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Posted 6/25/2008 4:12 PM (GMT 0)
Over the past 3 days, I've been battling recurrent bouts of very severe hives.  Monday night, I broke out on my trunk and arms.  I took some benadryl and it went away by the time I woke up Tuesday.  I was fine all day Tuesday, and then went to the gym in the evening and broke out again about a half hour into my workout.  By the time I got home, my whole trunk was covered again, plus some on my legs.  I again took some benadryl, and it seemed to start going down by the time I went to sleep.  This morning I woke up and I was absolutely covered again, but worst on my legs this time.  The welts were sometimes inches across, all over my thighs and shins, and smaller ones on my chest and stomach. Benadryl consistently helps, but they keep coming back, and worse each time it seems!  

I was diagnosed with Crohn's 2 years ago, and have been on Pentasa ever since.  No new meds, no new foods, no new detergents or anything I can think of that would be provoking an allergy.  Anyone ever get hives secondary to their Crohn's? 

Posted 6/25/2008 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
There are two things maybe you could look at, you could be allergic to Pentasa, (not uncommon) or look up Pyroderma gangrenosum. 5% of crohns patients can get this, I had a very mild case when I went to mexico. Should get it checked out. Hang in there.
Posted 6/25/2008 4:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hi KMM! I had this happen to me a few times in the past few years. I never got a real answer what it was - several viral and childhood diseases were diagnosed. Originally it was fifth disease, then some other viral (forgot the name, but it always starts with a single "hive" on your chest), then a couple of years ago I had my whole body swell and turn fire engine red and the skin burned.
I would check with your doc. I took Clariten plus Prevacid with the last time becuase together they are antihistamine A and B versions. That did not shake it and had to go to steroids to get the skin down. Doc said it was a virus that started with C (mind is fuzzy today).
Remeber your last sentence about no new anything becuase they will ask you that a bunch of times!
Posted 6/25/2008 5:48 PM (GMT 0)
I know that the couple of times I have had hives it was nerves. I was very stressed and had to get over it for the hives to stop.
Posted 6/25/2008 8:48 PM (GMT 0)
When I first started getting Crohn's problems about 20 years ago, I would break out in hives every time I got hot -- a warm day, a hot shower, exercise, being in the sun, anything that warmed me up.  To this day I still get itchy when I get warm, but I don't get covered in hives like I used to.  For me the condition is called cholinergic urticaria.

Hives are fairly common, for everybody, not just Crohnies.  It's often difficult to figure out what's causing them.  You're thinking along the right lines by considering new medications, new foods, new soaps, detergents, etc.  You should probably let your general doctor know, and maybe consider seeing an allergy specialist if this continues or gets worse.

One other thing:  Benadryl is an excellent antihistamine and effective for hives.  But it has the drawback of making you pretty drowsy, not to mention it only works 4-6 hours.  Zyrtec is also considered really good for hives and is now over the counter, and it's available as generic OTC as well (cheaper).  It doesn't make you quite as drowsy as benadryl and it's good for a full 24 hours.  My allergy doctor recommended zyrtec for me when I have trouble with hives and it seems to work pretty well.

Posted 6/26/2008 1:38 PM (GMT 0)
I started with hives about once every three months...then once a month...then weekly...then three or four times a week....I never related the hives to my crohns....but my gastro prescribed a ten day stint of anti-b's and that (knock wood) brought it all to an end. 

Posted 6/26/2008 4:18 PM (GMT 0)
My general doc could only come up with "well I guess you must be allergic to something" and gave me a prescripton for a Medrol dosepak. I've avoided steroids to this point with the Crohn's, and I'm not really thrilled about the idea of taking them at all. Anyone have experience taking this? It's just for a week, so I that's not so bad, but I'm tempted to just stick with the antihistamines for a few more days and see if it goes away on its own before I go down the steroid path...

I've got several allergies that I'm aware of (many fresh fruits and nuts, plus hay fever)...so I'm thinking I should maybe just forget dealing with my general doc any further and just find an allergist...
Posted 6/26/2008 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
Take the steroids, not only will they make the hives feel better I would bet money they make you just generally feel better.
Posted 6/26/2008 9:04 PM (GMT 0)
Hives may indicate allergy, but sometimes they seem to show up for no reason, or they show up along with an illness (like a cold, flu, viral gastroenteritis, even bacterial infections too).  They may go away on their own in a few days.

Since you have lots of other allergies, you're a bit more predisposed to get hives.

For hives, steroids should be used only if antihistamines are not effective.  Try zyrtec OTC, or even claritin OTC, first.  If that doesn't help, then try the steroids.  If the hives progress to angioedema (fluid swelling of tissue), notify your doctor and do start the steroids.

Posted 6/27/2008 2:28 PM (GMT 0)
Well I decided to take a little of both approach here. I filled the Rx for the Medrol and I bought some zyrtec. I took the zyrtec last night around 6, and I woke up today without a hive on me. If they stay gone all day, I guess I'll just stick with the zyrtec, but if they start breaking through before I'm supposed to take another dose then I'll start on the steroids.
Posted 6/27/2008 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
I am not sure what you guys call hives , but I have a lot of trouble with rashes. I have one now that has been on my arm sense hurricane Rita, thats about 4 years ago. Just a few weeks ago I broke out on one shoulder and the other arm in three spots and my waist. They itch like H... and the skin doc has tried me on every thing from cortazone to fungasides. No luck so far. Does this sound like anything you have ?????
Posted 6/27/2008 3:47 PM (GMT 0)

Sniper said...
I am not sure what you guys call hives , but I have a lot of trouble with rashes. I have one now that has been on my arm sense hurricane Rita, thats about 4 years ago. Just a few weeks ago I broke out on one shoulder and the other arm in three spots and my waist. They itch like H... and the skin doc has tried me on every thing from cortazone to fungasides. No luck so far. Does this sound like anything you have ?????

Not for me Sniper...mine starts out like a bug bite...I usually first notice it when Iscratch it for the third of fourth time...then I know what is coming....first the itchy spot swells into a quarter size welt...and pretty soon (maybe 10 -15 minutes) the entire backside of my thigh, at least one butt cheek and some of my lower back is covered in large odd shaped welts...red, angry and itching.  When they go away ...it is as if they were never there unless I have left a scratch mark or two.

thankfully...they have gone away...hopefully forever...but more than likely they are just on vacation.

Posted 6/27/2008 3:54 PM (GMT 0)
Hives are itchy raised circles (welts), for me usually on a background of red skin...although sometimes the skin is red without the raised patches once the welts start to subside, and occasionally the welts appear on a background of normal skin. The welts range in size, can be tiny or as wide as a centimeter or more. If there are many welts grouped together, they can colesce into large swollen patches that can be many inches across...this is what happened to me the other day...there were so many welts so close together, that they turned into one big patch across the whole front of my thighs. They can disappear after a few hours and appear in new locations...they move around my body at random, but I usually find that tight clothing and heat are the main triggers.
Posted 6/27/2008 5:35 PM (GMT 0)
Sniper...I think I have had all the versions of rashes and hives and welts. I really do think it is an immune issue. The last two docs said I had lab results that showed different viral issues - mostly dormant things that can be triggered by just about anything. The time I had raised welts/hives, that was also noted as a virus but not by lab test-rather they matched the book pictures my doc pulled out about pityasis-yea sounds like a pitiful disease!

The last few incidents have been the terribly itchy patches like you described and they multiplied fast. Since then i get a random spot that itches like crazy, then turns beige and stays on my skin forever (well I'm not dead yet, so forever is debatable :-) )

I have yet to figure out the cause and lately I have just surrendered to be a patchy mess by the time I reach 90 (OK so maybe I am pushing my luck there!) Some day I will actually make it to a dermatologist so he can tell me he has no idea why I get them too :-)
Posted 6/28/2008 4:55 AM (GMT 0)
I am seeing a dermatologist. She seems to be at a loss as to what this is too. I even thought maybe it is something I brought home from the jungles of Asia, but if so, it has taken its time coming out. Maybe one of those dormant things is not dormant any more...No VV, its not jungle rot....
Posted 6/28/2008 11:59 AM (GMT 0)
You may be allergic to your laundry detergent.  Have you made any changes recently?
Posted 6/29/2008 4:19 AM (GMT 0)
Nope its not laundry detergent. Been using the same one for years . If it were that I would brake out in more sensitive areas. What ??? You dont think old sniper is sensitive ????
Posted 6/30/2008 12:24 PM (GMT 0)
Sniper...you sensitive dude. Are you a fragile flower too???? OK are we done with the fluffy talk now? Where's Sno so I can complain about my Scottish/Irish ancestry and the sensitive skin it caused?

If you see your derm for the patches in the time of a break out, does she test for viral symtpoms in your lab work? let me know if she has and what she found. I am seriously trying to figure if it is a dormant virus.

Did you have any childhood diseases that were hive like? I am wondering if having Fifth disease in Junior High School didn't leave a dormant viral in me that shows up when I am weakened.
Posted 12/5/2009 12:20 PM (GMT 0)
There has been some cases of reported skin hives after Crohn's. I think that you have got skin hives. The best way to get rid of them is by using some home made remedies like bathing in a mixture of oatmeal and starch grain regularly for one week.

This will help you in getting rids of hives. If still the problem persists, then I would suggest you to use Oxy Hives. It is a homeopathic treatment which needs to be sprayed on the skin part twice a day and within a week's time, you will find relief from skin hives. Skin Hives

Post Edited (jimmyread) : 12/5/2009 5:56:16 AM (GMT-7)

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