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Does anyone suffer from Urticaria and/or Angioedema?

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I hope there is someone out there that knows about this!

 

I started with the angioedema in may. My feet swelled up, but went the day after. I then had itchy feet briefly in June, and a little swelling, but again it went soon after.

 

On the 8th of July, my feet swelled up, and i couldn't walk on them as it hurt so much. Then my hands, fingers, arm swelled up. I then started getting raised blotchy red rashes, that would come and go in hours. I have had them since the 8th. They start small, and increase in size quickly. They are hot, sore to touch, and very itchy. They can be very painful.

 

I was admitted to hospital when the swelling started, and they had no idea what it was. They did loads of blood tests that came back negative while i was in hospital. I am waiting for some more blood tests to come back, and have an appointment on the 26th Aug.

 

I am currently taking benedryl. It is getting me really down. I saw a doctor when i came out of hospital, and he said that it looks and sounds like urticaria. I have been doing some research online, and i too think it is this.

 

Is there anyone out there who has or does suffer from this? I have had it for 3 weeks now, and apparently it can last up to six weeks and go, or long term.

 

Any advice/stories, would be appreciated, as i am really down.

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I have urticaria as a short term allergy response to some things (rubber gloves, surface irritants and occasionally sunshine) and my niece has a really sudden and acute form caused by getting her skin cold. Hers can come on in minutes and goes again over a few hours after she gets warm again.

 

The problem is that urticaria is a description of a symptom, rather than a cause of an issue. All sorts of things can cause urticaria, from the red mark left behind after you scratch to a serious life threatening anaphylactic allergy. Urticaria is just a description of what happens to your skin when a histamine moderated inflammatory process starts in your skin, but the diagnosis doesn't state anything about the thing that has triggered the histamine response, and you may never find out what started it off if it's a one off occurrence. We are only aware of what has caused our family urticarias because we have a recurrent form and have time to find our triggers and eliminate them.

 

I hope you get to the bottom of what's causing your problems so that you can move on from it and that you feel better soon.

Edited by medusa

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I have been getting it for about 8 yrs....i really hate it.

I only get it when i get hot...

If i wear shorts i dont get it as much,if i do anything inside while the heating is on it

gets really bad and very blotchy/itchy...

i have also been given benadryl but it only stops the itching(i still get loads of red dots)..

some say get a very hot shower on a morning to bring out the rash and you should be ok all day...

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Mine is just a rash but no itching. It started because of a reaction to some prescribed drugs for a stomach ulcer.

 

The doctor rather flippantly told me it could last years. I have been taking anti histamines for about a year and a half but it seems to be starting to go (it was only sporadic ).

 

Its a slow process but hang on it there. There is hope that it will get better.

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the benedryl helps with the itching i guess, but it doesn't stop them flaring up or getting bigger. I have had something new everyday for 3 weeks. When the rashes go down, they leave a bruise. They get so big. The one on my leg yesterday was huge i could hardly walk it was so sore and painful.

 

I just want to be able to have a glass of wine to be honest, but i can't drink whilst taking these tablets!

 

Its getting me down, as i am not sure what i should eat. I have tried looking online for foods i should avoid, but all the websites contradict each other. Has anyone got any ideas?

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I had urticaria more than 20 years ago and until I read your post had forgotten about it.

So the good news for you from me is that it stopped all of a sudden and I couldn't tell you why.

When I had it, it was brought on by exercise (both running and DIY around the house) and exposure to the cold so it affected my wrists, hands and fingers and thighs/knees with blotchy swellings and painful joints because of the swelling.

I think I took anti-histamine tablets to alleviate the symptoms.

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If they are prescribing benedryl then they must feel this will be helped by antihistamine treatment.

 

I suffered with all types of swelling and itching allergic reactions for the last 35 years. I have found something that has been a God send the last ten years.

 

It is zantac and zyrtec. Both are over the counter medications here now. When I started they were both prescription. The OTC and generic all seem to work just as well. These are both antihistamine medications though they work in a little different way and when used together they multiply the effectiveness of both many times. The doctor said they do not always benefit every one the same but for me it has been a miracle.

 

Zantac is prescibed most times for stomach acid reflux but it works by muting the body's "allergic" reaction to food in the stomach whick produces acid for digestion. It is an antihistamine.

 

Zyrtec is a comonly prescibes antihistamine for long term use to combat seasonal allergies.

 

Take as normally directed on both medications but take both. These types of meds take a few days to build up a working level of dosage in your system so do not stop taking them just if it seems they are not working the first day or two. I don't start to notice any return of symptoms unless I forget to take them for several days and now I've been using both for over ten years and only need a half dose daily. They are recomended maximum of twice daily but I only need one tab of each, once a day to stay symptom free and they are relatively inexpensive here at least.

 

I'd use them at least a week before begining to think the regimen was not going to help.

 

They do not make you sleepy or drowsie like benedryl does.

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Thanks Jack, i will mention those tablets when i see the rheumotologist on the 26th aug.

The doc has given me some cetirizine to take, one at night or in the morning as well as my benedryl.

Its driving me nuts at the moment. got a new patch on my elbow and the top of my thigh. wooop. just something new everyday. plus i am itching like crazy. had a cardiac ultrasound this morning, and things are looking ok there, which is good, as i am only 22yrs old!!

 

i appreciate any advice. does anyone know what i should avoid eating?? as the websites on urticaria and angioedema are often contradicting.

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no one has said it is definately urticaria and angioedema, but the doc mentioned that the rashes look like urticaria.

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well i still have it. currently my eye lids are red and swollen. my lip was swollen a few days ago, and then it spread to my cheek. went to the hospital and they just said to worry if my tongue or lips swelled up. had something new everyday for 5 weeks now. reallly really really down and getting depressed now. sick of not knowing what is causing it, and annoyed i have to wait until the 26th for my blood results for anyone to do anything. they might even come back negative, and then what?

sorry for rambling, just don't know what to do anymore. still taking 3 benedryl a day, and it isn't preventing it so don't see why i am even taking them.

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I started having random swelling in March 2009. Lips, eyelids, cheeks, back of hand, etc. Started off like once every couple of weeks, and then by August it was once or twice a week. Finally went to the allergist and they tested me for everything they could. There were no allergic reactions found. Dr. diagnosed angioedema, prescribed an epi-pen, and sent me off for some blood tests. A couple of the bood tests were testing for thyroid function (T3 & T4). The T4 level came back low, so the Dr. sent me to an endocrinologist. Endocrinologist reviewed my blood tests, gave me an exam and decided to try thyroid replacement (Synthroid) for a month. He explained that the Sythroid will take awhile to build up in the system so I'll take the drug for a month and then do additional blood tests. After the 1st week of Synthroid, I have not had a swelling episode. It's been over three weeks that I have not had any swelling, not even a "tingle". I also noticed I'm sleeping better (I havent had a dream in years, and now I dream again), have more energy, a lost a few pounds and have no depression. Evidently there is a link between angioedema and hypothyroidism. I hope some of this info is helpful.

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Hi alanS, so sorry only just replying! I didn't realise anyone had responded to my thread!

Well, yesterday i was diagnosed with Idiopathic Urticaria and Angioedema. They didnt do any allergy tests, as i often wake up with bad swelling which apparently means it isnt related to food. They have prescribed me with fexofenadine now instead of benedryl. Will see how this goes. Yesterday was a bad day, woke up and all the right side of my face was swollen and huge, including my lip. it spread across my face during the day and had lots of rashes. boooooo!

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