Chronic Urticarial
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hello,
I Have had hives since the end of May this year. My first episode was severe and I went to the emergency room and was treated with an epipen, pepcid, steriods, benedryl and zyrtec. Since then I have seen my dermatologist, general doctor and now an allergist. My medications have been changed. I now take Allegra and pepcid am and om and zyrtec in between. I was also prescribed hyroxizine and doxcepin. Now my allergist wants me to get a punch biopsy. I am very stressed with this condition and I would like to know what people have done to handle this situation, and if it turned out to be another condition that caused the hives. Please help.
0 likes, 11 replies
sinead57494 lakeisha59709
Posted
Can I ask how old you are.
lakeisha59709 sinead57494
Posted
vera47921 lakeisha59709
Posted
It is a very stressful condition - mainly because medical professionals dont actually know what causes it. So trying to find the trigger is a bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
It could be caused by stress (mine is) or/and by a food allergy (Im allergic to gluten, dairy, sulphites, sodium benzoate and food preservatives). So although sticking to a low histamine diet doesnt prevent the urticaria, it does help not to aggravate it.
You could try an elimination diet to help identify the triggers.
The biggest help to me has been Xolair - a biological injection you get every 4 weeks. Combined with 4 x Fexo per day and Prednisone (which I am weaning off - long term steriod use is not good for you).
Xolair is expensive but its a last resort if the rest of the meds arent working. Chat to your allergist to see if it would be appropriate for you as every case is different. There is a risk though of anaphalctic shock - but this is rare. But worth considering if youve had to use an EpiPen before.
Hang in there and try different meds to see what works best. Also ask your allergist to do an auto immune test.
Good luck
Vera
lakeisha59709 vera47921
Posted
vera47921 lakeisha59709
Posted
lorraine34338 lakeisha59709
Posted
Hi Lakeisha, there are many variations of urticaria and finding the trigger for your own is difficult. It's not always one particular thing as well usually a few triggers combine to cause the hives. Stress is a big one, as can be diet and digestive problems, illnesses can also be a trigger as can estrogen changes. My doctors placed me on cyclosporine an immune suppressant for six months with a slow taper. I was lucky that I did not need prednisone. Some people on the blog react well to xolair and I hope you are one of them. Goodluck
lakeisha59709 lorraine34338
Posted
Thank you! It's so hard not to stress when the hives make me stressed. I really appreciate your response.
lakeisha59709 vera47921
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lorraine34338 lakeisha59709
Posted
Hi again, when I last saw my specialist she said that if my hives reoccurred she would do punch biopsy. I understand it's done on one of the mast cell lumps we get or one of the weals.
lakeisha59709 lorraine34338
Posted
Thank you for responding so quickly. You are very helpful. I am a little nervous about the biopsy.
vera47921 lakeisha59709
Posted
No I havent heard about it until now. But if its done on the mast cell (as Lorraine mentions) I think it would be very useful to have, to see what you can learn.
Might request one myself!