Cold urticaria

During the winter when Olivia would come in from playing outside she would have little tiny red bumps everywhere. I kind of freaked out a little,took a few pictures and gave her a warm bath and they went away. I chalked it up to her just being cold.

April 24th we went to the Seattle for a night and went to the Motocross. While sitting in the stadium we got kind of chilly and I noticed her hands and face had red bumps. Her hands and face were the only 2 things exposed to the cold. We went to the bathroom and I ran them under warm water and they went away. Hmm..

2 weeks ago we ran some errand and it was an unusually warm day so I told the kids they could cool down in the sprinkler. Within 5 minutes Olivia came in head to toe in hives. I gave her a warm shower and they went away. I googled "I know this is crazy but could my kid be allergic to the cold" and sure enough found out there is such a thing!

deeeeep breath in....2,3,4..and out.....2,3,4.

A Mayo Clinic website says this:

"As strange as it sounds, it's possible to have an allergy to cold temperatures. Doctors refer to this as cold urticaria (ur-tih-KAR-ee-uh). It's also sometimes called cold allergy or cold hives. With cold urticaria, exposure to cold temperatures causes redness, itching, swelling and hives on your skin. As much as possible, people with cold urticaria should avoid exposure to cold air as well as cold water. For example, swimming in cold water is the most common cause of a severe, whole-body reaction — leading to fainting, shock and even death.

If you think you have cold urticaria, consult your doctor. Treatment for cold urticaria may include antihistamines taken before cold exposure.

Cold urticaria symptoms begin soon after the skin is exposed to a sudden drop in air temperature or to cold water. Although symptoms may begin during the cold exposure, symptoms of cold urticaria are often worse during rewarming of the exposed skin. The majority of cold urticaria reactions occur when skin is exposed to temperatures lower than 40 F (4.4 C), but some people can have reactions to warmer temperatures. Damp and windy conditions may make cold urticaria more likely.

Cold urticaria signs and symptoms may include:

Reddish, itchy hives (wheals) on the area of skin that was exposed to cold. Wheals generally last for about half an hour.
Swelling of hands when holding cold objects.
Swelling of lips when eating cold foods.
In rare cases, severe swelling of the tongue and throat that can block breathing (pharyngeal edema). In some people, reactions affect the whole body. This is known as a systemic reaction. Signs and symptoms of a severe reaction include:

Fainting
Chills
Fast heartbeat
Swelling of limbs or trunk
Severe reactions

For people who have cold urticaria, exposure to cold can be dangerous. The worst reactions generally occur with full skin exposure, such as swimming in cold water. A massive release of histamine and other immune system chemicals causes a sudden drop in blood pressure that can lead to fainting, shock and, in rare cases, death. In the case of cold-water swimming, drowning can be caused by loss of consciousness.

The severity of cold urticaria symptoms vary widely. Some people have minor reactions to cold, while others have severe reactions. It's also impossible to say whether it will get better over time. In some cases cold urticaria goes away on its own after several months. In other cases it lasts many years before it improves. "

I also read that there is a skin 'ice test' they perform to check for this cold allergy where they hold a piece of ice on the arm for 3-4 minutes. I decided to try it out but on a very mild scale,by rubbing a piece of ice on the top of her arm in a small area, but only across it about 10 times. Then we watched. 10 minutes later she got hives where the ice had been.

Summertime=no swimming? no sprinklers? no river swimming when we go camping? no water parks? no sprinkler parks? no water slides? no slip-n-slides?

and deep breath in... 5,6,7....52,53,54...89,90,91..

I'm just going to hold my breath until this whole thing is over.