Hives - Jackson,TN

It could be the soap, I wouldn't think it was the chocolate. However, if she's eaten anything new that could be it. It could be something in the chocolate that she reacted to. It doesn't say how old she is. Could be a reaction to eggs or peanuts and yes they can have reactions even if they've never had them before. Benadryl does work really well. Was she scratching them or complaining that they hurt? It could be dermatitis Herpetiformis which often looks like hives. Are the bumps watery in appearance?

If she breaks out again, I would consider taking her to a dermatologist. They are more apt to know what she has since they specialize in skin conditions.

Best of luck with her, I know it's frustrating when our little ones hurt & we don't know what to do.

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These are so tricky to determine what the cause could be. My son started breaking out in hives on a regular basis when he was 6. After trying to change detergents, and limiting certain foods, we still couldn't figure it out. It would come and go, so finally we took him for allergy testing and found he was allergic to a LOT of things, everything from nuts to tree leaves, grass, dust mites, corn, to name a few. We keep Benadryl on hand, as well as an Epipen (in case of emergency). And we keep his sheets/blankets etc. washed frequently to eliminate the dust mites. I myself suffer from fragrance sensitivities. I had a rash for months until I finally switched to all fragrance free soaps, laundry soaps, etc. You may want to go to a fragrance free laundry soap. Hope you can find a solution. :)

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start writing down everyday what she eats. Keep a record so when it breaks out you can see if she has eaten or drank anything that she normally doens't eat or drink. Keep log of detergents, the soaps she uses in the bathtub, bubble bath, etc. Has she been outside when the rashes occur? Do you have animals? Is there somewhere she had been that she breathed something different? Keep track of everything and account for every second of her day and see what is different. She may have to break out several more times before you figure it out. Also, the dr told me that sometimes she could have eaten something in the past but all of the sudden she could get allergic to it. So maybe you can start changing things like detergent and bath soap, shampoos and things like that one at a time and see what happens.
Good luck, I know how aggrevating that can be and being the mother and not being able to figure it out is even more frustrating.

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Keep an eye on her, she's at the perfect age to get Roseola, which STARTS with a rash and develops into a fever and the like within a few days (as in 5-7 days). It's a common childhood disease, nothing to stress out over. However, if she keeps getting hives and no fever (by the way, hives are extremely itchy...if hers don't itch it probably is the spot welts) you should probably get her allergy tested. Most likely it's pollen or tree spores ('tis the season) and Benedryl is the best treatment. Try to figure out if it happens after she's been outside for a bit. If so, take off her clothes and give her a quick bath to help reduce the exposure time and prevent the hives from developing. I get them from allergies (food ones) and they are miserable! Hope this helps!

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Hello S.
As amother of 2 grown children and from having hives myself it sounds as if she is allergic to something have you changed any of the soaps you use in bathing to laundry has she eaten anything different has she been sick lately if your answer is no please find a doctor that is a speacilalist in allergies any if she continues even after the test are possible run do not take I can't find any thing wrong with her do not give up. P.

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Keep a Journal of everything. What she comes in contact with (soaps/foods/surfaces just cleaned with something etc) how you treat it and the times. It might be tedious, but may give an answer faster.

Also, has she had anti-biotics in the last 2 weeks? Many children show a delayed reaction particularly to penicillin/amoxacillin family of drugs.

Good luck!

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My son did the same thing, as your daughter. We too took him to the doctor, who ran all tests, same results. I rewashed all his clothes, bedding, our towels and everything in Tide sensitive, thinking that he developed the same sensitivity to soap as my hubby. I used a baby wipe to wipe his face due to that being tho only thing handy at the store. I switched to sensitive wipes and no longer use them on any body parts other then where intended:)..He has not had another rash since. Maybe start a diary with everything in it that she comes in contact with and ingests. Good luck!

p.s my son is allergic to benadryl and we found out when we gave it to him to treat the rash.

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The best thing is to make sure she takes an antihistamine until the hives go away and figure out what the culprit is. A food diary may be in order. Do not change soaps or detergent which could complicate the matter. She may have this breakout for weeks or days. it is hard to tell. If the areas hurt or itch a lot you may want to give her a luke warm oatbath or use a antiitch cream. if some areas become more swollen you may want to use a topical steroid (hydroccortizone). Eggs milk chocolate, nuts are very common causes of allergic reaction. Hang in there and make sure she does not get facial swelling or that her throat gets itchy or swells. You may need to go back to the doc if that happens. Benadryl liquid is good for emergencies like facial and throat swelling but I would not use it on a regular basis. I would use claritin liquid. good luck finding what she is sensitive to.

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A similar thing happened with my son (3 1/2) recently. He woke up from a nap one day with "hives" (or whatever) all over his back. I gave him benadryl and the rash was completely gone within the hour. The next day it happened again. Woke up from his nap and this time the rash was all over his stomach and chest, reaching around onto his back in places, on the back of his neck, around his hairline, and on the backs of both knees! Poor little guy was itching like crazy. This time I didn't give him any benadryl (because he refused it), and of course I was really concerned, but again the rash had completely vanished within the hour. I tried to think of any changes that might be causing it... detergent, bath soap, dietary changes... couldn't think of any possible explanations. I wound up taking him to the doctor because he had an ear infection, and it turns out that he had some sort of virus that had caused the ear infection as well as a few other seemingly unrelated symptoms he'd had throughout the week... bloodshot eyes one day, sore throat one day, then the ear ache and muffled hearing a couple of days later, and of course the rash those two times. Doctor said that all these symptoms were related to a single virus, including the rash. Apparently he got overheated during his naps (bundled up too much), and his body was already so overworked because of the virus, so it basically said "something's gotta give!" and broke out in the heat rash. He got some antibiotics to kick the lingering ear infection, and otherwise he is fine. Don't know if this might be what's going on with your daughter, but it's possible. Incidentally, throughout all of this, my son was running and playing normally, so he seemed to feel fine in general.
Best wishes to you both!

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Hives can be a result of nerves, allergies, or infectious processes. I would keep a journal of everything she eats, baths in, and her clothes are washed in to see if you see a pattern with her breaking out. If it winds up being because of an allergy you really need to watch it because allergies tend to get worse over time. While she is breaking out in hives now, next time it could be swelling somewhere, and after that something worse. But I would definitely keep a journal for the next few weeks to see if you spot anything that you think would trigger this type of reaction.

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Maybe it is 5ths disease. It is like hand,foot, and mouth. There are no symptoms except "maybe" fever and by the time the rash breaks out, it is no longer contagious. If you have more than one child, they will probably get it too. Not a big deal though.

Hi S.,

Any chance it was strawberries? I love them, and after many years of enjoying them in any form, I broke out in hives. I had to go without for 4 years. I can eat them now, but am careful to limit my quantities and how often I enjoy them.

I would make a list of foods she eats every day and see if you could identify anything that would make you think it's a food allergy. Also, you could go back to using Dreft to wash her clothes in like when she was a baby (if you used that) and try Aveeno bath for her until you come up with a better idea.

Good luck,
D.

my son 31/2 does the same thing hes been dignosed with ezema and something else i cant pronounce we use oatmeal baths and it helps

My daughters are both allergic to Codeine. One broke out in hives from head to toe and all places in between. If she is still having hives after all this time I recommend that you go back to the doctor and ask for a referral to an allergist... The longer they are exposed to something they are allergic to the worse the reaction becomes and can cause them to have a difficult time breathing if their throat gets hives and swells shut. An Epipen may be needed in the event that this happens.

She isn't on any medications is she? When I was about 7 I got hives and my parents couldn't figure out what it was from until I got them again about a year later. It was then that we realized I was on similar antibiotics both times I got them.

I hope you can figure it out soon!

call your doc get a referral to an allergist get her tested asap 2 times in a week is not right. you need to find out whats causing this you dont want her to have a severe reaction and something really bad happen. good luck!

Hives are interesting. My allergist told me it was my body's way of trying to fight off the allergen. Anyway, I am allergic to so many things. I think I'm allergic to air. LOL! Anyway, like your child, I too broke out in a mysterious hives sort of thing. They told me to take a Benedryl on top of my zyrtec, gave me an epipen and sent me home with some steroids. Two days later I had anaphylatic shock. We were stumped! I know what foods to avoid, what my triggers are, etc. I thought I was doing things right. Come to find out that when I ate some fruit at a social function (catered) there had to have been a preservative on it that caused my throat to swell and hives everywhere. It was weird cause it didn't appear until 2 hours later when I was home. The allergist told me that I had developed an allergy to olives, nitrates, and several preservatives (this I already knew). Anyway, he said you never know what they put in things so it was no wonder I had some episodes. My suggestion is to always have Benedryl on hand and GO to the allergist. I was on shots for years as a child, then when I went into the military they put me on Zyrtec and Singulair. Without these...I'm a mess. You might see what your doctor says. Good luck.

I have had hives... They are horrible... My expierence was I got them all over my chest, back & neck I believe they were on my arms as well...

Mine were caused from an allergic reaction to meds... But since then I get them when I get stressed out... But I would check to see if she ate anything new that day... That may be where she is getting the hives from!

You are probably right that it had something to do with eating the Chocolates. Rashes caused by eating too much is something fairly common among Toddlers and Pre-school Children. I remember when I was a child and my sister would visit my mother's cousin's farm in Springfield, Vermont. Kay had three sons about 5, 3, and 1 year older than my sister who is 3 years older that me and she had a daughter Susn about 1 1/2 year younger than me. When it can to meals, fresh milk from the cow was in a pitcher on the table. Kay's children would about 5 - 8 ounce glasses per meal so my sister would try to keep up with them to show them that girls could drink that much milk, too. In the middle of the night Sylvia would break out in splotches of rash all over her body. Cousin Kay who was what they called in those days a visiting nurse. She would put baking soda and oatmeal in a lukewarm bathtub and put my sister in the tub for about 15 to 30 minutes and then pat her dry with towels then she would rub calamine lotin on the rash give her benadryl and put her in a flannel granny gown and sylvia would sleep peacefully through the night. I used to get rashes from eating too much acid from vegetables like tomatoes and fruits like oranges and grapefruit. I think that Aveeno has a bath soak with oatmeal in it and I have the largest box of baking soda that you can buy in my pantry since I use it for more things than just for cooking. Like I used vinegar on my hair after shampooing as a rinse to get all the shampoo out then I mix about 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 2 cups of water as a conditioner. It makes your hair just as soft as the store bought and it's a lot cheaper.

What you are describing sounds like hives to me. It is frustrating not to know what it is. Perhaps she has become allergic to something that formerly she had not reacted to. I would call an allergist and schedule an appointment. Skin testing, though not always perfectly accurate, is a good place to start to test for allergies. Duke allergy in Durham is top notch, but I'm not sure where you live.

Sorry this is happening. My son is highly allergic and I know how it is.

C.

Hi S....
Sorry that your lil one is having hives breakouts...
Hives most generally come in response to foreign irritants-ingested or physical contact-as i'm sure you've read about. Be aware of any chemicals, pesticides, household cleaning products, soaps, shampoos, pet dander...also strong emotions, stress, and some foods can produce an allergic reaction on teh skin.
I would suggest looking into these things. what is her diet like? perhaps the valentine's chocolate triggered something in her? like the straw that broke the camel's back-so to speak? does her diet consist of processed foods, sugars, lots of breads? make sure she eats a lot of bland foods for the next few days...veggie juice and broths are

You can give her an oatmeal bath. boil 1 cup of oatmeal in 4 cups of water for 15 minutes and pour into a bath-have her play for 20 minutes if you can...

topical wash: mint and dandelion tea (you can get dandelion greens at the grocery stores-greenlife, earthfare, etc). boil 1 cup of fresh mint and dandelion greens in 10 cups of water for 20 minutes. strain, use liquid as the wash.

you can also apply aloe vera direclty from teh plant onto the affected area.

probiotics are so important-especially because they are anti-inflammatory in nature. you can get child probiotics at greenlife and earthfare as well...

these natural remedies are better than benadryl-in my opinion...because while that is an antihistamine, the rash is the body's natural way of expressing whatever is going on within-and benadryl suppresses the body's natural response. and although it stinks watching your child go through that-at least there are methods that can help ease the itching etc. until you can figure out what is going on with her...

hope that helps! if you have any more questions-don't hesitate to contact me....

--
B. Sabaj, LAc, Dipl. OM LMBT (#8444)

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