Hives for no apparent reason

RebelCats · 08-31-2009, 08:23 PM

This has been going on for the last week or so for no apparent reason. I am not particularly allergic to anything but MSG and that affects me differently.

I don't really have this problem all day unless I am standing a lot. Here is what happens:

I got to school and everything is fine. No itchy feeling no scratching.

ETA: This does not affect my arms or lower legs. Just knee caps and thigh area.
Go to work same as above. 5 hours mostly standing.
Come home change into shorts and start supper. I get a pressure almost tingly feeling and itch. The itching gets worse and then hives that burn. Put some Benadryl cream on it and it will kinda stop itching but burns. No bug bite or anything. Some times a bit of water will splash on my leg and that will kick it off.

The only other time this happens is if I am home all day and on my feet cleaning all day. This will come and go.

What the heck might be causing the itching and hives. I am not messing with chemicals.

Treetopleaf · 08-31-2009, 08:29 PM

Do you smell anything at school? My kid broke out in hives when the art teacher was spraying some art work with some aerosol.

RebelCats · 08-31-2009, 08:33 PM

No I don't smell anything at school, but I have never had this happen there. It only seems to happen at home and I have lived here 4 years. And this is recent.

LongPrime · 08-31-2009, 08:40 PM

Is it on just one side of body? and is getting progessively worse and first started less than a week ago?

If so, sounds like herpes zoster, aka shingles or chicken pox. Nasty stuff but no more than severe discomfort unless it appears on your face.

Schmoomcgoo · 08-31-2009, 08:50 PM

My D had something similar in early August, but on her trunk not thighs. Initially, she complained of a pink, dense, lacey rash with a burning sensation that hurt badly enough that she cried. (She said a 7 on a scale from 1 to 10) Only an oral antihistamine (Claritin, but Benedryl probably would have done the same) and ice packs helped--topical benedryl seemed to inflame it more. After the first two days the burning subsided and her main complaint was itching. It was only bothersome in the evenings and into the night. She does have sensitive skin and has a history of a neoprene allergy, but no exposure to that or anything new to the affected area. It took about a week and a halaf to run its course. Never did know what it was.

lje62 · 08-31-2009, 09:34 PM

stress ? The one and only time I have had hives was during a time of extreme stress..one of my daughters breaks out temporarily on her chest when stressed

curiouser · 08-31-2009, 09:38 PM

My D had severe hives when she was in her teens. While she does have some allergies, some of her triggers included exercise, stress, and salt water exposure.

Additionally, after visiting an allergist, she had a CT scan of her sinuses. Seems there's evidence that lingering sinus affections can also trigger attacks. Apparently, her sinus cavities are very deep, causing pockets of infection to linger even though a course of antibiotics was previously given. Once she was put on a REALLy strong antibiotic to clear up the lingering sinus infection, she had far fewer severe outbreaks. She had to go to an emergency room at least once for a shot, I think it was prednisone. Additionally, a doctor prescribed xanax for 5 days too, which really surprised me. However, it seemed to all work.

Hives are rather mysterious and seem to have a variety of causes. I highly recommend you visit an allergist or dermatologist if you continue to have problems. (In D's case, fyi, the dermatologist referred her to the allergist.) For D, it was embarrassing and really uncomfortable. Understanding the "triggers" a little better has also helped her manage/predict them.

oaklandmom · 08-31-2009, 09:40 PM

When S was in elementary school he'd break out in hives on his legs and arms when he was outside. It happened once while we were visiting a zoo and other times while on the playground at school and occasionally when by the SF bay. His doctor believed it was an environmental allergy - probably pollen or something else that was airborne. Since it was very unpredictable and made my son very miserable, he began to carry Benedryl with him and it always seemed to help.

marite · 08-31-2009, 09:59 PM

I once developed hives for no apparent reason. I let it fester and soon I was covered from scalp to toes. It was so bad that I had to be given steroids and cortisone (if I remember correctly). Eventually, it went away and I never found out what had caused it. I suggest getting some medication to control it before it spread as it did with me.

missypie · 08-31-2009, 10:50 PM

Have your thyroid checked. I went to an allergist for hives and she correctly diagnosed my hypo-thyroid condition. (I love that woman!0

LongPrime · 08-31-2009, 11:05 PM

schmoomcgoo: Since the advent of chickenpox vaccine, people have not experienced this childhood disease. The vaccine and getting chickenpox only offers partial immunity and hence you see adults getting shingles. Today the vaccine maker is heavily advertising the herpes zoster vaccine in pharmacy stores and TV.

ask D if the rash was just on one side of the body and did eventually develop boils.

My rash developed from the right belly waist area down to right thigh (follows the nerve fibers). The pain was so intense that I was taking 4 aspirin/tylenol with no affect, stabbing pain that would catch my breath, and unbearable itch. For 2 weeks I only got a few hours of sleep each night.

LongPrime · 08-31-2009, 11:10 PM

schmoomcgoo: Since the advent of chickenpox vaccine, people have not experienced this childhood disease. The vaccine and getting chickenpox only offers partial immunity and hence you see adults getting shingles. Today the vaccine maker is heavily advertising the herpes zoster vaccine in pharmacy stores and TV.

ask D if the rash was just on one side of the body and did eventually develop boils.

My rash developed from the right belly waist area down to right thigh (follows the nerve fibers). The pain was so intense that I was taking 4 aspirin/tylenol with no affect, stabbing pain that would catch my breath, and unbearable itch. For 2 weeks I only got a few hours of sleep each night.

momlove · 08-31-2009, 11:36 PM

Both my son (when he was about 10) and I have had hives in the past. My son had them for about 1-1/2 years, getting progressively worse over that period of time. We were eventually referred to a major university hospital and he ended up on 20 pills a day to control the hives at their worst point. Eventually tapered him off the meds and they have never returned.

I had hives that would present usually in the spring (although not always) and would last for anywhere from 2 weeks to a few months. Stress definitely made mine a lot worse. This went on from about the age of 24 until around 35. Have been free of them for over 10 years now.

Often times the cause of hives is never determined (although sometimes they can directly be related to allergies or other reasons).

I found the best treatment for my hives was an oral antihistamine. Topical treatments did not help at all. It was better to prevent the occurrence of the hives than to treat them after they broke out. After a few days of a daily antihistamine my hives were generally very tolerable (I might be able to see them, but they didn't itch or hurt).

Hives are very strange and their behavior is very unpredictable. They might appear at any point during the day, and disappear just as quickly. The deep itching is terribly uncomfortable. Best of luck to you.

TwistedxKiss · 09-01-2009, 01:08 AM

You're not using new detergent or anything?

I am allergic to sunlight, and it took us a few years before I thought to ask the allergist what the heck was going on, so I totally understand being at a loss about it. XD

VeryHappy · 09-01-2009, 07:20 AM

My son is the king of idiopathic urticaria. Which is what you have.

"Idiopathic" means "no known cause." "Urticaria" is just a fancy word for hives.

DS started with hives at age 3. (He's now 20 and still gets them. That's why he's the king.) At first, Benadryl worked for the occasional bout. As they became more and more frequent -- like, all day, ever day, on his back, trunk, arms, and legs -- his allergist put him on Zyrtec once a day. (At that time Zyrtec was prescription only.) That controlled it 99% of the time.

After about five years on that, he began to take the Zyrtec only when he got hives. He now gets them maybe once a month, and the Zyrtec works fine. (Zyrtec is now over-the-counter.)

Occasionally, when Zyrtec isn't available, he uses Claritin. He says it works just as well, but takes longer to begin working. So he prefers Zyrtec.

Another tip: Put a freezing cold washcloth on the affected area. It breaks the cycle of itch-and-scratch, and calms things down.

All of my info presumes, of course, that you've been checked by a doctor for all the things you should be checked for.