Update: should I call an exterminator: Dd got hives 3 days apart from each other

[JTsMom]

No advice, but I could read and not post a . Hope you figure it out.

[egoldber]

Do you have any bugs in your house? This time of year especially, I seem to get small gnat-y, mosquito-y type bugs that get inside and bite me. (I am a magnet for them.) If your cat does not have fleas (should have been easy to see with a flea comb), and you have checked your bed, I would assume that is what it is.

[Nyfeara]

When I was 10 or so, I broke out in hives one day, for no apparent reason. I hadn't eaten anything new, nothing had changed. I got them on & off for approximately the next year, nearly EVERY day. I would get them on my face, legs, butt, anywhere. They didn't show up in the same spot each time or with the same severity - sometimes they were so raised I'd have to sit in a cool tub for relief.

I went thru allergy testing, tracking what I ate & was exposed to. The doctors could never figure out the cause. Then they just stopped & that was it. To this day, we don't know why. Allergy meds didn't help to stop it from happening or help them resolve any sooner.

I hope she gets to feeling better soon

[khalloc]

My DS had similar episodes last year. He was 1 at the time. I thought he was allergic to Tide. The allergist said that he was probably viral. He had no other symptoms either. he would just be sitting and eating dinner and suddenly break out in HUGE raised hives all over his back, bum, and legs. It wasnt a food allergy because sometimes he would wake up in the morning with them. After going 12 hours without eating. They lasted on and off for a few months. He hasn't had any for probably 10 months now.

[JustMe]

Thanks for the responses and hugs everyone!

As far as the cats/fleas, they are indoor cats, we have never had a flea problem and the one cat who went to the vet did not have any fleas or flea droppings (I told the vet what was going on and she examined her). Still the vet said, its possible dd or I brought the fleas in and they just don't "like" this cat...although I dont see any on the other cat either...She asked if the hotel we stayed in allowed pets, which it did, so hard to know.

This morning, dd woke up fine as she always did and I inspected her body around where the hives where last night...I see no signs of a bite mark anywhere (and the hives are completely gone)...so I am feeling less like bug bites are the cause but dont know they can be ruled out completely.

We do have small unidentified bugs including the gnaty ones that egoodlberg describes. Dd's doctor seemed to think that if it was viral there would have been some other symptom at least early on, and she has been so healthy (not even a little cough or sniffles).

[doberbrat]

for fleas/ticks misc bugs of any sort I use food grade DE. I order from
http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/di...rth_fleas.html

I dont know how it would do on potential bed bugs but its nontoxic so its prob worth a try. I do use it on our bed since our dogs sleep there. I apply on the mattress pad - under the sheets so we're not sleeping directly on it since its drying.

if you think its bug related, its def worth a try. a little goes a LONG way so buy the smallest amt possible.

fwiw, ONE fo my dogs gets fleas on occasion. its very odd- he once had a rampant infestation and none of my other dogs got any. my homeopath said its due to his weaker constitution but it is possible.

[DrSally]

It's so tough to pinpoint the cause. You said both you and her are itchy?
You said the hives don't look like they have a "bite" mark in the middle?

[athompson]

My daughter went through the same thing for ONE YEAR. Yes, you read correctly. They were hives and we had no idea what caused them, but they finally stopped. She was on hydroxyzine for much of this time to keep from breaking out in hives all over. She started at 2 1/2 tsp. per night and eventually decreased down to 1/4 teaspoon. Without that 1/4 tsp. though, she would break out. She said they itched like crazy. Finally, they just stopped. The pediatric dermatologist said that often they never determine the cause of hives which I always thought was very strange. I hope that you can figure things out soon so that your daughter will be more comfortable. Good luck!