Feb. 28, 2022 Update: I am trying to get my stomach acidity and indigestion issues treated, hoping that I’ll also find relief for my chronic urticaria.
I’ve been suffering from itchy rashes and hives for a few months now. It happens every single day, all throughout the day. My allergologist at Makati Med said that this is called chronic urticaria. I know there are many people who have worse skin problems than mine, but this condition is really affecting my lifestyle negatively. I’m a generally anxious person and the itching makes it worse, and I feel that the anxiety makes my itching worse too, causing an unbreakable cycle. What makes it worse is that I still don’t know what’s causing it. The pandemic is making consultation with allergologists a challenge for me, but I am working on it. Thanks to my husband for sticking with me as I battle through this itchy nightmare.
The beginning of my itchy journey π
Some time in August 2021, the palms of my hands began itching like crazy. I thought they were only itching due to dry skin, similar to eczema, because I wash my hands with soap so many times everyday, with all the baking and fear of the coronavirus. I was diagnosed with eczema several years ago but it went away quickly after moisturizing my skin, so I simply tried to moisturize every day. After one week, there was still no improvement so I consulted with a doctor at Medgate. I think even before this I was already having non-itchy rashes on my face.
Medgate consultation with Dr. Natasha Andrea Fernandez
The impression was “To Consider Generalized Hypersensitivity Reaction”. Doc Natasha prescribed steroid-antihistamine meds to be taken for 1 week, and 3 days into taking it, my itchy rashes/hives were gone. After stopping the meds, the red itchy little devils came right back. During this period, she put me on a hypoallergenic diet, which I continued even after quitting the meds, but the problem persisted. I didn’t feel that my itching was triggered by any food I ate. She recommended that I see an allergologist.
Makati Med Allergologist Consultation with Dr. Manuel Canlas
Finding an allergologist in Makati Med
We couldn’t find an allergologist in Makati who is accredited by our HMO, Intellicare, so we decided to just pay for our allergologist consultation. Honestly, I thought that everything would be solved after one visit to an allergologist. Maybe I just got lucky with the eczema thing from years ago — all it took was one dermatologist visit and then POOF! Itchy patches skin were gone. This one’s different.
Consultation in Dr. Manuel Canlas’ clinic at Makati Med
The actual doctor that I consulted with was Dr. Katrina Canlas Estrella, who I think is his daughter. She’s a cool lady who seems to love pastries, and I think she remembers me as Cookies PH. π Due to pandemic and Doc Manuel being a senior citizen, he couldn’t be at his clinic at Makati Med, but you could talk to him directly via video call c/o Doc Katrina. A prick test for allergies was required before the consultation. The skin test and consultation combined were a total of 8000 pesos. Consultation alone costs 1200 pesos. Ang mahal magkaproblema sa katawan, guys. The allergens that I was most sensitive to were house dust and dust mites, according to the results. They prescribed antihistamines and steroid meds, and sold me steroid cream and Hyalure lotion, which I was instructed to combine before using. They asked me to take urinalysis and fecalysis in case parasites were causing it. The results were all clear. Me and my hubby were asked to apply Kwell for 2 nights in case this was caused by scabies, but it didn’t help.
Avoiding the top allergy trigger didn’t help
They suggested anti-dust mites measures but a week after that, I felt no significant relief, even with the meds they prescribed. On my follow-up consultation at Dr. Manuel Canlas’ clinic, Doc Katrina no longer called Doc Manuel, and instead prescribed more antihistamines and tapered down the dosage of my steroids meds. When I told her that avoiding allergens didn’t help, her recommendation was to undergo immunotheraphy. This means that they would inject allergens into me so that my body will slowly become immune to it. According to her, this only works on patients 80% of the time.
Went home disappointed
I was a little bit disappointed that not all possible causes were tested for, such as autoimmune diseases like what I often read from the ‘net. I also felt bad about all the steroid meds, both oral and topical, because I read that they are really bad for long term use. Our pockets were running dry too because of the hefty consultation fee, so we decided to get a second opinion from an allergologist who was referred by someone from Aventus Filomena Makati.
Makati Med Allergologist Consultation with Dr. Caroline Aquino Biolena
I’m happy that I got to know Doc Caroline because our mindset on this matter seem to align. She doesn’t like to prescribe steroids on patients, and her first order was to get tested for autoimmune disease.
So it’s called “pressure urticaria!”
One big help that I got from her was that she recognized the appearance of rashes/hives that I often had — it’s pressure urticaria! So that’s why many of the itchiness I had were along fabric marks from clothes and bed sheets. Because of this new knowledge, I was able to avoid several new hives by avoiding pressure on my skin. Although I also get hives on areas that didn’t touch anything, such as my face where hives randomly appear while I watch TV. Some even look like small pimple marks or small insect bites. These randomly appearing little devils make me really anxious.
Autoimmune tests were ordered for my chronic urticaria
Doc Caroline wasn’t convinced that this was simply allergies, so she ordered diagnostic tests such as chest xray, and blood tests to check for thyroid issues and presence of ANA (antinuclear antibody). All results were negative, except my ANA test. I was told that this may be caused by an autoimmune disease, and referred me to a rheumatologist, Dr. Caroline Katigbak.
Bye for now, oral steroids!
She let me quit the steroid meds and replaced it with montelukast which I took every night before bed. It initally kept me awake, so I took melatonin and sleep-incuding teas before bed time, which really helped.
“Now Serving” App Consultation with Dr. Genevieve Katigbak
I was able to book an online consultation with the rheumatologist via Now Serving app. I really recommend this app. You may also book face-to-face consultations through it, if the doc does face-to-face. Consulation fee was 1000-1200 pesos because the doc doesn’t accept Intellicare for online consultations. πΈπΈπΈ
Detailed ANA (Anti-nuclear Antibody) Test ordered for my chronic urticaria
Doc Gen had a warm personality and was really easy to talk to, and I’m thankful for that because voice calls and video calls make me anxious. She ordered a detailed ANA test to find out if I have lupus. Gosh, this reminded me that I’m a vulnerable living being who’s susceptible to incurable ailments such as lupus.
Well, my lupus test came out negative! BUT I am due for another test 6 months from now, just in case anything develops.
Last consultation with Dr. Biolena before the end of 2021…
Hello December, it’s already been four months and I still have itchy hives that make me anxious. The anxiety seems to make everything more itchy, forming this terrible itch-anxiety cycle. Doc Caroline told me that I should try not to stress so much about it, because stress can really aggravate my condition.
Finding out that my rheumatologist declared that I’m free of autoimmune disease, Doc Caroline on the other hand declared that I have chronic idiopathic urticaria, which means that I have a long-term urticaria without any known cause. It wasn’t a pleasant news. I hate it when I don’t know the cause of things, especially something that’s happening to my body, but we don’t get to choose what ailments our bodies develop. Still better than lupus, which may attack my kidneys, right?
She up-dosed my antihistamines and gave me the green signal to quit montelukast. Our next option is for me to take Omalizumab (better known by the brand name Xolair). It’s quite expensive, each dose over a whopping 20,000 pesos! And one needs around 4 doses for it to work (oh dear, do the math), if it’s going to work at all. Doc said it doesn’t work on all urticaria patients, but it works for some. Also, I will need to be confined upon taking the first dose due to the risk of anaphylaxis (severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction).
Doc will be on vacation until the end of next year January. I hope nothing new comes up before then.
What gives me relief from the itching:
For the pressure-induced itchy rashes and hives (these completely disappear in about an hour if completely ignored), applying cold compress for at least 15 seconds on the skin makes the itchiness disappear, but not the redness. I don’t care much about the redness because the itch is the bothersome one.
Showering in cold water helps with pressure-induced urticaria too.
For the random itchy pimple-like things that appear on my skin, honestly, nothing but time helps. On day 1 they are very itchy, and on day 2 & 3 they’re still visible on my skin but they get much less itchy. Anti-itch lotions such as Aveeno Anti-Itch Concentrated Lotion and Cerave Anti-Itch Lotion help just a little bit.
As much as possible, I stay away from steroid creams, as I don’t want to depend on something that I’m not allowed to use long term. I only reach out for it when I’ve done all I could and the itching remains intense.
Just a friendly reminder: please try NOT to scratch your rashes and hives! Scratching intensifies the itching and sometimes it makes more hives pop up.
January 2022 Low Histamine x AIP Diet for Chronic Urticaria
I am happy to share that I’ve lowered my antihistamine dose from 4 times a day to just 3 times a day! What a good way to start the year. I’m glad I’m still comfortable enough to sleep even after lowering the dosage. Some itchy rashes appear before bedtime but I take care of them by using ice packs. My sleep is the thing that my chronic urticaria affects the most.
So, I decided to try a low histamine diet fused with AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) for now while my doc is on vacation. I’m also trying to avoid high FODMAP foods which may cause upset stomach. After all, many people suspect that a bad gut is one of the causes of pressure urticaria. I thought that if this doesn’t work, I got nothing to lose because at least I’ll shed some fat and get closer to my healthy weight as I am currently overweight.
From what I read on the Internet, we can do a “histamine flush” by eating only low histamine foods for 3-4 weeks. Continuing the diet beyond this period is not recommended. If we don’t feel better within that period, it could mean that we aren’t histamine intolerant or one of the supposed low histamine food is actually something we’re sensitive to! (Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, just a desperate sufferer of pressure urticaria. Feel free to comment if you’d like to correct anything, or to suggest anything.)
For the first five days of the diet I roughly followed this Sample 5 Day Low Histamine Diet Plan by Low Histamine Eats. It was too late though, when I found out that kiwi, one of the items on her safe list, is actually a histamine liberator. π€¦ββοΈ My fault for not verifying before starting the diet.
Anyway, I’m listing down foods I ate/ingested per day of the diet. This entire month I’m taking antihistamine 3 times each day, 1 Kirkland mutivitamin, and vitamin D3 (alternating between 2000 and 5000 IU). I season what I cook with salt everyday. I also stopped taking “drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol pills” which I take for my PCOS, last December 4. Some say it can be bad for the gut so I decided to stop it for now, see if it helps. Like I said before, I am desperate.
Click here to see what I ate during my low histamine diet, in hopes of curing/easing my pressure urticaria.
Week 1
Jan. 3
Chicken breast
Olive oil
Frozen fresh basil leaves
Sweet potato
Fresh turmeric
Fresh ginger
Kiwi (I shouldn’t have had this)
Fresh coconut meat and juice
Chia seeds
Jicama
Kale
Dried Lemongrass
Jan. 4
Carrot
Chicken
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme
Frozen fresh basil
Olive oil
Arugula
Kiwi (I shouldn’t have had this)
Chia seeds
Reheated frozen sweet potatoes
Kale
Lean pork
(Taking note in case this is hormone-related: On the night of Jan. 4 my period had started.)
Jan. 5
Sweet potato
Dried lemongrass
Chicken breast
Pure coconut milk, packaged (Real Thai brand)
Chia
Turmeric
Ginger
Yellow ginger
Kiwi (I shouldn’t have had this)
Jicama
Carrots
Beets
Olive oil
Arugula
Frozen leftover chicken with rosemary, thyme, and basil
(Taking note in case of reactions: today I put a strawberry-flavored fluoride treatment in my mouth and swallowed a little bit)
Jan. 6
Frozen leftover cooked lean pork
Ginger
Fresh cauliflower
Yellow ginger
Chia seeds
Pure coconut milk, packaged (Real Thai brand)
Sweet potato
Pork ribs
Garlic
Onions
White radish
Kale
Ginger
Turmeric
Sleepasil capsule
Jan. 7
Arugula
Pork
Dried lemongrass
Onions
Garlic
Coconut oil
Coconut milk
Frozen leftover chicken with rosemary, thyme, and basil
Carrots
Broccoli
Turmeric
Yellow ginger
Ginger
Peppermint leaves
Jicama
(I got sick starting on the night of Jan. 7. I started my isolation too.)
Jan. 8
Frozen butternut squash
Frozen leftover lemongrass pork
Coconut oil
Jicama
Chia
Coconut milk
Pork ribs
Garlic
Onions
Onion leeks
White radish
Bokchoy
Ginger
Yellow ginger
Herbal tea of dried chamomile, lemon balm, marshmallow root, and peppermint
Decolgen tablet, No-Drowse
(High fever that reached 39.1C. Surprisingly, I think I didn’t feel any itchy rash on this day of Jan. 8! Could it be that my mast cells were busy fighting a virus so they don’t overreact to harmless things such as pressure against my skin? π)
Jan. 9
Chicken
Onions
Garlic
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme
Carrots
Frozen broccoli and cauliflower
Marshmallow root tea
Lettuce
Frozen beets
Honeydew melon
Carrots
Coconut milk
Apple cider vinegar, a splash (might be a mistake but I couldn’t help it)
Chia seeds
Turmeric
Ginger
Decolgen Forte tablet
(In the morning my rashes were very mild, but in the evening they’re back to being as itchy as usual. I also had rashes that seem like rounded version of pressure urticaria rashes. Could it be the virus I’m sick with?)
Jan. 10
Kalabasa (our local squash, resembles kabocha squash)
Cauliflower
Coconut oil
Frozen leftover chicken
Curly kale
Chia seeds
Ginger
Honeydew melon, sliced yesterday (I hope this is OK)
Frozen leftover pork rib soup (cooked with cauliflower and broccoli but no actual veg anymore)
Garlic
Onions
Carrots
White radish
Turmeric
Ginger
Zucchini
Olive oil
Decolgen Forte tablet
(Itchy rashes really pestered me on this day! Oof– just found out that my 2000IU Kirkland Vit D has soybean oil π)
Week 2
Jan 11
Frozen baked chicken
Garlic
Turmeric powder
Frozen cauliflower
Frozen beets
Fresh turmeric and ginger
Chia seeds
Coconut milk
Potato wedges baked with olive oil
Romaine lettuce
Carrot
Jicama
Flax seeds
Egg
(More itchy little pimples appeared on my body this day. Pressure hives that appeared were expected where my skin pressed against things. A bit bloated after chia and coconut milk but it’s not always like this. Had loose stools.)
Jan 12
Lettuce
Frozen baked chicken
Garlic
Flax seeds
Olive oil
Jicama
A sip of marshmallow root tea
Honeydew melon (I ate a lot of this)
Pork
Carrots
Broccoli
Bok choy
Yellow ginger
Ginger
Onions
(Still getting tiny itchy pimples at random places. Had expected pressure hives plus a few on my cheeks.)
Jan 13
Chicken
Basil
Olive oil
Sweet potato
Honeydew
Yellow ginger
Ginger
Chia seeds
Coconut milk
Chamomile tea
Peppermint and spearmint tea
Fresh coconut flesh and juice
Carrot
Rosemary
Thyme
Broccoli
Jicama
Turmeric
(Had big rashes scatted across my right chest at 11:11PM, followed by a little more rashes were on my hands than usual. Thinking it may be hormonal because ovulation should be around this day.)
Jan 14
Chia seeds
Coconut milk
Gluten-free oats
Chicken
Garlic
Strong ginger tea
Broccoli
Olive oil
Small amount of sesame oil
Sweet potato
Basil
Zucchini
Turmeric powder
(Still getting several tiny itchy pimples. So much less pressure rashes on this day, even at night! I was thinking maybe it’s because I skipped fruits and teas today, and I scraped off basil from the chicken I cooked (thinking of pseudoallergens) and also been practicing relaxation through deep breathing. And oh, the strong ginger tea.)
Jan 15
Chia seeds
Coconut milk
Gluten-free oats
Pork (butterfly cut and ribs)
Onions
Strong ginger tea
Honey
Frozen kabocha squash
Frozen butternut squash
Carrots
Onions
Bok choy
Turmeric powder
(I tried to avoid herbs and fruits today just like I did yesterday, to hopefully get virtually no pressure hives again, but I actually became quite sensitive in the evening! In the day time there were only non-itchy little red pressure marks. In the evening, I easily had large non-itchy rashes on my arm and chest upon pressure. Worse, I had many other itchy rashes all over my hands, and on my arm from my t-shirt sleeve which doesn’t happen often anymore these days. A thing I did today that didn’t do on the previous day was clean the bathroom using bleach and Greenex. Does chemical trigger pressure urticaria?)
Week 3
My arms used to always have pressure rashes while using my laptop on the table but that very rarely happens on week 3. I still have pressure rashes on my arms, hands, legs and feet that I don’t remember being in contact with pressure though, so I think my skin is still sensitive at this point.
Jan 16
pan-fried chicken
honey
turmeric
garlic
zucchini
fresh moringa tea
grapes
lettuce
olive oil
flax seeds
ginger
onion
pechay
small amount of white rice
(Pressure rashes appear when I bump into sharp objects’ edges. Used dumbbells briefly and had slightly red palms but no itching. After drinking moringa tea my tummy felt acidic and my throat itched. The next times I tried moringa I didn’t have the same discomfort. About 30 minutes after lettuce+oliveoil+flaxseeds+grapes salad I burped and felt so acidic in the chest!)
Jan 17
juice from fresh curly kale, morgina, pechay, ginger, honeydew, carrot, coconut water
jicama
chicken with skin
turmeric (fresh and powdered)
ginger
pechay
coconut water
coconut oil
olive oil
lettuce
honeydew
frozen leftover pork soup
garlic
onions
turmeric
ginger
carrot
broccoli
(Had hive on face, less itchy body pimples, fewer pressure rashes easily controlled with ice packs)
Jan 18
juice from fresh curly kale, moringa, grape, ginger, honeydew
Lettuce
olive oil
fatty pork steak
browned garlic
fresh rosemary
jicama
sweet potato
started immunpro supplement
oats
turmeric
pechay
chicken
(Solid stool now finally. Itchy ears. Persistent hive on the neck. Tiny super itchy pimples pop up randomly in the body. Today was when I noticed that my elbows/forearms no longer itch while using laptop on table. Pressure rashes that came out of nowhere appeared on feet. Used clobetasol+hyalure lotion mixture.)
Jan 19
juice from fresh curly kale, pechay, lettuce, carrot, ginger, turmeric, grapes
small amount of apple cider vinegar
chicken, pan-fried
caramelized apple
lettuce
olive oil
flax
garlic
honey
pechay
moringa
olive oil
(Stomach ached when I ate the pan-fried chicken and apple quickly. Still getting itchy pressure rashes on areas that I don’t know what touched, but some small rashes don’t itch. )
Jan 20
Juice from curly kale, moringa, cabbage, turmeric, ginger, frozen beets, and honey
chicken
onion
garlic
pechay
gluten-free oats
boiled egg
fatty pork steak
zucchini
sesame oil
(Mix of expected and unexpected pressure rashes on this day)
Jan 21
apple
lettuce,
flax
olive oil
cantaloupe melon
sweet potato
(stomach ache after defecating)
frozen leftover tinola (chicken, ginger, onion, garic, pechay, moringa)
juice from curly kale, cabbage, ginger, turmeric, pechay, honeydew,carrot
(Earphones make my ears itch. Used clobetasol mix again. About 40mins after eating sweet potato at night I had acid reflux. Super itchy hand rash after using bidet, I thought my hand is already desensitized to it…)
Jan 22
gluten-free oats
chia
honey
cantaloupe, small morsels
cabbage
olive oil (oops cooked in same pan as canned tuna and eggs)
chicken with skin, pan-fried
garlic
rosemary
(acid reflux in the afternoon)
juice from celery, curly parsley, ginger, moringa, honeydew, pechay, lettuce
chicken (stew)
thyme
carrots
potatoes
onions
molasses
(Slight burning in esophagus/stomach after drinking today’s juice. Today I had a mix of expected and unexpected pressure urticaria too, but there are times when I expect rashes but none break out! I might have missed my 5PM dose of antihistsamine, I really can’t remember but I had no out of the ordinary rashes today. I felt overwhelmed and stressed today from the mountain of things I had to attend to.)
Jan 23
gluten-free oats
pumpkin seeds (1 Tbsp)
flax seeds
more pumpkin seeds (4Tbsp, after about 20mins I had bitter taste in mouth)
chicken thigh, pan-seared
honey
garlic
olive oil
coconut oil
lettuce
carrot
(almost 1 hour after eating I had a dull upper stomachache)
juice from apple, celery, parsley, turmeric, ginger, moringa (ugh moringa started growing molds)
onion
leeks
bok choy
squash
curly kale
small amount of rice
(Today I had minor pressure rashes even in the morning but can’t associate with pumpkin seeds, because after eating 4Tbsp of it I didn’t notice itching until evening. Some small pressure rashes are gone before I could take note of them, but many of my rashes today were extremely itchy and resistant against ice packs. I also felt overwhelmed and stressed today from the mountain of things I had to attend to. Worth taking note that this week I’ve been sleeping well even without Sleepasil! Maybe it’s the reduced stress from taking less work, and the healthier diet without caffeine. Started Pharex vitamin B complex on this day but there will be days when I skip it.)
Jan 24
celery juice for breakfast (made me hungry, either the juice contents or didn’t make enough juice)
jicama
fresh parsley tea
chia seeds
honey
gluten-free oats
melon
very small amount of wasabi white chocolate (dairy, sugar, and other bad stuff — tasted for work)
apple
olive oil
lettuce
chicken
(Bloated lower abdomen or puson today, hurts a bit when pressure’s applied. Also had more appetite than usual. Relatively large itchy rash on right of neck in the afternoon.)
Jan 25
scrambled eggs (2pcs., well-cooked with carrot, parsley, olive oil)
ginger
turmeric
evaporated milk (trace amounts)
condensed milk (trace amounts)
frozen mango puree (trace amounts)
all purpose cream (trace amounts)
fresh parsley tea
jicama
baked chicken
basil, fresh
fresh parsley
garlic
pumpkin seeds
olive oil
lettuce
(Woke up quite early coughing with some phlegm and left nostril was a bit congested. Had itchy hive on left jaw and a fleeting left shoulder itch right after. Could they be connected? Three hours after scrambled eggs, 1.5 hours after evap and condensed milk trace, and about 1 hour after mango and cream trace, I had slight tummy discomfort. I was laying down for a while watching TV, when I raised my body I felt fluid in my tummy moving. I felt really fine before this discomfort. Note that for many years it’s always taking long for me to digest foods. Discomfort lessened after burping, which felt slightly acidic in the upper tummy. That was in the afternoon. I had a stomachache after working out at night which is unusual. What I had before workout was jicama and fresh parsley tea. Around 10:20PM stomach ached again, passing gas gave relief. This continued up to 11PM. The noted puson/lower abdomen bloating has lessened today though. Had bitter taste in the back of the mouth tonight but not sure if it’s the turmeric powder or stomach acid reflux. At 12:40 I had a headache concentrated around my eyes which didn’t last long. It was a busy and moderately stressful day at work. My feet were sensitive to pressure rashes tonight, but recently I’ve been able to trust the small pressure rashes to go away on their own, observed at a maximum of 1 hour.)
Jan 26
gluten-free oats
honey
chia
ginger
turmeric
reheated frozen chicken stew (thyme, celery, carrots, potato, onion, garlic, cabbage, molasses)
peeled apple
fatty pork chop, fried
garlic
parsley
onion
cucumber
apple cider vinegar, small amount
(Woke up with right nostril congested. It stings/burns too near the soft palate. Acid reflux? But my chest or stomach didn’t feel the burn. About an hour after that I noticed an itchy hive on my left cheek. Not sure if worth noting but today I drank water from a refrigerated bottle that hasn’t been washed in a while. Played guitar a few minutes and the itching was significantly less intense than before! They became raised hives later on. Maybe it’s the antihistamines keeping them calm? In the afternoon while getting up from bed I felt acid again moving below my chest. That left cheek hive from the morning still itches. Twelve minutes after dinner of fatty pork, garlic, parsley, onion, cucumber and apple cider vinegar I had slight tummy discomfort. Eight minutes after discomfort, a right toe was very itchy! It went away on its own within 45 minutes. An hour after the itchy toe I had a very itchy “pimple” on my right side. Couldn’t help it and used clobetasol on it.)
Jan 27
light ginger tea
(fasted for 16 hours)
baked chicken thighs with skin
fresh rosemary
garlic
bok choy
olive oil
yellow sweet potato
coconut milk
chicken
celery
carrot
onion
celery
ginger
(Itchy pimple over left deltoid muscle. Many of the pressure hives I got today faded out quickly, but at 1AM I had a very itchy left thumb that I had to ice before calming down. Couldn’t exercise well tonight as if my muscles didn’t wanna move.)
Jan 28
(fasted for 16 hours)
all purpose cream, trace amount
frozen chicken soup
chicken
celery
carrot
onion
celery
ginger
chia seeds
coconut milk
sweet potato
small amount coconut oil
baked chicken
olive oil
parsley
garlic
basil
carrots
bok choy
(Woke early because I had left nostril pain near soft palate. Acid? Tried to sleep again but nostril was flooding with mucus. Almost an hour after that I had many small scattered rashes on my hands that look like they’re pressure rashes. I don’t recall applying pressure on my hands, and about half of the rashes itched. Could it really be connected to stomach acid? Funny how I applied so much pressure on my palm at work and yet had no itching. In the morning I was annoyed at someone and my heartbeat’s speed/intensity was heightened. Had a persistent itchy pimple on the chest, also appeared on the arm later. In the afternoon I felt acidity below my chest after drinking cool water. An hour after that I had a slight pain in my left chest, maybe the lung? Not sure. At 6pm I didn’t feel so well with slight headache, could it be work fatigue and lack of sleep? Had a mix of expected and unexpected pressure rashes today but resolved within an hour.)
Jan 29
light ginger tea
(fasted for 16 hours)
frozen chicken soup (celery carrot ginger garlic onion cauliflower broccoli squash)
small piece of frittata (egg, chicken, coconut oil, coconut milk, broccoli, cauliflower)
round grapes
white sweet potato
Juice using juicer: celery carrot parsley ginger apple grapes pechay cucumber moringa
chicken stew with turmeric (fresh and powdered), coconut milk, carrot, celery, garlic, onion, sweet potato, fennel seeds, bok choy, and rice!
(no nose pain upon waking today, maybe from the change to a slightly thicker pillow. Throat was coated in phlegm upon waking though. About an hour after eating frittata I had an acidic burp. After the chicken stew at night my nose was a bit runny despite not being a spicy dish. Eighteen minutes after we started eating, I had itchy pressure rashes in my forearms. For many days, even when I try to induce it, I no longer have itchy pressure rashes in that area while using the computer in the table! But it’s here again and I felt so frustrated at the unpredictability of pressure urticaria. This was a very tiring day for me, and it’s HOT. Could they have been factors? I also had egg, grapes, and fennel seeds today. Could they have been culprits? I don’t know anymore. Later at night I found my feet sensitive to pressure rashes too, and the back of my hands had small scattered itchy pressure rashes, maybe from touching my husband’s beard. This day sucked! This is already day 29 of my low histamine diet and yet there are still surprises.)
Other things I might try to help make my chronic urticaria go away:
This condition is frustrating, and even more so when all doctors answer the question “why did I suddenly started itching like this?” with “your body has become hypersensitive.” That doesn’t explain WHY this is happening. I guess they don’t know either.
Someone on Reddit suspects that pressure urticaria may be caused by a “leaky gut” and that healing the gut may help make the rashes go away. It’s possible that I have a bad gut because I have many of its symptoms, one of which is skin problems such as rashes. If I have no luck with low histamine diet, I’ll consider a diet for healing leaky guts.
A quick Google-ing let me find out that acupuncture had cured a good percentage of chronic urticaria sufferers. I may consider trying this in the next few months if diets don’t help.
Someone on the Delayed Pressure Urticaria Support Group on Facebook got rid of his pressure urticaria by juicing for one month. If the antihistamine diet doesn’t do it for me I might try this too.
Immediate / Delayed Pressure Urticaria Resources
- Pressure Urticaria by Medscape
- Delayed pressure urticaria
- Successful treatment of delayed pressure urticaria with antiβTNF-Ξ±
- Pressure Urticaria by ScienceDirect
- Pressure Urticaria by VisualDx
- Immediate Pressure Urticaria by Contemporary Pediatrics
Other sufferers talking about their Delayed Pressure Urticaria
I gathered several posts/communities that you may wanna check out if you’re experiencing the same ailment. These are real people talking about the ailment, so you might feel a little better knowing you’re not suffering alone!
Hello Catzie,
Happen to bump in your blog. I have automimmune (hashimoto) and can share with you what I did to manage my condition.
Please do not take any steroid or medication as these only supress the symptoms. You need to find the root cause (e.g: diet, food allergies, supplements, lifestyle changes, other factors to look at such as parasites, molds, previous infections, sluggish liver, heavy metals, radiation, gut issue, etc). You need to lessen your toxic overload in your body.
You are in the right path on starting to look into your diet. it will be a long road ahead but be patient. If you are keen to chat, I have added you on facebook. π Happy to share my experience and alternative approachthat I took instead of the conventional ones (e.g: steroid, immunosuppresant, antihisthamine until all of those doesn’t work anymore)
Thank you for sharing, Kobi! Autoimmune conditions suck. I hope you’re doing well these days! I will try to reach on to you on Facebook some time. <3
Hi! I want to share my experiece.. I also had a chronic urticaria for more than 20 years, imagine the ordeal I’ve gone through. A lot of check- ups from different dermatologists, a lot of medicines consist of oral and topical but it all failed. I was just like you… a desperate patient. One day, someone recommended to me to see an allergologist. I went to see one and I’ve done all the test, took all the meds but no good result. The doctor referred to me to see a dermatologist. The doctor tested me for skin biopsy and that test led me to see the actual cause of my skin disease. I happened to have a CTCL- Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma( a cancer of the white blood cells). Several tests were done to rule out the real diagnosis. I was tested at different big hospitals in the country but still with the same results. My oncologist suggested to see my derma to start my treatment which is phototherapy. My doctor is the head of the phototherapy section of the dermatology dept of that hosptial. With prayers and luck, I was able to complete my sessions from 3x a week down to once a month which is a life-long treatment as maintenance. My itchiness and red rashes all over my body were gone and I was so happy and relieved. But because of the Covid- 19 lockdown l wasn’t able to continue my treatment but no recurrence of lesions as of now. I plan to start my treatment soon so that it will not reoccur. I hope that my story can help you or other people who might have similar signs and symptoms. I hope that God will lead you to the right person who could help you to win the battle and one day you will be healed. Stay positve and happy. God bless…
Hi Catzie, we have the same thing! Also went to see a doc in Makati Med (Dr Genevieve Katigbak) cos my ANA Test was positive. She said I have uticaria, but nothing was resolved. I still get loads of hives, the worst one was from peeling pomelo skin. Been mindful of what I eat but wish we can find the root cause of it so we can avoid it.
Hope you are managing it better!