Thursday afternoon I broke out with a horrible case of Hives. At first, I thought I was having an allergic reaction to the fish I ate for lunch, but I have eaten fish my whole life and never had a bit of trouble with it. I had also had the same fish a couple weeks before and had no reaction. It was down right perplexing.
I went to the store and bought some Benedryl, but it had no effect on the hives. By Saturday night it had gone to the bottom of my feet and the palms of my hands. It actually itched under my nails. I got no sleep at all. Sunday morning, my voice started to go and the glands in my throat were swelling. I was also having ringing and soreness in my ears. When my heart started skipping all over the place, I told my husband it was time for a blessing and the ER. I know I should have had the blessing sooner, but silly me, put it off.
A good friend of ours came over and helped my husband with the blessing and then we were off to the ER. When we finally got in to see the doctor, he could find nothing wrong (other than the allergy symptoms). He asked all kinds of questions and checked me out thoroughly, but found nothing. Because the reaction had gone to the hands and feet, he said it didn't sound like a food allergy. Plus, the Benedryl should have taken care of that.
After a few minutes, he stood and went to the counter, leaned against it, looked at his chart and said "I think you're allergic to yourself."
My husband and I looked at each other. Then I turned back to the doctor. "What did you say?"
Again he said I was allergic to myself. The only thing he could figure out was that I might have had a viral infection and when my body released the antibodies to fight it, it released too many and my body reacted as if it were allergic, by releasing histamines, thus causing the hives and other problems.
So, I got a massive dose of anti-inflammatory (in the behind...OUCH) and he sent me home with steroids and some other meds to fight the reaction. So, now it is Tuesday, and I am feeling much, much better. I'm so glad I don't itch any more. I'm sure the doctor was correct in his diagnosis, but...I'm still not having fish for lunch. I may never eat fish again.
That sounds horrible. I'm glad you're feeling better!
ReplyDeleteMy son had a case of really bad hives once after a virus. The doctor told us that viruses release toxins as they are dying. If they all die at once, the toxins can build up and you can react to it.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are feeling better!
Oh, my goodness! What a horrifying experience, Christine. I feel awful you had a rough week. :(
ReplyDeleteI know all too well the itching thing- I too had something similar happen, and Dr's didn't know what was wrong. I thought it was the baby laundry soap, Dreft, I'd used and to this day I'm way to scared to try using that soap. I doubt it really was the soap but still I'm much to frightened to even try!
I'm glad you feel much better!
Weird!
ReplyDeleteBut you know, I have experienced the same thing. Still weird though.
Glad you're feeling better!
Ouch. That sounds terrible. I'm sorry you had to go through it. Hope you're all the way better soon.
ReplyDeleteHi there, my name is Chelsea (age 16)and I'm from England.
ReplyDelete6 months ago I had very serious hives, head to toe to the point that I could not get out of bed (antihistamines are the best). At first we thought that it was dairy products because it got so serious that I could go into Anaphalatic shock however blood tests were done and the news came out...
I am allergic to my own antibodies, I have an under-reactive thyroid gland and I'm very Aneamic. Basically I am allerigc to myself This is a very serious disease which could cause damage to my organs etc.
For your hives-I recommend Pititon twice a day and a cream called Aqueous cream- a godscent.
get well soon, love from Chelsea, age 16
I am also allergic to myself. Most of the time, my breakouts are caused by stress and heat. Cold, however, really seems to help with both the swelling and the itching. When my symptoms first started, my feet were so swollen I had to crawl because it hurt too much to walk. Benadryl works, Zyrtec works, and some asthma medications work. Hope this helps and good luck
ReplyDelete