HOW TO CURE HEAT-INDUCED URTICARIA?

HAVING SKIN RASHES AND CONFUSED WHAT IS GOING ON? PART ONE

Let me tell you my story? Suddenly, I got rashes on my skin all over my body. There were rashes on my thigh, upper hand, abdomen, back, foot and the areas go on....this happen a few years ago. Sometimes, I  can't barely walk!

I was surprised as I never experienced this problem   throughout my life. I was brought up in village areas, so playing and running into bushes, catching butterflies and ulat gonggok was common....but I never had alergic reaction during my childhood days!

Now in my fourties  and I  got skin rashes  and I'm no longer catch any insects! As the rash got very itchy and I can't no longer stand it, I went to a private clinic. After 10 minute of consultancy, I was given injection, medication and calamine lotion.

The doctor told me that I must have eaten something alien or done something that allegic to my skin. So, I start listing my suspects. The list  include swimming pool, shrimp, cuttlefish, peanuts, dusts, shampoo, shower gel and the list goes on.

 I changed my clothes. No more wire bras or tight underware. All my clothes are loose and made from soft material like cotton and silk. I realised red spot will appear when the skin is pressed. I also wash my clothes softer detergent. I realised that I easily feel the heat and feeling hot although the temperature is only 29 degree celcius!

 I changed my lifestyle completely....no more swimming, no more exercise as it induce more red spot and no more nuts!

Although skipping all these allergic inducers and eating the pills, my rash is getting worst. The itchiness is unbereable and it disturbed my sleep. I was having sleepless night for many months. I would apply calamine lotion all over my body until I looked more ghost than human!

I need more stocks of calamine lotion, so I went searching at  many pharmacies looking for calamine that offer the lowest price and higher volume. I found one in Menglembu Farmaceutical near the Post Office. A bottle of 150ml calamine lotion produced by Prime Pharmaceutical Sdn Bhd is sold for only RM4. Other brands were either more expensive or the volume is too small.

 My presciption pills had finished but my rash is still there. After three more trips to Klinik 1 Malaysia, the hospital attendant and a doctor at a private clinic told me to see skin specialist. I went to the Hospital Ipoh's specialist, but there were so many patients waiting and the doctor will only see new patient the next day.

 My husband and I rushed to the nearby Fairpark where there were a few skin specialist clinic available. I went to one of them but I only got to see the doctor after four hours of waiting. The doctor is also attached to another private hospital nearby. The doctor's room is full of book about skin rash and I was diognosed with urticaria. I paid about RM250 for the medication, injection and consultation. My skin rash is very expensive indeed.

 But, sadly, my skin problem is not recovering. With a recommendation from a friend, I went to see another doctor. I went three three times in three months....got my injection and medication. I was told to read through the internet about my skin condition. He also diagnosed it as urticaria. He showed me pictures of urticaria spot from a book.

 He told me that  the symtoms of skin disease is very different for every people and each case should be treated differently. Well,  the doctor got so many patients and he can only spent about 7 minute for me! I got so many questions to ask but the doctor keep on insisting me to read through internet. Well, there were more than 50 patients waiting to see him on that evening!

As expected, my urticaria problem is still haunting me. Although no longer all over my body, it concentrate in certain body parts, at the back, on my thigh, both upper hand and abdomen.

I continue having sleepless night. The smell of calamine lotion is all over  the bedroom. Thank good, my husband is very supportive and don't complained.

 Each time after shower, I have to apply calamine lotion onto my skin....sometimes throughout the body. And I have to wait five minutes for the lotion to dry up, then only I can wear my cloth.  I do look like pocong or ghost more than a mother or housewife!

I have to keep  a bottle of calamine in my handbag in case I need it. Calamine lotion was my life support during that period. I continued taking the prescriped pills.... but it is expensive at the clinic. So, I bought  the same pills at a pharmacy for lesser price.

I changed my diet completely. No more belacan shrimp paste, nuts, cuttlefish or whatever I think is the culprit in my menu...and my whole family also had to sacrifice. I would like to thank you my family for the understanding although my daughters loved cuttlefish.

Just by looking at  shrimp or cuttlefish at the supermarket had already make my skin itchy! I cooked at home so I can't even touch these things. However, my family do have lunch and dinner outside once in a while. They will munched on their favourite food.

 While sometime scratching my urticaria-infested skin, I started to browse through the internet looking for answers for my skin condition. I check on what induce urticaria, the symptoms, Chinese accupunture treatment, Islamic way of treating skin disease and the modern hospital treament and the biology of urticaria.

Oh yes.... I read a lot as I love reading and my journalistic thinking thought me how to dig for more information.

 Now, after a full two years of urticaria problem, it had dimished completely. I no longer suffered from urticaria or any skin rash or any red spot in my body.

 I'M NOW FULLY RECOVERED.  And now, I will share my story for my cure with you.

I will write more details about urticaria in my next post.