New here & in need of advice
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| Fri, 07-23-2004 - 3:40pm |
I am glad to have found this group because I need a little advice on
what my next step should be. I will try to give you a brief summery
of what has been going on with me but it is hard to explain in a
short paragraph. Around the end of March, out of the blue, I broke
out w/ severe hives. SOmthing I have never gotten before. I do have
allergies and have had them most of my life but have never gotten
broken out or the Hives ever. They did subsided that evening but I
continued with these break-outs everday since. I went to the Pcp and
since he didnt know exactly to do gave me Zyrtec and a steriod, cant
remember the name...when that didnt work after a couple of days he
then said to stay on the Zyrtec and prescribed Prednisone. Also,
took away some foods etc. After 2 wks when that didnt
work...advised to see either a Derm or Allergist. The quickest appt
was w/ the Derm. He said didnt know but to keep on the Zyrtec for a
month and then call if still got them. Well I was getting them but
annoyed and tired of not knowing so I just didnt go back, no one
seemed to be helping me. For about 1 wk or so I didnt get them so I
let everything ride. On June 20th I forgot my Zyrtec on vacation and
had a severe hive reaction that even OTC benedryl could not help and
I went to the ER. Again, with the Prednisone and a big shot of
Benedryl. Took that while on vacation, still getting hives but mild
case. Got home, made appt w/ Allergist per the ER dr. The night
before the DR appt I was researching clarinex, zyrtec, allegra, hives
etc. Well I read that hives is linked to thyroid disorders, it could
be a sign, Ok. Printed out the Thyroid checklist and realized that
most of the symptoms I have are thyroid symptoms. I go to the
Allergist...explained everything and the POSSIBILITY of thyroid.
Well she did blow me off but I insisted the labs be done. Finally
after 2 wks. I look they call and say labs are good. Not Thyroid.
I asked please fax over...reluctantly they did. Well I cant read the
left side so called back. THe nurse reads me the TSH (2.1)which is
normal cuz the range is up to 5...I say the guidelines on the high
end are now 3 not 5. T4 is 6.7 and TPO is 15(which I am not even sure
that is) and they didnt want to explain anything. I asked what about
the other tests like T3 and the FREE ones, sorry if not too
knowlegable, I really dont understand any of it. She was like we
dont do that "do you really think you have these symptoms of thyroid
and if so we cant treat that. We are just treating the hives and I
was like well what you are doing so far hasnt worked...I am now on 2
additional drugs with the same outcome. Ok fine. SO I am here not
knowing where to turn. What is my next step??? DO I see a endo now to
have the right blood work done? I just feel horrible all the time . I would
appreciate all your comments.
THanks,

Do you have symptoms of hypo or hyper thyroid conditions? Check our the links at the top o htis board for symptoms and compare what you feel with that list. Have you checked out any disorders that cause hives? Do you smoke cigarettes? Are you allergic to the sun? When I smoked cigarettes and before I became hypo, I had major attacks of hives and they seemed to be linked to the smoking and sun. (I've stopped smoking for the past 6 years now.)I also had a very strange, uncommon skin condition that was related to my menstrual cycle. Do you notice that these hives come in any sort of pattern? Just trying to look at some other options for you. I"ll do some research on hives for you, too and let you know what I find. Let me know the answers to my questions and also check out that symptom list and post back, ok? Cathy :)
Thanks for your reply. I have looked over the syptoms and feel as though I am Hypo. I went over the check list. No I do not and have never smoked. I have been to a dermatologist, cant explain and PCP who cant explain and just had these tests done by the allergist. As I said I am on 3 things, allergy related, and still get the break outs everyday. the pattern is usually right when I wake up in the am for usually around 1-2 hrs and then any time after 5 or 6pm, how long just depends. That way they are not predictable.
Because I have had them since the endo of march with out anyone really being able to figure it out I think that and ENDO might just be the next step. If I miss a dose of any of the 3 pills I break out badly. I have had severe restless leg syn for the last week and it is really terrible. I dont sleep that well anyway and that really doesnt help any.
SOrry to cut this short but I have some things to do before I go to bed, Thanks for your time and I will check back tomorrow. Michele
Do you eat alot of fish? Perhaps you are getting a build up of mercury and pcb's in your system and that is what's causing the hives. I found a pretty comprehensive site for you,
http://www.medicinenet.com/Hives/article.htm, perhaps this will help.
You know you can't stay on the prednisone (sp?) for a long time since it's a steroid and can cause other complications. I dont mean to freak you out over that - it's just that some doctors don't mention it and you don't want yours relying solely on that for treatment.
The endo will be a good next step if you feel that you are hypo and perhaps the hives are related to that so the sooner you are tested, the better for you!! I hope you can get to the bottom of this - I know how debilitating hives can be. Let me know if you have any other questions and if you find something out, I hope you'll remember to come back and let us know how you're doing! Cathy :)
Erika