Newcomer with hives and swelling from Canada

[Guest guest]

Hello, I'm new to this group. I have had hives and swelling since late

August 2000. Facial angioedema first surfaced in my life after having

dinner at a restaurant. My upper lip began to feel swollen and

blistered as if I had been injected with anesthetic. The whole ordeal

was bizarre and sparked my interrogation of the waiter. I thought I

had had some allergic reaction to food or had contracted some disease

from a dirty glass. The next morning the swelling went down but my

lip still did not look normal. Days later I began noticing spots on my

legs, then my thighs, buttocks, arms, trunk, and well ... you know the

pattern.

Earlier this month, after seeing an allergist/immunologist who ruled

out any allergies and/or underlying disease, I was prescribed Zaditen

(ketotifen) to manage this condition. I was told that the hives will

go away in a year or more and that the drug is only for comfort not

to get rid of the hives. It becomes effective after 10 weeks so I am

still waiting to see what it can do for me.

I have had many sleepless nights due to itching and discomfort, as

many of you can relate. Hives have also made their way to my feet and

soles causing a burning sensation and making it very uncomfortable to

wear socks and shoes. At times, I have had to drive bearfoot to deal

with this life-altering problem.

I am glad to have found this group and I know that I am not alone in

suffering from this condition.

I look forward to participating and can't wait for the day when I am

hive-free.

dgrigoli@...

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

RE naturopath - been there, done that, didn't help me. A few people on the

list have had varying degrees of success going that route. Just be careful -

if anyone promises you a cure, they're probably fake. As for allergists, I

think every one here has at least one horror story they can tell about

dealing with doctors. Keep looking until you find one that will actually

listen to you. If you ever decide to share any info you find through ICUS or

elsewhere on the net, the best way to approach your dr with it is by

printing out articles from actual medical journals. It's more legit in their

eyes. Too many of us have reported that when trying to give info they've

found through this group, they've gotten the old " pat on the head " song and

dance and all the info was been dismissed.

One thing that has helped some of the people here is a yeast free diet.

Seems yeast can cause a lot of problems for some people. As for meds, I'm

not familiar with the drug you're taking. A lot of hivers get relief from

taking H1 and H2 antihistamine combos - eg Zyrtec & Zantac or Atarax and

Tagamet. If you can help it at all, don't let anyone put you on prednisone.

It is a steroid and can cause a lot of problems. There are some cases when

pred is the only option - I've had to take several courses of it over the

years because I sometimes tend to go into " shock " , which is

life-threatening. For me, pred is the only thing that will suppress that.

So, prednisone does has its place, but should be taken with extreme caution.

We've had a few true cures here. In all the cases that I know about, they

were all related to occult (hidden) infections. Dental problems were the

source in most of them. If I remember correctly another lady had CU cause by

a chronic kidney infection. So those are definite things to check into,

especially if you've ever had root canal work or fillings done. There's also

been a link to amalgam fillings and autoimmune disorders - apparently the

mercury in the amalgam can leach out and slowly poison your system.

I'm a little concerned about the lip swelling. Sometimes this one of the

beginning symptoms of shocking - anaphylaxis. It usually progresses quickly

into other symptoms: sore throat, difficulty swallowing, breathing

difficulty, nausea, feeling spacy, dizziness, racing heart, feelings of

impending doom. Have you had any difficulty swallowing or breathing with

this? If so, or if you ever do, go to the emergency room.

Hope some of this helps,

Jackie

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