Remains a Mystery

I finally saw the allergist yesterday about those hives. Wouldn’t you know, I haven’t had any hives this week since stopping the Atarax (on day 5 of no med). But it turns out that they do not do the skin test as the allergens they test for do not cause hives (I think that’s what he said). So I didn’t have to stop the Atarax. But for now, I’m staying off to see if the hives come back.

The doctor asked me a bunch of questions, all answered “no.” Many of the questions I’ve already thought of. But he said they have to ask them. I will also get some bloodwork to check thyroid, iron level, etc. Apparently most of the time these tests all come back negative. In other words, for most people, the mystery is never solved. Chronic hives can continue anywhere from 6 weeks to several years, until they “burn themselves out,” as the doctor put it. It is possible mine have burned themselves out; but he seemed to think they would more than likely come back in the next week or so. We shall see.

For now, I have Atarax and Claritin in my arsenal if they do come back. The doctor also gave me some epi-pens to have on hand – because of the face swelling I have had. Another one of those “you’ll probably never need it, but I’d be remiss not to give it to you – just in case.”

So, if the hives never come back and my bloodwork doesn’t reveal anything – it will remain a mystery. But at least it will be over, for now. If either the hives do come back, and/or the bloodwork reveals any issues, I’ll post an update here.

Quick Hive Update

I did finally get an appointment about those hives. The doctor agreed it was quite a mystery what was causing them. She prescribed Atarax, a stronger antihistamine for me to take each night at bedtime. It works, as long as I take it.

Sunday and Monday this week, I decided to experiment to find out if I still needed to take it. I don’t like to take medication if it’s not absolutely necessary. Well, like last time I did that, after the second dose skipped, I awoke in the middle of the night with hives. I couldn’t go back to sleep, so took the Atarax. That was about 2:30 a.m., or so. I was pretty tired this morning, but was able to function. Whew! I don’t think I’ll do that again. I’ll just keep taking the medication until we get this figured out.

I was supposed to get a call regarding an appointment with an allergist. But that never came. So, I’ll have to call the insurance and track it down. In the meantime, I guess I’ll have to do more research on my own. Any suggestions?

Coming soon . . .

I have my in-laws visiting until Tuesday, but plan to jot some things here in the coming week, or so.

• I really have to do something about those blasted hives! Nope, still haven’t made an appointment with the doctor. I suppose that should be my first step – really need to quit ignoring it. Some nights they seem to come on earlier . . . Any other suggestions?
• More recipes! I made a veggie stew this weekend that I hadn’t made in a while that is pretty easy (crock-pot) and is always enjoyed. It is Mediterranean. My usual routine is to have that along with the easy Greek salad, posted earlier, and some olive bread made in the bread maker. Oh, had to make the Greek salad without spinach – none in the stores yet. But it was still delicious.
• Still need to get that raw veggie recipe from my dad. He mentioned it on a recent visit – sounded good and pretty easy, which is always a plus in my book. My step-mom also made a quick and easy desert that is also relatively healthy. I’ve got to get the topping recipe, then I’ll post it here.

I’d love to hear from folks about your favorite quick, easy, healthy recipes. You can post in comments here or send me an email: journeytomom@yahoo.com.

Benadryl Stupor?

Perhaps I should have let the Benadryl wear off before sitting down to write that last post. It’s a little long and a little on the whiny side, isn’t it. I wanted to introduce the topic of food and chemical allergies/sensitivities for future discussion, not whine about my current condition.

I got busy in many directions today and did not call to make that doctor appointment. But I did put myself back on Benadryl at bedtime. So, do I want to see the doctor or research and try to figure it out myself . . . Perhaps I’ll do both. In the meantime, let’s get back to something a little more interesting, shall we? I think my dad has a recipe he wants to post. Dad?

Hives

Several weeks ago I started having hives at night. At first I thought I had been eaten up by mosquitoes, then I realized the second day that they were going away after I was up for a while, then returning at night. This actually started around Labor Day weekend, then I went on a trip. So no doctor has been consulted. After returning from my trip (yeah, they occurred on the trip, too) I looked up hives on the Internet. From there I decided to try Benadryl. That worked, no hives while I was taking Benadryl at all. I took a does of Benadryl every night for about a week and did not have a single episode.

Well, yesterday was the second day of not taking the Benadryl, and sometime in the afternoon, I noticed my hands were very red and irritated. All day I kept applying lotion, and even tried some anti-itch cream to no avail. Well, sometime during the wee hours this morning I woke with my face swelled up, from my upper lip to my eyebrows. I also had some hives on one shoulder and on my back. I tried to lay down and go back to sleep, but my upper lip sticking out freaked me out a little. So around 4 a.m. I took some Benadryl.

That pretty much wiped me out and I was unable to get moving to go to worship this morning. So hubby and son went without me, leaving me in my Benadryl stupor.  It did relieve most of the swelling in my face, my hands are no longer red and itchy, and the hives are gone. But my upper lip still has not returned to normal. So, I guess I’ll have to call and make an appointment in the morning to see the doctor. Sigh.

I had hives once as a kid, about middle school, I think. They appeared and were gone within 24 hours and did not recur. Aside from moving to West Texas and eating conventional meat again, I can’t really come up with anything new in my diet or personal hygiene routine that might be causing this. So, here I go on the health roller coaster to figure out what is going on. Oh joy!