Keep Getting Hives!.. Out of the Blue!?!?

I had that happen the end of my freshman year in college. Strawberries! It had never happened before.

I waited 4 years to eat them again.

Keep in mind that you can develop a new allergy anytime. Just because you weren't allergic to food/medicine/etc before doesn't mean that you aren't not. Best to start to keep a food diary and switch to sensitive skin soaps and detergents to see if you and sort it out. You should also call and get an appointment with an allergist. You might need to be tested to really figure out what new allergy you've developed.

I see that you are from WA. Due to all the awesome weather we have been getting, my 10 year old has also been getting hives. Where we live, we’ve gotten 7 days of rain, 3 feet of snow and now extreme cold and wind, all within a month!! If you don’t think it’s from chapping from the cold, then you can actually purchase an allergy kit from Groupon. It sends you a box of common allergens, food and environmental, with instructions on how to figure out what you are allergic to. Good luck! Hopefully you figure out what is going on.

My sister had random hives for about a year and a half. They started showing up when she decided to quit drinking all alcohol and cut out highly processed foods. She also began eating a high animal protein diet for a couple month. At first we thought she was detoxing junk from too much alcohol and junk food but after a couple months it didn't get better. She went to allergists for testing, and dermatologists and even acupuncturist for help, but nothing was worked.

Then one day by accident she discovered the hives were cause by sorbitol. Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol that is added to things (gum, toothpaste,medicine, and other foods) as a no-calorie sweetener. It also occurs naturally in many fruits. It is also in beer. There is no actual allergy test for sorbitol. If she avoided sorbitol she didn't have hives, if she didn't ate sorbitol the hives came back. She has since become vegan. She no longer has issues with hives at all and has gone back to eating apples and sorbitol containing fruits with no problems.

Your cause of hives maybe from an uncommon allergy to something that is very small but is in a lot of stuff. The hives could be from consuming too much of one thing, like animal protein. Unfortunately it may takes months to discover the root cause. I suggest you write down every thing you eat, and put on your skin including laundry products and fabric types. Make notes of things that seem to make the hives worse and search for what those things have in common. For my sister the aha moment was when she took an ibuprofen tablet instead of a gel cap. The hives got better and then got worse when she took the gel cap.

You can actually develop allergies over time. Also sometimes manufacturers change the ingredients in their products, so even if you're using the same laundry soap or shampoo or whatever it could be different. Finally, stress can cause hives too!
Do you have any new carpet or furniture?

Are you stressed? Stress can cause hives.

It’s true, you can develop an allergy out of the blue. Two summers ago, I was shocked to discover I’m now allergic to peaches. But if yours is still a mystery, maybe it’s in the air. My brother and my son both get hives from campfires. Burning certain wood, leaves, pine needles, hay, or even paper trash will bring on more hives.

Right now, I'm having some kind of reaction that I've never had before. I'm so itchy, it's driving me nuts. I think my skin is just very sensitive for some reason. Maybe hormonal?

When I've had actual hives, mine were due to things in the garden. Also to fabric (like certain wools and fabrics will irritate). Once my skin is in reaction mode, it doesn't take much to trigger it. I am not typically sensitive or allergic either. That's my husband's side.

I would do an extra 'rinse' of your laundry (that's what our allergist suggested with our son), use 1/2 detergent you think you need (another hint he gave us and it gets your clothes just as clean, they over advertise so you buy extra), and if you have pets - you may have developed an allergy to them over time. I have friends who have. Same with wood (if you have a stove), etc.

Personally, I would use Benedryl until your skin settles down, and then go from there. Really let it calm down, because if it's reactive mode (like my son's gets) anything could set it off and you won't have a clue. At least if you use it for a long period and go back to normal, you might know what sets it off.

Are you on a well? Sometimes well water (minerals, etc.) can change in PH and that can do it. Sometimes you need to add water softening tablets etc.

Good luck. Hope they go away

I have a friend whose son got poison ivy in the middle of winter.
It seems he was bringing in some firewood for the fireplace and some wood had some dead poison ivy vine stuck to it and it was enough to give him a pretty bad case of it.
If you've handled any firewood then maybe something similar is happening to you.

On what part of your body are the hives? Do they come and go or there everyday?

We can develop an allergy to things we've used for awhile. Detergent, soap, lotions. Food.

I found I had several food allergies in my 30's and not before. I've also had hives on my back after sitting in a theater seat. My granddaughter has had hives playing outside.

Do you have hives with seasonal allergies. Plants are blooming or getting ready to bloom in Portland OR.

An antihistamine will usually get rid of them. My granddaughter had asthma so we give her benadryl. It works faster than other antihistamines. Ask your pharmacist for what he recommends. We have also used cortisone cream.

Do you know for sure they're hives? There are other conditions that look similar to hives.