I was running with a friend and for the first 8kms we were fine. I drank lots of water but my friend only drank a sip of water once at 8ks. We headed on and by 15ks she was starting to get a bad case of hives on the arms. She was stressed and she reminded me of me when the rash appears and we just want it to stop.
We stopped at a water point and I got her to down 300ml of water against her wish as it would make her feel bloated. She was looking at her arms worsening and as panic started to set in, so were her neck and face starting to itch. She wanted an antihistamine now! Anxiety normally makes an itch worst and requires a good distraction. I gave her something to hold and got her to drink more water (500ml usually helps me) and then she was to replace the word "itch" with "water" or "ice" if she wanted to tell me how itchy it was. I had hoped using cooling words would take some of the heat of that itch.
I believe my friend's body was telling her she was dehydrated and that she had not recognised it. I normally find that drinking water dilutes whatever toxin is trying to come out of my body and reduces the symptoms of itching. However it is not an immediate effect and can take about 5 minutes.
It was time to talk about other more positive things like:
- What do you like to eat?
- What is your favourite ice cream?
- What is the best adventure you've been on?
I banned her from looking at the hives and feeling the lumps appear. And after a km, the itching subside, but I never asked her about her itch until the end at 25ks if she still needed an antihistamine.
She was proud to say she did not and thankful not to have to knock out her system with it. As those who take strong antihistamines know, it can cause drowsiness and for me a very heavy head.
So in conclusion:
- drink more water when you feel itchy symptoms appear
- distract yourself and never focus on the itch
2 comments:
Wanted to let you know, that I suffered with eczema, very severe
with angioedema, since last Jan and finally as of the past 6 weeks, got it under control. Wanted to share with you how, so that you might try it.
I was on prednisone 4 times last year trying to get it under control but it always came back. I tried everything from going to a chinese herbal master and doing the teas, and taking homeopathic cures that
kind of helped but not really,
every antihistamine I could get my hands on, and diet, etc..but always I had to finally take prednisone to stop it...it would get so severe..it was scary.
This last time I didn't take predniosne.
I took Fexofenadine, a non-drowsy type antihistamine with no bad side effects at all that is also sold as Allegra. You want to take the regular Fexofenadine HCL. 180 mg tabs. hi dose at first (360 mg every 12 hours to stop the flare up) and gradually reducing it as you improve. Right now, I am at 90 mg every 12 hours. I will halve it again in a couple of weeks. I don't want to take any chances and mess with success.
Also use
Cobetasol Cream .05% very lightly
wherever there is the rash.
As you see the flare up is obviously clearing up, reduce the
fexofenadine to 180mg every 12 hours, and then keep halving it
from there.
It's cleared me totally and I haven't had that stinging feeling
like I used to when I would exercise.
The other thing I use religiously
that was advised by my dermatologist is a cleanser and moitureizer called Cerave. It's excellent in restoring the water mantle in your skin. It's noticeable. and I use all sorts of expensive moisture creams...Cerave puts them to shame and it's cheap.
You get it at any drug store like
CVS, or Rite Aid. It absorbs very quickly, so you don't realize how much it is really moisturizing, but I notice the difference in the texture of my skin. And that's what it's about..rebuilding the skins water mantle. Anyway, I hope this
info helps. It is a miracle for me.
Hey Busta
Thank you so very much for sharing.
Will look up your Fexofenadine and see if it is ready available in the UK.
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