Hives and 1 month until allergy test

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Hi everyone. I sturabled onto this site after several searches regarding hives, and hopefully you can give me some advice.

I have been having terrible hives since the beginning of October. Sometimes I have lip swelling and some eye swelling. I have seen an internist and a dermatologist and they have told me contradictory things, neither of which helped.

I've read through all possible causes of hives, but a food allergy seems to be the most likely to me, since the lip swelling occurs shortly after eating, and the other causes don't seem to be likely. I took it upon myself to make an appointment to have an allergy test, but I couldn't get an appointment until mid-February. I'm on fexofenadine and hydroxyzine, have tried that corabo with zantac as well. The only thing that has actually helped was prednisone, and I've been on 3 courses of it, but the hives always come back once I finish taking them.

This past weekend, after a meal, I had a bad reaction, and my legs have been covered with hives since. I have tried to figure out common ingredients from meals that cause lip swelling, but always find there are times I've had them when I had no obvious reaction. I am now on a diet of vegetables and rice (excluding veggies that are common allergens), but the hives are still as bad as ever (though it's only been a few days). Is it worth trying to continue with this diet? Any advice on how to survive another month?
Thanks for reading.
 
Have you left of fruit as well? The lip issue could be OAS (oral allergy syndrome).
 
I left out all fruit except oranges and lemon, as I didn't link either with lip swelling or an increase in hives. I haven't actually had any lip swelling since I started this diet, and while the hives haven't reduced, they haven't gotten worse either. But I will look into OAS, thanks.
 
Have you considered external causes? Do you use any moisturizers? Soap? Laundry detergent? I can't use any moisturizers or even hydrocortizone cream. It makes my skin worse. Or could it possibly be a reaction to cold? That one is more common than you might think. It could even be a medication you've been on for years.

The strongest antihistamine I've run into is not an antihistamine at all, it's Doxepin. I've been on it 2 days, and it's already made such a difference in my life. It does make me drowsy, but no more so than the hydroxyzine.

And trust the dermatologist, not the internist. Every internist or family doctor I've seen for allergic rashes has made it worse, and the 2 times I saw dermatologists, they figured out the cause.
 
Well I don't really believe either doctor. The dermatologist says it's from a high thyroid level (which is not high), and my internist says it's idiopathic and the hives will go away within 3 months of when it started (which has already passed).

As for cold, I've been working from home, and sometimes go days without going outside (I hate the cold).

I don't use lotion often. It would have to be something in many different kinRAB of soaps because I've had reactions at school and at other houses. But that is something to think about. I had previously dismissed it because the lip swelling was always when I ate, but I also washed my hanRAB.

I'll definitely look into Doxepin. Thanks!
 
Lip swelling is almost always a food allergy thing. But you mentioned you're now getting hives without it? Where are these hives?

Many, many of the soaps you find in public are antibacterial soap, which is an unnecessary evil. It can irritate skin, and it doesn't actually stop disease any better than regular soaps.

I've had a lot of weird hives and rashes over the years. During the spring and summer, I can get hives on my face, ears and neck from pollen exposure. I've had reactions to laundry detergent, hair conditioner, athlete's foot treatments, menthol rub, and medical adhesives. Antibiotics in particular hate me.

I did have a weird food allergy thing going on, where most of the time I could eat seafood and be fine, but occasionally I'd get an allergic reaction. I finally figured it out--I'm allergic to most shellfish raw, but they're fine when thoroughly cooked.

Also, once my skin gets going, it can take weeks to settle back down, even after the original trigger is completely gone. Which makes the trigger harder to pin down.
 
You sound like you've had an especially hard time.
I've never had any problem like this before, no allergies, no skin sensitivity. And I'm vegetarian, so it's definitely not shellfish.
I have heard the thing about it taking up to two weeks for the hives to go away. It's so frustrating, especially when you keep getting re-exposed before they have a chance.

I began getting hives about a week before my lips swelled, and the swelling only happens every once in a while, but always corresponRAB with a surge in hives. I get hives mostly on my legs (from my ankles to my backside, all the way around), but I also get some on my chest, lower arms, and sometimes face and ears.

I am going to try out my antibacterial soap tomorrow. I usually don't use antibacterial, but I got it when I was rehabbing some squirrels and have used it every once in a while. I think it's the only potential external cause.
I'll let you know tomorrow.
 
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