Weird Allergy?!
Question: I have been getting hive almost everyday on my hands, knees, and feet. I went to the doctor and he told me that I am actually allergic to anything cold, including air, coming into contact with my skin. So If I go outside and it's cold, I get hives. If I am injured and put ice on myself, I get hives. It's so annoying, apparently only 3% of the world has this. My doctor told me to take an allergy pill everyday to stop the hives, but it's not working. I have tried Benadryl and Allergra with no effect.
This is so hard on me. I get so itchy sometimes I cry. The only thing that really works so far is running burning hot water on the affected area. I can't go outside without it happening, so I am like a prisoner in my own home.
I was wondering if anyone knew anything that would help me, like a different allergy pill or some type of treatment. My doctor was actually laughing like it was a joke and 'oh well, you'll have to just live it'... so please help me if you can.
Answers: I have been getting hive almost everyday on my hands, knees, and feet. I went to the doctor and he told me that I am actually allergic to anything cold, including air, coming into contact with my skin. So If I go outside and it's cold, I get hives. If I am injured and put ice on myself, I get hives. It's so annoying, apparently only 3% of the world has this. My doctor told me to take an allergy pill everyday to stop the hives, but it's not working. I have tried Benadryl and Allergra with no effect.
This is so hard on me. I get so itchy sometimes I cry. The only thing that really works so far is running burning hot water on the affected area. I can't go outside without it happening, so I am like a prisoner in my own home.
I was wondering if anyone knew anything that would help me, like a different allergy pill or some type of treatment. My doctor was actually laughing like it was a joke and 'oh well, you'll have to just live it'... so please help me if you can.
You aren't alone. Hives can be a terrible affliction and when they affect the way you live it is yucky. I had hives for over 5 years triggered by pressure, heat, cold, exercise, vibrations and sunlight. They can be controlled in most cases and the doctor best suited to help you is an allergist. You have to take some extra antihistimines or maybe an asthma medicine to get them under control or controlled to a bearable level. Find an allergist who will work with you til they are controlled.
Mine went away when I went on a gluten free diet. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley and causes problems through an autoimmune disease called celiac disease. It might be worth the time to get tested for celiac disease and gluten intolerance. That would be a blood test at first and maybe an endoscopy. Keep eating gluten until you get tested but if the tests are negative, you might try a gluten free diet for a month or two to see if that helps.
I have been gluten free for 5 years and still hive free too.
Good luck and hang in there!! Hope they stop soon. Contact me if you need answers or anymore suggestions.
You can try different allergy meds, anything that has an antihistamine, like claritin, benedryl, allegra, zyrtec. If the Allegra isn't helping, your doctor should be able to prescribe different antihistamines, or provide samples of different things for you to try. Perhaps you need to find a different doctor. Unfortunately, allergy meds are the only known treatment for cold induced urticaria.
Breathing cold air can trigger nasal congestion and even wheezing. Sometimes this is a purely physical effect and happens in two ways.
First, cold air affects an important defense mechanism called mucus transport. The entire respiratory system is coated with a very thin mucus blanket. Cold air stimulates an increase in mucus production. In addition mucus (like other substances), becomes thicker in colder temperatures.
The second area where cold air physically affects respiratory health is in the nose tissue itself. The hardy nose is a remarkable organ designed to condition inhaled air to protect the delicate internal structures. When breathing through the nose, you may breathe in air at 40 or 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but within a quarter of a second, the air temperature is quickly brought to 98.6 degrees. Many tiny blood vessels, known as capillaries, bring about this temperature exchange. When a person breathes cold air, the tissues lining the nose swell as the capillaries dilate, bringing warm blood to heat the cool air. Swollen capillaries in the nose are the cause of nasal congestion (nasal congestion is backed-up blood, not increased mucus). In addition to the congestion, the mucus in the nose, as we've said, increases and becomes thicker. This happens more in some people than in others. Thus cold air, by itself, can produce both nasal congestion and stuffiness. These can be treated with decongestants and/or antihistamines.
Sometimes the runny nose, congestion, and/or wheezing are a true allergic response to cold temperatures. If this is the case, preventive medicines such as cromolyn (Nasalcrom) or fluticasone (Flonase) can work well for the nose, and cromolyn (Intal), nedocromil (Tilade), fluticasone (Flovent) or the like, can work well to prevent wheezing. A variety of natural remedies have also been proven to help prevent these types of allergies, including quercetin/vitamin C, stinging nettle, saline nose drops, saline eye drops, and a nightly massage.
The immune system is an intricate, interconnected network designed to protect our bodies from the dangers of the world around us, especially the danger of invasion from infectious organisms of all types or from the civil war of our own cancerous cells turned against us. The immune system includes many types of white blood cells, lymph vessels, lymph nodes, a host of specific antibodies, cilia (hair cells for sweeping away unwanted particles), the spleen, tonsils, adenoids, and our largest organ -- the flexible, complex barrier we call skin.
An allergy happens when part of the immune system goes awry. In its enthusiasm to protect us, the response by the immune system is sometimes so exuberant that it is worse than whatever precipitated it. People can develop allergies to a wide variety of things, including pollen, dust, animal dander, foods, and viruses. Some individuals have an allergic response to being in cold air or water.
This allergic response can take several forms, from rashes to wheezing