What is the oddest thing about Celia? Well I'll tell you. Cold Urticaria. That means I'm allergic to the cold. It's true. And I'm not just talking sub-zero temperatures here. It's pretty much anything below 70 degrees. 70 degrees! Most people think paradise hovers around 70. Not I, dear friends, not I. (My paradise is pretty much between 78-82 degrees, so long as there's no cold breeze.) My husband's paradise is around 65-70*! Luckily he's a penny pincher so we keep our own A/C at 79*. ;0D
I first noticed this oddity around age 14. It was June 18, 1995 to be exact. My brother had just gotten married in SLC, and we were on our way home--7 people, a compact car, and a 2 passenger diesel pickup truck. It was a rather unfortunate 9 hour drive from Provo to Snowflake as our luck turned sour 7 hours into the trip. It was dark, we were on the Reservation, and our car's transmission went out. Or at least that's what I remember.
The next day I wrote in my journal, "I never thought you could fit 7 people in a 2 passenger truck for 2 hours. There were 4 people inside with me, Nate, and Dad in the back. That was the longest, coldest, two hours of my life. It was awful."
Northern Arizona nights, even summer nights, cool off quite rapidly. Though we were driving across the Reservation, we were not prepared to do it "reservation style". We had only light jackets and swimming towels to cover us. At 60 mph with wind ripping through you and while sitting in a metal truck, a towel seems rather flimsy. It was then that I first noticed rashy bumps on my elbows and knees. Not many, but some. But oh would it get worse as the years go by!
My allergy hit its peak around my senior year. It was a bit disturbing for me to arrive at school with a fat lip from hives. One vivid hive-induced memory was changing clothes after playing in the snow with friends. Despite having had on multiple layers, gloves, and a hat, as I stripped out of my wet clothes, I discovered my entire body was covered in quarter size (and larger) hives. Itchy hives. Welts even. Luckily they disappear anywhere from 1/2 hour to an hour after my body has warmed up again. They can last up to 24 hours with some people.
The progression is usually the same with me. It will often start on my feet, hands, elbows and knees. Those are soon followed by the skin under my chin, my lips and my stomach. From there it tends to move to my hind end, and then to my arms and legs.
You might think it fortunate to live in TX, wouldn't you? Well, just think this: How many stores, churches, houses, etc. have their A/C around 70*? Too many for my little body. Even walking down the frozen food aisle or carrying a gallon of milk through the store can start the itching that precedes the welts.
As odd and annoying as that may be, I really would choose it over some other allergies. I knew a girl that would go into anaphylactic shock if she ate anything that had even touched tomatoes. And all those peanut people who's throats constrict and stop their air flow. Yes, it could definitely be worse.
7 comments:
Man, I thought my excessive teeth chattering was bad!
You should move to Hawaii. They almost never have air conditioning there.
You know I only have a vague recollection of that reservation experience! Thanks for reminding me how miserable it really was. Is there a "cure" or some kind of medication for your "allergy"?
Foxyj: Hawaii would be nice, though it's pretty far down on my husband's list of places to visit. (Though I could probably talk him into it with the volcano argument. He likes volcanos.) The only scary thing about Hawaii are the enormous bugs I've heard about. *shudder*
J., I was reading that antihistamines (sp?) work for some people but not all. I tried benadryll, and it was totally worthless. Claritin or some other might work. They say to take it before, going out in the cold rather than after. That I have never tried.
how did you finally get this diagnosis? i've never heard of such a thing. but i will never complain about hay fever again.
Well, the first winter Matt and I were married I was having some other cold related issues. Some of my toes will lose complete feeling and turn bright white when they are really cold. I'll also get hard spots on the bottom of my feet like there are knots inside when they're cold. (She said it's a precursor to frostbite! I had to start wearing wool socks in the winter, even if I wasn't out for long periods of time.)
Anyway, when I went for that I asked about my bumps. She said it's a fairly of rare allergy that she didn't deal with much. She didn't give me many details, and I didn't look into it until recently.
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Oh my gosh! I wonder if I have this! Can Cold Urticaria affect people in other ways as well?
I'm pretty sure that urticaria just means hives. There are many things that can cause hives, and some are more common than others. So for me, cold induces hives. One article I was reading said that some people with this will have their throat swell (making it hard to breath) when drinking ice cold beverages. As for other ways that it can affect people, I'm not sure.
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