I’ve been dealing with hives almost every day for months. At a certain point, I stopped asking, How do I get rid of them? and started asking, How do I manage them?
It all started in February, when I developed an allergic reaction to a new hair product I used while I was on a trip. My scalp became inflamed and itchy, which then progressed to a suspected infection. I was given two courses of antibiotics, and although they helped clear the infection, soon after I started developing hives. It started as one or two on my body, then became widespread. My face swelled up so much that I had to make multiple trips to the emergency room.
I worked with my doctors to try to figure out a trigger, but nothing consistently explained what was happening to me. The doctors didn’t think the hair product I initially reacted badly to was causing the hives. But it’s all a bit of a mystery.
My doctors gave me six or seven rounds of steroids in less than two months to try to calm things down. I was taking various antihistamines, too, but nothing worked. Even worse, I felt like a total zombie from all the drugs. Even my local pharmacist told me that I was on too much medication.
Then there was the pain and the itching. The hives were so bad that I couldn’t wear clothes comfortably, and I was scratching to the point where I was damaging my skin. I couldn’t sleep. I tried taking cold showers and bought everything I could at the drugstore that advertised it could help with itching. Nothing worked and, as the weeks passed, still none of the doctors I saw could tell me what was going on—they just gave me more medications.
Finally, I got an answer.
I had a dermatologist who was treating me, but I was still having major flares. Hives would start on my arm and my back, before moving down my body and my legs. Then, they were everywhere.
I eventually started seeing an allergist who diagnosed me with chronic spontaneous urticaria. As I learned, the condition is defined by red, itchy skin welts that last more than six weeks. The cause usually isn’t known, but many everyday things can lead to flares, like exposure to heat and cold, physical activity, and even pressure on your skin from tight clothes.
I was relieved to get a diagnosis, but I was frustrated too. On the one hand, it was good to know that this wasn’t in my head, but on the other hand, I was hoping for some kind of magic cure, and there isn’t one. During one really bad, massive flare, I went straight into my allergist’s office and said, “Look at me. What am I supposed to do?” Unfortunately, the condition is incurable; all I can do is try to manage it.
I’ve tried to manage treatment on my own.
My doctor suggested a prescription injectable medication that could help with my chronic hives. But I was feeling very wary of taking more drugs, given how much I’ve taken in the past and how they made me feel. So, I consulted with a traditional Chinese medicine doctor and started taking herbs. At one point, I was taking 24 pills a day, including supplements like quercetin and probiotics.
I know it sounds out-there, but I was willing to try almost anything to feel better. I also started an elimination diet, focusing on low-histamine and anti-inflammatory foods. I found information online and started eliminating foods little by little, evaluating how I felt as I went. I slowly started to feel better.
