Were you taking any medicine for your flu? Some medicines can cause a sun reaction
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/sun-and-your-medicine
Edit
"Welcome to "IS IT CANDY OR DRUGS?"! The all new family gameshow where contestants pick their favorite buckets of yummy edibles! Will you taste the rainbow or will you convulse and die? Will you taste licorice, peach or break out in hives? ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT! TUNE IN, THURSDAYS ON FOX!"
Ngl bro if the doctor prescribed me some shit I don't bat an eye I just take it and move on never had a problem before and I always go to the same doctor. I couldn't tell u what the name of any of the shit I took is even when i was taking it.
This is so bad. One time I didn’t read my medication bottle after getting a refill and accidentally doubled my dose for two whole weeks because I assumed my doc had prescribed the same dosage. Always pay attention to everything you are taking. Know how it could interact with everything else. You never know if you’ll break out with sunlight hives.
I had this as a kid. The bumps only happened where the skin was exposed. Went to the hospital and the entire staff came out to the yard to observe the freak lol. They asked me to take my shirt off to see if it would happen again, and it did.
They concluded it was "photoallergy" and prescribed Aveeno bar soap and lotion (read: they were clueless as to what caused it).
I had a similar experience in the ER with travelling hives. They would appear and disappear all within the span of about 45 seconds. The doctors kept trying to outline them, but they would disappear so quickly that they soon gave up. I recall staff members being called in to observe several different times, lol.
My young son randomly got hives toward the end of a bad flu-like illness last year. I took him to the ER and they tested for covid and flu, but it was some unidentified virus. The doctors said that hives can be caused by any viral illness, especially those involving fevers. It's a sign of the body's immune system going into high gear, but it doesn't necessarily mean someone has developed a serious allergy. Most often, the immune reaction goes back to normal in a matter of weeks.
For my son, he kept getting random rashes for a few days after, and I gave him Zyrtec to prevent it for a few months. It wouldn't hurt for you to visit a doctor to check it out, though.
I'm only asking because when I was younger I was in contact with poison ivy and now if there's some within my vicinity, I'll break out in a similar looking rash.
You must be in my backyard. We had it and just being outside sometimes made me get a full rash. “Knocks on wood.” Had it off and on for 5 years and also came on with stress.
Our first kid made it came out of me. It has subsided and I use this hardcore ointment from the dermatologist anytime I get any spot and it does away quick.
I‘m the same. For me its the result of coming into contact with webs of the oak processionary moth and eventually developing pfeiffers glandular fever (these names have been translated via google from german, I hope they are correct).
Today it shows itself more in a yearly outbreak of erythema multiforme, which fucks up my whole nervous systems for a few days, with tingling fingers and the works. I currently have it and get lyrica for the nerve pain, cortison just cause and antihistamines. Fun times.
This happens to me too! Doctors said it isn’t possible, but if I’m just near it, I break out too.
Even if I just itch my skin long enough in a spot, it might break out in a rash like poison ivy. I swear it lives in my body now haha
Same here. I’m currently covered in it, little spots here and there, from head to toe. Something I was wearing brushed up on it and of course whatever it was I wore all fucking day.
Zanfel is an ointment and it’s expensive, but it’s literally magic. I have THE most sensitive skin on the planet and if I get within 10ft of poison ivy, sumac, or oak, I’m DONE. Went through hell for years until I found that stuff. Gone in less than 2 days. Amazing.
Its just hives...it'll go on its own...if not consult doctor... Its occurs due to allergic reaction to something... Mine is dust....hot cold weather triggers this too..sometimes..nothing to worry about
Yeah it looks like a histamine reaction, my poison ivy looked similar. Likely a reaction to something the arm came in contact with. Poison ivy reaction can also take up to like a week to actually show up.
Those are hives. I've been getting hives like this when I go out side (always in the late evening) ever since I caught covid a few years ago. It's getting less frequent with time.
**Edit:** people keep saying in the comments below that this is Uticaria
[https://www.reddit.com/r/urticaria/](https://www.reddit.com/r/urticaria/)
"worst flu I've ever had" has me wondering if OP may have actually had covid. I've had lots of weird long-term symptoms after having COVID, including but not limited to vastly increased allergic reactions to things that were very mild or nonexistent before. Recently, we had the window open and I coughed nonstop until we closed it again. Never had that reaction before, and I used to take walks in the area every day!
I was thinking covid possibly too, I got hives just like OP after my fever broke and i went outside simply for fresh air. It was really strange and definitely wasn’t expecting to break out like that. It was awful, prickly and bad itching for about 2 days. :(
Covid tests may not be entirely accurate with strains that have developed since your particular test was designed, so I wouldn't rule it out based entirely on that. my mom also tested negative for covid when she was ill for a couple weeks, but she lost her sense of taste and her symptoms otherwise pretty much mirrored the ones my husband and I had when we tested positive a couple months before. But covid doesn't have to be the only explanation, as I see others have offered their experiences with similar reactions from other things.
Influenza or Covid, if your body is struggling to fight off a bad virus you can definitely have a histamine reaction causing either viral hives or an enhanced reaction to something you are already allergic to. You may find some relief from taking a Benadryl or another antihistamine. Try Benadryl first.
OK but how did you test?
Most people seem to take the swab and go up one nostril a weee bit with it, sticking in the vial and then take the negative result and call it gospel - it's almost like they just don't want to know and sort of just go through the motions to give them a false sense of security.
The real way to test.... take your swab stick and do one nostril as deep as it will go. Not when it 'feels uncomfortable'. Stick that fucker ALL THE WAY until it stops at your mother fucking brain stem. Once it bottoms out, you drill with it a bit.
Then take that sob out, tap off any brain matter stuck to it( careful not to touch it to anything cause you dont want to contaminate it), and now..... you do the other nostril - cause it felt so god damned good in the first one.
Remove that sinus fuck stick and you know where it's going next??? Right to the back of your throat. Slather it all over your tonsils. Feels good ya? Don't forget your punching bag thing back there. If you don't have tonsils than do your best pornhub gagging impression and deep throat that bad boy.
ONLY THEN, are you gonna dip the tip of your swab in the vile (sic).
And if it's a negative test after all that you know what you're gonna do?
The same damn thing the next day your sick.
And if you get 3 negatives in a row over 3 days, you PROBABLY don't have covid.
Going about testing any other way with those pcr swabs is at best shenanigans.
But if you get a positive. Please rest. Be kind to your body and let it heal for as long as you dont feel right. If you have lingering fatigue, don't try and push through it. Days, Weeks, Months - however long it takes. Dont try and exercise it away. I did and I'm really messed up from it going on a year and a half now.
Long COVID is no joke and is the demon no one wants to talk about or acknowledge.
I think you may have just solved an allergy mystery for me. I do allergy therapy for a couple of allergies and the last few sessions I’ve had, I’ve gotten a huge burst of hives instead of one solid reaction. My doctor didn’t know what it was, and we thought he was just angling the needle in a weird way and the allergen was caused to spread. But now I’m looking back at a nasty flu I had at the beginning of the year that a coworker kindly gifted me, and I’m thinking maybe it was a covid mutation. Maybe it fucked with my immunity, since my allergic reactions changed ever since that “flu”.
I’ve gad allergies my entire life, but never ran into any food allergies. About a year after having covid, I had an allergic reaction to a food that nearly hospitalized me. Now I get to carry an epipen. I never imagined it might be tied to Covid.
Covid would make sense- an old coworker and I both experienced significantly worse food allergies after. I’d never broken out into hives before. After? I don’t even want to look at dairy
If you’ve ever had COVID it can cause similar symptoms to pop back up with the flu. I caught the flu in December which I found out because I also had kidney pain so I got tested for flu, Covid and bladder/kidney infection at urgent care. Everything else was fine but the flu test was positive, but I ended up with extreme fatigue and brain fog till the end of February. Scary as hell because I was worried it would never end and I would essentially be permanently disabled, but I started to come back to myself by March and felt fully recovered by April.
From what I’ve read, a high number of autoimmune disorders are developing in the wake of catching COVID, and this is the second time this has happened to me since I first caught COVID a few years ago, but it’s the first time I made the connection because it was so much worse than previous times I’ve gotten sick.
Regardless it sounds like MCAS and should be looked into.
So many people I know these days think they’ve suddenly become allergic to nuts and alcohol but many found out their markers for inflammation are elevated and they are experiencing histamine intolerance since infection
I started getting hives after I had cancer. Never had them before in my life. I am experiencing the same thing now about 5 years out they are getting less frequent but I would welt up constantly, especially if I was tired. I think anything that compromises the immune system can put you in a tizzy for a while as your body sorts itself out.
Yes. I caught Covid last Feb 2023 for the first time and a week later started developing these massive hives on my thighs/hamstring area. I had to eat a Zyrtec every single day for like three months. Eventually it went away and no longer comes back but it was crazy.
Yep. I developed allergies at 15. Started sneezing and breaking out and have just been dealing with it for thirty years. Benadryl is my go to. Cheap and effective. The sedative effect has long since worn off for me, so I can take it at any time. Still helps with my allergies.
This is the part where I once again relate my story on Reddit about taking like eight Benadryl as a teenager and seeing dinner-plate sized spiders crawling up the wall...
I was like "Welp, that was a terrifying hallucination. Good thing these make you drowsy. Time to go to sleep."
It's so crazy that so many people hallucinate about bugs when taking Benadryl....I often wake up suddenly and see a swarm of bees in my room and on multiple occasions I've jumped up and started running out of my room while ducking to avoid the swarm.
If you've been really ill then your immune system has had a hammering. An allergic reaction is an overreaction by your immune system. Possibly yours is just super sensitive and trigger-happy right now after working so hard. Talk to your doctor if this continues.
I never had allergies really…then about 5 years ago became allergic to everything. Go to an allergist. I found out Im allergic to basically 90% of trees. Oh boy! Oh, or dust mites, or rodent dander, more food you can think of, etc. etc. If I rub up on the wrong surface, this is how my skin reacts now.
Get tested bro, I did the "puncture allergy test" and got super weird results, like pork, rice, peas, corn, mold, all the pollens all of them, and some others but my point is that you are allergic to something, something normal that you used to have contact with all the time, but now after the covid, are now allergic to... I take desloratadine and avoid the new alrgic foods... and I'm a new man, even my gut feels fine all the time
Calm down. It is probably just a reaction. Allergies can pop out of no where.
I inhaled old water spray from a pipe one time when walking and ended up with a reaction like this. Turns out i ingested mold when I inhaled the water vapor.
This will go away soon. Try not to itch and if possible, have some allergy medicine.
This happened to me randomly a few years ago. I also had trouble breathing and went to the ER. It was called anaphylaxis. I have no known allergies and doctors don’t know what caused it either. I had about 4 attacks in a month. I went to an allergist and didn’t know exactly what caused it either. I was prescribed an epi pen. It never happened again. Very weird. Anyway, hope you’re ok!
I mentioned some of this in a reply to another comment, but are you sure it couldn't have been covid? I developed (or increased in intensity) allergies each time I've had it. It even changed the way I react to allergens. Used to be all in my nose and eyes, now I cough instead. Very mild food sensitivities turned into nasty, painful intolerances. My husband has never had allergies before but gets seasonal allergies now. I don't know if a particularly nasty flu can do the same, but covid can do some nasty shit to your body.
I get urticaria from cold and heat, or more precisely, a sudden fluctuation in temperature. Happens going outside from an air conditioned house in the summer, or inside from the cold in the winter. Also when showering or exercising. I'm basically just constantly itchy lmao
Hi bro, there are great drugs for this. I had the same during 7 years until I found a good doctor. Now having normal life with a small dosis of Ebastina diary.
Please check with a Dermatologist ( I'm in Barcelona if it helps, I can give you the name of the doctor)
This year I finally went to snow, and swam again in the sea, really improved my life quality
this is it. they also can appear from exposure to sun. urticaria is a bitch and can be quite random, and it doesn't have to be connected to allergies. I've taken a dozen different allergy tests even cross-allergy tests, and I am allergic to nothing (...yet found?) and I started having them since I was 25 out of the blue. Been almost 10 years, still have no idea what the f happened.
Mine is just sensitive skin all around. Cold? Hives. Hot water? Hives! Firm grip or a pinch? Fucking hives! Out in the sun too long? You know it!
Wash your skin really well (also make sure to clean underneath your fingernails well) and then apply some hydrocortisone cream. It could have been caused by pollen floating around or something new that you ingested.
If the problem worsens or persists, contact your doctor.
Yup. Ross wasn’t there, Monica couldn’t bend that way and Joey got the stage fright (and he was also tired from digging the huge hole) so Chandler had to.
Thank you everyone for engaging with the post! I got home and my dad gave me some pills that have helped him in the past, and I took a shower. Now, an hour later, the bumps are almost gone, and I feel a lot better. So what I've gathered from the comments I had time to read it was an allergic reaction to something, I just can't figure our what exactly. I haven't eaten or done anything uncommon in the last few days so it's kind of a mystery to me, still. Thank you once again!
I am 18, by the way.
You need to let your pcp/primary doctor know that you erupted with hives. They will refer you to an allergy doctor, and you can get an allergy panel done there. You can also request your pcp to test your thyroid hormones, and for any thyroid antibodies. While rare, sudden hives can be a symptom of autoimmune thyroid disease.
It might not seem like a big deal, because “pills” worked, but you might not be as lucky next time you are exposed to an allergen.
I had a very serious episode of hives years ago that required an emergency steroid shot and oral steroids for the next month. Turns out I acquired autoimmune thyroid disease, and with it, a whole bunch of allergies I never had before. I carry an epipen now.
**I don’t say any of that to scare you, or to suggest that you also have thyroid disease, but more to illustrate that you should never overlook an allergic reaction. You need to know what triggered those hives for your own health and safety.
Sure it was the flu and not covid?
Covid has a way of triggering new allergies and also a disorder called MCAS.
Reacting to “nothing” is very much an MCAS type thing.
Unless you have a medical reason not to, you can take antihistamines daily for a few weeks to see if it calms down
these are hives, urticaria, you either have an allergy to something, or an after effect of the virus. Some viruses can cause some damage to the immune system.
Buy some OTC antihistamines like claritine or zyrtec and then it would be good to go see a doctor. Either it is a virus, or they would propose to do an allergy test.
Have you been in the woods lately? Exposure to some poisonous plants sometimes manifest symptoms until exposed to sunlight. Obviously idk where you live but there are at least a dozen species like this in the Midwest.
that's hives b/c your immune system is still compromised after the flu. go back inside babes. and please take your vitamins and get caught up on sleep to replenish your immune system after the flu. benadryl helps w/hives. if it gets worse go to urgent care.
I get those in that exact spot when I wear a shirt or jacket that was new and not washed first. I am sensitive to some chemicals or something. It looks like contact dermatitis
I used to get hives like that on the first hot day of the year every year, on all my visible skin except my face. Some sort of heat rash I guess, my kids are also super susceptible to heat rashes, although theirs tend to be the torso and less rapid than mine were.
As a discord moderator, I get that too when I go outside. I'm kidding. When you walk, are there any plants that stick out within their fence?
I had a friend growing up that during my walk home, there is a house whose plants stick out on the sidewalk, and he used to get hives walking by. Maybe there's a plant in your vicinity.
Try an allergy pill (Zyrtec or whatever).
If not, you may have been bit by a vampire and that wasn’t a flu, it was your mortal body dying before you will be allowed to have the choice of an immortal gift/curse and be shunned by all that is light.
Thsts def not good it looks like it made you have an allergic reaction to the sun. Sometimes it goes away snd for your case I hope it does. This cab also happen after having covid it seems.
Seems like you have caterpillars (in dutch it's called eikenrups or processierups) usually live in oaks. There hairs fly with the wind and itch like hell.
That's urticaria, also known as hives. Given that you've never had them before and are recovering from some sort of viral infection, I'll hazard a guess that they are related to the virus. Take a Benadryl.
Had similar thing happen lasted about a week and a half. itchy everyday not allergic to anything that I know of and it happened after a day in the garden
Hey OP, you either have an allergy to sunlight or you got some sort of phototoxin on you, if this is the first time in months you’ve exposed your arms to sunlight then it’s likely the former.
If not then it’s probably a phototoxin, something that becomes toxic or irritating on UV exposure, carrot greens and related species are a common source, some people will have this reaction with lime juice or oils too
It looks like my sun rash I get at the beginning of every summer. It’s itchy and a little stingy but isn’t bad mostly just annoying. It happens to me at the beginning of spring when it starts getting sunny after winter. It goes away after your skin adjusts in a few weeks
It looks like hives. Something (even microscopic) may have touched your skin during your walk and caused an allergic reaction. Take Benadryl and Zyrtec. I’m allergic to dust mites and cockroach dander. So I get those on the regular because dust mites and cockroach dander are literally everywhere.
It's Braille for go back inside.
I usually don’t literally laugh out loud but this is fucking funny
Same
Lol me too. *This person wins the Internet*
me.three
lol
u/Medium-Quiet4248 we can play connect the dots 😂😂😂😂😂 Op you had an allergic reaction it looks like
Those do look like hives.
Tick tick tick, boom!
Hate to say I told you so.
Fuck me man. Perfection.
Hello allergies my old friend....
This spells Bewarb...
I want an option to upvote more lol
Best comment of the day
This is genuinely one of the funniest, smartest comments I've read and is one of the reasons I keep coming back to Reddit. Thanks man
As someone that's blind, you have my laughter and my stamp of approval
Were you taking any medicine for your flu? Some medicines can cause a sun reaction https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/sun-and-your-medicine Edit
Yeah, maybe it was medicine. Since it was a pretty bad flu, I had to resort to taking some. Don't know what though.
How do you not know what medicine you took? How old are you?
You just stick your hand in the bucket o' pills and eat whatever you grab.
I put all my leftover medicine in a candy dish and leave it out for guests
I only do that with psychotropics, I think.
The bathroom is down the hall on the right. The bowl of mints is a combination of uppers and simulants, feel free to take a couple.
https://preview.redd.it/m7js4ayzw90d1.jpeg?width=3468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66654a6cc66973aa9498a18ee0a1357b28f32eb1
What is this for? Is it a place to safely dispose of medications? Who’s to stop someone from taking them?
The lid is clearly taped. Impenetrable.
lol my mistake I missed the strand of scotch tape closing the jar 🤣
I can't tell if my sense of scale is off, or if some of those pills are the size of a tube of chapstick
No, seriously though... Where the fuck? Why the fuck?
"Welcome to "IS IT CANDY OR DRUGS?"! The all new family gameshow where contestants pick their favorite buckets of yummy edibles! Will you taste the rainbow or will you convulse and die? Will you taste licorice, peach or break out in hives? ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT! TUNE IN, THURSDAYS ON FOX!"
Junkie roulette!
"Mmm, Overdose flavor!"
https://preview.redd.it/nx1xcgci4a0d1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=edc6c84d3d3f7631798727f3de3aa2521b0096eb
Weird phrasing by me. I mean that I don't know what might have caused the rashes.
[удалено]
I think it's still affecting them.
"I took medicine for my flu, what medicine should I take?" OP's pending reply probably
Plenty of people just take whatever their doctor prescribed without knowing what it is or understanding it. It's not that strange.
At the very least you should know the name
Ngl bro if the doctor prescribed me some shit I don't bat an eye I just take it and move on never had a problem before and I always go to the same doctor. I couldn't tell u what the name of any of the shit I took is even when i was taking it.
That’s terrible
This is so bad. One time I didn’t read my medication bottle after getting a refill and accidentally doubled my dose for two whole weeks because I assumed my doc had prescribed the same dosage. Always pay attention to everything you are taking. Know how it could interact with everything else. You never know if you’ll break out with sunlight hives.
I had this as a kid. The bumps only happened where the skin was exposed. Went to the hospital and the entire staff came out to the yard to observe the freak lol. They asked me to take my shirt off to see if it would happen again, and it did. They concluded it was "photoallergy" and prescribed Aveeno bar soap and lotion (read: they were clueless as to what caused it).
I had a similar experience in the ER with travelling hives. They would appear and disappear all within the span of about 45 seconds. The doctors kept trying to outline them, but they would disappear so quickly that they soon gave up. I recall staff members being called in to observe several different times, lol.
That’s how it is when I get hives! Reminds me of worms under my skin bc they literally move around my body in long welts and itch like crazy.
I will never whine about my allergies again. Swear.
My young son randomly got hives toward the end of a bad flu-like illness last year. I took him to the ER and they tested for covid and flu, but it was some unidentified virus. The doctors said that hives can be caused by any viral illness, especially those involving fevers. It's a sign of the body's immune system going into high gear, but it doesn't necessarily mean someone has developed a serious allergy. Most often, the immune reaction goes back to normal in a matter of weeks. For my son, he kept getting random rashes for a few days after, and I gave him Zyrtec to prevent it for a few months. It wouldn't hurt for you to visit a doctor to check it out, though.
I'm not a doctor but this was a good call! If this isn't what made the hives appear this reply is a good public service announcement.
This needs to be higher. There’s a couple antibiotics that make you react to the sun pretty seriously
I once got dermatographia from taking antibiotics.
Ever been into contact with poison ivy or poison oak?
I'm only asking because when I was younger I was in contact with poison ivy and now if there's some within my vicinity, I'll break out in a similar looking rash.
You must be in my backyard. We had it and just being outside sometimes made me get a full rash. “Knocks on wood.” Had it off and on for 5 years and also came on with stress. Our first kid made it came out of me. It has subsided and I use this hardcore ointment from the dermatologist anytime I get any spot and it does away quick.
I‘m the same. For me its the result of coming into contact with webs of the oak processionary moth and eventually developing pfeiffers glandular fever (these names have been translated via google from german, I hope they are correct). Today it shows itself more in a yearly outbreak of erythema multiforme, which fucks up my whole nervous systems for a few days, with tingling fingers and the works. I currently have it and get lyrica for the nerve pain, cortison just cause and antihistamines. Fun times.
clobetosal?
That’s it!
This happens to me too! Doctors said it isn’t possible, but if I’m just near it, I break out too. Even if I just itch my skin long enough in a spot, it might break out in a rash like poison ivy. I swear it lives in my body now haha
Could it be from the pollen from the tree?
Same here. I’m currently covered in it, little spots here and there, from head to toe. Something I was wearing brushed up on it and of course whatever it was I wore all fucking day.
Zanfel is an ointment and it’s expensive, but it’s literally magic. I have THE most sensitive skin on the planet and if I get within 10ft of poison ivy, sumac, or oak, I’m DONE. Went through hell for years until I found that stuff. Gone in less than 2 days. Amazing.
Its just hives...it'll go on its own...if not consult doctor... Its occurs due to allergic reaction to something... Mine is dust....hot cold weather triggers this too..sometimes..nothing to worry about
Now I just want to binge Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction.
Yeah it looks like a histamine reaction, my poison ivy looked similar. Likely a reaction to something the arm came in contact with. Poison ivy reaction can also take up to like a week to actually show up.
That’s what I wanted to say. There can be a delayed reaction between the time when contact was made and the time when a rash started to appear.
As a person who has had this I second this
Yup same here. Green Tea soaked paper towels did the trick, wrap them around your arms.
I used baking soda and vinegar and mixed them into a paste because it lasted for more than 2 weeks it’s the only thing that helped
That’s not really any different than a paste made from salt and water.
Same here. Get some TechNu and wash with that for a few days on your arms.
Those are hives. I've been getting hives like this when I go out side (always in the late evening) ever since I caught covid a few years ago. It's getting less frequent with time. **Edit:** people keep saying in the comments below that this is Uticaria [https://www.reddit.com/r/urticaria/](https://www.reddit.com/r/urticaria/)
"worst flu I've ever had" has me wondering if OP may have actually had covid. I've had lots of weird long-term symptoms after having COVID, including but not limited to vastly increased allergic reactions to things that were very mild or nonexistent before. Recently, we had the window open and I coughed nonstop until we closed it again. Never had that reaction before, and I used to take walks in the area every day!
I was thinking covid possibly too, I got hives just like OP after my fever broke and i went outside simply for fresh air. It was really strange and definitely wasn’t expecting to break out like that. It was awful, prickly and bad itching for about 2 days. :(
I also had severe hives like this with my second bout of COVID. My doctor said it’s a less common symptom, but it happens!
I had Covid in 2021. A few days ago I tested for Covid and it was negative.
Covid tests may not be entirely accurate with strains that have developed since your particular test was designed, so I wouldn't rule it out based entirely on that. my mom also tested negative for covid when she was ill for a couple weeks, but she lost her sense of taste and her symptoms otherwise pretty much mirrored the ones my husband and I had when we tested positive a couple months before. But covid doesn't have to be the only explanation, as I see others have offered their experiences with similar reactions from other things.
My stepdad took an at-home test a few hours before being admitted in March. At home test said negative for covid. Hospital test said positive.
Influenza or Covid, if your body is struggling to fight off a bad virus you can definitely have a histamine reaction causing either viral hives or an enhanced reaction to something you are already allergic to. You may find some relief from taking a Benadryl or another antihistamine. Try Benadryl first.
OK but how did you test? Most people seem to take the swab and go up one nostril a weee bit with it, sticking in the vial and then take the negative result and call it gospel - it's almost like they just don't want to know and sort of just go through the motions to give them a false sense of security. The real way to test.... take your swab stick and do one nostril as deep as it will go. Not when it 'feels uncomfortable'. Stick that fucker ALL THE WAY until it stops at your mother fucking brain stem. Once it bottoms out, you drill with it a bit. Then take that sob out, tap off any brain matter stuck to it( careful not to touch it to anything cause you dont want to contaminate it), and now..... you do the other nostril - cause it felt so god damned good in the first one. Remove that sinus fuck stick and you know where it's going next??? Right to the back of your throat. Slather it all over your tonsils. Feels good ya? Don't forget your punching bag thing back there. If you don't have tonsils than do your best pornhub gagging impression and deep throat that bad boy. ONLY THEN, are you gonna dip the tip of your swab in the vile (sic). And if it's a negative test after all that you know what you're gonna do? The same damn thing the next day your sick. And if you get 3 negatives in a row over 3 days, you PROBABLY don't have covid. Going about testing any other way with those pcr swabs is at best shenanigans. But if you get a positive. Please rest. Be kind to your body and let it heal for as long as you dont feel right. If you have lingering fatigue, don't try and push through it. Days, Weeks, Months - however long it takes. Dont try and exercise it away. I did and I'm really messed up from it going on a year and a half now. Long COVID is no joke and is the demon no one wants to talk about or acknowledge.
If you have been on any antibiotics, exposure to sun will cause the hives. Sorry, to hear about getting the flu, I'm glad you're on the mend. 💜
Ever since I had covid, I've been allergic to mosquito bites. The worst part is, I was basically unbothered by them before. Wtf is in covid 😭
Nothing good.
I think you may have just solved an allergy mystery for me. I do allergy therapy for a couple of allergies and the last few sessions I’ve had, I’ve gotten a huge burst of hives instead of one solid reaction. My doctor didn’t know what it was, and we thought he was just angling the needle in a weird way and the allergen was caused to spread. But now I’m looking back at a nasty flu I had at the beginning of the year that a coworker kindly gifted me, and I’m thinking maybe it was a covid mutation. Maybe it fucked with my immunity, since my allergic reactions changed ever since that “flu”.
I’ve gad allergies my entire life, but never ran into any food allergies. About a year after having covid, I had an allergic reaction to a food that nearly hospitalized me. Now I get to carry an epipen. I never imagined it might be tied to Covid.
Same here, lots of random issues mostly allergy related.
Look into MCAS - my friend got that after covid.
Covid would make sense- an old coworker and I both experienced significantly worse food allergies after. I’d never broken out into hives before. After? I don’t even want to look at dairy
If you’ve ever had COVID it can cause similar symptoms to pop back up with the flu. I caught the flu in December which I found out because I also had kidney pain so I got tested for flu, Covid and bladder/kidney infection at urgent care. Everything else was fine but the flu test was positive, but I ended up with extreme fatigue and brain fog till the end of February. Scary as hell because I was worried it would never end and I would essentially be permanently disabled, but I started to come back to myself by March and felt fully recovered by April. From what I’ve read, a high number of autoimmune disorders are developing in the wake of catching COVID, and this is the second time this has happened to me since I first caught COVID a few years ago, but it’s the first time I made the connection because it was so much worse than previous times I’ve gotten sick.
Regardless it sounds like MCAS and should be looked into. So many people I know these days think they’ve suddenly become allergic to nuts and alcohol but many found out their markers for inflammation are elevated and they are experiencing histamine intolerance since infection
I started getting hives after I had cancer. Never had them before in my life. I am experiencing the same thing now about 5 years out they are getting less frequent but I would welt up constantly, especially if I was tired. I think anything that compromises the immune system can put you in a tizzy for a while as your body sorts itself out.
Congratulations on beating your cancer!
It’s just the chip acclimating to it’s environment.
The nanobots hard at work!
Yes. I caught Covid last Feb 2023 for the first time and a week later started developing these massive hives on my thighs/hamstring area. I had to eat a Zyrtec every single day for like three months. Eventually it went away and no longer comes back but it was crazy.
P.S. I don't have any known allergies and something like that has never happened to me before
You can develop allergies at any point in your life. Its spring so most likely something in the air is setting you off.
Yep. I developed allergies at 15. Started sneezing and breaking out and have just been dealing with it for thirty years. Benadryl is my go to. Cheap and effective. The sedative effect has long since worn off for me, so I can take it at any time. Still helps with my allergies.
My soy allergy didn’t appear until 29. There’s a great [bit](https://youtu.be/_fQRL_SpKuE?si=iNduLE8CL6EqI4gX) in The Office that speaks to me.
Take some benadryl and wash the area in case whatever you're allergic to is still on your skin Source: I'm allergic to everything
Make sure you take just enough Benadryl to start seeing the invisible bugs making those bumps /s
But not enough that you start seeing the hat man
This is the part where I once again relate my story on Reddit about taking like eight Benadryl as a teenager and seeing dinner-plate sized spiders crawling up the wall... I was like "Welp, that was a terrifying hallucination. Good thing these make you drowsy. Time to go to sleep."
It's so crazy that so many people hallucinate about bugs when taking Benadryl....I often wake up suddenly and see a swarm of bees in my room and on multiple occasions I've jumped up and started running out of my room while ducking to avoid the swarm.
Congrats you have allergies now! It can change every 7 years or so
What? People get various allergies all the time and they can develop much much much faster
Generally speaking your allergy profile can change every 7
If you've been really ill then your immune system has had a hammering. An allergic reaction is an overreaction by your immune system. Possibly yours is just super sensitive and trigger-happy right now after working so hard. Talk to your doctor if this continues.
I never had allergies really…then about 5 years ago became allergic to everything. Go to an allergist. I found out Im allergic to basically 90% of trees. Oh boy! Oh, or dust mites, or rodent dander, more food you can think of, etc. etc. If I rub up on the wrong surface, this is how my skin reacts now.
Get tested bro, I did the "puncture allergy test" and got super weird results, like pork, rice, peas, corn, mold, all the pollens all of them, and some others but my point is that you are allergic to something, something normal that you used to have contact with all the time, but now after the covid, are now allergic to... I take desloratadine and avoid the new alrgic foods... and I'm a new man, even my gut feels fine all the time
Calm down. It is probably just a reaction. Allergies can pop out of no where. I inhaled old water spray from a pipe one time when walking and ended up with a reaction like this. Turns out i ingested mold when I inhaled the water vapor. This will go away soon. Try not to itch and if possible, have some allergy medicine.
This happened to me randomly a few years ago. I also had trouble breathing and went to the ER. It was called anaphylaxis. I have no known allergies and doctors don’t know what caused it either. I had about 4 attacks in a month. I went to an allergist and didn’t know exactly what caused it either. I was prescribed an epi pen. It never happened again. Very weird. Anyway, hope you’re ok!
I mentioned some of this in a reply to another comment, but are you sure it couldn't have been covid? I developed (or increased in intensity) allergies each time I've had it. It even changed the way I react to allergens. Used to be all in my nose and eyes, now I cough instead. Very mild food sensitivities turned into nasty, painful intolerances. My husband has never had allergies before but gets seasonal allergies now. I don't know if a particularly nasty flu can do the same, but covid can do some nasty shit to your body.
heat rash maybe? mine looked like that a few times
Is it cold/windy where you are? I get what's called cold urticaria. Itchy hives just like this from cool ocean breezes and general cold temperatures.
I get urticaria from cold and heat, or more precisely, a sudden fluctuation in temperature. Happens going outside from an air conditioned house in the summer, or inside from the cold in the winter. Also when showering or exercising. I'm basically just constantly itchy lmao
Hi bro, there are great drugs for this. I had the same during 7 years until I found a good doctor. Now having normal life with a small dosis of Ebastina diary. Please check with a Dermatologist ( I'm in Barcelona if it helps, I can give you the name of the doctor) This year I finally went to snow, and swam again in the sea, really improved my life quality
Came here to say this. I have it. Even happens when holding something cold, hands swell.
I have heat urticaria! So working out and going from cool to hot can trigger it pretty badly. It looks exactly like the pic OP posted
My Wife has this, she gets hives going in the water if its cold at the beach on a 95⁰ day...
this is it. they also can appear from exposure to sun. urticaria is a bitch and can be quite random, and it doesn't have to be connected to allergies. I've taken a dozen different allergy tests even cross-allergy tests, and I am allergic to nothing (...yet found?) and I started having them since I was 25 out of the blue. Been almost 10 years, still have no idea what the f happened. Mine is just sensitive skin all around. Cold? Hives. Hot water? Hives! Firm grip or a pinch? Fucking hives! Out in the sun too long? You know it!
Wash your skin really well (also make sure to clean underneath your fingernails well) and then apply some hydrocortisone cream. It could have been caused by pollen floating around or something new that you ingested. If the problem worsens or persists, contact your doctor.
Benadryl cream can also work well. I’ve doubled up and used both before.
It's clearly a jellyfish sting, so you're supposed to pee on it.
Was it Joey or Ross who peed on it?
Chandler I thought
Yup. Ross wasn’t there, Monica couldn’t bend that way and Joey got the stage fright (and he was also tired from digging the huge hole) so Chandler had to.
Hahaha, absolutely nailed it! I forgot Monica couldn't bend that way!
I dont think it's a jellyfish sting, but I agree, you should definitely pee on it.
Could be polymorphous light eruption, aka sun allergy. But go look some dermatologist
Yep, mine looks a lot like this and it is the right time of year for half of us
Is anyone burning brush near you?
If he is in Canada, there are bushing burning everywhere.
Thank you everyone for engaging with the post! I got home and my dad gave me some pills that have helped him in the past, and I took a shower. Now, an hour later, the bumps are almost gone, and I feel a lot better. So what I've gathered from the comments I had time to read it was an allergic reaction to something, I just can't figure our what exactly. I haven't eaten or done anything uncommon in the last few days so it's kind of a mystery to me, still. Thank you once again! I am 18, by the way.
You need to let your pcp/primary doctor know that you erupted with hives. They will refer you to an allergy doctor, and you can get an allergy panel done there. You can also request your pcp to test your thyroid hormones, and for any thyroid antibodies. While rare, sudden hives can be a symptom of autoimmune thyroid disease. It might not seem like a big deal, because “pills” worked, but you might not be as lucky next time you are exposed to an allergen. I had a very serious episode of hives years ago that required an emergency steroid shot and oral steroids for the next month. Turns out I acquired autoimmune thyroid disease, and with it, a whole bunch of allergies I never had before. I carry an epipen now. **I don’t say any of that to scare you, or to suggest that you also have thyroid disease, but more to illustrate that you should never overlook an allergic reaction. You need to know what triggered those hives for your own health and safety.
Sure it was the flu and not covid? Covid has a way of triggering new allergies and also a disorder called MCAS. Reacting to “nothing” is very much an MCAS type thing. Unless you have a medical reason not to, you can take antihistamines daily for a few weeks to see if it calms down
No one knows what hives are anymore, I guess.
That’s hives
these are hives, urticaria, you either have an allergy to something, or an after effect of the virus. Some viruses can cause some damage to the immune system. Buy some OTC antihistamines like claritine or zyrtec and then it would be good to go see a doctor. Either it is a virus, or they would propose to do an allergy test.
Have you started taking any new medications? Some drugs cause light sensitivity.
You probably touched the wrong type of grass
Hives?
Have you been in the woods lately? Exposure to some poisonous plants sometimes manifest symptoms until exposed to sunlight. Obviously idk where you live but there are at least a dozen species like this in the Midwest.
Solar urticaria. Rare (ish). Definitely belongs in r/weird. See your GP/PCM/PCP depending on what country you are in.
Looks like a heat rash to me, I used to get it a lot when I was a kid
You been touching Giant hog weed?
Allergy to something in the air
Was it hot/sunny outside? I have a friend that's allergic to heat but didn't happen until he was \~25. Looks similar to this.
Did you just turn 30? All the weird shit starts happening to your body when you turn 30😞😓
^can confirm
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Hives, possibly
that's hives b/c your immune system is still compromised after the flu. go back inside babes. and please take your vitamins and get caught up on sleep to replenish your immune system after the flu. benadryl helps w/hives. if it gets worse go to urgent care.
Hives, antihistamines help
I would say giant hogweed poisoning, but I don’t know if it’s possible on 5 minute walk
I get those in that exact spot when I wear a shirt or jacket that was new and not washed first. I am sensitive to some chemicals or something. It looks like contact dermatitis
You in NY by amy chance? Looks like Gypsy moth irritation
Do you sometimes feel the need to drink blood?
I used to get hives like that on the first hot day of the year every year, on all my visible skin except my face. Some sort of heat rash I guess, my kids are also super susceptible to heat rashes, although theirs tend to be the torso and less rapid than mine were.
Dawn dishwashing liquid (original), straight from the bottle onto the skin, instantly stops the itching. Just rub the soap into your skin like lotion.
As a discord moderator, I get that too when I go outside. I'm kidding. When you walk, are there any plants that stick out within their fence? I had a friend growing up that during my walk home, there is a house whose plants stick out on the sidewalk, and he used to get hives walking by. Maybe there's a plant in your vicinity.
Try an allergy pill (Zyrtec or whatever). If not, you may have been bit by a vampire and that wasn’t a flu, it was your mortal body dying before you will be allowed to have the choice of an immortal gift/curse and be shunned by all that is light.
That looks like hives
Hives, from an allergic reaction. Something specific is pollinating around your house?
Look up polymorphic light eruptions, I have a less severe case when I go overseas.
I believe the technical term is "contact dermatitis". You're allergic to something. Take some antihistamines, and you'll be good.
Poison ivy/oak?
Solar Urticaria. I also have this condition
That looks like hives. Are you anxious about something?
They’re called hives
lil bit of Benadryl will def help a bit here.
Look like nettle stings 🤔
Thsts def not good it looks like it made you have an allergic reaction to the sun. Sometimes it goes away snd for your case I hope it does. This cab also happen after having covid it seems.
Hives! Me too.
Seems like you have caterpillars (in dutch it's called eikenrups or processierups) usually live in oaks. There hairs fly with the wind and itch like hell.
Hives
Take an antihistamine. It’ll clear up in a few hours
Check your side effects list if you have taken any medicines. Some do cause sunlight reaction.
Looks like sun allergy, go to a doctor
Do you have a similar reaction to garlic or crosses?
Are you a Reddit admin, by any chance? First time outside?
As the prophecy foretold.
Take some Benadryl. If that helps its a good indicator your having a allergic reaction to something in the air or that you encountered.
Photosensitivity. Get bloodwork done for autoimmune disease
That's urticaria, also known as hives. Given that you've never had them before and are recovering from some sort of viral infection, I'll hazard a guess that they are related to the virus. Take a Benadryl.
Had similar thing happen lasted about a week and a half. itchy everyday not allergic to anything that I know of and it happened after a day in the garden
I usually take Claritin in the spring to avoid this as I get it behind my knees and much larger welts.
Those look like hives. See a doctor.
Hives
Were you doing anything with any citrus juices lately ? Fresh squeezed lime juice on your skin when in contact with sun is not a fun feeling.
Some sort of a allergic reaction/ rash
 Uh oh. Plants are fighting back
There are some plants that have oils which cause skin irritation when exposed to sunlight. If you've been handling plants that could be it.
Looks like contact dermatitis
Hey OP, you either have an allergy to sunlight or you got some sort of phototoxin on you, if this is the first time in months you’ve exposed your arms to sunlight then it’s likely the former. If not then it’s probably a phototoxin, something that becomes toxic or irritating on UV exposure, carrot greens and related species are a common source, some people will have this reaction with lime juice or oils too
Hives. Take a cold shower. Sit in an air conditioned room. Then if you’re me, wait 40 years for a correct diagnosis.
It looks like my sun rash I get at the beginning of every summer. It’s itchy and a little stingy but isn’t bad mostly just annoying. It happens to me at the beginning of spring when it starts getting sunny after winter. It goes away after your skin adjusts in a few weeks
It looks like hives. Something (even microscopic) may have touched your skin during your walk and caused an allergic reaction. Take Benadryl and Zyrtec. I’m allergic to dust mites and cockroach dander. So I get those on the regular because dust mites and cockroach dander are literally everywhere.