yesterday was hot, i stayed inside almost all day. we took our boat out after dinner i got into the boat while it was in the parking lot and didn't do anything out of the ordinary. shortly after we were on the water, it started to rain. it lasted less than 5 minutes. and then my shin started itching. since the mosquitoes have been out, and the flies were biting i just assumed it was a itchy bug bite. fast foreward to bedtime. i am wanting to scratch my itch but restrain myself. then i notice its hot to the touch, and red looking like hives. and no bug bite to be seen.
i can't pinpoint what could of caused these hives... they are only on my shin, and i know i didn't get into anything odd.
so what do you lovely ladies think? was it something in the rain? or am i suddenly going to be allergic to my boat? the rain? or what?
i am NOT seeking medical advice. only asking OPINIONS as to what could of caused this...
the hives are decreasing in size with the topical application of benadryl and a drs visit it not needed. (i get hives every time i pick greenbeans so i am not new to having hives)
hope its not poison ivy... i have touched that before and never reacted to it though
now the redness subsided, i have minor itching and one red spot in the middle.. so maybe a bug bite after all? but why the heat? if its an infection should i be worried? its not a fatty area, just my shin, right over the bone
The only time I felt heat with itching (and I get contact dermatitis sometimes) was with poison ivy. It was so bad the doctor circled me and said he couldn't believe the heat coming off me. I went on steroids because nothing else worked. Hopefully you don't have that.
I get the major heat and major itch with 2 things: May flies (which used to be in our area in the month of May, but their season has expanded a lot based on climate changes), and deer flies. May flies are black and much smaller than standard house flies, deer flies are the same size but with a patterned wing and not as black. There are also green head flies at a lot of beaches around here especially in the hot days of summer. The May fly redness can be 2-3 inches across especially if it's not right on the bone.
Since yours, per your SWH, has subsided into a center with surrounding redness, I'm guessing "bite" vs. itchy plant.
And I should say that I've added a third thing, as of this year - gypsy moth "stings" from the tiny hairs on their feet. First year ever, but we have a horrible infestation in New England so everyone is reacting. You can't see the little hairs - just the result of them. I realize a caterpillar is unlikely at the beach, but just in case you saw one later, or even sat on the ground where they are crawling, it's a distinct possibility. I sat down to do some planting, and got welts all over the back of my thighs and even my palms from when I used my hands to push up from a sitting position. However, the redness/itch is not instantaneous as with mosquitos or flies, but about 12 hours later.
I find rubbing anything on it at all is a bad idea - instead, I put ice on it, and then put an anti-itch cream on a bandaid and gently lay the bandaid across the center of the welt.
If you have a blister-type thing (which is what poison ivy turns into), try a compress of a salt-type remedy. When my son got horrible poison ivy, our pharmacist recommended Domeboro, which is a powder that's been around for decades. You mix it in water, then dip a washcloth in it, and let it sit on the blisters. No rubbing to aggravate the itching, and the blisters dry up faster.
Good luck!
Hot to the touch indicates a possible infection. If you get red streaks running down your leg it could indicate a cellulitis infection which needs prompt medical treatment. It could have started out as a bug bite or hive (hence explaining the itch) but it could also progress to an infection.
Tadpole,
Go back and think about what you walked through and what you touched prior to getting in the boat. Does anyone else have problems?
I'm wondering if you walked through poison ivy or oak. are they hives "glossy" in looking at them?
Wash your hands and under your nails. If you picked up a flower that wasn't a flower? It could have gotten under your nails?? Did you pick green beans prior to taking the boat out?
Sorry you are going through this!! Hope they are cleared up soon!
I hate that.
I'll weed my garden and sometimes rub at a minor itch on my leg - and before you know it I'm having a poison ivy like reaction and I'm never sure where it came from.
I've found that Vick's Vapor Rub helps take the itch out.
I also sometimes will put a paste of epsom salts on it and that helps too.
I've got a small spot on my thigh right now that's slowly going away.
If it's bad enough I have to go to the doctor because for me a full blown case of poison ivy just will not stop on it's own - my record was 2 months of scratching - and I need a steroid series to shut it down.
You might have a condition known as aquagenic urticaria, or water-caused hives.
https://cholinergicurticariasite.com/aquagenic-urticaria-...
If it's itchy, rub some hydrocortisone on it. That and an ice pack will ease the discomfort.
If it's not gone in a few days, off to the dr, I would think. Feel better!
Could you have had something under your nails that caused the hives when you scratched your shin? The initial itching could have been caused by something not visible once the hives erupted.
I once had a back covered with hives after going to a movie theatre. I assumed there was something on the chair back. Could you have leaned or bumped against something?
