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Itchy Red Welts & Swelling

Hello, first post here, and I apologize if in wrong section. I’ve been dealing with some issues for about two years now, and just wanted to see what you guys think I may be dealing with.

Quick Info.
I turned 51 Sept. 1
Been dealing with these issues for about 2 years now.
Swelling of the tongue, lips, penis and scrotum. Itchy red welts come up on body at times. Hands, feet, fingers and toes all itch at times, and when I scratch, they swell up. Sometimes the itching is bad, other times it’s not. When these episodes happen, they usually last a few hours and go away. Some have lasted longer. Yes, it’s all a little scary, but I mostly feel fine when all this happens, so I’ve just been dealing with it.

In February 2018, I did go to the doctor with mild right abdominal discomfort that I was having for several days or so. CT scan showed I had a cyst on left kidney, but was told it was nothing to worry about. My blood work also looked good, according to the doctor. Then, in 2019, all this other stuff started. I have been keeping notes each time I have an episode, but due to the character limitation of this site, I can’t post them all. Below is a few of the more recent entries.

July 19, 2021 - Noticed small welt on left buttock tonight just before 10 PM. It mildly, and briefly itched. Small spot on bottom edge of both feet mildly itched and swelled tonight also. 
July 20, 2021 - Not sure if related to the usual issues, but tonight I had mild itching above right knee and later developed a small hard spot like a mosquito bite.
July 21, 2021 - Had a very mild itch just below the bend of left arm at 10:25 AM this morning while sitting at the PC. I scratched and a smallish welt came up. Doesn't itch any more. Later tonight sometime after 10 PM, tip of toe next to big toe on left foot itched and swelled after scratching it.
July 24, 2021 - Pad on bottom of left foot just below toes was mildly swollen when I got out of bed this morning. Top of both feet very mildly itched as well. Later on, the tip of 4th finger on right hand swelled pretty good.
July 25, 2021 - Had more itching and swelling today in fingers of both hands, and had some itching and swelling in both feet and toes all day. Had some welting under left buttock today as well.
July 30, 2021 - Sometime in the early morning hours my right index finger tip pad swelled/tightened then the whole finger. Later on, the 3rd and 4th finger also itched some and tightened a little. Left foot outer edge closer to toes mildly itches this morning too. Later in the day toes and feet of both feet itched. Felt okay, though.
August 2, 2021 - Mild swelling not long after getting up just before 8 AM on top of right hand between thumb and index finger. Thumb tightened a little too. Still have some mild stomach discomfort/burn today as well. Have had it for at least a week.
August 5, 2021 - Late today left middle finger tip mildly swelled. Also had mild swelling under pinky toe on bottom of left foot.
August 6, 2021 - Have mild swelling/tightness in left hand edge between pinky and wrist. Didn't notice till I was washing hands. Also today, had gut and chest burn off and on all day. Have had this 3 or 4 times before (maybe more) for at least a week. Feels bad too.
August 8, 2021 - Had some stomach discomfort yesterday and again today. Also having to belch again off and on today. Felt okay most of the day, until late today when had the bad discomfort in stomach. It lasted maybe 30 minutes before easing off. Had bowel movements today, as usual.
August 14, 2021 - Noticed 5 red itchy bumps on underside of right arm today, and one on underside of left arm. They itched good and swelled some after scratching. Unlike the typical welting I've had off and on.
August 15, 2021 - Very mild left corner mouth swelling this morning. Barely noticeable. Woke up after a nap a little after 5 PM today and noticed mild right side tongue swelling. I don't feel bad or anything.
August 19, 2021 - Took an aspirin this morning for a headache, and as expected, I had swelling. My chin and lips swelled up pretty bad later on. Also had welts come up on left side later today, and under both left and right buttocks. Right thumb also mildly itched and tightened/swelled up good late today. Also having some slight discomfort in right abdomen since yesterday. Was passing a little gas later tonight as well. Those welts under buttocks got bigger late tonight. Noticed while lying bed on iPad. Bottom of left foot itched and tightened as well.  An overall bad day with all this stuff.
August 20, 2021 - Continued from yesterday. Lips have gone down, but still mild nose/face swelling. Still have a lot of big welts on my body. Left foot still mildly itches and is tight. as of 1:25 PM today.
August 21, 2021 - Still have mild facial swelling this morning, and sometime after midnight both hands itched good and after scratching my left palm swelled, and my right middle finger swelled. At 9:30 AM this morning, they're both still swelled. And small spot on bottom of right foot itches now. More fingers and toes itched and swelled today. Still have some mild discomfort in right abdomen. Another bad day with all this, but I do not feel sick or anything.
August 22, 2021 - Continued from above. Woke up a little after 5 AM and noticed bottom of right foot under toes itching and it swelled good later on. Also notice a lot more welting on left and right shoulders, mostly on right shoulder. Some welting on sides and buttocks as well. 4th fingertip on right hand is also swelled. Still have mild right abdomen discomfort, but had a bowel movement not long ago.  Another bad day with this mess. Usually all this has cleared up by now, but this is day 3. It has cleared some, but came back overnight. It's now 9:47 AM as I write this. At 6:23 tonight, still have welts on body and new welts came up on left side of left buttock. Fingers and feet itched again bad mostly all day and after 10 PM tonight. Also had what feels like a small blister on left upper lip today.
August 23, 2021 - woke up a little after 9 AM this morning to go use the bathroom, and noticed very mild left side tongue swelling. It swelled good not long after, but went down a few hours later. Still have welts on body, but nothing is itching or bothering me as of now. Welts are a carryover from the last day or two, and appear to be fading away. At 2:10 PM today, went to pee and noticed my penis was swelled pretty good. Scrotum a little swollen. No pain or sickness. Have had mild right side pressure, and probably wouldn’t notice it if I weren’t paying attention to it.
August 24, 2021 - Left hand palm edge mildly itched and swelled this morning sometime after 5. Still have penis and scrotum swelling, which usually last at least 2 days before going down. Pee still looks slightly darkish, and noticed it being this way for about a week or so.
August 25, 2021 - Woke up around 7 AM this morning with a very mild itch and welt on underside of right arm. Noticed welt at underwear line after getting out of shower tonight. Had mild gut burn tonight as well.
August 28, 2021 - Still have that right abdomen funny feeling. Not really a pain, just notice it.
August 30, 2021 - Very small welt came up on right bicep after a mild itch I scratched. Barely noticeable.  Pee is still a little dark if I don't drink much fluids. Still have the mild pressure in right abdomen. As of now, I feel fine.
August 31, 2021 - Woke up at 8 this morning with small welt on front left shoulder. Barely noticeable.
3 Responses
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Avatar universal
Also, for the record, I never have drank or fooled with drugs.
Helpful - 0
134578 tn?1693250592
I realize this is an old post, but it has come up in the feeds, so I thought I might ask if you have had a full workup by an allergist.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
I have not. Just been dealing with it. I may make myself go one day, so I haven’t ruled it out.
649848 tn?1534633700
I, too, realize it’s an old post, but like Annie, it came up in my feed.  I hope you’ve found a resolution by now, but wonder what the “welts” you mention look like.   Are they swollen, red bumps with pus in them, something like a bug bite or are they solid red bumps that are, actually, below the skin?  

Scratching will have a tendency to cause swelling/irritation and raise welts.  It can also spread the itch, if something gets under your nails while scratching - therefore, if you touch another area of your body, you could get the same itch.  

I have a couple of skin conditions that cause itching.  One of them causes a breakout; the other does not - both itch horribly.    I take a medication called Duloxetine (generic for Cymbalta).  Although it’s an antidepressant, I use it “off label” to control my itchy skin.  

If your problem isn’t resolved, I’d suggest that you get tested for allergies, as Annie recommended, as well as seeing a dermatologist to check for skin issues.
Helpful - 0
4 Comments
I reread your post and the part about your “dark urine” jumped out… it’s normal for urine to become “concentrated” and darker if we don’t drink adequate amounts of water.  Unless you have/had symptoms of urinary tract infection (burning when you pee, frequent urination, etc), that’s nothing to worry about.  Make sure you drink enough water through the day.
I’m pretty sure my welting is due to chronic hives, but what is causing it, I’m unsure. I’ve read about others who are dealing with the same thing, even watched some YouTube videos with some who are dealing with this, and some of them mention that their doctor couldn’t find a cause, even after having many different tests. If you look this up, you’ll see there are many different things that can cause hives, some bad, some not so bad, and sometimes the cause can’t be found. As I said in my original post, they’ll mildly itch and go away after a few hours,  but they comeback nearly every day. For the last week or so, I haven’t been getting as many. And I have been feeling fine, actually. But this is aggravating, to say the least.

I live in an older house, been here for years, and I kind of wonder if maybe there is something in my home causing this, but I don’t know. I’ve thought about what may be causing so this many times. And Dr. Google will only scare you. LOL

The swelling is Angioedema. Thankfully, I haven’t had any bad swelling lately, but I am still having two or three episodes a month. I think that when I have the itchy fingers and feet, with the mild swelling, may be due to sugar intake. I’ve noticed sometimes after drinking a soda, this has happened. More than once, but not all the time.

My urine color seems fine now, and I’ve had no pain or anything when urinating.

I do pray whatever is causing all this mess will eventually go away, never to return. It can be be stressful at times. For sure.

Thank you two for responding to my post, and best of luck with whatever all y’all are dealing with.




If you're noticing a connection to drinking soda, keep in mind it might be the sugar but it might also be the sodium, or other ingredients. There's all sorts of stuff in soft drinks, chemicals, colorings, sucrose and salt.
Also, if there is anything you regularly pair with soda that you don't eat at other times, you might consider whether you're having a reaction to that.
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