M
MountainReader
Guest
Last Saturday, I broke out with some severe hives. I haven't had an allergic reaction this bad in about 10 years... and that was to a medication. These hives covered my entire face. It was red and swollen with angry marks through the redness in places. It itched a bit, but was also painful. It felt like my nerve endings were exposed throughout. As I read up on it on the internet, it looks like it was a form of allergic reaction called angioedema. It looks like it is a bit different from typical hives.
I had taken my Allegra D about 1 hour before, but the pharmacist said I was OK to take 2 Benedryl. I took the Benedryl every 4 hours and it took about 36 hours to pretty much clear up. I still have a couple spots that are light red, but they don't hurt anymore.
I have pretty much narrowed my trigger down to one of 4 things, but I'm not sure that I'll ever know what the trigger was. The reaction was after I put on my makeup and lotion for the day. I've been using the same products for years. They are all designed for sensitive skin and recommended by multiple dermatologists I've seen over the years. Today I used the same brand products, but new/different containers/bottles/brushes and didn't have any reactions.
What really scares me is how fast it came upon me and how severe it was. I've had hives before, but nothing like this. They were really bad and I already had antihistamines in my system so they could have been even worse. Makes me wonder when the next attack may hit and how severe it will be next time. I do carry an epi-pen, Benedryl and cortizone cream with me every day as a "just in case" for allergies and asthma, but my allergic reactions seem to have gotten more severe every year. I constantly wonder what's next and how bad it will be.
I had taken my Allegra D about 1 hour before, but the pharmacist said I was OK to take 2 Benedryl. I took the Benedryl every 4 hours and it took about 36 hours to pretty much clear up. I still have a couple spots that are light red, but they don't hurt anymore.
I have pretty much narrowed my trigger down to one of 4 things, but I'm not sure that I'll ever know what the trigger was. The reaction was after I put on my makeup and lotion for the day. I've been using the same products for years. They are all designed for sensitive skin and recommended by multiple dermatologists I've seen over the years. Today I used the same brand products, but new/different containers/bottles/brushes and didn't have any reactions.
What really scares me is how fast it came upon me and how severe it was. I've had hives before, but nothing like this. They were really bad and I already had antihistamines in my system so they could have been even worse. Makes me wonder when the next attack may hit and how severe it will be next time. I do carry an epi-pen, Benedryl and cortizone cream with me every day as a "just in case" for allergies and asthma, but my allergic reactions seem to have gotten more severe every year. I constantly wonder what's next and how bad it will be.