DD (4.5) broke out with hives last night. She was miserably itchy and of course didn't sleep well. This morning I gave her an oatmeal bath and am giving her Benadryl. Although still itchy, she is much more at ease. A visit to our ped. this morning confirmed hives, most likely caused by an allergic reaction. But to WHAT?! She is now scheduled with DS's Allergy/Asthma specialist for testing the end of this month. Possibly a second child with a food allergies. Argh!

By Melanie on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 - 01:18 pm:

Oh no, Trina!! Just what you don't need! I'll keep my fingers crossed that it is something simple with an easy fix! ((HUG))

By Karen55 on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 - 02:40 pm:

{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}} Do you have any idea what she ate yesterday and the day before? That might possibly help narrow things down. I'm so sorry, Trina!!! :-(

By Trina on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 - 03:02 pm:

Thanks Melanie and Karen. We've been racking our brains. It could be a food allergen or it could be an atopic dermatitis type situation. ??? There is no way of knowing for sure until we get her tested. Because of our experiences with DS we know further exposure to the allergen *could* bring on a worse reaction. I'm so glad I was able to get her in to see the specialist this month. In the mean time we'll have to keep a very close eye on her.

By Eve on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 - 03:59 pm:

Poor kid! That does not look fun! When Syd broke out into hives just like that, the Dr. thought it was just a virus. It did go away and she has not had them again since. I'll hope this is the same type of situation! (((Beeg Hug)) as Syd would say. LOL

By Bubbels on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 - 04:50 pm:

Youch! Makes me feel itchy just looking at it. Poor baby. My DH gets hives similar to that sometimes, big red whelps that itch furiously. So far we've attributed it to boiled seafood (something in the boil mix) and ibuprofen. Hope you guys are able to identify the allergen.

I'd say your DD deserves the official Momsview Get Well Bear:

By Pamt on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 - 11:38 pm:

Trina, hate to be a damper on things, but you might not find out what has caused the hives. I recently had a 2 week period of breaking out into hives four times. The first time or two I just took a Benedryl and thought no big deal. After the 4th time I made an appt and saw my kids' allergist. I had originally thought I was allergic to new laundry detergent, but after putting some directly on my skin and not reacting I ruled that out. Then..thought it was some medicine I was on and had my prescription changed, but don't think that was it either. The allergist spent an hour talking and reviewing my health history extensively, but said they don't routinely test for hives since most people have a random case or two of hives at some point. He couldn't pinpoint what it was and there was nothing to lead us in direction for skin testing, so I left with no real answers (and a very thorough medical review and exam) and was to journal and call back if I had hives again. I haven't. One thing to watch though...he said you typically break out into hives within 1 hour of exposure, so if DD breaks out again rack your brain and write down everything she came in contact with the previous hour to help the doctor with his detective work. My doctor was especially perplexed that my hives always happened in the evenings, at home, on Sat, Sun, or Mon, and only affected my ankles and forearms---very weird. Keep us posted!!

P.S. Has she been sick with a cold or something recently? The allergist also said that a simple cold or sore throat can cause hives.

By Trina on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 - 07:06 am:

Pam, thanks for your insight. Yes, we realize we may not be able to pinpoint the cause, but due to DS's history we think it's best to get her tested. We'll see! I'll keep everyone posted.

By Pamt on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 - 03:25 pm:

Yes, with his history you will need to watch her closely. Good thing you have an Epipen on hand and know how to use it...just in case.

By Sandie on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 09:57 am:

Hives do not always come from an outside source. i think I have posted on this before. My brother had hives hat came from the inside, from his ody producing too much histamine. They told my mother that the hives showing on the outside meant the swelling and hives in his body had no more room. We spent many days and nights in the ER before they figured out what was going on.

By Trina on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 10:05 am:

Interesting, Sandie. I'm sure we'll learn more when we visit the specialist.

DD's hives spread and grew even more pronounced than the pic above. Funny, there weren't any above her waist. Only on her bottom, legs, feet and hands. The worst and most painful on the souls of her feet and palms of her hands. The are finally fading and don't appear to bother her much any longer. She was VERY glad to return to preschool today, and boy was I ever glad to take her! LOL!

By Dana on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 11:44 am:

Poor little thing.

Not that this is related in any manner, but I found it interesting. Yesterday I was talking to a mom about DD's upcoming tonsilectomy. She said she had hers removed when she was 16. And after the removal, she never broke into hives any longer. I questioned what she meant.

She told me she was always breaking out into terrible itchy hives/welts. They did all the tests, scans, blood test, everything they could think of with no results. At 16, she had so many reoccuring strep throats they removed her tonsils. And poof, she never had a breakout again. That was an unexpected outcome.

Like I said, not really related, but still interesting

Hope your sweety feels better really soon.

By Trina on Sunday, March 16, 2003 - 10:31 am:

Thanks, Dana.

Would you believe they're back?! They were fading away and now she has new hives on top of the old ones. This time they're on her torso as well. AWW!

By Gammiejoan on Sunday, March 16, 2003 - 08:13 pm:

Trina, how are your dd's hives this afternoon?

By Trina on Sunday, March 16, 2003 - 10:24 pm:

Thanks for asking, Gammie. At bath before bed tonight, she had new ones all over her little bottom and small ones spreading up her stomach and back. I gave her an oatmeal bath and some Benadryl and am hoping she sleeps OK tonight.

By Karen55 on Monday, March 17, 2003 - 07:53 am:

Poor little sweetie! How is she this morning?

By Trina on Monday, March 17, 2003 - 08:23 am:

UG! She had a hard time sleeping last night. "Momma, my butt is itcheeeeeeeeeeee!" LOL! I put cortisone cream on her little cheeks and that seemed to help. Then she wet the bed, which NEVER happens, at 4:00 a.m.. Second time this week. I wonder if the Benadryl and her not feeling well has something to do with that. She wants to go to preschool today so we'll see how things go.

By Melanie on Monday, March 17, 2003 - 09:01 am:

Poor thing!! Oh I hate to hear that they are making her uncomfortable! How much longer until that appointment? I hope they are able to figure this thing out!!

By Eve on Monday, March 17, 2003 - 02:27 pm:

Poor thing, is right! I'm sorry the Benadryl isn't helping. Is there another form of antihistamine that would be helpful? I hope something helps soon! "Itcheee" is no fun!

By Babysitbarb on Monday, March 24, 2003 - 07:06 pm:

Did you guys ever find out what the hives were from?

By Trina on Monday, March 24, 2003 - 07:34 pm:

Thanks for asking, Barb. Not yet. She's going in for allergy testing this Friday. We'll see and I'll keep you posted.

By Colette on Monday, March 24, 2003 - 11:53 pm:

Trina, good luck Friday, I hope she's better soon. Just a thought on the benadryl and wetting the bed, I know when I take it, I am in la la land, worse than nyquil, I wont take it unless I have to. Maybe it makes her sleep so soundly that she doesnt know she has to go to the bathroom? At any rate, I hope she is better soon and that they can pinpoint whatever is causing it.

By Trina on Friday, March 28, 2003 - 04:53 pm:

DD was tested for allergies today. It's confirmed. I now have TWO children with severe nut allergies. DD is even worse than DS. Peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and tree pollen. GOOD thing DH and I purposely avoided giving her tree nuts thus far. Both of them need an epi-pen available at all times. At least we've BTDT with DS and know the ropes. ARGH!

By Sunny on Friday, March 28, 2003 - 07:58 pm:

Oh No! I can't believe that! (((hugs))) for you and your kids.

By Luv2fly on Friday, March 28, 2003 - 11:38 pm:

WOW!!! What are the chances???? Well, no need to fix one special meals if they are allergic to the same things. Still very frustrating though.

I am glad they were able to find the source of the hives, no more wondering. Hopefully she'll get some relief now.

By Melanie on Monday, March 31, 2003 - 02:11 pm:

Oh, Trina, say it isn't so!! Eggs, too? My goodness, you have your work cut out for you! I am happy to hear you found out this way, though, instead of they way you found out with ds. Gosh, your hair is going to go gray way before your time having to worry about all of this, isn't it??

By Dana on Monday, March 31, 2003 - 10:51 pm:

Poor kid. At least, as you say, you BTDT so it wont be so difficult to make the changes. Do you know what caused this current outbreak?

How's she doing now?

By Trina on Tuesday, April 1, 2003 - 07:02 am:

Thanks, girls. Actually, our allergist said her hives were probably brought on by a cold virus. Apparently that's common, however, the first I've heard of it. In fact, he said we didn't need to get her tested if we didn't want. DH and I insisted since we were there, and considering DS's history, we wanted to do it. GOOD thing!! Her nut allergy is severe enough to need an epi-pen. I requested the egg test because I don't handle eggs well myself. Seems DD is the same as me! We can both tolerate eggs in baked goods but can't eat straight eggs. Her peanut allergy is going to take awhile getting used to. The last time she had a PB&J sandwich she complained of an itchy tongue. AWWW! My mommy hackles went up. Sure enough, testing showed she's allergic to them as well, although so far, not as strongly as tree nuts. Funny, she's handling this all so well. She picked out her Medic Alert sport band the other day and can't wait for it to arrive. I think seeing big brother deal with this has made it easier for her.

By Deenie on Thursday, April 3, 2003 - 09:13 am:

Hi Trina,
I hope you don't mind me jumping in here like this, but just thought I would share. My son (7year old) started breaking out in hives. The doctors couldn't really figure out what was causing them. I started watching what he was eating, but he would break out with no connection to food. It wasn't until one day when I was cleaning, that I realized I was doing it to him with my cleaning supplies...mainly Fabreeze and other odor fighters. We had just had 2 littler of kittens within a week of eachother, and I was trying to make sure my house didn't stink, never realizing it was hurting my son. Anyway, don't know if this helps, but in our case, it wasn't an alergic reaction to food. I hope your daughter is fine now, and doesn't have to deal with it very much.

deenie