Dealing with Chronic Urticaria at 19 years OLD!

I have had Chronic Urticaria for about 15 months now and I still do not know what is the cause and how to stop them. Before I found Healing Well, I thought I was alone in the world with them. I'm only 19 years old with no health insurance so I'm loading my body with known antihistamines just to keep them at bay. I tried everything I could afford; cold showers (even in the winter), medicated powders and creams, no sugar or excessive salt, otc drugs and much more. At one point I gave up on trying to cure them and just tried to find ways to live with them. I was and still am self-conscious about my body because of the hives. I missed majority of my senior year of high school because my face, throat, hands, feet and body would be covered in massive hives and I would look like I was nearly beat to death. I wouldn't be able to walk or touch anything. I sometimes had a hard time breathing and eating because my mouth and throat would be swollen. I had been to the emergency room more times that I should at my age. Some days I couldn't see due to swollen eyes. I couldn't stay awake in class from being exhausted from medication and not sleeping well from flare ups. I would cry night after night wondering why this has happened. I wouldn't wear skirts or shorts in the spring and summer, afraid that my thighs rubbing together would cause a flare up. I stayed away from beaches, water parks and pools just so I didn't have to wear a bathing suit. I also stopped wearing regular bras for awhile because the band around my sides and back would cause a flare. I also was conscious about intercourse with my boyfriend because where the hives were the most severe, they left bruises and scratch marks from me digging into my skin when they'd itch.
Something was different about this year. I told myself enough is enough and I began my search, with the help of my wonderful boyfriend, to find a more natural antihistamines and/or cure. We have done research based on my family history, vitamins I am lacking, and things to improve my skin and immune system. So far I have found that Aspartame is a trigger for my hives. It is an artificial sugar that sugar-free foods and drinks use to replace real sugar. The FDA has failed to mention that aspartame doesn't do the body good but does harm. So I stopped chewing gum, and eating sugar free everything and even some healthy drinks and foods. I read the label on everything I buy. I also noticed that after I gained 60+ lbs that I started having this problem. No one in my family has ever had hives so I'm am very confident that it is a result of putting junk in my body.
I have discovered that I am low on vitamin D and cannot be in climates indoor or outdoor above 85 degrees Fahrenheit so I take multivitamins once a day and Vitamin D & antihistamines twice a day. I also try to use natural sugar, sea salt and Italian seasoning instead of white sugar and regular salt. I also am on a journey to lose 50 lbs and treat my body better. So far the changes I have made have really helped so I'm hoping getting healthy will cure my hives. I also am going to try apple cider vinegar and see what it can do for me. Another thing I have done to keep me motivated to be more healthy and hive conscious is visit Healing Well daily and read your forums and replies. I think I wouldn't have been this inspired if it hadn't been for you guys and gals sharing your stories and not giving up. You just don't know how much of a blessing you are from God and the universe. Your little words and smiley faces go a long way so thank you, thank you, thank you!!

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Be pretty/handsome. Be Imperfect. Be you!

Yes. Eliminating artificial food additives and GMO's may very well help reduce or eliminate your hives/urticaria.

If that doesn't work completely, consider your laundry detergent, shampoo, soap, body lotion, etc. as possible triggers (sulfates, for example, or perfumes, are known triggers for allergic skin rashes).

And also there are some uncommon allergic disorders that can lead to more sensitive skin, such as Mastocytosis (too many mast cells = allergic rashes, food reactions, etc.), or Eosinophilic Enteropathy (too many eosinophils = allergic reactions to many things).

Congrats on cleaning up your diet and trying to get to a better weight - that will I'm sure make a difference in how you feel. Many toxins are sequestered in fat cells in the body, so losing weight may flare up your symptoms from time to time, but it is all for a good cause - a healthier you!

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-Razzle

Razzle- Thank you for the encouragement and kind words. I have looked into my laundry detergent and such and have started using more natural products and also if I wear perfume, to not wear cheap perfume and put it on my clothing instead of my skin.

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Be pretty/handsome. Be Imperfect. Be you!

pretty, i have chronic utacaria, too. i absolutely hate it. i still haven't found all of my triggers. it's been worse since i have ulcerative colitis and try a lot of different medications. i just don't know what is causing it since there's so many things it could be from.

i just went to a naturopath who said i was allergic to wheat, eggs, and chicken. i am not eating those anymore but i still have hives. the worst is the itching at night. it keeps me up all night itching sometimes. nothing topical works for very long because they just pop up some place else.

i am trying different anti fungal treatments to fix my gut since the naturopath says it's from leaky gut syndrome. i have no idea but i am trying some of the remedies like garlic, coconut oil, pau d' arco.

my arms have those long scratch marks on them, too!! i get scabs VERY easily from scratching but i just can't help it. lately i have been puting beeswax and tea tree oil on my arms before bed because that's where the hives have been lately.

so you aren't alone!!! it totally sucks. maybe go to a naturopath and see if they can help? it seems like every conventional doctor i go to just tells me to take benadryl and zyrtec. i want to find the cause of the hives or at least fix my gut.

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Joanna 23
Current: 2-4 bms/day- very anemic/low hemoglobin
Supps: vit C/D, CLO, astaxanthin, b12 shots, colostrum, dig. enz, l-glut, serrapeptase, culturelle, prescript assist, sacro b., scdophilus, molasses, liver
Diet: SCD/paleo
Tried: canasa, rowasa, entocort, pred, 6mp, remicade, humira, lialda, welchol, bentyl, LDN, cipro, flagyl, VSL, Vit E, 8 FT, clay, aloe, slip. elm, vanco for c diff

I'm sorry to hear about your abdominal problems, Banana. I hope you get better with that. Also it's nice to know that I'm not alone in this but it also sucks that this annoying and sometimes hurtful issue. To this day I haven't read any medical breakthroughs on chronic urticaria and that puzzles me also. But anyway, I will start seeking more natural ways to keep them at bay or ultimately cures them. I did notice while taking the Vitamin D3 1000IU twice daily has increased itching but a side affect of D3 is itching so I'm not racking my brain, stressing over whether or not it's the hives. But hey, it'll get worse before it gets better, right? I just hope I don't have them for the rest of my life.

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Be pretty/handsome. Be Imperfect. Be you!