Why am I itching???????

[OakLeaf]

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]

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]

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 is an excellent summary.

[Selkie]

NY, how are you doing? I hope the rash is gone and they find out what caused that reaction.

[Catrin]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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..... Wish someone would have told me in the 1970's....

NY Biker, I hope that yours gets solved quickly!

[ny biker]

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.