Welp, I'm hivey all over.

[conuly]

Especially my legs. And my arms. My arms and legs. And also my back, my arms, legs, and back. Oh, and my neck. Definitely my neck. And my feet. My arms, legs, back, neck, hands, and feet. Oh god I itch. Where is my antihistimine cream!?

If it takes me a while to respond to anybody over the next few days, that's because I'm too busy scratching, applying cream, scratching some more. Sometimes I get hives because of environmental factors. Sometimes I think it's because of emotional stress. Sometimes I get weird random hives just 'cuz - as in "the soda bottle was too cold and now there's a hive in the shape of the bottom of a coke bottle on my arm" or "the shower was too hot and now my legs itch" or "I probably should not have scratched my neck, now there's a hive where I scratched".

This isn't the last one. I don't have any bug bites. I haven't been taking a daily dose of zyrtec and now am suffering a rebound (oh god that was an awful month). I haven't been outside weeding and getting ragweed all over my arms. I haven't eaten anything new. So that leaves... unknown environmental factor or emotional stress. I have no other way to narrow this down, but thinking about it at least distracts me from the freaking itching.

Edit: Oh. Oh, could this be a PMS thing? I'm getting my period in a few days, I think. It's surely a little weird to suddenly manifest new PMS symptoms in your 30s, but I've always been hivey, and my PMS symptoms have always been weirdly all over the map - several months in a row boils, then a few months of random aches in the worst places, then cramps, like every month is a roulette. And maybe this isn't new, but previously I just didn't peg it to periods because I didn't expect to? I think I'm deluding myself a little here. If you google enough, anything is a PMS symptom for somebody, but that doesn't mean it really is for me. *scratchscratchscratch*

Comments

[marahmarie]

Hope it subsides for you soon (and this is me sitting on my hands mentally trying not to say: "Hives can also be a sign of the plague" but uh, yeah, they can. Something else to look out for).

I have lifelong weird skin that spontaneously breaks out in hives, rashes, and a mysterious both-legs itch that mostly strikes at night almost every night for 30+ years now, if it's any consolation.

(If you want more possible consolation as of the year 2000 I got so allergic* to downstate NY I can't live there anymore and actually survive, but I think you've heard that already.)

*Not skin-wise, mostly sinus/eyes/throat allergies

[conuly]

Wait, hives are a covid symptom? I must have missed that.

[marahmarie]

Yep.

[erika]

I have the both legs itch and multiple doctors have told me it's Restless Leg Syndrome, if that information interests you.

[marahmarie]

I do tend to turn the bed into a war zone, complete with covers strewn everywhere by the time I wake up, so that's something to consider, thanks.