What To Do With Hives

[angmoore]

My daughter, age 8, was diagnoised with celiac disease in March 2006 and diabetes in 2004. Since August she has broke out in hives whenever and where ever. They'll last a couple of hours then reappear in other places. The hives are welty and itchy, they don't look like celiac disease spots, but I'm sure every person is different. I'm looking for ideas for treatment..she's been on antihistimes and steriod treatments. The hives seemed to calm down some, but have not gone away. I haven't been able to track down the source, or even if it is from a food or external item. Any ideas??

[Izak's Mom]

My daughter, age 8, was diagnoised with celiac disease in March 2006 and diabetes in 2004. Since August she has broke out in hives whenever and where ever. They'll last a couple of hours then reappear in other places. The hives are welty and itchy, they don't look like celiac disease spots, but I'm sure every person is different. I'm looking for ideas for treatment..she's been on antihistimes and steriod treatments. The hives seemed to calm down some, but have not gone away. I haven't been able to track down the source, or even if it is from a food or external item. Any ideas??

My friend Susie has/had chronic urticaria since grade-school and unfortunately has never figured out what the deal was...although, she's in her late 20s now and maybe has only one bad breakout a year. But I know she used to just take prednisone when she'd get them. I'm sure you've already done some researching, but there are are some other Open Original Shared Link for it (if what she has is chronic and not acute). Oy - good luck with figuring out what's up. I sometimes get a hive or two on my face for no apparent reason, or on my hands if I'm peeling shellfish or touching something allergenic (cat hair does it to me), but they don't last longer than a day or two...although they're definitely welty & itchy. I just use some topical calamine and hope it/they go away.

[wolfie]

This has happened to me in the past, too. Before I went gluten-free, I would get hives for no apparent reason. I went to the dr and they put me on prednisone. They went away until I was done with the steroids. Then I went to an allergist. He put me on Claritin and as long as I take that, the stay away for the most part. If I don't take my Claritin for a few days sometimes they come back, but it has been a long time since that has happened. Come to think of it, I don't think it has happened since I went gluten-free...hmmmmmm?!

Does your DD take an antihistamine on a daily basis? Has she seen an allergist?

[angmoore]

A 'regular' doctor put her on Zyrtec, but we haven't seen much improvement. Tomorrow I'm going to call and see if he can get me an appointment with an allergist. Do we have to be refered to see a specialist?

What's weird is that she has never broke out in hives until this fall. Her celiac disease symptoms were the gas, bloating, severe stomach aches, etc., etc. The first week of going gluten-free was heaven because we finally got a full nights sleep. I know that we are not 100% gluten free yet, but I thought we were making strides. This hives thing has been a real pain in the neck for her (sometimes literally)- she's been a good sport about it. We're 90 miles from her Diabetic and celiac disease doctors, but we have a diabetic appt coming up, so I hope we can either see a dermatologist or allergist the same day. Thanks for the help. I have felt so helpless, but we'll get on top of this yet.

[lindalee]

My daughter, age 8, was diagnoised with celiac disease in March 2006 and diabetes in 2004. Since August she has broke out in hives whenever and where ever. They'll last a couple of hours then reappear in other places. The hives are welty and itchy, they don't look like celiac disease spots, but I'm sure every person is different. I'm looking for ideas for treatment..she's been on antihistimes and steriod treatments. The hives seemed to calm down some, but have not gone away. I haven't been able to track down the source, or even if it is from a food or external item. Any ideas??

You didn't say where the hives are but I get those blotches if the product has sodium Laurel Sulfates in them. Unusally mine would be on neck, stomach, or back. Also heat sometimes affects me that way. I'm cold natured so it would be in the summer heat.

[azmom3]

My 10 year old just starting getting hives about 2 months ago and has had them almost every day since. He had never had them prior to this. He usually gets anywhere from 2-10 at a time. They last 4-5 days, go away, and then a day or two later, they show up somewhere else. He's had them on his legs, back and eyelids, but nowhere else. I took him to an allergy doctor who did a skin test, testing him for 24 different things, other than food. He had very severe reactions to a about 6 things and moderate reactions to about 8 others. These are things he's been around his whole life though, so I dont' think this is the problem. The dr. put him on zyrtec, but did say it can take several weeks before we see an improvement. How long has your daughter been on it? My son has been under a lot of stress lately with a couple deaths in the family and problems with his teacher, so part of me thinks that might be it, but we're just kinda waiting and watching right now. The best thing that works for us right now though is frozen washcloths. I wet them, put them in a ziploc baggie, and freeze them. I usually have about 4-6 in there at a time. You have to wet it again to thaw it a little when you take it out if it's completely frozen. You want it ice cold, but so you can bend the washcloth to the shape you need (around the leg or whatever). It takes the itch out almost immediately. He'll fall asleep with ice packs and then I take them away once he's sleeping. We take the washcloths in the car with us too when the hives are bad. Sorry, I don't have any other advice, but hope this helps as a temporary fix.

[teebs in WV]

Both Claritin and Zyrtec have definitely helped me. I do not know what the source of my hives was, but I bet it is the Dapsone that I take for my DH. When I was a child, I used to get tiny little water-filled blisters on my elbows and knees that itched like crazy. This was typically only in the spring and fall, and our old family doctor chalked it up to seasonal allergies. I don't know if it was DH outbreaks way back then (I am 40 now), but it does make sense that it was allergies too.

I hope both of your children grow out of this. It is truly miserable for an adult, and for a child it must be so much worse.

[RiceGuy]

I know that we are not 100% gluten free yet, but I thought we were making strides.

Hmmm...some people really find that those last little things you don't normally think of can trigger all sorts of reactions. I found my shampoo was making me react, when before being gluten-free it didn't. I switched to a gluten-free shampoo and that made a noticeable difference. Before going gluten-free I had once tried a different soap, and what a mistake that was! I actually got a sinus condition and headache from it. Don't overlook laundry detergents and dryer sheets too. I also know someone who reacts to certain synthetic fibers, and a person who can't touch tomato plants without breaking out in a rash within minutes. Not being 100% gluten-free is asking for trouble, as many others here can tell you.

I once opened the box for a large toy to put it together for someone - I was tossing my cookies not ten minutes later! I figured it was probably some fumes from the new plastic, though I hadn't noticed anything unusual or strong smelling. Once the pieces sat out for awhile I had no reaction to them. So basically, just don't ever think "nah, that can't be it". Anything could be a suspect at this point. Carpet fibers, bedding, pet dander, bubble bath soap. It could also be from food. I read that rashes can occur from too much niacin or iodine, so take a look at those things. Maybe switch to a natural salt with no added iodine. Watch for kelp, as it is loaded with iodine - many times that of the typical food.

Another possibility may be a vitamin deficiency, such as B12. Even if her level tests ok, that may not be definitive enough. There are other indicators besides the level of B12 in the blood, and those may be better indicators, as I recall reading that the body will rob B12 from other places to keep up the level in the blood. It seems Celiacs often have a deficiency of B12, even if the food has adequate amounts. This vitamin is important for so many things, including the digestion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. So not having enough might mean that some molecules aren't being broken down properly, and end up in the bloodstream because of the damage to the intestinal wall. This will then be a toxin to the body, from which a reaction might very well result. That's what made me think of this.

Of course, the standard food intolerances should also be considered, even if they haven't been a problem up to now. Things like dairy, casein, lactose, eggs, soy, corn, peanuts, tree nuts, etc. I also wouldn't doubt that the type or brand of even something seemingly innocent like rice could do it. It might be a good idea to list the things she eats and whatever food allergies you know of, for others to comment on. She might have developed a new allergy to something too. Many on this board can testify to that possibility. Does she have prepackaged breads or homemade? What cereals does she eat if any? Again, you need to adhere to a 100% gluten-free diet and anything she comes in contact with like skin/hair care products.

I hope you get this figured out soon!