It's Been 2 Weeks Since Seeing The Allergist
Well, I've been on the prescription drugs for two weeks now, and in that time we have added allegra to the mix. So currently I take, on a daily basis, zyrtec, claritin, allegra, zantac, and hydroxyzine. I have personally upped the dosages on all these so that I now take about 10 pills a day just so that I am functional out in the real world, but I still have outbreaks when my body warms up. The drugs seem to delay the outbreaks and lessen the severity of the outbreaks slightly, but I am not satisfied yet, to be sure. I still have a minor attack every morning between 4 and 6 am that wakes me up. I am still reluctant to perform any kind of physical tasks outdoors, even going on a walk.
If things don't get better I will probably call the doctor yet again to see what else we can add to the mix or do to make this better, but I am starting to understand the fact that I may have to just live with this. Too many more drugs and I would just be a complete zombie, completely unable to drive or do much of anything. Since I'm getting married in June in Texas (oudoors), I need a backup method of relief so that I can enjoy my wedding. Therefore, I decided to test something that I have often seen mentioned on the message boards by others. Quite simply, I decided to try to deplete my histamine stores by jogging. I have heard that rigorous exercise for an extended period, though painful, can provide you with up to 24 hours of complete relief. So, though I was very anxious about it, I basically took a handful of drugs an hour before the jog (3 zyrtec, 2 claritin, 3 hydroxyzine, 1 zantac), and then I went for it. The first 4 minutes went fine; no itching. At minute 4 or 5 I started itching, and it quickly ramped up to a full-blown, agonizing attack. It felt like thousands of needle pricks all over my trunk and head between minutes 5 and 10, but I forced myself to keep going and running through the pain. At minute 11 the pain started to level off, and then slowly began to ease. By minute 13 it was obvious the worst was over and all that remained for the rest of the 30-minute jog was some mild itching and flares. Thinking that my mission had been accomplished, I then took a shower in cool to warm water, but as soon as I stepped out of the shower I had another wave of mild hives pain that lasted a few minutes. So it would seem that the histamine was not completely depleted, but maybe enough to give me relief over the next day or so. I suppose the real test would be some more physical activity this evening, and I plan on doing just that to prove or disprove the theory.
Some things I noticed. I hardly sweat at all during the run, which I have heard happens from others on the message boards. Very odd. Even my face was dry, though it had a very strange look to it after the run. There were white spots all over my forehead, and it just looked kind of patchy and sickly. The hives on my trunk looked different than they usually do. They were all white on my shoulders and back (no red border), though the hives on my chest seemed more reddish and similar to what I have experienced in the past. Also, the hives stuck around for a full 45-55 minutes, much longer than usual, perhaps due to the fact that I let the attack run its course instead of cutting it short with ice.
Well, I'm spent. More later.
If things don't get better I will probably call the doctor yet again to see what else we can add to the mix or do to make this better, but I am starting to understand the fact that I may have to just live with this. Too many more drugs and I would just be a complete zombie, completely unable to drive or do much of anything. Since I'm getting married in June in Texas (oudoors), I need a backup method of relief so that I can enjoy my wedding. Therefore, I decided to test something that I have often seen mentioned on the message boards by others. Quite simply, I decided to try to deplete my histamine stores by jogging. I have heard that rigorous exercise for an extended period, though painful, can provide you with up to 24 hours of complete relief. So, though I was very anxious about it, I basically took a handful of drugs an hour before the jog (3 zyrtec, 2 claritin, 3 hydroxyzine, 1 zantac), and then I went for it. The first 4 minutes went fine; no itching. At minute 4 or 5 I started itching, and it quickly ramped up to a full-blown, agonizing attack. It felt like thousands of needle pricks all over my trunk and head between minutes 5 and 10, but I forced myself to keep going and running through the pain. At minute 11 the pain started to level off, and then slowly began to ease. By minute 13 it was obvious the worst was over and all that remained for the rest of the 30-minute jog was some mild itching and flares. Thinking that my mission had been accomplished, I then took a shower in cool to warm water, but as soon as I stepped out of the shower I had another wave of mild hives pain that lasted a few minutes. So it would seem that the histamine was not completely depleted, but maybe enough to give me relief over the next day or so. I suppose the real test would be some more physical activity this evening, and I plan on doing just that to prove or disprove the theory.
Some things I noticed. I hardly sweat at all during the run, which I have heard happens from others on the message boards. Very odd. Even my face was dry, though it had a very strange look to it after the run. There were white spots all over my forehead, and it just looked kind of patchy and sickly. The hives on my trunk looked different than they usually do. They were all white on my shoulders and back (no red border), though the hives on my chest seemed more reddish and similar to what I have experienced in the past. Also, the hives stuck around for a full 45-55 minutes, much longer than usual, perhaps due to the fact that I let the attack run its course instead of cutting it short with ice.
Well, I'm spent. More later.
posted by Jeff at 1:37 PM
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