Okay, forget gyms or workout programs...

[Rajah]

Simple and FUN solution:

Game system.
Dance pad.
Dance Dance Revolution (or some variation)

Me, the person who kinda fell out of exercise after getting those stupid hives (that *still* haven't gone away, btw ) in September and thus fighting the influence of double and triple doses of drowsy-causing allergy medicines, just spent over an hour playing my new Christmas present. Dance pad and DDRMax for PS2.

Now to go find the Disney Dance Revolution.

 

[LisaTx]

That sounds like fun, Rajah!

Just out of curiosity, have you tried yoga or pilates? They can really aid toning without putting as much stress on your body as other workouts.

 

[Rajah]

Yep, and ended up doing Tai Chi for about a month. I really love Tai Chi. But the medicines I was on were making me dizzy and weak -- now I'm down to one that just makes me tired all the time, so can at least try to get back into things.

 

[MelanieC]

DDR is definately a fun video game with the added benefit of exercise. Unfortunately, I am pretty bad at it and I get frustrated after doing it for a little while. My daughter and her one friend are really good and can really do it well. I still would like to get the Disney version.

 

[CarolA]

Rajah,
Do they have any idea what causes your hives?

I actually have chroic hives and THEY'RE BACK! (It has been 5 years since my last outbreak, but ....) The reason I ask is that the 'drowsy allergy' meds did not cure my problem. So if they aren't curing your's make sure they have checked you for just about everything else. (My first set was caused by chronic sinus infections which required surgery to cure and I felt fine, I had no symptoms of sinus infection!)

I am actually starting Atkins this week. One reason was that the induction stage elimates all starches, breads etc and we think that I have a food allergy and this is a good place to start. We will see.

 

[Rajah]

Nope, haven't found it yet. We're pretty sure it started from touching some mildew/mold/slime on Splash Mountain. But nothing we've tried (and I've tried 4 different doctors ) have stopped it. The only thing that even *helps* is some benadryl, which cuts the itching to a bearable level.

 

[CarolA]

Make sure they do tests for the scary stuff. We test me for cancer, arthritis and tons of other stuff. The good news is that so far those test have been negative. However, the first time it was my immune system trying to tell me something so be sure you check for that.

Personally I think Benadry is useless. Have they given you anything else. I am on Clarinix in the morning, Singular and Atrax in the evening and we are mostly keeping them under control (and no drowsiness). The time prior they had me on Clartin.

I assume they did the mold allergy test? If you came up negative, then it is not likely that it was due to touching something, but mold could be an issue since there is more of it in Florida.

 

[Rajah]

Oh, we know I'm allergic to mold and mildew. I've been on allergy shots for over a year (and those are the second round, first done about 12 years ago) so we already went through that testing. But ever since I got the hives, I've stopped those shots (my decision, but when I told the allergist why, he totally agreed with me).

I've been tested twice for lupus and other auto-immune diseases, as well as a couple of other things I've since forgotten ( ), but 5 doctors (the 4 I went to and my mom's cousin) all say it's a classic case of allergic reaction rather than a rash due to sickness. Lupus *is* a possibility despite the test results since my mom has it, but all the doctors think these hives are unlikely to be due to Lupus. They said rashes that itch like this are typically *not* due to a disease.

I'm already on Zyrtec and Singluair daily, have been for years. Tried the Claritin / Clarinex with absolutely no obvious improvement in symptoms. Tried zantac and tagament with no impact. Tried doxepin, another common one used, and I couldn't take it. The way it made me feel actually scared me so the dr said drop that one. I've honestly lost count of the number of different antihistamines we've tried, including atarax, and none of them helped. The one that decreased the itching the most and had the biggest impact on the hives was the benadryl, honestly with the least amount of drowsiness. Oh, don't forget the 2 different cortico-steroid creams, 2 different lotions, and benadryl cream. Oh yeah, and an antibiotic that usually works on me and as it turns out cleared up a *different* problem. LOL! But still didn't help the hives.

The only thing we *haven't* done is steroid shots. I've exhausted the options my allergist and dermatologist can come up with (other than the shots, which they said was a last resort now-a-days) other than giving it time. We've just stuck with the combo that works the best with the least side effects: benadryl and nutrogena lotion. Their new soothing-relief lotion is *great*. In the meantime, I itch anywhere from barely to HORRIBLY, I'm tired almost all the time (my MIL, who is a nurse, said she couldn't believe I'm still awake. LOL!!), I'm drinking 4x as much caffiene as I should just so I can stay awake at work, and I feel ugly on the days it hits my face. Which, thankfully, is rarely. But at least I've gotten a rhythm down to minimize my work impact, and I've registered the situation with the office nurse and my manager. I've gotten to where I pretty much just take either 2 or 4 benadryl daily, unless it's *really* bad. That's the only way I can get things done and feel like I'm not wasting my time.

 

[chager]

I just read your post about your hives and the first thought was saop. Luandry, body, shampoo anything that you come in contact with. I had a reaction one time that we finally determined was due to the laundry detergent. I wasn't using anything new just the same old stuff I always had and for whatever reason I developed an allergy to it. It was made worse when the meds they gave me cuased a reaction and I ended up with hives on top of hives In other words...Very Itchy!! It was brought to my attention that we can develop allergies to things that we never were allergic to before, go figure. My son developed an allergy to soap when he was about two. We had to spend no more then 30 seconds with soap on him (including shampoo)and then drained the tub to rinse him again. He would look like he was scalded if we didn't work fast enough. He is 9 now and not as sensitive. Still he was never able to play in a bubble bath and most likely never will be able to. (Not that he would now anyway..lol) I do pray you can find the solution and get rid of the hives for good.
Carolyn
aka Nick's Mom

 

[Rajah]

Thanks Carolyn

We've considered soap, shampoo, and body washes as well and haven't found anything definitive there, either.

The truth is, hives are just so so so so so hard to identify the cause that we may never know.

 

[perfectmatch300]

Good luck, Tammi. I know exactly how you feel. I break out so I look like raw hamburger meat sometimes. Usually mine is traced to certain soaps, or to some anitbiotics. The antibiotic connection really came as a surprise to me, but that's waht it was. It itches so bad I want to claw my skin off. I guess I have been lucky so far because a cortisone shot along with stopping using the offending substance allowed mine to go away. Hope you find a solution to yours soon. Hugs to you.