I hate hives!!!

Last weekend, I went hiking out at the Horsetail Falls area. Everything was great until the end when I felt hives coming on.

Back story...I started breaking out in hives in the early 90's and averaged about 2-3 a year up until about 2004. A couple bad breakouts, but controllable if you have a antihistamine tablet with you.

Anyway, I can see the end of the trail about 100 yards away. Feeling real weak and about to pass out. Now, It's never been this bad...a racing heartbeat, but that's about it. I get to where I can sit down and I tell my friend to get her car and come get me. I'm sitting there and my vision gets real bright and blurry. I'm praying someone comes by and happens to have a tablet on them. Sure enough, someone does! An hour passes and beyond being REALLY tired, I get up and start walking to the car as she hasn't come by yet. A sheriffs car slows down next to me and my friends daughter pops out the back and mentions they called an ambulance, because, apparently, I looked worse than I thought.

Anyhoo...I refuse treatment at this point as I'm back to normal.

My hives have been gone for about 5 years. Why did they come back? I've never been able to pinpoint what sets it off...

Sometimes the sun can cause hives, and not just where the sun touches the skin, or dehydration. I had never had hives in my life until one year, I was at the Indy 500 and I broke out all over my legs. I had 2nd degree sun burns (I applied sunblock, but not liberally enough) as well. The doctor was NOT happy with me.

Needless to say, I take allergy meds everyday, and when I go to the race now, I coat myself in sunblock and drink PLENTY of water. Had a small break out only once after that, from being in the sun too long.

Don't know if it's worth it, but maybe see an allergist?

And what you describe does sound a lot more like dehydration.

Glad you're feeling better.

I get hives all the time - finally went to an allergist. Found out I'm allergic to all molds and pollens and dust mites &etc. (Tested positive for everything - over 40 things. ). I have a prescription steroid cream, because the itching drives me insane otherwise.

Yikes! I'd say it's worth getting tested to see what you are allergic to.

I've broken out from exposure to cold, chemicals in a pool and I've also had a breakout where we didn't know what caused it. That was so bad the doctor I was working for made me go see my family doctor that same afternoon. I ended up on 2 types of steroids along with benadryl. It took weeks to get completely over it! I took pictures of myself to prove how horrific I looked. People were staring at me at Walmart while I waited for them to fill my prescription for the meds!!

I get small amounts of hives on occasion- usually caused by a direct allergen touching some part of my body- like if a cat licks my face. It is very annoying!

I learned the hard way that I'm allergic to cedar shavings. A couple of years ago we had a Boxer puppy. My husband had put cedar shavings in her pillow with the fiber fill to keep fleas down. Well she shredded the pillow and the stuff was everywhere. I cleaned it up, and abruptly broke out in hives. It was so bad I ended up going to the doc to get a prescription cream for it.

I knew that being around live Christmas trees made my eyes itch and my nose stuffy, but I guess I never put two and two together. I mean I know Christmas trees are usually cedar, but I guess I always thought they had some sort of pollen I was allergic to...not the tree itself.

I'm glad you are okay now.