed. But eeryone check for them http://www.wikihow.com/Treat-Bed-Bug-Bites
My cousin is an RN she told me what to look for and where to look, and there they were. My husband travels with his job and stays in many hotels he brought them back with him. You can have the cleanest house and you can get them.
Once I seen them I started shaking knowing that I was being eaten alive while I was sleeping. My husband does not have a bite. My cousin said he does but he has not had a allergic reaction like I have had. If I would had just gotten up and turned the light on when my itching attack would start in the middle of the night.. I could had seen them. There not to many of them maybe 20 in all but they were there. I found them at the head of my bed, in the seam of the mattress. Also at night we would fold back out fancy comforter. and they were at the edge of it at the bottom.. Also the pleats of my dust ruffle, and the curtains had some in the folds at top. I can tell you all I puked my guts out, when I seen them. Just because for a month I was told by Dr it was this and that.. and it took a RN to tell me what it was.
We took our bed apart I got raid bed bug spray and sprayed all around my mattress and all over it. cut the box springs underneath and sprayed. I sprayed the rails and ever place all around the seams. Vacuum too. I them got some Harris Spray and sprayed again today my couch just in cause and also harris dust. put it on the box spring and under my bed.
I let everything dry for two days we crashed in another room. I did not sleep well knowing that was in my bed. Tonight my husband is sleeping in there, I will get up off the couch around 3am to take a flash light and inspect it. I still have not got the will go go back in there. My arms are starting to clear up and my feet. First time I have woke up in over a month with NO NEW BITES. Sad that Im scared to still sleep in my own bed. But eeryone check for them http://www.wikihow.com/Treat-Bed-Bug-Bites
BED BUGS check for them that is what mine was. Dr told me this and that my cousin who is an RN told me what it was and sure enough there they were.
BED BUGS serious for oever a month I was in pain and itching and it was getting worse My DR had no clue.. My cousin an RN told me what they were and sure enough there they were
http://www.wikihow.com/Treat-Bed-Bug-Bites
http://www.wikihow.com/Treat-Bed-Bug-Bites
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