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440120 tn?1211724496

I Am Having Unknown Allergic Reactions

About three days ago,I started having multiple allergic reactions resulting in hives around various parts of my body,mostly buttocks,front/back,neck,eyes and face. They appear as a type of very itchy raised welts from dime to half dollar sized. I also at various times experience a swollen neck to the point it is hard to swallow. I have been to the emergency room 2X and after staying a couple of hours,the swelling goes down and then the doc writes me a prescription for prednisone and some allergy medicine,but the symptoms have still continued sometimes even getting worse. I do not have any allergies and haven't started using any new detergents or soaps. I haven't done anything different in the last week or so that I haven't already been doing. I am utterly clueless as to what is causing this. I have looked up some things about lupus,but don't know much about the disease to make a clear diagnosis. My medical insurance doesn't cover going to a dermatologist or a allergist. Any advice or knowledge about what I might be experiencing would be very much appreciated.
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Avatar universal
hi i M Having a very dangerous allery i have no idea from where it came its on my whole face .and my left ear has swallon and bigger than the right one and right side cheek is more bigger than left one because its swollen ... i have visited medical twice bt the medicine they gave does not work still and its very much ichy .
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Avatar universal
How did you know it was toxic mold?
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Avatar universal
i just happened to read your posta about the hives and going to the emergency room multiplr times and what you described was exactly what happened to me.Did you ever figure out what the problem was?in my case we found toxic mold in our house and thats what we think trigured my episodes
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440120 tn?1211724496
I went to the allergist a couple of days ago and Dr. tested me for all the main types of allergies...including weeds,fur,feathers,dog,etc(24 total),but I have NO allergies to anything. What caused my hive outbreaks? Is it due to only stress or do I have eczema? I am just not sure what caused these hives since I am not allergic to anything at all. I know there has been other cases like mine. I will wait on your answer since my allergist couldnt give me one. The allergist said if I wasnt allergic to anything it is hard to tell what caused the hives,but I know I was in the ER about 7X due to hive outbreaks over the past 6mo. and I still get hives on back and palms periodically.
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2 Comments
I am having a allergic reaction to something too and I haven't done anything different I went to bed on a Friday and my legs were itchy then I woke up at 6:00am and I had hives all over the top of my thighs and my lower legs and my chest and the right side of my neck and my ear it was itchy then it stopped through the day the hives got less noticeable then I went to bed and woke up the next day to see the hives were once again all over my thighs lower legs right side of my neck and chest through the day they got less noticeable then I went to bed and woke up the next morning with hives on the inner part of arms up to the bend of my arm and hives on my thighs and lower legs then I went to bed and the next morning I woke up with hives again in the same places now on the 5th day the hives weren't that bad when I woke up but that night I was sitting in my chair and face started to get really itch on my chin and forehead so I looked in the mirror and the hives were on my face and my neck then my lips started to swell  really bad I put an ice pack on my lips and then went to be we'll I woke up the next day witch is today and my eyes lips were swelled up and I had the hives all over my inner arms my chest the left side of my face and ALL OVER MY LEGS so I went to the ER once again and they gave me a steroid shot and a Benadryl shot and gave me a perception of steroid and Benadryl most of the swelling has went down in my face the hives are not noticeable on my arms or face and my legs are looking much better but I was wondering if anyone had the same Symptoms as me and figured out the cause i have no clue what could be causing this
I am having the exact same problem.  I have never been allergic to anything in my life and all of a sudden I am breaking out in hives all over my body.  Mostly at night.  I even wake up with a swollen upper or lower lip and swollen eyes.  This is so frustrating.  The hives appear randomly and I have been to the ER twice and Urgent care .  I am on prednisone 50 mg for 5 days and I am still getting hives at night.  Benadryl helps but it makes me so sleepy I can't take it because it makes work difficult.  Loratadine caused expiratory wheezing and congestion.  I am worried what will happen when the prednisone runs out.
Avatar universal
Hi,

How many days have you taken the prednisone for? It would be advisable to taper the dose gradually - you could first decrease it to 10 mg daily for one to two weeks; then 5 mg daily for one to two weeks; then 5 mg on alternate days and then stop it.

Do consult your doctor about this too.

Keep us posted on how you are doing and if you have any other doubts.

Get s repeat blood sugar level done too.

Regards.
Helpful - 0
440120 tn?1211724496
I went to my Allergist last week and he said that the pain was from withdrawels from the Presdisone I was taking 20mg of then stopped abruptly. I have reduced my dose instead of stopping it all together. I am just wondering how long I will have to take the Predisone? I have heard of many bad effects from taking this medicine and I am concerned with the long term effect from taking Predisone. Is there anything else that is as strong as Presdisone to help with consistent hives. I get the hives back early in the morning and they will stay with me til I take my daily dose of Predisone. I hope to eventually stop taking it,but don't have another appt til July 17th. He also prescribed me another dose of 10mg Predisone til the next appt.
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440120 tn?1211724496
I( had posted earlier about my arms aching with a very strange pain alot like a "charlie horse" in my arms...I had an allergist appt. this week and the Allergist said it could be from discontinuing the use of Predisinone,which I had discontiued the day before. I was taking 20mg,but have cut my does down to 10mg. Have you ever heard about these withdrawel symptoms? I am still taking 10mg once a day of the Presdinisone. If I stop taking it,I get the hives,but it makes my blood sugar stay in the 200s or higher. Please inform me of any alternative meds for allergic reaction/hives. I am also taking Loritadine,but it doesn't help when taking alone. I still need the Predisnisone to keep the hives from coming back.
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Avatar universal
Hi,

'The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions. These include dryness and recurring skin rashes which are characterized by one or more of these symptoms: redness, skin edema (swelling), itching and dryness, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing, or bleeding. Areas of temporary skin discoloration may appear and are sometimes due to healed lesions, although scarring is rare.'

In eczema, the blood may show a raised IgE or an eosinophilia.

Anti-itch drugs, often antihistamine, may reduce the itch during a flare up of eczema, and the reduced scratching in turn reduces damage and irritation to the skin.

They do not cure eczema, but are highly effective in controlling or suppressing symptoms in most cases.

For mild-moderate eczema a weak steroid may be used (e.g. hydrocortisone or desonide), whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid (e.g. clobetasol propionate, fluocinonide).

Eczema can be exacerbated by dryness of the skin. Moisturizing is one of the most important self-care treatments for sufferers of eczema. Keeping the affected area moistened can promote skin healing and relief of symptoms.

Light therapy using ultraviolet light can help control eczema. UVA is mostly used, but UVB and Narrow Band UVB are also used. Ultraviolet light exposure carries its own risks, particularly eventual skin cancer from exposure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eczema

Let us know if you need any further information.

Do consult your doctor about this too.

Keep us posted on how you are doing and if you have any other doubts.

Regards.

Helpful - 0
440120 tn?1211724496
I was also wondering now that I am still having the hives a lot,do you know about aching in the arms that goes along  with the hives. It is a weird type pain,not in the muscle or joints,but more in the nerves. I was wondering if there is anything to take for this type of pain since ever tylenol 4 doesnt seem to help it.
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440120 tn?1211724496
I broke into hive again once more today. I now know that I do not have a cat allergy. I believe I have the symptoms of eczema.  I have had various skin lesions/skin conditions my whole life. Please let me know any info you have about this condition since I do believe that it is what I am experiencing. I haven't eaten anything different or been around an different animals since my outbreak of hives ceased,but now that it is back,I am thinking that eczema is what I have.
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Avatar universal
Hi,

It is indeed great to hear that you are doing well - you have found the trigerring factor for your symptoms and now avoiding it would definitely help with your symptoms.

You should also try to keep antihistamine medications at hand in case of a sudden flare up of symptoms.

How many days have you taken the prednisone for? If it is more than 7 days, then it would be advisable to taper the dose gradually - you could first decrease it to 10 mg daily for 3-5 days ; then 5 mg daily for 3-5 days and then stop it.

Do consult your doctor about this too.

Keep us posted on how you are doing and if you have any other doubts.

Get s repeat blood sugar level done too.

Regards.

Helpful - 0
440120 tn?1211724496
I got rid of the kitten and the hives have stopped so far. I still am not sure it is the kitten,but so far the hives have stopped after 8days straight of having them. I am going to the Allergist in the morning to do some more tests. It has been an exhausting week. I never thought they were going to disappear. Thanks for the reply. I really look forward to hearing from you. I am going to try and stop the predisone soon( I am taking 20mg now). I dont like taking it since it makes my blood sugars so very high. I have taken pepsin,and a loritadine also...10mg...hopefully everything will help.
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Avatar universal
Hi,

From the course of events you describe , you should try and find out a triggering factor for your symptoms. Some unknown substance could be causing these symptoms - you could be allergic to some substances.

You could ask the ER doctor to write down his/her findings and the treatment given, and you could then follow up with your skin specialist or allergy specialist.

Apply calamine lotion at the sites, and take oral antihistamine medications like loratadine or cetrizine for the itching. See if this helps with your symptoms.

Let us know about what your doctor advises and how you are doing. Post us if you have any other doubts.

Regards.
Helpful - 0
440120 tn?1211724496
I went to an Allergist today and unfortunately...didnt have a breakout when I got there and he decided not to do the 60 pin test. All he did was give me a script for prescription Clariton and some other light meds,and also two epipens...I am so frustrated with what is happening. I broke out again this evening with hives under my arms,back,and inside thighs. I will probably have to make yet another trip to the ER in the morning just to get the swelling down. It doesn't look like any over the counter meds do the job. I have yet to try out Zyrtec though,any ideas?
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440120 tn?1211724496
Thanks for the reply Dr. I have had this allergic reaction now for a total of 5days. It is the same kind of symptoms,but the location of the hives is different everyday. I go to the ER at the hospital,they give me adrenalin,benedryl,and steroid shots. The hives disappear for about 10hrs and then usually early morning (around 3 or 4) they reappear in a different location affecting different parts of my body. I have now been to the ER 4X and still the reactions continue. It is very frustrating and I have missed quite alot of work as you can expect. I have never been allergic to anything in my whole life...but you did bring up an interesting point. I have always had various problems with my skin. I get fungi spots on my chest and back and use prescription Selson Blue for it. Do you suggest that it might also help in getting rid of the hives? I do have a history of skin ailments,but never as severe as these hives and swelling. If this will help you in making a better evaluation,please offer any further advice. I am seeing a Allergist in the morning,hoping to pinpoint it better. I have a bad feeling this is going to be hard to find out exactly what is causing it,since I have never had any allergies before now.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi,

You could be having an allergic reaction to some substance, dermatitis or eczema .

What other symptoms are you having? Let us also know if you have any past history of any allergic reaction or any family history of allergies, etc.

You could apply calamine lotion at the site and see if it helps.    

You could take oral antihistamine medications for a few days and see if it helps with your symptoms.

If the lesions still persist talk to your doctor about it and see what needs to be done after a proper clinical examination.

Let us know if you have any other doubts or queries.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.
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