Hives - South Whitley, IN

J......I get hives when I eat certain things...like shellfish. It could be an allergy to some food. Keep a list of what he eats and when he breaks out. That might be it.

M. B.

Hi J., I have three kid. They range from 8,6, and 10 months old. I have been married for 11 years. lucy who is 10 months gets them but, its because she is alleric to something. Her docter told me to give her benydol too! But, to also keep a diary of what she eats. Lucy has very sentive skin so she only can use a certain products for the bath and laundry. so. he could be allergic to something in the house or a product or food. My oldest son when he was 2 1/2 was dignosed with active airways. we had to have him allery test and found out he is allergic to cats and dogs so, I would see if its something you are doing at night or what hes eating or doing differently?! Good luck! Sorry my spelling is off today! I was up all night with little lucy for she is sick! Thanks H. H.

I was the same way when I was little. I had very sensitive skin. Try putting nothing but 100% cotton on his skin...including his sheets.

You need to wash his clothes/sheets in unscented detergent that is special made for sensitive skin. I have grown out of it and he should too. Good Luck

Hives can occur for several reasons. He might have developed an allergic reaction to a food, drink, a plant he's come in contact with, clothing detergent or fabric softener, etc. Sometimes allergies develop over time, so just because he wasn't allergic to an item before now doesn't mean you can count it out. Additionally, hives can worsen or develop with increased perspiration... like heat rash. Perhaps the extra heat from sleeping makes the symptoms worse.

Hi J.,

If it is just hives and no other reason...
Try putting oatmeal in an old sock, or my favorite one leg of knee hi hose and tie the top in a knot. When you bathe your son, put the oatmeal sock in the water and use it on his skin like a washclothe. Oatmeal is very soothing, organic, inexpensive. If you put it in the sock and tie it, the oatmeal will not clog the drain. Good luck
L.

Hi J.! Ask your doctor if it could possibly be "pityriosis rosea". It looks like hives, and comes out of nowhere. My poor husband has been dealing with it, and the dermatologist said it could last anywhere from 1-3 months, and disappears as quickly as it shows up. He took some erythromycin (antibiotic) that helped considerably, along with a topical ointment called "triamcinolone acetonide 0.1%" which is prescription. It's helped a ton too. It traveled all over his body, except for his hands, face, feet and genitals. Exposure to the sun helps to get rid of it, so off to the tanning bed he went -- which he has never done in his life -- but it helped too. It tends to hang around longer in warmer spots, like under his arms, around his waist, places like that. It's gradually going away, but it's taking a while. They told him that it really doesn't have a cause for showing up, but it could possibly be linked to stress. It's cause is pretty much unknown and it just has to run it's course. Once you get it, you can't get it again. It's also not contageous. I hope that helps. Good luck!

J.,
Have you given your son vitamins? How about any herbal medications? After I had two kidney stones, and several kidney infections I was drinking cranberry juice. My sister suggested that I try herbal cranberry pills. So I bought some and tried it. Well -- I broke out in hives so bad I had to be admitted to the hospital for 3 days, and I missed 2 weeks of work! My doctor told me that I nearly died from this reaction! Now I tell people I am allergic to cranberries and I now longer eat anything with cranberries in it. However, my doctor also told me that herbal medications are not FDA approved, and anything could actually have been in the herbal medication I took. I know this is not what "natural" people want to hear, but I am living proof that sometimes things aren't always what they seem.
D. M

Hi J.,
My daughter would get ear aches for no apparent reason ,found it was a feather pillow that she like to play with. Took it away and no more earaches. Could be something simalar. Especially if it's at night, try to get him to sleep with no pillow and only a cotton sheet. No toys or stuffed animals. then add one thing back at a time and check the results. This may mean some difficult nights but well worth it if you find the source. Good luck God Bless.

Hives can be caused from a variety of things and skin sensitivity can develope at anytime. It may be something outside in the yard, he may have dry skin, he may be developing a reaction to a food. Sometimes too much acidity in fruits etc. can cause them. Like too many strawberries or to much tomato sauce, ketcup, etc. eatten in a day.

I would ask my physician about seeing a Dermetologist. My grandson has sensitive skin and we can never tell what might set it off. There are some lotions you can try to help with the rash and the itch. I find Aloe cream and gel help as does vitamin E cream. Oatmeal baths help a great deal too.

I would try to get to the bottom of it and get a second opinion. I have never heard any physician say, "there isn't really anything you can do with these" and I worked for physicians for over 10 years.

What you are seeing is a break out externally, but I know from my own experience hives can also break out internally and that can cause breathing problems etc. My hives broke out on the inside of my body before they appeared on the skin and I had to have two shots of Adrelin and Hypobrenayl to get the swelling down in my lungs and around my heart. I had never had hives before in my life and was 15 years old. Mine were a reaction to a bee sting (my 13th that summer) and to this day I can not take Bufferin or I get hives because that was something my mother immediately gave me after I pulled the stinger out because I wouldn't let her dig in my foot. For the next 5 years I had to watch tomatoes, grapefruit, and strawberries because if I more than a few strawberries, half a grapefruit, or had more than one helping of tomatoe or tomatoe products in one day I would break out in hives. It was annoying, especially when you consider Pizza is a real food group to teenagers and young adults.

P. R

Have you tried Zyrtec? Since they now sell it to the public without a prescription maybe you should consider it. My son breaks out in hives if the wind changes direction and for years I tried everything until I found Zyrtec. I love it. I know people say it causes drowsiness But I haven't noticed it and my son has been on it for 4 years now. It has been a real life saver for us. If you aren't sure talk to your doctor. Good luck!!

Hi J.,
How miserable your little guy must be. It has been my experience that when things are worse in the morning, something happened overnight to cause irritation. My son had allergies and when I switched laundry products they nearly completely went away. Even though he might outgrow these hives, using non-toxic products will be so good for him and your entire family (you'll save money as well). Here's the line of products I now use. http://www.shaklee.net/changinglives/prodHou
These products were featured last year on Earth Day on the most popular women's show (not legal to use her name).
Hope this helps.

My son has food and airborn allergies. He also gets a rash and itchy. His allergist suggested 1 tsp of liquid zyrtec. It works for 24 hours. It has worked for him really well. I also use cortisone cream once and a while, but what you have to be careful with cortisone cream is that if he gets it in his eyes it can eventually cause cataracs. Good luck.

I just took my son to the ped. the other day for eczema that itches a lot. The nurse practitioner suggested I give my son Zyrtec right before bed to calm the itch. I think it's approved for children 2 and over and it is now OTC. You might try that . . .

I would find a chiropractor in your area that checks for allergies & treats them with herbs. I had to do this for 2 of my kids when conventional medicine couldn't help them. In Lima, Dr. Jones on Jamieson does this & he's wonderful!

My boys have sensitive skin too. We had to change laundry to perfume free/dye free laundry detergent. I only bathe them in Johnson's and Johnson's baby wash. The lotion we use is Johnson's baby soft. Also we had to stop using dryer sheets. Another item I have to be carefull with is bleach. I don't use it on any of their items. Just keep trying to figure it out. It took me along time too.

Hi J.,
My name is M. V. My boys are grown now, but back then A & D ointment worked really well for skin issues.However, I am currently using more eco and family friendly products in my home, made by Melaleuca.They have a variety of products, and the one that comes to mind that may work for you is called Mela-Gel. It's a topical gel filled with natural ingredients, namely melaleuca oil. I'd be happy to provide more information if you'd ____@____.com or check out www.saferforyourhome.com

This sounds like a contact allergy to me. My daughter suffers from many allergies. Try Dreft in your laundry for a while to see if it helps. Even if you haven't changed anything, an allergy can develop to products over time and exposure.

You need an dermatologist, Not an allergist. Hives don't mean allergies, necessarily.

Get a new allergist! I just went to the allergist today for the same thing...my dd has had hives for 4 weeks now and nothing is helping her. She has the tapes on her back for the next 48 hours...and then we will take it from there.

Pam is right ... the hives can also break out internally & that's why it's a good idea to get the tests to determine what is causing the allergic reactions. Maybe, the reactions might not be life threatening, but they could be causing stomach aches or other kinds of unknown problems inside. Also, keeping a diary of foods eaten, substances exposed to (e.g., dirt, plants, etc.), activities, etc. might help you determine the cause as well. Eliminating common foods that cause allergies might also help you evaluate if symptoms improve. I had to take my daughter to ER last week because she started itching real badly & the hives & welts started spreading throughout her upper body. I gave her a Benadryl, but also wanted to make sure a doctor checked her in case her reaction suddenly worsened (like mine when I first came down with an allergic reaction to medication in my 40's.) In addition to Benadryl, the doctor prescribed prednisolone, a type of steroid, for my daughter for 10 days, because of possible internal reaction as well. (She used to complain of stomach aches quite a bit, so she might have a food allegy.) I also think she could have been allergic to the mulch she was helping us spread over the weekend. Anyways, to ensure she doesn't have a food allegy, I scheduled her for an appt. with an allergist this Friday for testing. Even if your son takes the tests & you find he's not allergic to any foods or common allergic substances, etc., at least you can rule those out. Also, the advice about seeing another doctor & taking steroids for a little while sounds like a good idea. Well, I hope that it won't be long until you can report back to us that your son is doing better.

My daughter had ongoing hives for months. When I took her to the ped he prescribed an oral steriod for a couple of weeks. He said that sometimes hives are an auto-immune response to some virus or bacteria that the body had to fight off and the immune system just needs a "re-boot". It worked for her and she's not had hives since.

My 2 year old son battled with severe hives for months... the best things that helped him were oatmeal baths; benedryl; loose clothing; & lots of lotion. You might mention something to your pediatrician to see if they can prescribe a higher anti-itch rx. We are on a few and they really seemed to help! Good luck!!

As a teenager I had hives a lot. They started for no reason at all and would get as large as my hand. We never found the cause and I eventually grew out of them after about a year of constan breakouts. I know that is not an answer you want to hear and I'm sorry I don't have anything else to add. My doctor prescibed Atarax (sp?) and it helped a lot more than Benadryl but it put me to sleep just as fast. I have found now almost 15 years after my horrible breakout that if my skin is cold and sweaty I breakout so I try to be conscience of those time It might take a while but you may eventually find the trigger and be able to treat that. Hope this helps

Hives can also be caused by emotions. I get them when I am nervous (job interviews), very angry, or sad (whenever I here sirens from firetrucks). This can be a pain, but there is nothing that you can do for hives caused by emotional responses except for trying to relax and get back under control. If your son have been experiencing nightmares or having trouble sleeping, that could be causing it as well. Just a thought.

My 8yr. Old daughter had the exact same thing when she was 4yrs.old and this past october when she was 7yrs. Old. We went to the doctor and they thought it was an allergic reaction both times. But to make a long story short, it turns out that it was "fifths disease" she was very itchy, it took 3 weeks to go away both times. She was covered from head to toe. If they look like lacey like welts that are raised a little, i would take him to a dermatoligist. Dr. Fondak in kokomo diagnosed my daughter. She was put in the hospital for 5 days. Steroids didnt work, nothing worked. I had never really heard of fifths disease before, but i guess its pretty common. Look up fifths disease on the internet and see if it matches ur sons outbreak. Good luck!