My son is 5 and a few months ago he began breaking out in hives all over arms, chest, stomach, back, and even his butt and thighs. He also gets an occasional swollen lip or eye and we don't know why! We thought at first it was a laundry detergent I had used when we ran out of our Tide Free brand, but even after rewashing everything he's still getting hives.
After a month of breaking out in hives my son's pediatrician finally referred us to an allergist. Also, in the beginning of all this my son developed an urge to clear his throat alot and aggressively, and he had Strep (for the first time). I can't remember 100% for sure whether the hives began before the strep or not but in general it was around the same time. But anyway his pediatrician thought the throat clearing was related to the strep so he wanted to wait a month to see if it went away on its own. It didn't and the hives kept coming and going every few days.
When we finally saw the allergist they did the skin test on his back (2 sets of different allergens) and it showed reactions to dust mites and cat dander. We had 2 cats so it made sense. We just couldn't figure out why all of a sudden he was allergic to them. We had them before he was born. The allergist also did blood work but it showed nothing. It didn't even show that he was allergic to cats or dust mites. Everything they tested his blood for was negative, but he had a high level of IgE antibodies. So it showed he is allergic to something, we just don't know what.
When we went to the allergist to get these results he suggested we find new homes for our cats, so we did. They have been gone for about 2 weeks. We have also moved to a new home. My son used to also have alot of nasal congestion, but it seems to have lessened since we moved, and he doesn't clear his throat as much. However he is still getting hives a few times a week. Sometimes he will just have a few little bumps but other days he will have alot and I can not find the connection...also if he has pressure on his skin ( seatbelt/ waistband of pants too tight) they will start but the allergist said that's normal, that it's just from his skin being "twitchy". I will give him zyrtec ( but not very often) if he is uncomfortable, but usually it's not that bad and they will go away overnight while he's sleeping.
So, yesterday we had a follow up appointment with a specialist in the same office, just a different dr. He does NOT think my son is allergic to cats or dust since it didn't show up on the blood work. He did say that some kids get hives when they have strep ( which my son did have around the time the hives started) but he said the hives usually go away after treating the strep. I kept a food diary for a month and couldn't find any connections plus he tested negative for the main food group allergens. The hives seem so random, but 2 nights ago he was laying on a special pillow and the side of his face that was touching the pillow his eye on that side swelled almost all the way shut and my son was so upset. He's a tough little guy and can handle pain pretty well, but was in tears because his eye itched so badly. So I thought maybe there was dust or dander on the pillow because I had seen it in the floor earlier in the evening. But with the specialist saying he's not allergic to either I am so confused. The pillow is 100% polyester. Maybe he reacted to that, but he has layed on the pillow before with no problems...it was right before bed time so I gave him some benadryl but it was still swollen a good bit when he woke up in the morning. Zyrtec made the swelling finally go down.
I was really hoping to have some answers or for the hives to be gone by now. It's been over 3 months since the hives started. Since the dr still doesn't know what's causing the hives he just wants to treat them continuously for a month and see if the cycle breaks. He wants me to give 1 tsp of zyrtec every morning and 1 tsp of benadryl every night for a month whether he has the hives or not. Now, to me that seems like a lot of medicine for a little kid. I don't feel comfortable keeping him on these medicines 24/7. He does act different when he takes them so they must make him feel weird. The dr thinks doing this will make the hives stop, but I just don't see how. I just want to do what is best for my son, so what would you do or what have you done if you can relate? Have you found anything that helps that's natural? I know the dr knows best but do you think that's alot of allergy medicine for a kid?
Oh, and one other thing I expressed concern about to the specialist was that my son was on 3 antibiotics in a row over the course of about 3 months. End of september he was on amoxicillin for a tooth infection ( he chipped it at the playground when he was 2 and it became infected) for a week, then they pulled the toooth and he had to continue the amoxicillin for another week or so. Then in the beginning of december he developed a bad cough and his pediatrician put him on azythromicin for mycoplasma. And at the end of december is when he got really sick and tested positive for strep and was put on amoxicllin again for 10 days. That was the most antibiotics he had ever been on and in such a short period of time. This was one of the only things that I could think of that was different, so I wondered if the hives were associated to being on so many antibiotics but the dr said no probably not.
It's such a mystery! If anyone else has experienced something similar I would appreciate some input.
When we did the allergy blood test, the results conflicted witht he prick test. I was under the impression that the blood test was not exact but, the prick test was.
Also, hives can be from stress and it sounds like there has been a lot of that!
Good luck!
I have no idea, but I was wondering if there are doctors that specialize in immune system reactions - I don't know if an immunologist is the same as an allergist. His immune system seems to be having a party, so maybe a specialist can figure it out. Good luck!
Well, the cats are likely one of his triggers. And even though they are gone now, they lived with you awhile, and laid on many items in the house, including furniture you brought to your new house. My son has a cat, dog, and dust mite allergy, and his reactions started VERY much like what you are describing. He would break out in random hives, at about age 4 or 5 (we had had dogs and cats since before he was born). He would get a runny nose, itchy eyes, etc and it would last for hours after an exposure. By age 6, his reaction to dogs was also an itchy throat, and withon 6 months of that, he had full-blown asthma symptoms when in the same vicinity as dogs. The cats and dust mites still just cause the runny nose and itchy eyes/throat.
Try putting an anti-dust mite zippered case around his bed mattress, and bed pillow (get them at Kohls), and then wash his blankets and sheets and pillows in hot water ,and keep extra sets of sheets in plastic zippered cases after washing. Don't let him sitk on any furniture that came from the old house for about 2 weeks (just make him some comfortable spots on the floor), and see if that doesn't help some. And remember; the previous owners of your new house may have had pets, too.
Good luck!
I don't have any suggestions on what he could be allergic to -- sorry! But I have heard of cases where frequent use of antibiotics can trigger new allergies or exacerbate allergic reactions. It's not a reaction to the antibiotics per se, it's that the gut is "too clean" -- it's cleansed of beneficial bacteria -- and that can cause the immune system to be hyperreactive.
This is a theory that has adherents among practitioners of both standard Western medicine and natural medicine. It's sort of quasi-alternative, quasi-mainstream.
My other thought -- very mainstream -- is does he have an epi-pen prescribed, in addition to the antihistamines? You might ask about that, just to be on the safe side, as long as the source of his allergies is unknown.
Best wishes to you. Sorry I couldn't help more!
It is possible that your son is allergic to penicillin (amoxacillin). Hives and/or rash could be a reaction to the medicine and once you have this type of reaction to the medicine, you should not take it.
His breathing and throat clearing cleared up after you rehomed the cats, so he probably did have some type of allergy to the cats.
As for the hives. Something similar happened to my brother a few years back. He had hives daily for about 10 months. The doctor had him on 3 medicines daily. If he missed a medicine, the hives would appear. The doc said that sometimes your body has a reaction that it thinks it needs to fight, the cause can leave, but your body is still fighting. Then after 10 months, he felt different, more at ease, and the hives stopped. Never figured out the cause or what caused them to stop.
Have you switched back to the Tide Free and Clear? I would start there. I once tried the Bounce dryer bar. Ran a day of loads including sheets. My son broke out in hives. I had to give him Benedryl for 3 days. Finally I decided it was the Bounce bar. I removed it, scrubbed the dryer edge and rewashed all of his bedding and clothing. Kept giving him Benedryl for a total of 7 days before they stopped.
I would probably try a journal again. It took me a year to determine my son was allergic to pears. It took 4 months to decide my daughter was allergic to cantelope and watermellon.
Loriibeth,
I distinctly remember about 6 years ago, one of the children I cared for was finishing a dose of amoxicillin for an ear infection-- and she got hives. It was probably during the last day or two of her medication and her joints were all red and swollen. The mother took her girl in that afternoon to the pediatrician, who told her that this sometimes will happen with kids on penicillin-based antibiotics, and since then, I believe they have switched from penicillin-based antibiotics to the sulfa ones.
This is anecdotal, of course, but when I read your post I thought 'that sounds just like'.... her hives went away in a day or so and I didn't see any recurrences in the remainder of the time I cared for the child (about 1.5 years afterward). All that to say-- you may be on to something. Have the hives stopped after the antibiotics cleared from her system? That would be helpful to think about.
Those antibiotics killed all the good bacteria. Start him on probiotics. For my kids, I use baby jarrodophilus from jarrow formulas and florastor that i get from any drugstore. Sometimes the florastor is on the shelf, sometimes i have to ask the pharmacist. I get the jarrow formulas from vitamin shoppe or iherb.com. i have seen it for sale at one of my local supermarkets. Im sure there are other brands too. Yogurt is good too but since he is having so many issues id also try one of the ones i suggested or another supplement one as they contain more strains.
I would suggest getting a second opinion for the allergies. Also, it will take a good 6 months of the cats being gone to get rid of the majority of the dander.
My son I found out is allergic to cats (we had one), Trees, and mold. I think he has a gluten intolerance or allergy not sure which. We went Gluten free in Dec and when we went to FL.. His nose was not as stuffed/runny as it was last year and the pollen counts were UP. So I think by taking away the gluten it is allowing his body to fight off the other allergens or they are not reacting in his body as they used to.
I heard, a teaspoon of honey a day (local honey from your area) can help with seasonal allergies. We are going to do that this year and see what if any difference it makes.
My experience with hives- Not always an allergic reaction sometimes can be stress induced.
Good Luck.
My 6 1/2 yo son is allergic to amoxycillin, cats/dog dander, and grass. The antibiotic reaction to amoxycillin was pretty immediate and went away just as quickly after we discontinued it.
My son was never allergic to cats, dogs, and grass until about 18 mos ago. We have both, and couldn't figure out why it all of a sudden started. But this time of year is horrible for him, and the stuffy nose started with him about 2 weeks ago.
While I do not like giving him Zyrtec every day, it's an absolute must for him. Otherwise, he's miserable and can't even go outside. He's been on it for 2 years now. Also, Zyrtec can make them a little groggy. Claritin is better for daytime, I have found. You might ask about switching to that. Anyway, it's important to follow the doctor's orders. Both Zyrtec and Benadryl have been administered to kids for a long time. If it gives him relief, do it.
It's important to always test for allergies while off of antihistamine meds for 5 days, and when exposure is at it's least prevalent. This can cause all kinds of wacky readings.
Hope this helps.
I would get a 2nd opinion from a doctor from another practice. You're getting answers here from people which are all over the map. Don't you want someone who has actually studied medicine to diagnose and treat your child? I would.
Can't speak to the medical cause, but as a long time allergy sufferer, I can speak to the regular use of benedryl. Not sure how your kid reacts, but for me, occassional use of benadryl would cause me to feel a speedy jittery high, followed by a very drowsy, sleep inducing low. with the regular use of benadryl, my body got accustomed to the drug, and I got the benefits of being allergy free, although dry in the mouth, but none of the weird jitters and drowsiness.
I do hope that you can find the route of his allergies and can get him some relief from the hives.
BTW- I developed seasonal allergies at around 11 years old, and in my twenties, I tested allergic to all trees, all grasses, almonds, soy and cherries, in my early 30s I grew allergic to long haired cats.
good luck to you and yours,
F. B.
my son just had hives for some skin allergy.. we don't know why.. we used claritan and Benadryl and it went away in a bout a week.
I have taken zyrtec and it is really sedating... I feel stoned on it.. and it totally dries out my nose and mouth..
claritian is milder.. but you have to use it every day for it to be effective...
so try using the drugs like the dr says and see if he gets better.
Is you son at all a stressed out kid? Stress can lead to hives. I had them for months before my wedding (I blame my sister due to her poor behavior).
I know that you hate to put him on Zyrtec 24/7 but he might need it. Right now is a high allergen time of year. Trees are budding and that is a huge allergen. The doctor may take him off during certain times of year.
Are his mattress / pillows new? Try putting on a allergen proof cover. It will help a lot. How is the carpet in his room. Can you remove it? Carpet is a notorious allergen. Get rid of the curtains.
When I was a kid, I had really bad hay fever - I am still very allergic to cats and dust mites. It's such a hassle.
Also, keep asking your pediatrician for the next steps. Keep on them until it's figured out. And I thought that if you got hives from penicillin, they went away pretty quickly once it was stopped.
I don't have a suggestion on what he might be allergic to but I do have some other comments to your post.
It is true that if you did a follow-on allergy test and the child had recently taken antihistamines, the results won't be accurate. I think you need to be antihistamine free for something like 72 hours beforehand.
When washing the laundry try a double rinse and no fabric softener. For the sheets wash in hot and definitely get allergen protectors for the pillow and mattress.
My cat allergy did not develop until I was around 10 or 11. It started with long hair and then expanded to all cats. Now sometimes I can just walk into a house and know they have a cat even if I don't see evidence of one. The dander can get into everything that you took with you and be in the carpet for months if the people living there beforehand had pets.
A positive allergy test result does not indicate what type of reaction the person has. One could have a strong/high test result but that does not indicate how bad the person's reaction will be. For example, my cat allergy test does not give the strongest result, but it is by far my worst allergy. I test positive for allergic to cats and dogs. With cats I just have to be in a house that has them to feel the effects. For a dog, I have to physically touch the dog (or dog hair) and then touch my face.
I'm also reluctant to give my kids ongoing medications especially if it's unclear if it's what they really need. However, I think it's worth trying the medicine to see if it helps. I don't know if a month is necessary, but at least a couple of weeks.
FYI, I have issues with cinnamon as an allergy/asthma trigger and it does not show up as a positive reaction on an allergy test.
My 4th child has battle something very similar off and on for years. We've never been able to make a connection. First we thought it was polyester, and on occasion it is, then peaches, again on occasion it is, but it's not consistent.
She is 19 and we still haven;t figured out what triggers it. Her last round was pretty bad, she didn't wake me up so I didn't see it, but her description was bad and I made it clear to never not wake me, when she is having a reaction.
Sorry I wished I had more....
