I am experiencing my third bout of hives. The first time was in 1980. I was traveling on an extended vacation. Mount St Helen erupted and I was covered in hives within two to three days. They lasted for about a year. The second episode occurred after we had Hurricane Isabel. They were extremely severe, scratching until my body was covered with scabs secondary to bleeding from digging to control the itching. I went on multiple medications including prednisone, which caused problems with my diabetes. I took Ranitidine to knock them out. Then, approximately six weeks ago, within 30 miles from our home, we had tornado come through. Suddenly I am covered in hives. They are head to toe. The itching is most intense on my shoulders and trunk of body plus the ankles. I have been on Ranitidine for maintenance since then. Published: June 23 ::

I am currently suffering my first experience with hives. I woke up one morning, and out of the blue, I was covered in them from my shoulders to my feet. I tried calamine lotion and Benadryl. My face swelled up a couple times, and I went to the urgent care clinic, where I was given a steroid shot and an Rx for hydroxyzine and Zantac. I'm taking those twice a day, and I'm exhausted constantly. I haven't found a doctor who thinks they can help me. I guess I'm on my own with these meds. I just hope the hives go away soon. They are always the worst in the morning, so I think it's something in my bed, although I've switched out everything since the hives started. Published: June 25 ::

My husband suffers from hypothyroidism, is overweight (all in the middle), and 57 years old. He has had good health until his thyroid medication was changed. He immediately developed severe hives on his back (the size of silver dollars and raised) and a peanut allergy. He has had to be hospitalized with his tongue so swollen it was obstructing swallowing and breathing from the peanut allergy. The hives have been dormant for several months, but have just reappeared for no apparent reason. The only things that we can relate to time of the reappearance is that he took cascara sagrada, 1 capsule-2 days; his basal temperature had dropped so Armour was increased by 60mg. We do not know if this is the actual trigger. So far he has hives, no tongue swelling, but we are in fear it is to follow. Is there any way to reverse what the medication has done? Published: June 25 ::

I am 32 and have never had any skin problems of any type before. I jumped out of bed one night and thought there was a spider in my bed biting me. I got raised, itchy "bites" that itched like crazy. Turns out that they were hives. I have gone to two doctors and my allergist and they have all said the same thing "95% of the time we will never find out why this is happening". I find that hard to believe in our age of technology. I break out every other day or so. They are not unbearable, but they are really making me mad. Published: June 25 ::

I have small itchy collection of swollen bumps on my arm. Over the next month the hives would appear anywhere. At first it seemed brought on by contact with objects (I have since learned that those are called physical hives as opposed to allergic hives). But it doesn't always occur that way. Right now my wrist and hand are itchy with hive clusters. I take Claretin but that isn't working as well as it used to. I feel like a big itchy mess and I am so tired of scratching. Published: June 25 ::

I am in a hive outbreak now and have been for three weeks. I have experienced this before; it is miserable. I have visited dermatologists and allergists and no one can diagnose what it is. The only thing that helps is prednisone. Benadryl makes me sleepy, and doesn't work fast enough. It seems as if the hives sit dormant for about five years for me and then appear and stick around for a few months and then go away. I just wish there were something out there to make them go away! Published: June 23 ::

I sometimes break out in small red hives in my nape area for no particular reason. If I am nervous or extremely angry I will break out in large, red, boil looking hives along my forearm. I have always wondered if it could be an allergy to adrenaline. I was diagnosed with allergies and asthma at 18 months old. But I only seem to have symptoms to mold, nervousness and anger. Published: June 20 ::

I am 26 and got hives from scalp to toes for one week, had swollen lips and trouble swallowing went to ER and got an iv with 4 meds and by the next morning they went away. Then my 19 month old got them on the following afternoon, still ongoing, and scary. Published: June 20 ::

For the very first time in my life I have had the horrific experience of "hives." Coincidentally, I am also fighting a battle to ban the use of pesticides up and down the coast of Main where summer residents from "away" apply the same toxic pesticide/fertilizer combination to their lawns that many golf courses use and where it is a documented fact that grounds keepers suffer high incidents of cancers, skin diseases, prostate ailments, etc. These chemicals also kill fish, birds, bees and domestic pets. We should be looking at the use of pesticides as the culprit in diagnosis ing "hives." Even my dog is suffering from skin ailments for which she is being treated with steroids. How stupid are we to allow this poisoning to go on? Published: June 19 ::