Overview
This was my first time having hives. It's not a pretty sight, but since every experience becomes a memory, I’ve decided to document it with some photos.
What Are Hives Like?
They look like this.
Here were my symptoms...
- It started around the time I began using the air conditioner as it got hot
- It appeared right after waking up
- It showed up all over my legs
- It went away around noon
- It was a little itchy
By noon, it looked like this ↓ and had cleared up.
Since this was my first time, I had no idea it was hives...
- Heat rash? → No, heat rash doesn’t puff up like this
- Fleas? → No, there were no bite marks, and flea bites don’t disappear by noon
Then I saw a doctor, and they immediately said, “Yep, that’s hives.” No hesitation.
So What Are Hives?
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How they occur:
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When your skin is stimulated by something...
- Mast cells in your skin release histamine...
- The histamine binds to receptors in nerves and blood vessels...
- Causing redness and swelling.
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What kind of stimulation?
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Some cases are allergy-like and are called inducible hives.
- Most are idiopathic, meaning the cause is unknown. In those cases, you just suppress the histamine with antihistamines.
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What kind of antihistamine?
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I was prescribed fexofenadine, which is the same ingredient as the over-the-counter drug Allegra.
- Huh? Isn’t Allegra for stuff like hay fever and allergies?
- So hay fever and hives work the same way?!
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Did fexofenadine work?
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It worked amazingly well. The morning after I took it, I had no symptoms at all. Incredible.
The End
The timing of the outbreak was just as the weather started to heat up. So I think heat and fatigue might’ve been the cause. That means it could happen again next year. If it does, I’ll try some Allegra from the drugstore first.
I wrote this post so that I’ll remember it next year.
