One week of steroids and I'm still breaking out in hives...! :-(
I do wonder what Methylprednisolone did to me besides alleviate my initial massive outbreak on the 24th of July, and calm my hives (I'm thinking so) for the rest of the week. It certainly didn't eliminate them completely.
Hives are icky welts. They look like mosquito bites. They itch like hell...only worse: they burn and sting. I don't even have to look at my body to know that I've had a flare up. The smallest, pencil eraser-sized welt can be the most piercing, stinging welt of all.
I have no clue what brought it on. Absolutely none. Could be food allergies. Or mosquito bites, which is what I thought I had to begin with: one "bite" turned into 18+ welts within minutes. Sweat, exercise, sensitivity to extreme temperatures (it has been hot!), anything could bring on hives. If it lasts up to six weeks, the hives are considered acute, and probably due to allergies or some irritant. If longer than six weeks (heaven forbid), it could be more serious, like an auto-immune disorder. Or no clear answer at all (idiopathic).
Just like with mosquito bites, I feel like my body is a party host to...alien invaders! %-(
These things appear, disappear, reappear in seconds, minutes or hours. Anywhere on (my) body. And leaves no trace of its existence! Like something out of a sci-fi thriller. Can't tell that there was an angry, burning, welt there for hours at all. Like my right ham being seemingly a favorite place for mosquitos, my upper right arm is the place that the hives appear most often. What IS it about the right side of my body?!
Sometimes the burning, stinging itch is SO overwhelming, I feel momentarily paralyzed because the sensation is so powerful. If you read my previous posts, you will know I have about zero tolerance for itching! :-(
I've spent hours researching this, giving myself a refresher biology lesson on cell biology: basophils, mast cells And histamines--the cause of my hives. Very interesting! I like to understand what's going on, even if I have to read something a half dozen times to get a clue!
I've read all about remedies, what doctors do (not much except to prescribe dope with potentially scary side-effects), and read a few message boards from people who have suffered from hives for months or years, with little help from their sometimes numerous health care providers to try to find answers.
I HATE taking dope! Just reading the insert to the Methylpredisolone (aka Medrol) box is somewhat intimidating:
Glucocorticoids are adrenalcoritical steroids, both naturally occurring and synthetic, which are readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.
I had to look up a few terms! %-0
Adrenals (glands): are pair of complex endocrine glands situated near the kidney
Adrenal corticol steroids: group of steroid hormones is produced by the adrenal glands and acts as anti-inflammatory agents.
Steroids: A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a specific arrangement of four rings that are joined to each other.
And then:
Glucoscorticoids cause profound and varied metabolic effects. In addition, they modify the body's immune response to diverse stimuli.
THEN under "Indications and Usage", it goes on to list a variety of diseases and disorders that it can be used for: endocrine disorders, rheumatic disorders, collagen disorders, dermatologic diseases, allergic states, opthamalic diseases, respiratory diseases, hematologic diseases, neoplastic diseases, edematous diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, nervous system, and "miscellaneous".
Under none of these categories did I see urticaria (medical term for hives) listed!! Are you blankety-blank kidding me?!
Rather than strain my myopic eyeballs to read the rest of the insert--and perhaps because I'm too lazy and vain to bring out my never-used reading glasses, I looked at the Wikipedia entry for Methylpredisolone and scrolled down to side-effects:
Methylprednisolone has some serious side effects if taken long-term, including weight gain, glaucoma, osteoporosis and psychosis, especially when used at high dosage. The most serious side effect occurs after the adrenal glands cease natural production of cortisol, which methylprednisolone will replace. Abrupt cessation of the drug after this occurs can result in a condition known as Addisonian crisis, which can be fatal. To prevent this, the drug is usually prescribed with a tapering dosage, including a pre-dosed "dose pack" detailing a specific number of pills to take at designated times over a few-day period.
Isn't that lovely?
In addition, it has an unpleasant, bitter aftertaste to it, despite my efforts to drown it out with lots of liquid. Yech!
Well, I took it in a low-dose. But even reading on message boards about some people getting osteoporosis in just a few years or less from constant use of this sort of drug at higher dosages--that was quite unsettling to know.
I am hoping this is only some freak incident. Yet another brief obstacle of my many ailments I've gotten in my lifetime (my mother can attest to this fact!).
I would much rather go the natural route: take more vitamin and mineral supplements like zinc, which has been supposedly been shown in laboratory studies to inhibit the release of histamines in basophils and mast cells. And high doses of vitamin C, known to be a kind of natural anti-histamine (but will take only until this is over with). Better than getting constantly knocked out by Benadryl! Been there, done that--each May, when I have my allergies.
In the meantime, I have to play detective and try to find out what brought this alien invasion of hives upon my person. I suppose I should feel grateful that most of it is restricted to one area, my upper right arm, on the underside. At least it's not all over my trunk, as it was Saturday before last. That was very freaky. And certainly no fun to be burning, stinging, itching ALL over, especially near my privates.
I ate a neighbor's crabcake and some kind of "crab pizza" that night. I don't know if that was the cause or not. Or if it's because I'd been eating a lot of fresh, sliced tomatoes almost every night. Tomatoes and shellfish are often listed as foods that people have an allergy to. So I'm laying off those for a while.
Certainly, I don't want to have to resort to drugs again, though I admit the steroid shot I got at the walk-in med clinic cleared everything up right away--temporarily! But it IS scary to read how many people rely on them, swearing that steroids are the ONLY thing that completely relieves them of hives. I can't imagine how some have endured this condition for years...many years. :-(
Is there a "hive angel" out there, anyone?! This crap tends to flare up more at night, for me. I guess I'm just a sensitive gal, literally and figuratively!
If a spaceship of alien invaders ever arrives here on earth, and I am missing...you'll know why! %-0
From the film "Alien" (1979):
"You still don't know what you're dealing with do you? Perfect
organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility
[...] I admire its purity, a survivor; unclouded by conscience,
remorse or delusions of morality." - Ash
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