Allergic reaction/Sun Exposure?

Hello wonderful butterflies! I am stumped! Yep! Resourceful Vanessa is stumped! *shaking head* I was at the beach last weekend with some girlfriends. We went out in the sun on Saturday. About an hour after coming indoors, showering, and cooling off, I started to itch. Not long after, I realized I was breaking out in hives ALL OVER my body where it had been exposed to the sun. I took a Benadryl and soaked in the Jacuzzi and it went down to mostly gone. The rest of this week I have continued to have small bumps and rough feeling skin. I have used Lidocaine, Olive Oil and Benadryl which have all provided relief. Today my daughter's grade had a school picnic. I was going to wear my ONE pair of LOANER shorts and a cute T-shirt to the picnic when I thought better since I still had some residual from last weekend's experience. So I walked around the park while it's 90 degrees and 89% humidity wearing jeans and a 3/4 inch shirt. I felt like I was walking in the Sarah desert in a straight jacket!!! I kid you not! OK...so I ran some errands after -- I was so HOT! (and not that good kind of HOT we all long to be!) So I get home, I cool off, and BAM...hives from the sleeve down, on my face, and neck where my shirt was open. These are the only places that were exposed to the sun. Conclusion: I am having an allergic reaction to the sun! Question: WHY? None of my medications give any indications or warnings about sun exposure. The only other things I take are vitamins. I have searched googled, called my surgeon, and talked to the pharmacist. Noone has a clue why this might be happening. For the record, I am taking Synthroid .075 mcg, Wellbutrin, Klonopin, GNC Hair, Skin, and Nails, Stuart Prenatal Vitamins (which I have been taking for six years), Calcium, Mag., Vitamin D combo, and A/G Pro (an amino acid supplement). I can, of course, stop taking one vitamin at a time and find out what happens but does anyone have any ideas or information about this? My best friend stopped by this afternoon to tell me she bought a house today with a HUGE built in swimming pool and I have plans for this skin this summer!

Hi sweetie! Sounds like you've developed Solar urticaria. You can google the term for lots of info on this. It's fairly easy to diagnose and treatment is mostly benedryl, sunscreen, avoidance of UV-waves, etc. And sometimes it does just go away as rapidly as it occurred. Sometimes it's linked to some chemical you're ingesting or illness (such as lupus) making one more susceptible...but it's frequently a mystery why it happens and if or when it will go away. Hope this helps. (((HUGS))), Toots

Thanks, Ruth! I did find this somehow. I saw pictures. It was exactly what I had both times. *sigh* I had to stop taking one of my vitamins b/c of my surgery next month so I will eliminate one at a time and see if that helps. I do hope it goes away as quickly as it appeared. I really want to frolic in the sun with the girls this summer! I used very good sunblock both times and that didn't prevent it. I guess I will play now and suffer later. I will also do more reading on it in my spare time. Thanks again! I hope you're well today! ~Vanessa

LOL well you know, it could well be the sunblock!! My son is allergic to certain types of insect repellant and sunblock with insect repellants.... he breaks out just as you describe... The hives (urticaria) can come from any allergic reaction... my suggestion would be try a different type of sunblock when you dare to do it again... oh, and oatmeal baths help too for the itching afterwards... and to cool the skin down.

Thanks, Kat! I did consider that! I, however, used to different blocks the two different times. I hadn't remembered mine at the beach and used my girlfriend's and then later at home used mine. I also went out a bit yesterday with NO sunblock and it happened to a lesser degree because I was mostly in the shade just talking with my neighbor but the sun found me nevertheless. So that's three times, 2 different sunblocks, and no sunblock. *sigh* What is amazing to me is that I used to try to find every reason under the sun NOT to be in the sun. Now that I've lost some weight and am FINALLY looking forward to being my kids at the pool and maybe even in the pool, this happens. Here's a funny story. At our yacht club I used to tell them I was allowed in the pool and all they had to do was check the pool rules as number six read: NO LARGE FLOATING OBJECTS ALLOWED IN POOL! Oh well...such is life! I hope you're well today and I hope you get good news when you check with the insurance company tomorrow. I was also thinking that perhaps you could just carry COBRA on YOURSELF for three months. I had done that once and it was much more reasonable at $220.00 per month. Keep searching for a way! Don't give up! Also, do you have ANY 6 month supervised diets from ANY doctor in the last FIVE years? My insurance company used mine for years before and also included all my handwritten notes of what I had tried to lose weight. THINK. THINK. THINK. Hugs!