Hives - Burlington,NJ

My son had severe food allergies and they didn't show up with a blood test. I knew he was allergic because his symptoms would clear up without the food but get so bad with it. My chiropractor did muscle testing and the allergy did show up. I've had two friends whose children had severe allergies but the blood test and skin test was normal. Either you're allergic to something that wasn't tested or else the test doesn't work for you. Find a chiropractor or homeopathic that does allergy testing (if you don't mind alternative doctors.) You might be able to find a MD or DO that does a test different than blood or skin tests.. (My homeopathic is a MD) Good luck!!

Hi there
I have hives MANY times , however I have never been tested to see what caused it.. although, I do have my own ideas.
You say you keep a food journal, it's important to realize too that hives can also come about from environmental things too.. what about detergents? or even perfumes you might wear. what you may have once not been allergic to can all of a sudden cause problems.. Also, STRESS is a huge culprit..
as are things with caffeine in them (they seem to make hives worse for some)
I know hives must run their course so it's not always easy to cure them.. When I get them I begin to drink TONS and TONS of water to cleanse my system, don't take HOT showers (heat makes them worse) wear cotton to bed so that your skin and breath at night.... try to not use things on your skin such as lotions.. oh which reminds me, some shampoos (especially those with sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) << that's what makes shampoo and even toothpaste foam can also cause MAJOR hives for those who get them easily... bear in mind, that MANY products have SLS in them, this includes dishwashing soap.. perhaps the hives aren't being caused by the food but something else as mentioned. Lastly, stressing will only make them worse.. It seems to me that once I began to get hives, for about two years, I would get them every couple of months... until they finally ran their course. Also, I changed up my diet (added more GREEN) such as veggies and green drinks.. the hives came less frequently.. bottomline (for me) I drank tons of water, added more green to my diet and found ways to not stress as much.. so far, it's been working. I haven't had hives in about 4 years..

best of luck to you

I got hives a few times a year since I was about 6. I am 26 now and it has slowed down a lot. We never knew what it was when I was growing up, but Benadryl made it go away. I would wake up with them, take Benadryl, sleep (knocks me out lol), hives would go away, and then I'd wake up the next morning with more. They would last a few days before going away on their own.

Funny you asked this today because I actually woke up with the hives again today! Only a little on my feet, knees, elbows, and wrists. It had been a year & a half since my last breakout! I thought I had finally outgrown it :( But, I actually already have an appointment with my allergist for Wednesday to get tested for food allergies, but they are also going to order some other blood work. They will check my thyroid, iron, etc.

I have other symptoms for which I want to have those things tested for as well, and one thing I think I might have is hypothyroidism. I have been Googling about this and actually found some articles talking about hives being a symptom of hypothyroidism. The few articles I looked at were talking about severe hives, like you described. Mine have never been that bad (never throat swelling or ER trips). But I had never thought about hives NOT being an allergy problem! Might be worth looking into if you can't figure anything else out!

My daughter got hives very very badly when she was two. We were at the doctor's office every day and ended up at the ER. It was absolutely terrifying - she looked like a monster her whole face was swollen so much. If the doctor told me to use benadryl one more time, I was going to scream. We finally tried zyrtec which is now OTC but was prescription-only back then and it worked the best. She rarely gets them anymore but if we see the slightest sign we give her a dose of zyrtec and it ends. By the way we never were able to find out what caused the really bad attack.
When you read about hives online, they make them sound very mild but the case I saw was horrendous. I can totally relate to your fear. It's not always the "light itching and rash" you can just wait out that most of the online sites describe. Just make sure you have zyrtec on hand and realize that you won't always be able to figure out the cause. Good Luck!

I have only has hives twice and both times they were caused by stress. Of course I didn't know this at the time it was happening and only figured it out after the 2nd time. Could this be happening to you?

Hi, S.:

There is an ELISA/ACT blood test.

Check the web: www.elisaact.com

Your Doc can order this blood test at your local lab facility.
Good luck.
D.

I had a very similar situation. We never did find out what the allergy was. My primary care physician sent me for the blood allergy test and it came back that I was highly allergic to shrimp. I laughed like crazy, because I eat shrimp pretty often and have never had any issues. I went to an allergist and he confirmed that the blood test is NOT reliable. He asked me to keep a food diary for a month to see what happened. But I never did get the reaction again. He mentioned that some people are allergic to certain dyes that are in foods/drinks. So, have your allergist take a look at your food diary, there really may be something in there that you aren't seeing.

Also, you may want to ask to get an epi pen. Allergic reactions tend to get worse every time you get them. You don't want to be in a position where your throat closes up really fast.

In college I had a friend who was allergic to the cold (even a room strongly air conditioned). I believe her response was hives. (She made sure she always dressed appropriately, so she never had a reaction when we were at school.) Maybe this is the case for you?

I would recommend trying to eliminate sources of sensitivities in your environment. I was able to eliminate my asthma attacks in the past 6 months and have not needed any meds. I was severely allergic to fabric softner- and I didn't use, but if I was around everyone that did it would trigger an asthma attack. I switched stores and now buy toxin free products. This includes my makeup/cleaning supplies/laundry and dish soaps/etc. I am able to use natural fabric softner and haven't had any asthma reactions in 6 months! I love sharing this with others so they can make improve their lives as well!