My daughter, who has always had very sensitive, dry skin, has been breaking out in hives off and on for three days now. I've not changed detergent or tried any new foods. She'll wake up fine, but then a few hours later, be all blotchy, on her face, on her legs, her bottom, her back....some of them get so huge it's like you can see no normal skin. Benadryl is helping, and interestingly, they will often go away on their own. For example, we were at the park yesterday when she started breaking out really bad. By the time we got home, everything was gone and looked like nothing had ever been there. She has no food/animal allergies that I'm aware of, though she is obviously reacting to something. Has anyone been through this before and found it to be related to something else? Like a virus or something? She did have strep a few weeks ago, but she hasn't had any antibiotic in over 10 days. I feel so bad for her. I'm going to give it another day or so to see if it's something that needs to run its course or if avoiding the cat or the grass help at all. I don't think it's food related cause her reaction would be very delayed if it was. It all just seems so random. Any advice? Thanks Mommas.
Hi C. M.,
I would talk to her pediatrician about this and maybe have an allergy test done on her. I had one years ago and I found out that I'm allergic to all of the grasses that grow here in Arizona, plus a lot of other stuff as well. I hope that she feels better really soon!
I. K.
Hi, was it cold out when she got them at the park? Hives started for me out no where when I was 18 yrs. For years, I broke out and didn't know what it was, after many Dr. visits one finaly diagnost me with Cold induced syndrome, every time I get cold I get hives as soon as I warm up there gone, he put and Ice cube on my arm and a hive appeared. I now have to take a claritin to help if I will be in cooler weather, I even get them in the shower when I get out.
I've had bouts of hives here and there for some time... although, not lately.. but when I did.. here is what I did... one... you do break out more when the body is heated so I can see why your daughter had a spell while at the park.... (hives love heat) two... I drank lots and lots of water.. it helps the body regulate itself more properly to fend off those hives. two.. chlorine............. it's in our water supply.. I bought a shower filter that takes it out.. hence, my skin is a happy camper.. I highly recommend the filter.. it also helps so that the skin doesn't get as dried out.. Also, we have a down comforter on our bed.. being as the hives like the heat, too many heavy covers can trigger a spell of itching...... therefore, the down keeps you warm but is much lighter and your skin can breathe more readily...
don't forget too.. that sodium laurel sulfate which is in most shampoos is VERY harsh on the skin... while it does make bubbles.. it does so at the price of one's skin.. I would consider using shampoos that don't have that in them..
my best to you
There are several factors that can make allergic reactions really hard to pin down:
Allergies can begin at any time, or fade away at any time during your lifetime.
There are often seasonal components, like plants that pollinate at certain times of year, wind that either clears the air or brings pollutants from other areas, getting cold or hot or exposed to sun, and so forth.
Symptoms may be immediate or delayed. Some food allergies show up hours later. And this can change over time.
Many allergies also have an emotional component – worse when excited, anxious or angry, for example. I have discovered that I wheeze a bit in the presence of most animal danders, but if I am feeling distress and trying to cover it up and appear calm, I can get a whopper of an asthma attack. So, emotions can be an additional, complicating cause.
I've had many severe allergies and sensitivities over my life. I have had some real improvement with homeopathy, to the point that I don't have to use benadryl or other OTC treatments any longer. You might consider consulting a pediatric homeopath if her problems become too intrusive or limiting.
Have you had her allergy tested. My daughter has been having puking issues and her peditrition didnt want to run any tests. I hadnt introduced any new foods that I could think of. I know hives and puking are not the same. However my insurance allows me to make my own referals. So I took her to the ear nose and throat doctor. He told me it sounded like allergies. So we had the skin test done for pollen, and a blood test for food. Turns out she is allergic to a few pollens we are still waiting on the food ones.
Get her tested, if she keeps breaking out make sure you watch her breathing.
My brother was allergic to viruses when he was younger. Weird, right? My 4 year old also breaks out whenever he gets sick. Well, most of the time when he gets sick. We are also finding that he is allergic to Penicillin products, and 10 days of Amoxicillin for an ear infection is no good for him.
I'd definitely get her tested so you know what to avoid. Poor kiddo. Hives are no fun at all.
My daughter and I both have what is called Dermographia. Not much you can do about it either other than what you have been doing already. Our symptoms are not as serious as some, but is very noticable especially if we have been stressed. I had my worse case when I was in boot camp, and they had no idea what it was and tried doing an allergy skin test which showed nothing. They decided to give me a lot of benydryl and it went away slowly (about a week) they were just giant welts.
I am a skin care consultant and believe that you should change the Detergent as well as use the organic baby products
I would recommend using Legacy of clean and Kozy Kids products because they are organic and are skin friendly
More information can be viewed on this link
http://www.amway.com/goodlifeshopping?lng=EN
You can also email me at ____@____.com
Hope this helps
Hives are really tricky. Sometimes you may never know the cause, unfortunately. My son went through this too and it lasted on and off for about six months. One time, he had one so huge it covered his entire trunk! It was scary. I don't know what set them off but after a couple of months or so, it seemed that every time he had a fever they would start up. We treated him with antihistamines too and did allergy tests but even that was mostly inconclusive because nothing major had changed. I've heard of several cases where they are brought on by stress. My doc always said that they usually just do their best to treat them but finding the cause can be impossible. They did slowly start to go away and would pop up one or two sporadically but once they stopped, that was it. For the record, that was about 2 1/2 years ago and he hasn't had any since. Good luck!
My daughter went through hives about a month ago. They never did figure out what caused them. After a few days we started giving her Zyrtec instead of Benadryl because it is 24 hours and doesn't make you sleepy. They stopped after a couple weeks.
80% of hives cases don't have a definitive cause. I have had them for 11 years with no clue as to the cause. I had the allergy tests with no real reaction to anything, I have tried new products supposedly safe for skin and had them, I went on the reduction diet down to chicken and lettuce and still had them. Now I take Zyrtec once daily and generally don't have them and if I get them they are manageable. They were so bad at one point, I was scratching till I bled. Talk to your pediatrician about a once daily med for a few weeks to get them under control. If they go away for a week you can stop the med till they come back. Unfortunately as soon as I stop, they come back.
This summer, my son suddenly became allergic to Red Dye #40. Rather, his allergy suddenly changed from an external one (it made his nose itch if he got it on his face) to an internal one -- even small amounts made him itch on one portion or another of his body, and even all over his body. It took him about half an hour from ingestion to itching, and about a day to clear it up. Do you know how many foods have Red 40 in them??? Most types of candy, and many sports drinks, cereal, and even ice cream have it in them -- basically, anything red, orange, purple or pink will have it in there, as well as many yellow and brown things -- even some brands of *white* frosting have it, to give it a slight beige look. And it's not limited to foods: the first thing that he had that made him react this way was a motion sickness pill that had flecks of red in it, most forms of Benadryl (brand, generic, tablets, capsules, or liquid) has red 40 in it, and even chewable vitamin C often has it in there! The things I reach for first, for an allergic reaction (vita C for mild reactions, Benadryl for worse ones) would make my son's reaction worse!
Why do I bring up my son's allergy? Just as an example of a common ingredient that is in many things, including things that you wouldn't necessarily think would have it, that could cause a reaction like this. And because it suddenly changed -- one week he was able to eat stuff with Red 40 in it with no problem, and then the next, even a tiny amount made him itch.
So, I would suggest keeping a food diary of when she eats what she eats, and also keep track of the detergents and other body products that your daughter may come in contact with, and also keep track of what time of day the hives break out, and see if you can find a common denominator. It may be that the Lucky Charms she has been eating all her life is now making her have hives, because of the Red 40, Yellow #5, or some other ingredient in it. It's possible that the strep triggered an immune change, or lowered her body's system/defenses so that she is now vulnerable to some ingredient (in food or detergent or soap) that she was fine with before. [We moved halfway across the country right before my son's Red 40 allergy changed, and I think that may have triggered it somehow -- something about this climate or something may have changed him.] But if you keep such a list/diary, you may be able to track down the cause(s).
