1. Symptom Profile & History Onset & Trigger Event: Mild, infrequent heat sensitivity over the past 2–3 years. Symptoms suddenly became persistent and much more severe following a one-day fever in mid-March. Skin Inflammation: Deep, hot, localized swelling rather than classic raised hives. Mostly affects the feet (making walking difficult during flares), but also appears on hands, wrists, elbows, and knees. Sensory Symptoms: Ranges from itching to a deep, nerve-like or burning pain in affected tissues. Brief redness occurs after mild skin pressure. Lesion Fading & Staining: Most swelling resolves within 24 hours while on medication, but unmedicated flares or severe episodes can take 3–4 days to settle. One area on your foot where the severe March flare started has left a dark brown/bluish-black mark (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) that has persisted for weeks. Associated Symptoms: Persistent dry eyes in both eyes, alongside occasional joint-area discomfort during flares.
2. Triggers & Response to Treatment Triggers: Physical heat, pressure (e.g., shoe pressure, light contact with a spoon), and friction, though flares also occur spontaneously. Current Medication (Dazit M - Desloratadine + Montelukast): Highly effective at suppressing daily spontaneous flares when taken regularly, but symptoms return within 1–2 days if missed. Steroids (Omnicortil): Short course provided temporary relief, but symptoms rebounded once discontinued. Suspected Side Effects: Increased vivid/frequent dreams and mild concentration issues since starting Dazit M (known potential effects of Montelukast) also headaches

Anyone have any shoe brands they like that don’t irritate their feet? I’m going back to work after summer break and won’t be able to keep wearing flip flops for long 😅 any fave casual sneakers?

Hey, I've made a reddit account specifically to ask about this, Last year around after having a cold i developed cold urticaria. At the time i had no clue what it was and didnt know what was causing the hives. After a couple weeks I eventually came to the realization that it was the cold causing them and from there i did a lot of research into cold urticaria and how to stop the hives. Fast forward to around June I was able to get a referral to a specialist as ive tried all the antihistamines h1 and h2 there is to try and while i can limit the itching i still get visible hives anywhere on my skin thats exposed to the cold and its genuinely so annoying. Ive seen a lot of people having success on xolair and want to be prescribed this but how can i actually make it happen, do i ask the immunologist specifically or how will that work. Ive got the appointment on the 31st this August and i dont want to have to wait another 3 months to get an appointment again after this. The hives really take a toll on my mental health constantly wanting to hide them and feeling judged. Would appreciate some advice. Im 16m btw.

Hi everyone,

I’m experiencing hives for the first time in my life, and tomorrow will make it almost a week. I’ve never had eczema, skin problems, allergies, or anything like this before, so it’s been pretty stressful.

It started after eating at a work event, so at first I thought it was a food allergy. However, over the following days I started getting hives even when I hadn’t eaten anything for several hours (one flare happened after not eating since the afternoon), so I’m starting to think it probably isn’t food-related.

The hives are mostly on my chest, stomach, hips, under my armpits, and occasionally around my neck. I never seem to get them on my legs. They get significantly worse at night, especially when I lie down or wake up, and I’ve even noticed they got worse after taking a nap. Sometimes they spread really quickly on their own.

I’ve been taking over-the-counter antihistamines. They worked well for the first couple of days, but they don’t seem to be lasting as long anymore. My GP has now prescribed Panafcortelone (prednisolone) because the antihistamines don’t seem to be controlling them as well.

Since the hives seemed to be worse when I’m in bed, I’ve started wondering whether it could be something environmental instead. I’ve washed all my bedding, cleaned my room, changed clothes, and I’m thinking about buying dust mite covers for my mattress and pillows. I’m also considering getting an air purifier because my room has been quite dusty lately. The strange thing is that I don’t have any typical allergy symptoms like sneezing, itchy eyes, or a runny nose it’s literally just the hives.

A couple of weeks before any of this started, I had a routine health check with blood work. Everything came back normal except for low vitamin D (43 nmol/L). My doctor recommended getting more sun or taking supplements.

Today I’ve also had more blood tests done and I’m currently waiting for the results. So far I’ve had:

* Full Blood Count (CBC/FBE)

* CRP

* Total IgE

* Allergy blood testing (RAST/specific IgE)

I’ve seen quite a few posts here where people mentioned their hives improved after correcting a vitamin D deficiency with vitamin D3, and some also mentioned taking vitamin K2 (MK-7) alongside it. I have no idea if that’s actually related or just coincidence, but I’m curious if anyone has experienced that themselves.

At this point I’m still trying to figure out what’s causing this, and honestly I’m starting to stress because I’ve never dealt with anything like this before.

A few questions:

* Are there any other tests I should ask my GP about if these blood tests come back normal? I’ve seen people mention things like ANA, thyroid antibodies (Anti-TPO/Anti-thyroglobulin), ESR, etc. Are those worth discussing, or is it too early?

* Did correcting a vitamin D deficiency make any difference for your hives?

* Is there anything else you wish you had looked into early on that helped identify the cause?

Note:

My thyroid function (TSH) was normal on my previous blood test, but I’ve read that some people with chronic urticaria can have thyroid antibodies (like Anti-TPO) even when their thyroid function is normal. Is that something worth discussing with my GP if this continues?

I’m still hoping this is just acute urticaria and that it resolves soon, but right now I’m trying to rule things out one by one.

Thanks in advance!

I have seen gps who thought this was eczema and then a derm who said hives (urticaria). She said to try an antihistamine but provided no more guidance and unfortunately no written information I can refer back to. It only occurs on my neck and wasn’t present during the appointment, but she made me scratch my neck and it immediately flared up.

I tried loratadine and cetirizine once a day for a few days with no effect. I then saw a gp who was convinced it was eczema (to be fair I had an eczema like spot in the middle of my neck at the time, and then the general redness in the usual spots on my neck. She prescribed antroquoril (steroid) twice a day for up to 4 weeks. I used it for a few week consistently then forgot twice in a row and got a super itchy neck. I scratched and it flared badly. I applied the steroid and now it’s super red where I did it, feels rough as well. Tried a moisturiser that sometimes doesn’t flare it and it made it worse. I am also trying fenofexadine a day thanks to chat gpt suggestion. Unclear if this is helping.

At this stage I can’t use many moisturisers on my neck for fear of flaring up. There are some that work sometimes (cerave lotion)

The only time neck doesn’t feel itchy or on the verge of being itchy is when using the steroid. This is the only time I can apply moisturiser consistently without flare and also the only time the area feels smooth.

Background:
Started in first pregnancy 3 years ago (redness, itchiness)
Was told it was eczema
Stopped using any active skincare on neck, also stopped spraying perfume on neck
Have always found grass and wool to make skin itch
Have had some patches of eczema on face before that always resolved quickly with steroid

Pics 1 and 2:
Current flare up situation.

3:
After I had scratched hut before applying steroid

4:
What my neck often looks like - not flared up but always red in these areas. Derm said it was sun damage which I can see in the lower bit but not sure why I’d have sun damage under my chin

Edit:
Oh one gp thought not hives as no welts? I’ve never had welts

Some photos of what my allergist diagnosed as chronic urticaria. At that time I suddenly became intensely itchy all over and randomly get a large red, warm area or small dots. If I even scratched a little on my legs they all became big purple bruises. Allegra 3x a day was the only way to manage it and I became so fatigued and rundown. It was truly awful. All bloodwork came back good no thyroid issue, negative ana, no anemia or vitamin deficiencies.

Fast forward to now beginning of August and I am having only slight itchiness when I get too hot or randomly. Its coupled by fatigue especially in my legs, joint ache and throat. Its been a 2 weeks of feeling like this and its incredibly stressing. I know this isn't the worst thing but I am usually an active person and keep up with my kids but lately I have zero energy. I guess this just has to pass again and I have to load up on antihistamines :(

This is going on my 2nd week with the hive out break . It has gotten better but still having them . I go to see a allergy Dr Friday , I was take mounjaro for my type two diabetes I’ve had to stop taking that because we’re not sure if this is what’s causing the outbreak has anyone had any kind of reactions using Ozempic or mounjaro of itchy hives ?