Hives

This is not a picture of my skin. But it could have been. Imagine this type of blotchy redness (except redder around the edges) all over my frame--front, back, middle, legs, feet, arms--scary!!!

It happened all the sudden. I was sitting in a family group at the county corrections center, facilitating conversations with support people and their adult incarcerated sons about the best and worst things about recovery from addiction. . .

All the sudden I felt hot. And itchy. I took off my jacket and started to scratch my back against my chair. Heat seemed to ooze off my skin the more I scratched. I excused myself for a moment, went to the restroom, and could not believe the grapefruit sized welts all over my body. Group was over for the night.

I called my medical expert--T--who is an expert on dispensing hydrocortisone cream, allergies, and when to call the doctor. He suggested that as I could still breath, I could go to the drug store for some benadryl , which he said would be the same thing they'd give me in the ER. I considered the $50+ bill for a trip to the ER, and itching like mad, grabbed liquid capsules and an orange juice from a nearby Albertsons.

The 30-minute car ride home was long. I knew that the more I scratched the more I would itch, so I sang, prayed, laughed, screamed, and sped.

I got into a cold shower, got a blessing, and T iced the hives until most of the swelling went down.

What caused my hives, friends? Was it an allergy, an attack of poison oak? Nope.

It was "emotional STRESS". The hives continued for another day but they have subsided.

The body is smart. It knows when its had enough. I guess I know now, too.