The List of fibromyalgia symptoms is endless. Not even a single part of my body is left which is not affected by fibromyalgia. It seems like that misery from fibromyalgia never gonna end. Everyday fibromyalgia throws another symptom on you and one another symptom is added in the list. As we are talking about symptom so let’s discuss URTICARIA which is one the most prominent symptom of FM.
Urticaria, Also know as Hives is a skin condition which after itching or sometimes without itching causes small swollen plagues on your body. This skin condition sometimes in the form of small pimples or poxes but sometimes it causes big swollen plagues on your body. The affected area will also Turn Red. There are many reasons why fibromyalgia leads to Urticaria. In the Later section, we are gonna discuss Urticaria and its effects in Detail.
What Causes Urticaria?
Urticaria is a skin condition which is caused by blood cells reaction leading to smooth bulge plagues or in a form of pimples. The affected part is usually Red and causes unbearable Itching. The most interesting thing about these swollen plagues is that no matter how much you scratch, The Itch won’t go away. You feel like there is a worm or bugs moving under your skin which causes continuous itching.
If a normal person has Urticaria than there is a 95% chance that the person had an allergic reaction. This allergy is usually caused by food, medication or sometimes because of the season. Once the allergy is triggered, it causes our body to release hormones called histamines. Histamines causes blood cells to release a unique fluid called Plasma which actually gathers under our skin and eventually causes our skin to swell causing Urticaria.
There are two kinds of Urticaria: Acute and Chronic. Urticaria caused by allergies like medication allergy of food allergy falls under the Acute Urticaria Category. Acute Urticaria doesn’t last more than 2-3 hours or in some cases up to a day. Chronic Urticaria is caused by Chronic Illness like RA, Hyperthyroidism or Fibromyalgia. In this case, Urticaria can happen anytime and can last up to 2 months depending on the severity of chronic illness. People affected with fibromyalgia falls under the second category: Chronic Urticaria.
Relation of Urticaria and Fibromyalgia
Medical Community has not yet confirmed the exact source of Urticaria in a fibromyalgia patient. They have given the hint that it might be caused by the medication a fibro patient use and the second factor is stress.
We all know that fibro patients use a lot of medication to treat Pain and fatigue. Most common medications are Gabapentin, Cymbalta, Aspirin or ibuprofen. Every Medicine has side effects and one of the side effects of these medicines are Urticaria.
The second and most influencing factor of Urticaria is Stress. Fibro patient has to go through a lot daily which eventually causes stress. Managing your life along with chronic illness and its hundreds of symptoms is a Huge Task. Fibro patient gets stressed on small things like I have to go grocery shopping which is a huge job for us. A Normal person won’t take grocery shopping as stressful as a fibro patient take, because for us it takes a lot of energy to do shopping. Managing your pain and living a normal life is a very big task for fibromyalgia patients.
One other Main reason for Stress is your family. If your family won’t cooperate with you in this illness then for us sufferers it feels like we are stranded on a deserted island with no food and water.
How can you treat Urticaria?
In Order to get rid of Urticaria from allergy, Doctors usually suggest Antihistamines. This medicine is specifically designed to combat Histamines in order to get rid of plasma caused by blood cells. Other than Antihistamines Benadryl is also effective in fighting the Urticaria. You can also use antihistamine cream to rub on the swollen area in order to get rid of urticaria.
Other than medication, Most effective way to treat and manage Urticaria is to reduce your stress level. For fibro patients, the easiest way to reduce stress is to divide your burden with others. Like you can assign small jobs in the house to different individuals in the house so you don’t have to take care of all the jobs. Also to reduce stress, you can try some natural remedies like having a small session of exercise or going for a walk to clear our mind. Chocolate can also help in reducing stress. Try to keep yourself busy, In this way, you don’t feel stressed.
If the above solution doesn’t work then you can consult a doctor. Get your urticaria checked out. Doctors can prescribe different medication or creams to alleviate Urticaria. It is also possible that you might have Urticaria because of an allergy and not because of fibromyalgia. Get a good look on your diet plan to check whether it is caused by any food item or not. You can discuss the frequency and severeness of your urticaria with a doctor in order to rule other symptoms out. STAY STRONG WARRIORS!
Any help I can get that will be wonderful thank you. Ds
I get this almost routinely right after the holidays. Cold packs and cool showers also help with the itching.