View Full Version : Why am I itching???????
ny biker
07-16-2010, 05:17 PM
This just started a little while ago. I was sitting on the couch, watching TV. Wearing a cotton short-sleeved shirt with a scoop neck. My neck started to itch, so I scratched. Itched more, scratched more. Etc. Next thing I know, it starts to itch in front of and below my armpits and on my back, under the edges of my bra.
So I took off the shirt and bra and of course started scratching all over (stupid, I know). Then I took a piece of wet paper towel and sponged off the whole area, which helped a bit. Now I'm in my cotton pjs, trying hard to not scratch and make it worse again.
The skin all around the base of my neck is all red, as is the skin where it was itching under the bra. There are no hives, welts, rash, or anything like that.
I just took a Claritin.
What could cause this kind of allergic reaction? The shirt is several years old, the bra is a couple of months old. I use 7th Generation laundry detergent, but that wouldn't be the problem since my other clothes didn't cause itching in other areas.
Could this be a reaction to something internal, like a food I've eaten recently? Or is it more likely contact dermatitis?
I've had mystery allergic skin issues before (hive-like welts on various parts of my body) as well as rashes whose origins I never identified. Plus of course the identifiable issues like poison ivy and certain brands of deodorant.
I did put lotion on this morning on this areas, but it was two different kinds: Eucerin face lotion with non-chemical sunblock on my chest and neck and Complex 15 lotion around my armpits where I sometimes have dry skin/chafing issues.
Ugh I want the Claritin to kick in now!!!!!
update: red skin is spreading from neck down to the tops of my shoulders and up my back.
These are the classic symptoms of leprosy.
OK, not really. It could be anything. Were you in contact with some type of plant, perhaps? Think.
SpinSpinSugar
07-16-2010, 06:03 PM
Sounds exactly like a food allergy to me. I had a similar type of reaction all of a sudden one day to soy milk which I had been drinking daily for a whole year. It takes about 45-60 min to show up after the offending food has been consumed. Never had a food allergy before in my life before and it took a loooong time and several frustrating trips to the DR. (who never did diagnose it correctly) to figure out what it was. (btw benadryl or allergy meds didn't work.. it takes about 24 hours to work it's way out of your system.) In the mean time, it feels like you're wearing an old-fashioned wool turtleneck swimsuit. Good luck figuring out the culprit, and don't exclude anything even if you've eaten it before with no previous reaction.
SpinSpinSugar
7rider
07-16-2010, 06:17 PM
Prickly heat?
It's been very hot and sticky recently.
PamNY
07-16-2010, 06:30 PM
Have you taken antibiotics, or any drug? My antibiotic reactions behaved that way. Good luck. Itching is so miserable, especially in summer.
ny biker
07-16-2010, 06:50 PM
The rash is still spreading. Is now on the tops/insides of my thighs, the patch on my back is bigger, and is on the tops/insides of my arms. I'm also finding a few small hives.
I did go out for lunch today to a place I haven't been before, and had a crab cake sandwich and fries. But that was about 6 hours before this started.
I've been in the a/c all day long so I don't think heat is a problem. No new drugs today.
I will check the hours of the urgent care center tomorrow in case I need a prescription. Hoping this is not the case!!
Thanks, everyone.
rubywagon
07-16-2010, 06:53 PM
The crab for lunch is setting off bells in my head. Have you had any problems with shellfish in the past? Although, my husband never had problems with it, and the last time he ate shrimp he had the same problem. I hope you get feeling better. That is miserable.
ny biker
07-16-2010, 06:55 PM
Hmmm, I'm just remembering that it was almost exactly 2 years ago when I had the mystery hives. They were on my knuckles, knees, tops of my feet, and all around my hips/thighs/butt. Maybe my elbows too, I don't remember. I wound up going to Urgent Care after a few days because it just kept getting worse. The doctor gave me an Rx for steriods which cleared it up, although she wasn't able to say what caused it.
At the time I thought maybe I was allergic to blueberries, which I put on my waffles with breakfast in the summer. But after that rash cleared up I was able to eat blueberries again with no problems. Anyway it's that time of year again and I've been buying and eating blueberries for the past couple of weeks. I wonder if there's something about late June/early July blueberries that I'm allergic to, like a certain pesticide or other chemical used in some regions but not others.
Or maybe not... :)
I'll probably never know. Anyway, I will not be eating any more blueberries for a while.
ny biker
07-16-2010, 06:56 PM
The crab for lunch is setting off bells in my head. Have you had any problems with shellfish in the past? Although, my husband never had problems with it, and the last time he ate shrimp he had the same problem. I hope you get feeling better. That is miserable.
Good point. I love crabcakes and haven't had any problems before. Nor with other shellfish. But the thing about allergies is that there's always one or more exposures with no reaction.
I should start taking notes.
KnottedYet
07-16-2010, 07:20 PM
How about a little call to your on-call or a stroll on down to the Urgent Care right about now?
It'd be kind of rough if your airways got involved in this rapidly spreading rash/reaction.
withm
07-16-2010, 08:30 PM
and on your way pick up some Benadryl which will do a whole lot more for your hives than Claritan can ever hope to. I'd also call the doc. Now.
ny biker
07-16-2010, 08:45 PM
Well the Claritin kicked in around 11 pm and the rash is almost gone. Now the Claritin is making me sleepy. (Everything makes me sleepy. A doctor once told me I'd never make it as a drug addict.)
I'm still not gonna eat any blueberries tomorrow. I guess it's time to find an allergist. The last time I went to an allergist was after the mystery hives, and she did some tests and told me I wasn't allergic to anything. I didn't like her. But I work with a guy who has all kinds of hayfever problems, so maybe he can recommend someone good (who accepts our insurance).
I never felt any signs of airway constriction. In fact to distract myself from the itching, I measured my sit bones earlier. I put my yoga mat on my dining room table (which has a marble top), folded the mat a few times, and sat on it while I played several rounds of a word game on my phone to kill time. That gave me good indentations that lasted long enough for me to measure. I came out with ~140 mm from outside to outside and ~120 center to center. Which means either the Bontrager measuring thing at the LBS is totally whack or I wasn't making good contact with my sit bones when I sat on it last weekend (it told me I wanted a 140 mm saddle).
BTW, this sounds very much like what happened, although it doesn't explain why the histamines went so crazy:
Dermatographia. The name of this condition literally means "write on the skin." When pressure is applied to the skin or the skin is scratched, raised lines appear on those areas due to histamine-based angioedema that leads to swelling beneath the skin.
I found it on mayoclinic.com:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hives-and-angioedema/DS00313/DSECTION=causes
So that's something for me to google to see if I can learn more. But I'll do that tomorrow.
Thanks everyone!
sarahspins
07-16-2010, 09:14 PM
The rash is still spreading. Is now on the tops/insides of my thighs, the patch on my back is bigger, and is on the tops/insides of my arms. I'm also finding a few small hives.
This is how I react to certain food allergies.. strawberries and avocados are two big ones for me.. I'm already on a strong cocktail of allergy meds, but it doesn't do much to help the food stuff. I don't break out in a rash and hives immediately, but about an hour (and sometimes several hours) later.. sometimes it persists for several days, other times it's all over within a few hours.
This "type" of allergic reaction is quite a bit different than the stereotypical anaphylactic type... in most cases it's not life threatening, just very annoying.
My allergist's advice was "don't eat those if you don't want hives" but he didn't specifically advice me against it :rolleyes:
I'd definitely suggest seeing an allergist.. even if their advice isn't much better than mine's was, at least they can do the testing to rule out the possibility of a life-threatening reaction.. and maybe give you better medication suggestions :)
7rider
07-17-2010, 02:52 AM
I once got awful hives from fried clams. Never before and never since (but it was a long time before I'd eat clams again).
Perhaps a food reaction
Crankin
07-17-2010, 04:32 AM
I get the same type of dermatographia reaction from just touching my skin a lot. Also, I can break out in hives from seemingly nothing. Doesn't happen very often, though.
Overall, though, I am a very allergic type person, despite the fact only a couple of specific things show up when I get tested. I developed a shellfish allergy in my mid thirties, after growing up eating tons of lobster and clams, shrimp. I can eat scallops, though. I also couldn't drink wine for about ten years (sulfites), but all of a sudden, that went away (I tested it one year at Passover, and when I didn't die from drinking the 4 cups of wine, I decided I was OK). The shellfish allergy is related to my allergy to IV contrast dye/iodine, which I found out about when I had a CT scan. I suspected I might had this, as my mom did, but they convinced me to have the dye. Within one minute my eyes swelled shut and I had a huge welt on my wrist.
I also am allergic to Thimerisol, the preservative that everyone thought caused autism... it used to be in contact lens solution and after like twelve years, my eyes started swelling up. Now, I can't get certain immunizations, because they have Thimerisol as a preservative.
Go to an allergist.
ny biker
07-17-2010, 05:43 AM
Okay the rash is back, but on different parts of my body -- lower back, butt, more on my arms. And the Claritin hasn't worn off yet.
I guess I'll go to the urgent care clinic. I assumed they were closed last night but it turns out that they are now open 24/7. I'm really not looking forward to spending the day in the waiting room. Oh well.
NbyNW
07-17-2010, 08:19 AM
Sorry to hear things haven't cleared up ... I've occasionally had something similar happen but was unable to figure out what seemed to be causing it.
Good luck at the clinic, and hope you feel better soon!
malkin
07-17-2010, 09:17 AM
Itching is crazy making.
I hope you get rid of it soon.
ny biker
07-17-2010, 09:22 AM
Well happily my regular doctor's office was open this morning and they were able to see me. I got an Rx for prednisone, and she also told me to take Zantac in addition to the Claritin. I also talked to my sister, who is both a nurse and has way more personal experience with allergies than anyone should ever have. She agreed with the drug regimen and mentioned a few other possible causes.
I'm adding to my "possible" list: granola with dried strawberries, blackberries and kiwis plus soy milk, which I had for dinner on Thursday night for the first time in a long time.
First thing Monday, I will call an allergist and hope to get an appointment in the not too distant future.
BTW I asked the doctor if there was any reason I would not be able to ride my bike tomorrow. She said no, except I'd be more comfortable if I stayed sedentary in the A/C. (She also looked at me like I was kinda crazy. :D) But if the rash clears up enough by then I will be out there doing 40 miles of hills and testing my new saddle tomorrow morning. I can always cut the ride short if the itching gets bad.
bmccasland
07-17-2010, 01:06 PM
Considering that your body is stressed, I wouldn't recommend riding your bike 40 miles tomorrow. On the other hand, once the Prednisone kicks in, you'll probably need to do something to deal with the jitters.
If it was the crabs, it could be when you're tested for the food allergy, that you won't test positive (allergic). Sometimes it isn't what you ate, but what the food ate - ie, what seabed your food came from. You may never know. Or that's what the ER Doc told me when I had full blown anaphalytic shock after eating squid or octapus at a restaurant. On testing, I wasn't positive for that antigen, but I won't eat those creatures ever again either.
I'm glad you're going to an allergist.
ny biker
07-17-2010, 07:09 PM
Considering that your body is stressed, I wouldn't recommend riding your bike 40 miles tomorrow. On the other hand, once the Prednisone kicks in, you'll probably need to do something to deal with the jitters.
If it was the crabs, it could be when you're tested for the food allergy, that you won't test positive (allergic). Sometimes it isn't what you ate, but what the food ate - ie, what seabed your food came from. You may never know. Or that's what the ER Doc told me when I had full blown anaphalytic shock after eating squid or octapus at a restaurant. On testing, I wasn't positive for that antigen, but I won't eat those creatures ever again either.
I'm glad you're going to an allergist.
I'm already prepared for the "we have no idea what you're allergic to" conversation. Hoping for the best but prepared for otherwise.
Looks like riding tomorrow may not be an option -- I took a nap earlier and when I woke up, I had red itchy lines and spots where my t-shirt and pajama shorts were wrinkled and pressed against my skin by the mattress. Sigh. So it may take another dose or two of the prednisone to really clear this up. Especially since my bike clothes are not what you'd call loose-fitting.
I really needed to do a hill ride tomorrow for Livestrong challenge training. I guess I could do a shorter ride in the late afternoon if things clear up more by then, but it will be hotter and traffic will be worse. Oh well.
ny biker
07-18-2010, 05:22 AM
Aieeeee!!! The rash came back around midnight and is worse than ever now!! It's now mostly on my arms, legs and a little on my face, plus the back of my head itches. The itching is worse than it's been since the symptoms first showed up. Still no problems breathing.
I don't know if I should go back to the doctor or if this is normal and I just need to wait for the prednisone to kick in more. I took one dose so far, about to take the second with breakfast.
THIS SUCKS.
Does anyone know if it's okay to take benadryl in addition to the prednisone, claritin and zantac?
bmccasland
07-18-2010, 05:51 AM
Call your pharmacist and ask him/her - they're the best ones to know what drugs will interact in combination with others.
Considering this has been continuing, are you certain it isn't something you've ingested and continue to ingest, or is it a new bottle of laundry soap?
Hope you get in to see the allergist on monday.
ny biker
07-18-2010, 06:32 AM
I called the pharmacy but they don't open until noon (it's in a grocery store). I will call them then. I checked drugs.com and they don't list any interactions with the drugs I'm already taking, but I'll check with the pharmacist anyway.
I don't think this is contact dermatitis -- I could be wrong but I've had that so much in the past that my gut tells me this is different. I do realize it's possible that the problem is something I'm still eating, but I just don't know.
Since the latest outbreak is almost exclusively on my arms, hands, legs and feet, and it started on my torso, I'm thinking (hoping) the reaction is just working its way through my body. My experience with other allergic reactions is that they take several days to a week to subside, although I had been hoping the prednisone would have kicked in sooner. Maybe the second dose will turn the tide.
Fortunately, the Urgent Care clinic is now open 24/7 -- it used to be open only during the day -- so I can head there at any time if I feel like things are getting worse.
Thanks for the support.
Owlie
07-18-2010, 06:56 AM
Does anyone know if it's okay to take benadryl in addition to the prednisone, claritin and zantac?
I wouldn't. While benadryl doesn't do much to me, Claratin makes me foggy (even though it's supposed to be "non-drowsy"). If you're one of those people who gets sleepy with benadryl, it's probably a bad idea.
Cold shower? That's what we told a friend to do until she could get to the doctor and home to re-wash all her clothes. She said she still spent the weekend in the shower.
(Turned out she was allergic to her boyfriend's laundry detergent.)
Hopefully it clears up soon. I had a bad case of hives all over a few years ago (viral), and I was miserable, so I kind of understand how that feels.
NbyNW
07-18-2010, 08:29 AM
Maybe you could try pHisoderm or Aveeno in the shower? Might give you a small amount of relief until this either clears up or you figure out what's going on.
BleeckerSt_Girl
07-18-2010, 02:01 PM
After using it for years, I suddenly developed an allergic reaction to chemical-based sunscreen a while back. Had put some on back of my neck, and broke out in awful itchy rash and HIVES all over my neck, back, and chest. It lasted for about 5 days! I switched to the titanium/zinc sunblocks instead....no more problems. I noticed you mentioned that you did use a couple of different lotions that morning. Sounds like an allergic reaction to some ingredient in them to me.
marni
07-18-2010, 07:38 PM
did you possibly get into some chiggers outdoors who hitched a ride in and migrated to underwear and or bedding? You might try washing all of your undies, any clothing you were wearing, and you bedding in extremely hot water and bleach if there is any possibility of it. Ditto for bed bugs which can cause all sorts of problems.
chigggers are so common here in the hot humid south that it has become a fact of life for us in the summer. If it isn't use riding past them, through them on the trails, they come in on the animals fur. I used to think it was fleas in spite of the anti flea stuff but now I know better.
Just my two cents worth.
marni
beccaB
07-18-2010, 07:45 PM
I'm getting a rash on the tops of my legs near the silicone grips, Pearl Izumi shorts. I'm wondering if it's sunscreen, sun poisoning or the silicone. I've done 7 centuries before this year, but this just started recently. As a kid, I was deathly allergic to caramel coloring, as in eat it and nearly stop breathing. Hives would start it. The rash doesn't even itch, it's just there. Scary.
malaholic
07-18-2010, 08:29 PM
I'm getting a rash on the tops of my legs near the silicone grips, Pearl Izumi shorts. I'm wondering if it's sunscreen, sun poisoning or the silicone.
I get this too, regardless of which shorts I'm wearing (all of mine have a silicone strip on the leg grip). I can't figure it out. It only happens after long rides where it's hot & sunny, so some combination of the silicone, sunscreen, and sweat? The weird thing is it only happens on the top, not all around the leg. And it doesn't hurt or itch, but I'd like to prevent it if possible cause it looks bad. If anyone has any idea what this is or how to prevent it let me know.
OakLeaf
07-19-2010, 02:30 AM
I became sensitive to the silicone grippers after a couple of seasons. At first they'd only bother me on long rides in hot weather, now it's all the time. So far I can still wear the shorts as long as I turn the grippers up, although it's kind of an issue with the Shebeest SSS which are awfully short to begin with.
+1 on it only happening on the tops. Weird.
I think sensitivity to the grippers is pretty common, actually.
beccaB
07-19-2010, 07:51 AM
It must be common enough that on Pearl Izumi if you turn up the leg grippers the words are right side up. I saw a woman in the Holland Hundred doing that. When I try it the leg grippers feel tight enough that I notice them and I have that white skin where the sun has not been. I might end up turning the grippers up despite all that if the rash continues or gets worse. Otherwise, Pearl Izumi's are my favorite shorts. I'm going to look really funny in a bathing suit!
Dianyla
07-19-2010, 06:03 PM
I've had a lot of problems with what is known as a "pseudoallergy", mostly triggered by food colorings, dyes, and certain foods. I used to have constant issues with hives that would get triggered by heat, friction, and pressure, but they wouldn't show up until days after exposure to the problems and were always worse when I was sick or menstrual.
A true allergy is when your immune system triggers an IgE reaction to an allergen, releasing loads of histamine into your body. Pseudoallergy happens when you have an impaired ability to metabolize and break down histamine, which could originate from your own immune system or could originate from ingested food/drugs. The symptoms are very similar to a traditional allergic reaction, such as hives, anaphylaxis, asthma, dermatographism, etc. However, the timing can be very unusual, happening hours to days later. Also, because it's related to an accumulation of histamine, it's dosage dependent over time. A single megadose of something can cause a reaction, or smaller doses accumulating over days/weeks may cause it. You will also score "negative" (not allergic) to the offending substances on a skin-prick test, as the skin-prick measures true IgE allergy.
Many foods contain natural histamine from fermentation/preservation. Other foods trigger a non-allergic release of histamine in the body by cleaving the bond between histamine and its storage protein. Some foods and chemicals mimic histamine, binding to histamine receptors in the body. Still more foods (and many medications and additives) impair deamine oxidase, which is the enzyme that breaks down histamine in the body. Also, certain nutritional deficiencies (notably B6, vit C, and copper) can cause insufficient supplies of DAO.
This article on histamine intolerance (http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/85/5/1185.pdf) is an excellent summary.
Selkie
07-19-2010, 11:44 PM
NY, how are you doing? I hope the rash is gone and they find out what caused that reaction.
Catrin
07-20-2010, 02:50 AM
NY, how are you doing? I hope the rash is gone and they find out what caused that reaction.
Yes, I have been wondering about this. I occasionally have bouts with extremely bad welts and hives so I know what you are going through. I hope you have found relief and at least an indication of the problem by now!
ny biker
07-20-2010, 08:00 AM
Well either the prednisone finally kicked in or the histamines finally ran their course. Sunday night was much better than Saturday - still had some rash on my legs and feet but was pretty much clear otherwise. Last night I had a little itching here and there but just kept taking all the antihistamines and this morning I only had one small red spot when I woke up. I managed to wear underwear most of the day yesterday with no rash around the tight elastic parts. I worked from home yesterday but am dressed and at work today. Although I am still high from the most recent dose of benedryl...
If it wasn't so uncomfortable, I'd say this was very interesting to see the pattern of the rash, what with it starting on my torso and ending on the extremities. You could see the reaction working its way through my body.
I have an appointment with an allergist/immunologist next Tuesday. Should be interesting. Dianyla's post was informative but kinds of depressing.
Thanks for all your help and concern!
Dianyla
07-20-2010, 02:53 PM
I have an appointment with an allergist/immunologist next Tuesday. Should be interesting. Dianyla's post was informative but kinds of depressing.
Don't be depressed. If you had a genetic problem with being able to metabolize histamine, you would have had this as a lifelong condition. That you've been fine in the past and this is sneaking up on you may point more towards a slowly worsening nutrient deficiency that is easily solved.
I rarely get hives anymore, as long as I avoid consuming too many foods high in histamine/additives/colorings and take enough vitamin B6. When I'm feeling sick or stressed, I try to take a little more care with what I eat, just can't go hog wild on beer and pizza. It's a lot better than a true allergy to something like peanuts or shellfish.
Norse
07-22-2010, 07:49 AM
I feel your itching pain as I am now in WEEK 4 of itching madness! After one week, I went to urgent care and was given topical steroid cream and prednisone. The dr. said it was atopic dermatitis, aka eczema, caused by who knows what. I have had hives before, allergic reactions to the adhesive in band aids, seasonal allergies... but never this. The itching is awful! I took the prednisone, and it cleared up, for a few days, and then came back. I had a big 4-day bike event upcoming and an awful last training ride, that I attributed to the drugs and heat here so I swore off any more drugs until after the ride. During the actual riding part, hours in the saddle, I was fine. Not until in the evening after I was cleaned up would the itching return each night.
It started in my ankles (I thought it was gnat bites at first), moved up my legs, and is now on legs, arms and, of all places, outer part of ears. Nothing on my torso or face. I was allergy tested several years ago - negative to everything. I have an appointment with a new dermatologist next week. Meanwhile, I get some relief by a daily baking soda/sea salt bath (soap only on my underarms), followed by applications of jojoba oil and then aloe vera gel; sometimes an aveeno soak before bed (but that does not seem to work as well as baking soda/salt), a dab now and then of the steroid cream (I am trying to avoid it) and a bedtime benadryl. The urgent care doc said it was not food caused as it would not last that long (had it a week when I saw him). This is maddening and depressing to know that, the older I get, the more things I am allergic to. :(
ny biker
07-22-2010, 08:01 AM
I feel your itching pain as I am now in WEEK 4 of itching madness! After one week, I went to urgent care and was given topical steroid cream and prednisone. The dr. said it was atopic dermatitis, aka eczema, caused by who knows what. I have had hives before, allergic reactions to the adhesive in band aids, seasonal allergies... but never this. The itching is awful! I took the prednisone, and it cleared up, for a few days, and then came back. I had a big 4-day bike event upcoming and an awful last training ride, that I attributed to the drugs and heat here so I swore off any more drugs until after the ride. During the actual riding part, hours in the saddle, I was fine. Not until in the evening after I was cleaned up would the itching return each night.
It started in my ankles (I thought it was gnat bites at first), moved up my legs, and is now on legs, arms and, of all places, outer part of ears. Nothing on my torso or face. I was allergy tested several years ago - negative to everything. I have an appointment with a new dermatologist next week. Meanwhile, I get some relief by a daily baking soda/sea salt bath (soap only on my underarms), followed by applications of jojoba oil and then aloe vera gel; sometimes an aveeno soak before bed (but that does not seem to work as well as baking soda/salt), a dab now and then of the steroid cream (I am trying to avoid it) and a bedtime benadryl. The urgent care doc said it was not food caused as it would not last that long (had it a week when I saw him). This is maddening and depressing to know that, the older I get, the more things I am allergic to. :(
Oh that's terrible. I hope you find relief soon.
FWIW I know someone whose daughter has had problems with excema and the doctor told her to grease the kid up with Aquaphor, which seemed to work.
OakLeaf
07-22-2010, 09:37 AM
During the actual riding part, hours in the saddle, I was fine. Not until in the evening after I was cleaned up would the itching return each night.
That's the wonderful thing about the immune suppressive effect of exercise. When the ragweed pollen's high, I never want to get off my bike. :p
The urgent care doc said it was not food caused as it would not last that long (had it a week when I saw him). This is maddening and depressing to know that, the older I get, the more things I am allergic to. :(
Unless it's a food that you are still taking in. Have you done a challenge diet recently? Especially if you're continuing to develop new allergies, you may need to go onto a rotation diet. HUGE PITA, but totally worth it if your immune system is still developing new allergies. :(
Norse
07-22-2010, 11:12 AM
Unless it's a food that you are still taking in. Have you done a challenge diet recently? Especially if you're continuing to develop new allergies, you may need to go onto a rotation diet. HUGE PITA, but totally worth it if your immune system is still developing new allergies. :(
Ugh, that does sound like a huge PITA. No, not really, except that I did try laying off milk the past week (mostly giving up my daily lattes in favor of black coffee). No difference. I have noticed that I am having immediate reactions to skin contact with certain plants in the backyard. A few nights ago I picked green beans for dinner - within literally 5 minutes of coming in the house, my forearms, which had contact with the green bean leaves - broke out. Last night I went out to tend, very briefly, to the tomato plants - my legs had a slight outburst after that. However, I can't think of any gardening activities that I was doing when I first started itching 4 weeks ago.
Thanks for the Aquaphor tip ny biker. I hope that you are feeling better soon.
OakLeaf
07-22-2010, 11:58 AM
Tomato leaves are a common irritant, but if you're reacting to a lot of different kinds of leaves, it might not be the plants at all, but airborne molds that have settled on the leaves?
Norse
07-22-2010, 01:45 PM
Tomato leaves are a common irritant, but if you're reacting to a lot of different kinds of leaves, it might not be the plants at all, but airborne molds that have settled on the leaves?
I don't know, but I certainly wish I did. I am hoping the dermatologist might have some ideas. I do know the pollen counts have been high.
KnottedYet
07-23-2010, 06:31 PM
My eczema went away completely when I stopped consuming gluten. (wheat, oats, barley, rye, spelt, triticale)
25 years of randomly flaring and subsiding miserable itching yuckiness, and that was all I had to do to make it go away!?!?!? Grrrrrrrr..... :mad: Wish someone would have told me in the 1970's....
NY Biker, I hope that yours gets solved quickly!
ny biker
07-23-2010, 06:32 PM
Thanks for checking in. I've been off the anithistamines since Wednesday, and am tapering the prednisone per the doctor's prescription. Appointment with the allergist/immunologist is on Tuesday -- I've started taking notes on all kinds of fun stuff to tell him about, in terms of previously identified allergies and prior outbreaks of unexplained red spots and rashes.
ny biker
07-27-2010, 10:25 AM
So, just got back from the allergist. The conclusion in summary: we don't really know what caused the reaction.
He thought the crab cakes sounded like the most likely cause, due to the timing of when I ate them and when the symptoms began. Then he tested me for allergies to a bunch of different foods but none yielded a positive result. However, he told me that the tests for food allergies are less reliable than tests for things like mold and dander, and in fact the test for cashews was also negative even though I've had a clear reaction to them in the past. Also it's possible that different types of crabs have slight differences in protein structure and one could cause an allergy while the other doesn't.
So he recommended that I avoid crab and other shellfish for now. In a few months, I can try a nibble of someone else's crab cake. If I have no reaction, I can try a larger nibble at another time, and if that's okay I can have a whole bite. If there's no reaction to that, I can have a whole crab cake and I'll probably be okay.
In the meantime, he prefers Zantac as an antihistimine for this type of reaction, and he recommends I keep some on hand (and I can keep the Claritin around also -- no harm to use both) in case I have problems in the future. He's not a big fan of Benedryl unless I'm having trouble sleeping due to the itch (which definitely was the case with this recent attack).
I was prepared for negative test results, so I'm not really disappointed or surprised. Overall I liked the doctor a lot. This was my first visit with him. He's an older man (called me "young lady" twice, which is something I rarely hear these days :D) but from talking to him I could tell he keeps on top of current research.
Some other interesting things he mentioned -- a large number of people who get hives have them due to an autoimmune response, not because of a specific allergy trigger. Food allergies are more likely to manifest within ~12 hours of eating the food, so he wasn't particularly interested in anything I'd had prior to the day the attack happened (the symptoms began around 7 pm). It's possible that the symptoms might return in a few days, because I'm still tapering off the prednisone and just as there is a 1-2 day lag for that drug to take effect, there is a 1-2 day lag for it to completely clear your body. So I should have Zantac handy for the next week or two, just in case.
I do love crab cakes and will miss eating them.
BTW I did not mention the possibility of pseudoallergy/histamine intolerance to the doctor, mostly because there were so many other things to discuss while I was there and I would like to focus on the crab thing for now. But I'm keeping it in the back of my mind for the future. For example in the week before this happened I changed two bike tires (latex exposure) and ate a tuna sandwich with avocado which has the same allergen in it as latex. In the future I'll try to be aware of those kinds of multiple exposures that might cause a cumulative affect. I did have the same sandwich with avocado yesterday for lunch, and have not had any ill effects.
I have to say, allergies suck, but on another level they are kind of fascinating.
kmehrzad
07-27-2010, 10:58 AM
Hi NY Biker,
I've had hives pop up for no reason at various times throughout the year. After undergoing allergy testing and coming up negative, the drs. were unable to give me a reason for the condition. We explored the stress issue and that wasn't relevant. In any case, I carry (or carried) Loratdine around with me and would take one whenever I felt the itching sensation, that took care of the symptoms.
redrhodie
07-27-2010, 12:31 PM
I've had reaction to shellfish, but only if I ride on the day I eat it. Otherwise, I don't react. Look up "exercise-induced anaphylaxis" if you rode that day.
NbyNW
07-27-2010, 03:33 PM
Interesting. I've always thought of Zantac as an ulcer medication (a proton pump inhibitor? my brain is rusty), rather than an antihistamine.
I may have to give that a try the next time I have a mysterious reaction to something.
Possegal
07-27-2010, 04:02 PM
Interesting. I've always thought of Zantac as an ulcer medication (a proton pump inhibitor? my brain is rusty), rather than an antihistamine.
It is a heartburn/ulcer med but it is an H2 antihistamine, not a PPI. Things like Benadryl and Claritin are H1 antihistamines. I think the use of the H2 blockers for allergies is a somewhat new use (not an approved indication that I know of, but I'll look and see.) From what I read it looks like it is usually only recommended when the allergic reaction is hives. Again, just a quick look at this point. I'm a Dr of Pharmacology and someone who, as my mother always said came out of the womb with allergies, and yet I hadn't heard of docs using ranitidine for allergies. :)
NbyNW
07-27-2010, 05:08 PM
Thanks, Possegal!
Can you explain the difference between H1 and H2 antihistamines to a layperson? I have not heard those terms before.
rubywagon
07-27-2010, 05:11 PM
I have a great zucchini cake recipe replacer if you're Jonesing for some crab cakes. ;)
Crankin
07-27-2010, 05:42 PM
I had hives last winter, at the end of the "wool" season; they appeared mysteriously after a few years of no problems with merino. I've had a history of hives, weird allergies, asthma, so while not unusual, the fact that the wool started to bother me all of a sudden, was weird. Someone here on TE suggested the Zantac, combined with Claritin, and it worked right away.
NY Biker, I feel for you. I have gone through several bouts of what you had and it's scary and annoying.
Possegal
07-27-2010, 06:31 PM
Thanks, Possegal!
Can you explain the difference between H1 and H2 antihistamines to a layperson? I have not heard those terms before.
I can try. :) I taught that topic YEARS ago in a pharmacology class but let's see what I remember. Histamine can bind to a number of different histamine receptors - H1 and H2 are the prominent ones that the drugs tend to target, but there are H3 and H4 receptors as well. Heck, they may have found some others by now. What the histamine causes to happen, depends on what receptor it binds to. And the receptors are more prominent on different tissues. Such as = you have H2 receptors in your GI and when histamine binds to them, gastric acid secretion increases. So if you block that with an H2 antihistamine like Zantac, less gastric acid, less heartburn. THe H1 receptors are what is involved in allergic reactions. THey exist on a lot of different cells including in your airways, where if stimulated by histamine the bronchioles will constrict. Though I think you also have H2 receptors in the airways that if stimulated dilate the bronchioles. So an H2 blocker is not what you would want if you were having a respiratory reaction allergic response. There are a lot more H1 effects like vasodilation (which would be involved in the edema that you can see with allergies), but I'd have to go look them up. :)
I'll have to dig a bit more to see how blocking H2 treats hives though. It was quite interesting to see that and now I'm curious. I'm sure much more is known about histamine and its receptors since I had any professional reason to be paying close attention. :)
NbyNW
07-27-2010, 08:31 PM
Hey, that's a very helpful explanation! Enough to know what to pay attention to in case of a flare-up.
And good to know that Zantac is possibly helpful in these situations, since I've usually reached for the Benadryl. Nice to have some relief without getting knocked out.
ny biker, hope your symptoms continue to calm down!
Dianyla
07-27-2010, 08:48 PM
Histamine can bind to a number of different histamine receptors - H1 and H2 are the prominent ones that the drugs tend to target, but there are H3 and H4 receptors as well. Heck, they may have found some others by now. What the histamine causes to happen, depends on what receptor it binds to. And the receptors are more prominent on different tissues.
Here's a neat map of histamine pathways in the body:
(click for bigger)
http://www.ajcn.org/content/vol85/issue5/images/medium/znu0050744060001.gif (http://www.ajcn.org/content/vol85/issue5/images/large/znu0050744060001.jpeg)
OakLeaf
07-28-2010, 03:31 AM
Ack, that chart made my head explode!
I was a little surprised that edema (especially facial edema, one of my main symptoms) wasn't on there. Is that related to leukotriene rather than histamine?
ETA: I was really glad to see tachycardia and arrhythmias on that chart! My allergist is well aware of tachycardia in the sense of an increased heart rate that stays within an essentially normal range (although most doctors will roll up their eyes at that one), but I've NEVER had anyone believe that my SVTs correlate with my food allergies. I've been 100% sure of that one for a couple of decades now.
NYB, glad you're feeling better, and hope that avoiding crab takes care of it in the future (although I agree, it would suck if I couldn't eat crab).
Possegal
07-28-2010, 05:03 AM
Well since I'm not teaching pharmacology or pathophysiology here, I was aiming to not explode any heads. :) Then we'd have to put that on the chart too.
I'd put edema in that chart - it is a histamine reaction. As is true of dang near everything in the body, it is probably a combination of things, but in experimental studies you can induce an edematous reaction by infusing histamine.
Dianyla
07-28-2010, 12:58 PM
Ack, that chart made my head explode!
I was a little surprised that edema (especially facial edema, one of my main symptoms) wasn't on there. Is that related to leukotriene rather than histamine?
Oops, sowwy! :p
Edema is actually covered on the chart under endothelial permeability, but that isn't very obvious if you haven't taken biology/anatomy.
Possegal
07-28-2010, 01:14 PM
Except that the chart actually shows other clinical signs of histamine's response, so the lack of listing edema, along with flush and uticaria and things like that, is in my opinion, an error. Otherwise you could say that "flush" is already covered under vasodilation. Busy chart for sure, though I've got a way busier one hanging on my door. :) So I think edema should have been on there.
Similar to this, but the one in poster size has a lot more going on, just can't find a link to one similar. http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v4/n9/images/nrn1197-f3.jpg
Dianyla
07-28-2010, 01:41 PM
Except that the chart actually shows other clinical signs of histamine's response, so the lack of listing edema, along with flush and uticaria and things like that, is in my opinion, an error. Otherwise you could say that "flush" is already covered under vasodilation. Busy chart for sure, though I've got a way busier one hanging on my door. :) So I think edema should have been on there.
True enough! :)
Similar to this, but the one in poster size has a lot more going on, just can't find a link to one similar. http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v4/n9/images/nrn1197-f3.jpg
Ooh, need to go play with google image search again...
Possegal
07-28-2010, 05:02 PM
the kinases and all their downstream effects can make for a very busy poster. :) I've spent a lot of time last few years dealing with some kinase inhibitors and I stare at those pathways and my head explodes. :)
Norse
07-29-2010, 10:58 AM
I finally saw the dermatologist yesterday. He actually thinks that high stress levels may have triggered it but, because I do not have a noticeable rash anywhere (just bumps and itching) he wants to make sure it's nothing systemic. So... in about another 3 weeks I have an appt with the primary care doc for a physical including blood work and urinalysis. Meanwhile, dermo told me 1 benedryl before bed and Sarna lotion. I had been doing the Benedryl on and off but trying to stay off as, not only does it knock me out at night, it keeps me sleepy the next morning. It does help though. Picked up some Sarna lotion for sensitive skin yesterday and ohhhhhhhhhhhh what a relief this lotion has been!
Crankin
07-29-2010, 01:10 PM
You know, that chart made a lot of sense to me, even as someone with no scientific background. Almost every weird symptom I have had in my adult life was on there... after my debacle three years ago, with no real resolution (yea tell me I have fibromyalgia because there's nothing else to say), I realized after looking at the chart, that I do know I have allergies and asthma. And all the stomach issues, skin issues, rashes, hives, palpitations, blah, blah, blah are caused either by stress, which induces a histamine response, or some some environmental trigger that switches from year to year. If I treat the allergies and keep the stress down, I am healthy.
When I was around 34-35, I started having the palpitations, followed by a long bout of asthma and hives. I went from specialist to specialist, with little resolution. When the stress went away (I quit teaching aerobics 7 days a week, moved across the country, and got away from the dust in AZ) most of it went away for years. I know that a certain level of exercise, which is basically over training for me also induces these symptoms, even without any asthma showing up.
Thanks!
ny biker
09-20-2010, 05:48 PM
Sigh. It's back again. Same symptoms as in July. Woke up itching last night, was better during the day today and then got worse again. I'm hoping it won't be as severe as it was in July, especially since I started taking the antihistamines right away. Also hoping I won't need the prednisone this time, since I just don't want the side effects.
I haven't had any sea food lately except for tuna salad early last week. The only new/rare food I've had in the past few days was Newman's Own pizza with pepperoni. Of course now I'm thinking maybe food is not really the cause.
emily_in_nc
09-20-2010, 06:29 PM
Oh crap - so sorry to hear this! Hope it will be very short-lived this time around, and that you can finally get to the bottom of it. Must be very frustrating! :(
ny biker
09-28-2010, 11:23 AM
I just had an appointment with my allergist today to discuss this. He's also thinking that food is not the cause. I'm going for a blood test -- thyroglobulin antibodies and thyroid peroxidase antibodies, if I'm reading his handwriting correctly. The test may show that I've developed antibodies to my thyroid, which apparently is a problem for some people. Or, it might show that we can rule that out, in which case...?
Also I'm going to get some Zirtec, to see if that works better than the Claritin that I've been taking so far.
The good news is that the last attack was not as bad as the one in July. I don't know if that's because I started taking all the antihistimines sooner, or I was just lucky.
KnottedYet
09-28-2010, 06:28 PM
whispers quietly... (do I dare to point out that people with undiagnosed celiac disease will often produce antibodies to their thyroids? and have skin reactions? and edema?)
{I only know much about one disease, but I will promote awareness of it every time I see something that might be related... cuz the darn thing is so rarely diagnosed until very late in life}
ny biker
09-28-2010, 06:31 PM
Oooh, doesn't that mean big dietary restrictions? I was bummed enough thinking I could never have crab cakes again. Oh well, we'll see what the tests say.
OakLeaf
09-28-2010, 06:44 PM
cuz the darn thing is so rarely diagnosed until very late in life
...and lately they're finding (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/27/science/la-sci-celiac-disease-20100928) that it may not even have onset until late in life.
KnottedYet
09-28-2010, 06:45 PM
...and lately they're finding (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/27/science/la-sci-celiac-disease-20100928) that it may not even have onset until late in life.
That's the story in my family. Everyone in the family knows that sometime around middle age you have to stop eating wheat.
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