Allergic Reaction : Hives

Nadia woke up on Sunday afternoon nap with some insect bites on her cheek and her neck area. Looked like normal ants/mosquitoes bites that some Mopiko or Eurax can't solve.

She then proceed to play like usual and had a pool-of-a-splashing time outside with her brother.

Then, we proceed to dry her and put on her PJ. Ready for Dinner.

By 9pm, she suddenly complained that she was itchy. Naturally, i would had thought it was the insect bite in the afternoon.

When wifey and me removed her top, we were horrified to see patches of bites that are now looking more like patches of allergic reactions. We decided to rush her to the clinic as my limited medical knowledge tells me that allergic reaction can triggers amongst other thing such as :
1. constricting of the breathing passage
2. seizure

No point taking any risks!

While Wifey brought Nadia to the clinic, i put Ryan to sleep. I googled and found out more about what she could possible have. It is known as Hives.

The problem with parents nowadays is that information is so easily available and each one will be a medical expert with some googling. I am no better but i try to take what i read on the Internet with a cup of salt if i have to.

Nadia in Calamine Camo. Blends pretty well with furniture behind.

So, basically, there is no determined caused of the allergic that has caused this. For Nadia, it could be one of the following:
1. Insect bites during her afternoon nap. Could be mossies or carpet mites.
2. Dust kick up from house cleaning when we had the house cleaned in the afternoon.
3. Cold water from the vinyl pool we set up in the porch
4. dirt on the porch as she runs around in her tiny bathing suit, exposing the body to anything on the ground
5. insects/bugs biting her when outdoor
6. semi-dry just out of laundry towel that we used to wipe her dry, (exposing her to detergent?)
7. The eggs she took for dinner
8. The Choc with nuts and raisins she took after that.
9. The PJ she wore that was maybe had insect crawling
10. The change of temperature from outdoor cold water to warmer indoor

We could not pin point the cause or causes but we are certainly sure it is not the food she takes as this girl eats anything (delicious). No history of previous allergic reactions but that doesn't mean that she is not allergic to it now. So we have to monitor.

I recalled that i used to have these allergic to. What i had when i was 16 to 19 years old was something even more rare. It is called dermographism. What it does is that it makes my skin "imitates" what i scribble, stroke, scratched or even slapped.

Imagine me writing my name on my forearm and 2 minutes later, my name appear and will last another 30minutes before it subsides. Back then, the boys will give me a slap behind my back and their hand print will be visible as it will be raised and red. Kinda freakish i know. It lasted for about 3 years for me and never came back. Else, i would had "etched" TRIATHLETE" on my skin every time i race!

Back to Nadia. As of this morning, she still has the hives. While it is generally better compared to yesterday, being a 2years old toddler, she could not express her frustration for us to understand. And of course, myself and wifey being short of rest and sleep doesn't help when it comes to us and our patience.

I hope she recover soon. I so seriously need some night rest. It is affecting everything from life to work! Guessed now i know how much misery i have put my parent through when i was growing up having (apart from allergic reactions) these health problems!

Edited to include What To Do If Hives Happened
I missed this out.
OK. The doctor gave Nadia two type of medication. One is an anti-histamine and the other an anti-itch medication. If you can identify Hives from other serious allergic reaction, you can actually buy medication over the counter at a reputable pharmacist. 


I went to the pharmacist to obtain more calamine lotion and asked them for medication for Hives. The pharmacist offered me two options, which is just benedryl (antihistamine) or a combo of antihistamine and anti-pruritic (can't remember the name, which causes drowsiness).


Don't forget a bottle or two of calamine lotion to help cool and ease the itch. Calamine lotion has zinc oxide, which helps the skin to recover as well. One notion about the lotion though as it stain when wet. Zinc Oxide in the lotion pretty much mess things up when it is wet, so quickly wipe it away if it stain anything dark!

Other than that, the doctor told us that the hives should clear within two days, or will be better within 2 days. It is rare for hives to last longer than a week and if there are such cases, it points to more serious allergy reactions and need further medical attention.

So, the next time your kids (or yourself, like Adeline (pic above) got stung by wasp during The NorthFace 100km race), you know what to do. Get some anti-histamine and anti-pruritic and take them (per your weight, adults are 5ml each, kiddos below 5 half the dosage) and do the following:
1. don't scratch (with kids a bit hard to tell them, some adviced to let them wear gloves!)
2. don't wear tight clothing or diapers(hey, good opportunity to toilet train!)
3. stay cool and out of the heat (i.e. good circulation)
4. don't take alcohol (that is for you adults!)

If you have difficulty breathing(adults) or onset tiredness/nauseated (kiddos, usually can see if they are active and suddenly just limp) rush to the doctor or ER! Allergic reaction are often non-life threatening, but don't take the chances!