Does anyone know anything about urticaria ?

16 Jan 2008

The reason i'm asking is i have in the last month or so been formaly diagnosed as having chronic urticaria syndrome. Now im told this is reasonably rare which is why not alot is known about it. Now it wont kill me which is good but its driving me crazey and the meds are spaceing me out and making me feel unwell most of the time but they do seem to limit the symptoms tho not to a bareable level most of the time.
Now ive been told that i could have this for life or it could disappear tommorow,so with that in mind i decided to see if i could find any information on the net.......theres very little out there and hardly any thing at all from people who have/had had/or know someone that has had this syndrome. As info from folk that are close to the syndrome might be able to give me some helpfull tips ect on how they deal and live with it.
Which is why im asking here and also cross posting,as any infor or helpfull tip's would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Nicky
xxxxx

16 Jan 2008

this is a severe allergic reaction in a nutshell,could be caused by any number of situations,eg you may have come into contact with animal skin or fleas or some fungul related condition that your immune system has over reacted to. what ever your circumstances are it is probally something new. I have had this before its old fashioned name is hives, prescribed piriton tabs and hydro cortisone cream. hope this helps karlos-heap

16 Jan 2008

Have you been checked for Hashimoto desease? (sp?) Im sure that some people can have that as well when they do further tests.
I think one of the gals I used to work with had this, made her life a misery at the time. Im not in contact with her anymore though or I woud have asked her about it.
Hope you get some treatment that helps ease it Nicky and lovely to see you posting, not seen you in ages kiss

:kiss:

16 Jan 2008

hope these are of some help.

16 Jan 2008

I'm sure you Googled for it and got lots of useful/less useful information. I use to look stuff like this up. what it has for your condition. Good luck sorting it out. :therethere:

16 Jan 2008

The reason you are asking the obvious question, is because there is no clinical answer to provide you with. Otherwise all would have been explained quite succintly at the time you needed it.
Urticaria is one of many conditions which humans can succumb to. It falls inot the category of incomplete explanation simply because its not life threatening and therefore less research has been appointed to it.
Subsequently the general opinion is non specific, because those who you would hope would know, just don't really know enough about it yet.

16 Jan 2008

My Mum was recently told she has it :cry:
Actually on Christmas Eve it was so bad I took her to Hospital, they told her "something" had bitten her and prescribed tablets that were for bee stings and allergic reactions (can't remember what they were called - blame the brandy)but it didnt get any better!
When the Docs opened after Christmas she went to see him, with a wrist the size of a bus and severe pain. He sent her as an emergency appointment to a dermatologist who told her she had Urticaria. He gave her more of the same tablets and told her to take one each and every day.
They have worked, so far!!!!
She was told, they don't know what causes it and they don't know how to stop it but these anti-allergic tablets help.
Wish I could be more help but I can't
Hope you feel better soon.
Sam xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

16 Jan 2008

I checked Wikipedia and they say there are 2 types - allergic and non-allergic.
Yours sounds like it may be the non-allergic type. I am not medical at all, but if the Urtcaria makes your skin hot and itchy you may find some of the symptomatic treatments for Eczema may ease it. I'm not think hydrocortisone here - that would be up to the doc, but Oilatum is a moisturising suspension you put in the bath and it is very soothing.
Keeping any scented stuff away from the skin may avoid making it unecessarily worse.
Central heating tends to dry the air and that makes any dry/itchy/irritated condition worse, so making sure you have some humidity in the house may help. A dish of water above a radiator makes all the difference.
I hope you get some relief, all the best.

16 Jan 2008

Funny how it's always the diseases that mainly affect women (like endemetriosis and lupus) that little is known about. Almost as if most of the doctors and scientists are men and they're not really interested in women's diseases...

17 Jan 2008

Urticaria is caused by the release of histimine from mast cells.
There are verious things that can cause the mast cells to release histimine, you could be A-topical which means is an allergy related problem.
The mast cells are part of you immune system, so if it detects a protien it doesn't like i will send out the histime to bind to the protien to nutralize it.
I'm A-topical which mean i have over active mast cells and once they deside they don't like something they will never like it. Thing they i have found they effect me are:
Latex
Avocardo
Washing Powder
My own Lungs
Dust Mites
Other things that effect people i know is
Bananas
Kiwi's
Strawberrys
What would be an idea is the keep a diray and they maybe start to change things and see if it is any better and don't forget to include emotional state as this can aslo cause Histimine release

17 Jan 2008

If the drugs aren't working efficiently, go back to your G.P.

18 Jan 2008

Quote by anais
Have you been checked for Hashimoto desease? (sp?) Im sure that some people can have that as well when they do further tests.
I think one of the gals I used to work with had this, made her life a misery at the time. Im not in contact with her anymore though or I woud have asked her about it.
Hope you get some treatment that helps ease it Nicky and lovely to see you posting, not seen you in ages :kiss:

:kiss: Anais
I havent heard of that before so will look it up and bear it mind.
Not been around much as have had loads of personal stuff to deal with plus i dont currently have a broadband connection so am on dial-up.....untill the post office pull finger out of ar*e's and sort it out.
Must catch up soon xxx
And a big thanks to everyone else who has passed on their helpfull hints and tips, its been a great help on a emotional level to know that others who suffer the same can get it under control and learn to live with it in which ever lifestyle they choose. Was begining to think of this condition as a death sentence to my swinging and genral socialising as
A) when in full flare i look like mrs blooby and proberly act like she would.
b) i feel unwell alot of the time or spaced out at the moment.
c)I lost my mojo (which thankfully has been returned to me :twisted: )
d) Was told not to consume alcohol ....At all! Now not drinking isnt a problem to me but not drinking ever whilst i have this condition,which i could have for life :shock: To go out socialy and not have the choice to even have 1 drink (plus im very quiet,shy maybe even a nervous person around folk i dont know or dont know me)to settle me alittle sad

Where as now im feeling alot more up beat and positive, and thats all thanks to you lot :kiss:
Nicky
xxxxx

18 Jan 2008

Opps double posted! redface

18 Jan 2008

Quote by Freckledbird
If the drugs aren't working efficiently, go back to your G.P.

I have a couple of issues with the above,firstly i have some medical training so know that most drugs take time to get in to the system to work as effectivly as they can,also that they can take time to settle in to the system and until that time can cause side effects that will genraly reduce over the first few months.
Im still in that first period and most good gp's wouldnt change meds yet, so i would be wasteing their time and mine requesting such at this stage. That doesnt mean that i have to like it,it means i understand it but also drives me on to find possible other ways to treat this.
My other problem is i hate to take med's long term, now if my life or quality of life depended on it then of course i would be more than happy to walk round sounding like a chinking pill pot smile

BUT
As this condition even medicaly is very little studied or understood i feel i would be doing myself a injustice to not try and learn about it (from people that also suffer or know a sufferer) to see if there are other ways to limit the condition to a bareable one without swallowing pills every day.
So far i have been givern a possible treasure trove of information from the swinging community,that i will evaluate and some that i have already started to experiment with.
I wouldnt be me if i didnt try to find a answer to my problems.
These are my opinions and mine alone and i would never ever encourage that anyone walk in my footsteps. Profesional medical advice should always be sought.
Nicky
xxxxx