wrldtraveller

I know this is not related to cycling, but it has been on my mind lately. I currently suffer hives called Chronic idiopathic urticaria and was curious about how this works with cycling. I have a goal of doing some bicycle touring sometimes in the near future.

To begin with, Chronic Idiopathic urticaria literally means chronic unknown hives. The doctor cannot find out what is causing the hives. I think I am allergic to something but I am in the process of diagnosing what is causing it but it takes time.

Back to cycling, I am wondering is there any cyclists out there who have some form of allergies or hives or similar to what I mentioned above, and how they deal with it while out cycling?

Thanks.
Paul

10 Wheels

Hope you get it cured before taking off on a tour.

fietsbob

Web MD?

djb

sorry, not any personal experience.
All there is to say is good luck with getting it resolved and/or finding creams or medication to help deal with the symptoms and discomfort.

PedalingWalrus

I am alergic to synthetic clothing and anti perspirants and especially a combination of those two. My armpits break out in hives and sometimes thise hives will seep liquid... lovely story i know... but as long as i stay with wool or cotton and avoid sweating in synthetic clothing I stay fine.

FBinNY 

You never know. Since you're suffering while at home, it's safe to assume the trigger is there (home meaning the general area, not just your house). You might break lucky and the problem might disappear when you ride away form the cause.

I suffered from a similar issue when I was younger, except that mine was an annual seasonal event. The Doc and I did some deductive reasoning, and formed a theory that I was allergic to something in the woods, but since it as seasonal, the cause must be also.

In the end, we theorized, but didn't test, that it might be some sort of pollen that was present only during a short window, and the "cure" was to not go camping in May, with a week on either side for safety.

No spring camping, no rash, case closed, and I've lived with that restriction, since. Of course I may no longer be allergic to whatever it was, but I've no interest in proving.

So, good luck with the testing, and in the meantime try a few 2- day weekends and see how you make out. Try not to depend on steroids or antihistamines because they can make you drowsy and dull your reflexes. But do take something with you as a Plan B if needed.

PedalingWalrus

an addendum to my potential for hives ... it also seems to coincide with overheating under athletic workload i.e. biking, hiking etc ... almost as if the sweat did not have enough time to get out. I did do some googling ;-) and here is the information:

Cholinergic Urticaria: Hives From Heat or Sweat

saddlesores

stay outa the sun; seems to negatively affect skin.

long sleeves, get one of those french foreign legion
neck cover thingies, and a brim on the helmet....

Shimagnolo

I had that once. Early one morning, I rode from the CO Front Range (5300' MSL) up to Echo Lake(10,5000), wearing heavy tights over my bike shorts. As I descended from Echo Lake to Bergen Park(7800' MSL), the temperature shot up from a combination of the lower altitude and reaching early afternoon. Upon reaching BP, it was about 80F, so I stopped to take off the tights. Holy crap! My legs were covered in red bumps. No pain or itching, but it looked like hell. It took some days before it faded away. I never had it before or since.

rm -rf

I had hives for many months, controllable with antihistamines. No obvious cause. Red bumps, itching and burning.

Then it just stopped a few years ago. Maybe you'll recover, too.

J.Higgins 

I used to work as a repair machinist in a large printing corporation. You would not believe the chemicals involved. Almost everything I touched caused a rash or burn. Oddly, I'm not allergic to poison ivy/oak, bee stings, nut allergies or the wife's silly b*llsh*t.

FBinNY 

I've long had that problem, but generally it's only an issue when the sweat can't dry or there's added friction. It's worst at the base of my neck, but I manage it with loose well vented clothing. I don't T-shirts when it's hot, and that seems to help.

I've also suspected that detergent residue on clothing may be a factor, so I triple rinse the wash and it seems to help, but I may be just wasting water.

BTW - if you're getting the hives on or near your hands, it might be from washing too often, or with strong soaps and hot water.

MixedRider

How bad are the breakouts? Are we talking full body? certain parts? exposed parts?
I have a form of eczema. however, I have a prescribed cream I take with me when touring just in case. Rarely pops up, but when it does, I am prepared for it.

Seems like if you have hives, you should bring some Cortisone and Benadryl with you to help ease symptoms. If it get too uncomfortable to tour, then either plan on having bail-out options, visit walkin clinics or take longer rest days.

Skin stuff sucks, so just be as prepared as you can, similar to what you have at home for when it happens there.

300ps

I've long had skin problems that no doctor could pinpoint the cause of. I discovered while touring/working in Taiwan that it was caused by dairy products, specifically milk. Dairy is less common over there and for whatever reason I didn't feel the need to seek it out. After a couple of months of having consumed almost none of those products the skin problems cleared up. So cycling in a way solved it!

fantom1 

Well, since we're all playing Dr and ignoring the OP's actual question...I've seen some people's rashes go away when they stop showering with chlorinated water. Makes a huge difference. If you even go somewhere where the water is less chlorinated (or not at all) then go back to the mainland N. America, you really notice how strong it is.

Papa Tom

I have my own chronic itching problems, but I do not sprout hives. I can tell you that, when I work with tires, something about exposure to the rubber makes me itch like a maniac.

B. Carfree

I had this decades ago in high school. When I would work out (nearly daily) I would often, but not always, break out in hives. I still remember the intense itchiness and discomfort.

After a bit of sleuthing, I finally narrowed it down to the deodorant soap that my mom had begun purchasing around that time. I suggest looking at your body soap and laundry detergent as possible sources of your problem; you might get lucky.

DropBarFan

I have some allergies, one thing that always helps is clean alkaline-forming diet that helps minimize inflammation.

berner

Detergents can cause skin issues for me. I now use the plainest, unscented soaps possible.