Sudden Bout of Hives, Acid Reflux, Dizziness, etc....

[olgai]

Last Sunday, I woke up with huge bumps on my lower body that were extremely itchy, red, hard, flat, and hot.  Never having experienced or seen anything like this, I panicked.  I also got very dizzy and had trouble breathing for a good three-five minutes.  I have no history of allergy to anything - food, weather, dirt, dust, nothing.  My husband took me to the hospital, I was treated for hives, and was told to take Claritin once per day.  The hives went away for the rest of the day.  The next night I was awakened by terrible upper body muscle aches, and a sharp pain in my chest, behind my chest bone.  The hives bumps also reappeared.  All these symptoms then went away for the remainder of the day.  The same occurred the next day, with the terrible muscle aches and sharp chest pain and bums that then disappeared.  The third day, however, I woke up with the left half of my face completely swollen, and unable to move it.  I went to the hospital again. I was told I had acid reflux and that the hives are causing the muscle pain, but that the swollen face is a mystery and that I should see an allergist.  I was given pepcid for the acid reflux, and a steroid for the hives, and benadryl at night.  Since then I've been getting the hives every morning and then they go away, and the acid reflux is just settling in (now it occurs throughout the day too) while the muscle pains have gone away completely.  What's also weird is that after that first day of itching, these bumps don't itch at all.  They are there, swollen, and red, and ugly, but they don't itch.  My problem is that I have this acid reflux ever since I got this strange bout of hives and have no idea what to do about it and when it'll go away.  Nothing in my diet changed, I'm not allergic to anything that I know, and I literally did not change anything in my lifestyle - it's a complete mystery.  Please help me with some explanation about what happened to me.

[NotAllergies]

Thank you to all those who posted on this subject.  I too have had the hives/heartburn combo for the past 5 weeks and will be seeing a Dr. on Wednesday.  A Gastro doc, who I hope will test me for h. pylori. I read about a German study in 1998 where 100 hive sufferers were tested and 25% or so were positive for h pylori.  Since heartburn is a sign of h phlori, I think it makes sense that I have that.  In all the cases, antibiotics cured those in the German study.  

Anyone else have success with antibiotics?

[hsd]

I found this forum because I am experiencing digestive problems & hives.  I thought the hives were the result of the medication I was taking (omeprazole) from the onset of a stomach disorder, acid reflux, but now I realize the two are related.  Because I was taking benedryl to help me sleep, I didn't immediately see the two symtoms together.  But I stopped the medications because of the hives, & I'm still experiencing the hives.  Because I am unemployed I have no insurance, so have to go to a free clinic.  The diagnostic process is slower because of this.  At first I experienced bumps on my buttocks, which I thought were mosquito bites.  Then I got them on both sides.  About the same time I got severe heartburn & have had it for 5 weeks, with no relief.  The hives come & go & they appear in strange places.  I began itching on the soles of my feet & palms, then the hives appeared on the back of my upper thighs, dozens of them.  Then several times the itching started on my ummm "vajayjay" & I thought I developed a yeast infection, then more hives on my inner thighs. It is the strangest thing.  And like another poster said, my mother was a hypochondriac so the last thing I do is go to the doctor & I hate the idea of an ongoing medical condition.  I won't accept that I now have a permanent stomach condition when I have been in good health all my life.  I have an order for blood work this week & will ask them to check for h.pylori.  The doctors are so quick to call it acid reflux & treat for that.  Thanks to this forum & putting in the right combination of queries in google, I feel I am closer to resolving this issue.  Tonight I have the foot itching again & a lump appeared on my foot sole.  Took benedryl & maalox.  Keep me posted on a possible diagnosis & cure please.

[vin09]

I have been going though the same symptoms of hives and bad heartburn for a few years. Please keep this post updated if anyone is close to a cure.

[Lee0501]

Hi Everyone,
I'm glad I found this forum!  It is a good feeling to find people who actually know what you are going through.
I have been suffering from chronic hives for 2 years now.  (i mean daily hives and swelling of the face, lips, eyes, ears etc.) It has absolutely horrible to live like that and doctors can't seem to figure out the problem other then giving me a prescription.
Just recently I took some blood tests and found that I have H. Pylori.  My doctor says current research suggests there MAY be a link to chronic hives.  Anyway, once I finish my antibiotics I will let you guys know if the hives clear.
Just wanted to know if anyone has been tested for h. pylori and has cleared up the miserable hives.
You are not alone!

[kingsims]

Hello,
I just began having heartburn and hives 2 wks ago. I get the heartburn at night after about 5 or 6 pm to the point of doubling over in pain. (I have had minor heartburn once or twice a year for a few years, but nothing like this!) Started popping TUMS and then wake up in the morning with hives. They would only last a few hours and initially I thought nothing of them and that maybe I was having a reaction to the TUMS, so I stopped taking them. The odd thing is that the hives seemed to be on various joints of my body each day (wrist and ankles day1, then elbows and hips day 2 then knees and elbows day 3, then my abdomen the next time). The one that made me become more concerned, though, was when my chin became swollen and within 1 hour, my throat was swollen and tight. It didn't block off completely or interrupt my breathing, but it did affect my vocal cords and take my voice nearly completely away. This last episode with my chin was also the only one that occurred at night. So I took some Benadryl and went to bed. (I have a hypocondriac mother and unless I can't breathe- I don't panic too much!!) When I woke up in the morning, I still had tightness in my throat and hives covering my ENTIRE body. At this point I went to the ED where I was given Solumedrol( a steroid) and IV benadryl and was told to see my family Dr. because they didn't know what it was. I have an appointment with my Doc on Monday and am thankful to all of your feedback as I will take these posts with me.
I was glad to finally find something online, because until my husband saw the full body hives, I thought I was becoming my mother! Hopefully some kind of answer can be found!

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for keeping me posted!

Common allergens are pollen, mold, dust, pet dander, synthetic fiber, cosmetics or drugs. Have you got an allergy test done, either a skin test or RAST, to know what you are allergic to? Fungal infections like tinea corporis and tinea cruris too can be the culprit. Liver problems and worms in stool too should be looked into. Diet can cause allergy through the type of food you take. Gluten is the commonest cause and so also preservatives in tinned foods.
I am just enumerating the possibilities. You need to go over them to check if they have been looked into. Was a thyroid antibody test done? Another possibility is shingles.  Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!