Sorry, I know it must seem like a walk in the park for people with chronic skin conditions. I'm just feeling sorry for myself!

My angioedema attacks sure aren't fun, so I sympathise with the chronic and the acute skin conditions.

DanaC--I have to be very careful: if I take benadryl too late I pay hell trying to wake up in the morning...but as my symptoms usually flair (flare?)up at the end of the day when the shoes are off or the hands (or face, or ears) have realized something had irritated them that day it's often too late to take anything. Depending on the degree of discomfort, sometimes I do anyway.

"All international circuits are busy to the country you are calling. Please try your call again later."

You're kidding me? What is this, a radio station ticket giveaway? Arrrgh!

I get that message every time I try to call Nigeria, also.

Don't they care that I need that money?

not at all a walk in the park, that looks horrible. The Oilatum Dana mentioned is awsome, although i used to use that for dry skin and would be wary about it inflaming that more... just try a teeny tiny drop to start and if it doesn't irritate it, go for it. it's a good thing to have in the bathroom cabinet. the other thing I've recently got into is Aveeno moisturiser, very soothing in a non-oily, none irritant way.

It looks like something that might also be irritated by humidity -do you have any control over the humidity at work?

How 'bout a good ol' shot of celestone? (a long-acting steriod?) for Sundae and Dana. Usually clears my Danny up pronto. (he's an eczema sufferer, too, Dana)

Trust me honey, that looks like no walk I ever took in a park :P That looks as painful and uncomfortable as any bad eczema flare.

@ Shawnee. Yeah. I am supposed to drop onto hydroxizine 3 times a day when it's bad, but I just find it knocks me out and take it only when needed. Trouble is, as you say, if you leave it too late it sucks your brain out by morning :P

You should take some antihysthamines before bed. Even a double dose wont kill you if it's got enough work to do with the hives.

Just be careful what kind you take though. Some (such as phernergan) are depressants, so you'll feel shitty and grumpy the next day especially if you take a large dose. I try not to take these too much, but they do work really well on things like hives.

:2cents:
Allergic reaction to something you ate? Sounds like a cop-out diagnosis to me. Did you tell your doctor about the other stuff going on in your life? Could this be an auto-immune response to the sudden massive increase in stress, worry, anxiety etc. which you quite reasonably undergo when your job and home are put in doubt?
Doesn't stress trigger auto-immune responses? Anyone?

be careful with antihistamines if you're on depression medication.

It's my main trigger with both eczema and asthma. But it's different for different people.

I've seen people break out in hives in response to stress, nasty ones.

I think it's a cop-out diagnosis, too...but, then, I'm not there with SG. Maybe it WAS something she ate.

thing is, the treatment's pretty similar whatever the diagnosis. it's just the preventative care in the future that is dependant on a decent diag.

My Doctor is very good and does really listen. He knows I've been through stress recently as we discussed it as a trigger for my acid reflux in the previous appointment, and again at the one I showed him the hives (then mostly on my belly). His immediate reaction given their appearance and distribution was "food". He could be wrong of course, but as Monster says, the treatment is the same.
Don't worry, I worked in Medicines Management long enough to check contra-indications. In both purchases I told the pharmacists what I'm on. I think fluoxetine can be a problem, but I didn't get on with that and am on paroxetine instead.

I did get a lovely night's sleep last night - didn't knock me out but I guess kept me drowsy enough not to surface as I do usually. I wasn't even woken by the itching, although my hands are going crazy now. New ones are still coming up so my secret hopes of a knockout dose (for the hives) didn't work either. Probably not medically sound anyway!

I'm going to take some tonight, but not tomorrow night - I don't want to go to the doctors on Monday in a temporary reprieve state. If they're still active I want Dr Bocus to see they're still active. A week is 6 days too long to put up with it imo. Wishful thinking is telling me the rate is slowing down so fingers crossed I am over the worst and won't have to have steroids anyway.

What's upsetting me?
I think I'm drinking too much. I've been stealing more and more alcohol from my parents' liquor cabinet. I did it last night, and again tonight. It's gone from once every three weeks or so to more than once a week.

not good. not good.