Lucy
Hi! I had one of the worst cases of hives my dermatologist had ever seen. I was in and out of the ER and my allergies and asthma were worsened by it so my throat kept closing and I couldn't breathe. In my case it turned out that I was allergic to a laundry product- a bleach free laundry booster. This stuff nearly killed me and it's effects lasted about 1 month til I found out what it was and then it took a few days to recover (4-6). Here's the thing: You have to find out what is causing it for you. There's an experimental blood test called LHRT (lucasyte histamine release test) that is done by Lab Corp of America. Most dr's have not heard of the test but if you contact LabCorp's headquarters (North Carolina, I think) a woman named Theresa Frazier can help your dr to get set up for the test. But you have to figure out when the hives started and try to determine what the culprit might be...soap, food, laundry detergent, artificial sweeteners, new carpeting, flooring fumes, etc. Each test costs $70, not always covered by insurance and you must supply the lab with the item you think may be causing it. They test your blood with it to see if you create histamine as a result of the possible allergen. It's kind of complicated but feel free to email me privately for more info. This test truly saved my life. Best of Luck. Lucy