YOU SOUND JUST LIKE ME
ATLEAST THERE ARE OTHERS THAT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR GOING THROUGH
try Homeopathy, it helped me a lot but do not stop your anti histamines, take you time, i got my homeopathy sugar pills from a site on the internet called: Life Force, Dr. Raj. Now i get the same from my country, they subscribed me KALI . IOD 30 so u can ask a homeopathist beside your medication, worked very well with me. Also, Atarax and Zyrtec worked well with me. And when i started taking antidepressants i was almost free of DPU. Because my dermatologist said that i should try to know the reason i get them, whether food, temp or psychological. Mine obviously was psychological caused by stress. And avoid cortisone by all means. Good Luck
09/22/2012
Hello again,
I apologize for posting and running. Life's just kept me away from this email for a while. Anyway...
For anyone who hasn't read my last post, I had been dealing, coping, or getting-by with delayed pressure urticaria (DPU) for the last 8 years or so. Then I ran across the book Wheat Belly and made multiple attempts over the first several months of this year to cut wheat out of my diet. Finally after about two weeks of being wheat free, my symptoms were gone.
Cutting wheat out appears to have worked. It's not gluten. I tried several gluten-free products after being DPU symptom free for weeks and had mild out-breaks of urticaria within hours. I put the link to a wikipedia article at the bottom. Do a "ctrl +F" (find) command and type in urticaria. Toward the bottom of the article, urticaria is described with a particular wheat protein that travels in the blood stream. When fluid leaks from the vessels, an allergic reaction occurrs.
Personally, I have recently, in the last few months, noticed that I have begun bruising again. I never realized before that with the urticaria, I would burn, itch, and swell, but would not purple or bruise (at least, not that I could tell). I spent five gruelling hours changing the spark plugs on a front-wheel-drive pontiac last week. (You have to lay over the engine, which you rock forward, and all of its metal and plastic projections, to change the back plugs essentially blind.) A large portion of my abdomen purpled with bruises.
Initially, this wheat-free diet took about 14 days for my symptoms to noticably recede. I have tried low doses of wheat, two slices of thin-crust pizza (hard to give-up), recently and have had little to no reaction and was clear in a couple days. The wheat protein seems to have a cumulative effect (for me) for the full-blown urticaria.
So after noticing my time-table with a reaction, amount of wheat consumption, and what physically causes the reaction, I began to theorize on the blood components. After physical trauma, even mild, instead of bruising, I was having painful wheals or hives appear 2-3 hours after. When you bruise, blood and all of its components are released into the dermal (skin) tissue. Over the course of hours, sometimes days depending upon the trauma, the blood breaks-down and the bruise slowly changes back to a normal skin color. The life cyle of several blood components, including some involved in allergic reactions and inflamation, range from 10-16 days. I think that some protein or by-product from wheat is incorporated in a blood component, and as that blood component is broken-down in the dermis or subcutaneous tissue, it causes an allergic, auto-immune type reaction.
Take it for what you will. It is only a theory. Either way, I now enjoy thin crust pizza once every month or three weeks (Woo Hoo), and the occassional fried chicken. Otherwise, I avoid wheat, MSG, and anything that normally has wheat in it like the plague. I don't eat-out much anymore, so I save a little money, but it sure beats the inflamation, the burning, the inability to hold a fork, to walk on hard floor, to sit, to walk, to function without pain. I now get to enjoy the other aches and pains of being past thirty like the rest of my friends.
If I observe anything more significant, I'll post. I you all find what is causing your urticaria and put a stop to it. Good hunting.
The above referenced page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_allergy
I was not diagnosed with DPU for many years, developed extreme symptoms in my early thirties, mainly my feet and hands, swollen, red, raised, painful and the itching was unbelievable. I could scratch myself to bleeding and not get any relief. The change in seasons from winter to early summer heat seemed to be a definite trigger along with any physical work for prolonged durations like walking or standing on my feet. Suffered for many years with numerous doctors who had no idea what it was and seemed to think I was just nuts. Stress seemed to also aggravate the condition but not trigger it. I drink alcohol only occasionally and usually only socially and have never connected the use to any of the symptoms, I have also smoke pot on and off over the years, sometimes very regularly, and have not made any connection to this habit either.
Like many the only relief I have been able to get is from prednisone, I have a bottle in front of me now and take some with me everywhere I go... just in case. Antihistamines have had no effect, creams and pills both provide no relief for my symptoms but I have never tried long term dosages. I have found that upon taking the Prednisone steroid under a strong dosage with bad symptoms that it literally feels like it is being pushed or flushed out of my system, kind of strange. In the early years or middle years when it was bad it seemed I could take a dosage for several days, somewhat as prescribed, and the symptoms would clear and eventually go away and then stay away until the following year when the spring or summer heat came on again.
I had always loved to work with my hands and was on my feet for long durations for my jobs, much less over the years because of this problem as well as some changes in what I do for a living. I spend much of my time in front of a PC but still also spend a lot of time on my feet as part of my job.
I am now nearly 50 and the symptoms have subsided somewhat, still occasionally get the symptoms and can usually sense the problem starting. Tongue and lips would start up mildly at first along with the ears and even the chin sometimes. I knew it was on the way when that started. Right now the symptoms seem to be on my scalp pretty bad and unfortunately I also have apnea and must wear a CPAP mask which I think is the general cause. I also smoke cigarettes and suffer a little from asthma symptoms and subsequently I use a steroid inhaler regularly, in fact I use it much more than recommended. It is my belief that the regular use of Albuterol has in fact stabilized my symptoms somewhat by maintaining a constant small dose of steroid in my system. The only god thing from this is I have not had to take the higher dosages of steroid pills to clear it up as often and it seems it only takes a few days of smaller pill dosages to get it to clear up.
I have maintained the same diet for many many years, married a meat and potatoes girl, and never thought this could be a source of my problem until reading some of the posts about wheat... Very interesting, I need to look into that.
As for passing this down genetically I have to say it is for sure passed down, I have four daughters and a son and two of my daughters have shown similar conditions at an early age. One feels that she has this disease for sure starting at 17 or 18. It was while taking on one my other daughters to a specialist in another city that I found out what this is, that was just a couple of years ago. He had asked for similar symptoms in the family as my daughter was experiencing, she had hives on her head really bad, upon giving him my symptoms he simply responded and told me what it was… the bummer was that he only had the same advice as I had always received, antihistamines and/or steroids… but at last, I at least had a name for it. Pressure Urticaria. I thought he was crazy until I got home and researched it.
I feel for many of those posting on this site as their symptoms appear to be far worse than I seemed to have endured over the years. I can only hope my problems never become as severe. As for what has worked for me unfortunately it has been steroids, some more steroids and steroids again. I hate having to use them long term and the mild long term dosage from the Albuterol may be just as bad as occasion strong dosages… but what choice do I really have.
Getting ready to quit smoking and I think I might research this wheat thing a little bit along with the yellow die thing as well and give those a try and see what happens. Sounds like it will be hard as many things I like to eat as a staple have wheat and there are not many alternatives.
I have had pressure urticaria forabout eight years now after getting the a flu virus, i did previously have a lot of allergies to skin care products. Alcohol makes it worse, so I do try to avoid it. I used to play golf and can't now. Swimming is good. My doctor gave me anti hystermine to take daily, but it never helped. I find that eating healthy and excersize regularly do help.
I'm Egyptian, live I. Cairo,was diagnosed with DPU when I was 36 now 44. I didn't suspect these were allergies but knew by coincidence when i was taking my daughter to my friend dermatologist and explained about my foot (then) and who should I go to, she knew right away what it was. I still have it on daily basis, and gets worse with stress. I live on antihestimines, and homeopathy!
3years ago I had a good advise from a professor dermatologist in Paris, I'd like to share with you, he advised strictly against cortisone, steroids, that they will damage the immune system and cut it off temporarily. But I had 4 shots so far because I do get them in my very bad days going up to my throat (angioedema) but now since I know the cause I use tranquilizers and they help. My dermatologist though on my very bad days advises steroids but I refuse!
Second important fact he said the cause is either food or psychological - stress and that I will decide which! So I know my cause it's stress!
Plz see a dermatologist because antihistamines do help if you're regular and treat with cold water right away when your swells start showing!
I don't know what u have in your country, mornings I take Zaditen and Aerius (and on bad days or when I feels a painful one starting Zyrtec is excellent) at night Atarax very good and Zaditen again (and Zyrtec when needed).
Also I went on a site on the web called Life source - Dr Raj, filled in questionnaire and they sent me homeopathy remedy called KALI-IOD 30 it was great I was almost relieved completely for 4months! But I didn't buy again thinking I would go to any homeopath in Cairo I got very busy and I didn't so there was sort of a gap and it all came back now, but I sent to get stock again. So plz try homeopathy I believe it helps! And plz try to stop steroids, keep them for your asthma but not for DPU. Good luck and get well:))))))
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I have had DPU since 1995. I can say that I did not eat wheat (or carbs) for years and it had no reaction to the severity of my dpu. I was gifted to be sorta in remission for about 6 years (2005-2011) with a mild break out a couple times a year. During that time, I took singulair, zyrtec and pepcid... then BOOM a year ago all bets were off. 2 1/2 months on predisone got me back to manageable and now I take singulair and doxepin. The doc switched me off zyrtec to levocitirizine and it didn't seem to have any effect. I stopped taking the levo and no apparent change. My big question is... have any of you DPU patients had surgery? I need a masectomy and wondering how I will make it through the surgery? DPU and surgery... that is the question.
HI IAM VITTHAL LIVING IN EASTER PROVINCE AND SINCE 26 NOV I AM FACING SAME PROBELM . PLEASE GUIDE ME TO RECOVER FROM THIS
Hi, I've had it for almost 6 hrs now. Good news I'm much better. Plz plz besides anti-histamines try homeopathy. Being desperate to find a cure, went online on an Indian site, LIFE SOURCE, Dr. shah, they sent me a 4 months treatment (Kali IOD 30 mg) then I bought it later from a local homeopathist. Still on anti histamines, but almost 2 tablets a day, though I have reached like 5 to 6 a day od different antihistamine. What worked with me was : Zyrtec, Aerius and Atarax is great.
I'm onlybon aeries and Atarax now besides the homeopathy. And it v mild compared to how I was.
I live in Cairo - Egypt, so the weather specially in summer is not helping! Anyway just some imp tips and advice:
1. To deal with wheals, cold water ( with or w/out some vinegar) also I use Aloe Vera gel when I'm tired of soaking.
2. Dr. In Paris advised that I'm the one to determine the cause, and forget ab allergy tests. So its either food or stress!
3. My cause I realized is stress so it helps when I take tranquilizers such as Xanax ...... Even when I have throat swellings.
4.Also advised in Paris: Do Not surrender to steroids, cortisone however your doctor advises unless u know it's v bad! They destroy your immune system and believe me they will let it go temp. And they will come back! True
5. Try pain killers they help when the wheals or hives hurt.
Again the best advise is homeopathy. Good luck, they are very annoying and frustrating but I always remind myself, thank God, bearable and definitely there are worse:)))))
Hi, I've had it for almost 6 hrs now. Good news I'm much better. Plz plz besides anti-histamines try homeopathy. Being desperate to find a cure, went online on an Indian site, LIFE SOURCE, Dr. shah, they sent me a 4 months treatment (Kali IOD 30 mg) then I bought it later from a local homeopathist. Still on anti histamines, but almost 2 tablets a day, though I have reached like 5 to 6 a day od different antihistamine. What worked with me was : Zyrtec, Aerius and Atarax is great.
I'm onlybon aeries and Atarax now besides the homeopathy. And it v mild compared to how I was.
I live in Cairo - Egypt, so the weather specially in summer is not helping! Anyway just some imp tips and advice:
1. To deal with wheals, cold water ( with or w/out some vinegar) also I use Aloe Vera gel when I'm tired of soaking.
2. Dr. In Paris advised that I'm the one to determine the cause, and forget ab allergy tests. So its either food or stress!
3. My cause I realized is stress so it helps when I take tranquilizers such as Xanax ...... Even when I have throat swellings.
4.Also advised in Paris: Do Not surrender to steroids, cortisone however your doctor advises unless u know it's v bad! They destroy your immune system and believe me they will let it go temp. And they will come back! True
5. Try pain killers they help when the wheals or hives hurt.
Again the best advise is homeopathy. Good luck, they are very annoying and frustrating but I always remind myself, thank God, bearable and definitely there are worse:)))))
DPU is not caused by wheat or any other naturally occurring substance. It is caused by the chemicals in your food. The moment you read all ingredients in food and cut out everything from your diet that isn't food, 3 days later you will go into complete remission. Many people think it is caused by wheat and gluten, but that is only because packaged wheat products have the highest levels of emulsifiers and preservatives of any food type. For example just read the ingredients on your sliced bread that you eat. Recognize any of those ingredients? Didn't think so, and neither does your body. Is it any wonder that your body would have an immune response to things that are not food? I have DPU and have cured myself of DPU and others. It is really so simple that physicians overlook the cause. I can only eat food from Whole Foods market, and even then I have to eat the bread that is made daily by a local bakery. If you have DPU you can't eat, phosphates (eg. sodium phosphate, calcium phosphate, ect). Can't eat nitrates. Can't artificial flavors or colors. Can't eat natural flavors (extracted w/ emulsifiers). You can't eat magnesium sterate (in all drugs). You can't eat any form of lecithin. And basically any ingredient that you don't consider a food ingredient. In fact the antihistamines you take to control your DPU have these emulsifiers and preservatives that cause your hives too. The craziest thing about these chemicals is there is a 3 day delay on when you stop eating chemicals until you begin to be cured. Meaning that these chemicals circulate in your cells for 72 hours, so if you eat food all the time with these chemical, you are building the concentration of these chemicals in your blood to very high levels. If you can't eat at a Whole Foods market, then you have to eat nothing out of packages, everything must be homemade.
Be happy that your body is telling you that it doesn't want these chemical, because even if you don't have a reaction to them, they are poison to your body, and is probably what is causing most of the unexplained autoimmune disease, and cancer in the western world. Nobody can say it's your genes that causes DPU until the chemical variable in your food is removed.
Like everything else in this world. The cure is free, the treatment is expensive.
Fascinating reading and thank you all for sharing your stories. I'm pretty sure I've got DPU as well. I'd assumed it was related to my Hashimoto's Hypothyroiditis that I was diagnosed with in 2011. I'd had symptoms dating back to 2004 and bizarre hive outbreaks (particularly eyelid edema) that seemed to come and go, but always in conjunction with thyroid issues (feels like there's a golf ball lodged in my throat). I've been traveling over the holidays and in addition to carrying my two young boys at various times, I had my computer bag slung over my shoulder. Upon arrival at our destination last night, I had immense welts where the shoulder strap had put pressure on my skin. My right shoulder literally doubled in size. 24 hours later, the swelling is down, but it definitely is still painful. Thinking back on hive outbreaks that I've had, I can remember back as early as 1999 if I wore a shirt with a tight collar, I'd get hives on my neck. If I wear my belt just a little too tight, I get hives around my waist. I'd been hive-free for a little over a year (got really bad during a stressful job a couple years ago) and it came back about a month ago. It always starts with my eyelids swelling, either one or both. Fortunately they don't itch much and I can usually go about my day (with sunglasses on) and they'll be back to normal after a few hours.
I've been on the South Beach diet for a while now and just reintroduced bread in small amounts. I'm wondering if this (or other food chemicals) is what triggered it?
Again, thanks for all of your comments, it's good to know I'm not alone!Jon
Try not eating any chemicals and you'll be able to see the difference. Check even little things like coffee creamer, flavored coffee tea and drinks. No chemicals at all. Literally everything even chewing gum, breath mints. Beer bottled in clear bottles are full of chemicals. i forget I even have DPU because I have some very good whole food sources around me. If it wasn't for a few very good markets all I would be able to eat is meat, produce, and water. You need a good chemical free bread source. I eat bread everyday but if I eat bread from a normal supermarket, my body blows up in pressure hives. People are kinda mislead to believe that things like gluten are more likely to cause an immune response than chemicals like disodium phosphate which is also in your bread. I mean I'm not saying that people don't have gluten allergies, but don't believe for a moment that a substance like gluten is more likely cause over emulsifiers that are always with gluten. When you look at every ingredient and learn what these chemicals are, it will make you wonder, What the hell is going on?