Swollen eyes and hives for days????

Having this weird reaction to something and can't work out what or why.

Last Tuesday morning a spot on my lip swelled a bit for an hour or so, then later a patch inside my mouth swelled for a few hours, then later the other side did the same. That night my eye started puffing up and I could tell my other eye was starting ( had a red spot on it that was tingling) so I took an antihistamine and it all stopped but the next day my eye was still a bit puffy all day.

That night, around the time the tablet would be wearing off, I had hives on my arms that were itchy, so I took another tablet. The next night the same thing. Last night I felt ok just had a few small hives on my hand that went away so I missed the tablet. This morning I have had to take another just now as I feel like patches on my hands are itchy and swollen, and my eyes are puffy.

What the hell is going on?? I can't think of anything that I have taken that is new- no makeup, detergents, toiletries etc. I ate a normal breakfast Tuesday, the only thing I think that was different was I had tinned apricots on my muesli, but I can't remember if I have had that particular brand before, surely that can't be it? I can't even remember what I ate the day before.

I was talking to a pharmacist as I have to check the tablet was compatible with breastfeeding, she said maybe something in the garden, as is had been gardening the day before, but why did it only show up the next day?

I'll have to go to the doctors next week, so annoying. I wish it would just go away!!!

Oh, the itch :)
Stupid things like fruit eg fruit with stones or oranges can give you hives. I now cannot eat stone fruit, oranges or have orange juice as I come out in hives. I had them once so bad on my legs that it liked like i had measles.
Make a list of everything you have eaten over the last week and which day. The Dr will also ask this question. Sometimes looking at it will give you an inkling to what might be causing the problem.

I think sometimes when you're reacting, there's so much histamine floating around that you itch from things that wouldn't usually bother you. Last time I had a reaction with hives, I needed to keep taking antihistamines for nearly a week, it takes a while for all that histamine to leave your system. Drink lots of water to help flush it all out. Also, it helps if you take a 24 hour AH & take it before bed so that itching isn't interrupting your sleep.

I would also strip the bed and change all the towels, vacuum everything, in case you've tracked something like pollen inside.

The last time I had hives (on my feet) I got massive relief from soaking them in an Epsom salts footbath. So if you're itching all over I would try a big bath with a cup or so of Epsom salts, give it at least 15 minutes, see if that helps. Otherwise you could just swab each itchy bit with an Epsom solution, leave it to dry. I hope that helps,

You may have developed an allergy. I developed an allergy to prawns when I was 20! I had peeled and eaten prawns my whole life and then on Christmas Day one year when I was 20 I broke out in such terrible hives and was all puffy immediately after peeling the prawns; then the next time the same thing happened.. Now I can't even touch prawns! (Very sad as I love prawns!)

As PP said I would write down everything you have had to eat and work backwards from there.. Test certain foods and see if you have the same reaction.

I found a lot of relief using camomile lotion! It soothes the itch..

Thanks everyone, the itch isn't actually bad, once the AH kicks in the hives go (they aren't huge, just like mozzie bites).

I had bad hives once for weeks which turned out to be an allergy to a malaria drug I took in India. It's not like that. I'm more confused and annoyed that I look like a freak with puffy eyes, and that it's not going away in 5days.

My DD has hand,foot, mouth disease and wasn't sleeping well at the time so it's all a blur and I honestly can't remember what we ate. I asked DH, he can't remember either, how lame are we??

You can get hives as a response to a virus. The hand foot & mouth comment made me remember this. Good idea to check it out with the dr.

Oh really? I did wonder if there was a connection. Thanks for that! Going tomorrow to dr.

In January I got a reaction to something and it was mostly around my eyes. It got progressively worse for 4/5 days and I ended up in hospital because fluid around your eyes is apparently dangerous. I looked like a total freak and when I went to the drs every one in the waiting room stared. It was a teeny bit embarrassing.

At the hospital they gave me steroids and one of each type of antihistamine. And monitored me. It went down a lot but still not completely. It took another week on steroids and antihistamines.

The only things that was different was stress (it was a very unusual time) and red food colouring which I had touched (and eaten) on my DSs birthday cake.

We were all at a total loss as to what it was, so I was given a blood test which can narrow it down, but the blood test came up with nothing.

Ask for a blood test. Also we were told that because my reaction got slowly worse and worse, then it was more than likely something I had eaten and was trying to get out of my system.
I was also told it's very common for women to develop food allergies in your late 30s!