Zantac as a H2 blocker

So today I went to the Physiotherapist who was shocked by the severity of the hives I am experiencing but had heard of it, although she thought it was related to body temperature being affected by hormonal fluctuation. Nonetheless, not interested in a diagnosis as yet, as I will be seeing my GP when I can and recall all of this to him and asking for a blood work-up.

After the Physiotherapist I went to the Chemist and purchased Zantac. I popped one as soon as I was back in my car and had my bottle of cold water in hand. Nothing miraculous happened, but a definite sense of relief came through within an hour. In particular the palms of my hands, my cheeks and jaw line, legs below the knee, and torso, all calmed down. Hives were still visually present but the need to itch had subsided.

Following the instructions not to take more than 2 tablets in a 24 hour period I have taken another this evening, and the same itching areas remain limited and continue to subside. My forehead too seems somewhat relieved, although a horrible rash where they have all joined up from scratching is present. What remains bad for me are my thighs, uppers arms and elbows, all with a mix of aged and new hives. I'd estimate I am having new outbreaks up to 4 times a day, but right now I think they are limited to what came on earlier than 6 hours ago,

I am also taking my once-a-day anti-histamine, Fenofex, twice daily now in alignment with the Zantac, but I more firmly credit any relief to Zantac as a H2 blocker because of the improvement this morning.

My period didn't return overnight, so hopefully the 35-ED is taking control of that situation, but more so I want the hives gone as I plan to look for a new job and do not want to be chronically affected by hives if I attend an interview. Fingers crossed also that the hives do not return next month.

What is going on?

At age 28, and coming up to my 4 year anniversary with depo I decided to have a rethink about what I am doing with my contraception. Now I have read a lot trying to address what I believe are my subsequent withdrawal symptoms, but I have thoroughly enjoyed being on depo. I have had no period since I first starting taking it, with only a strange, light 24-hour show at 18 months. Otherwise, it was all good for me. I was able to complete my under-grad and masters studies without distraction and without distraction was a fairly congenial person each and every day of those 4 years.

What did bother me was my GP's failure to link my unacceptably excessive weight gain and my inability to control my depression through self-help strategies, which I had successfully done so for over 10 years, to depo. Bone density issues he warned me of. Delayed return of fertility, too. But having now learnt of this and being informed and prepared to have a discussion with him about the weight-gain and depression at next appointment, I am confident that these issues can be reversed. So what then is this all about?

What prompted me to reconsider was the increasing desire to ensure that when I and Mr Right (who is yet to appear) or when the Right-Time happened, regardless of Mr Right, I would be fertile and commence procreating without further delay caused by coming off depo. So in discussion with my GP when taking my last shot in September 2009, I chose to go back on the Pill to get my cycle back in order and avoid the horror stories I have read about. My theory was I had been heavily feeding my body with Progesterone and to send it off into the wilderness, I figured, was like detoxing an alcoholic or junkie, going cold turkey just didn't seem wise to me.

And so I commenced taking the Pill being a 35-ED dosage back in November, planning Week 4 or Week 1 depending on which way you look at it, to fall in the week beginning 13 December. The commencement may have been a bit early as my next shot wasn't due until mid-December, but since I was seeing someone at that stage and didn't want to run any risk of falling pregnant just then, I decided to overlap it a bit more. This also involved some planning on my part as if I can get my cycle back and have it under control I am trying to avoid having my period when I go on a cruise in mid-April 2010.

The first two weeks were all good. The next two, not so. I was light-headed and nauseous and terrified that I was pregnant (Mr Then was also out of the scene by that stage and that meant an unplanned pregnancy was the last thing I wanted). And not just a little nauseous. Eating a cheese sandwich at work I had to run to the ladies to throw-up. Diet Coke now tastes like salty-water to me and I can't stomach it - even the smell from someone else's glass is awful. Being nauseous I began drinking lemonade like a fish. I had days off work because I couldn't sleep for feeling like crap. And in Week 4, nothing but cramping. So by this stage I am sure I am pregnant. And I am planning to go to the GP for a test.

But lo-and-behold on Sunday, so Week 5, my period started. And it was strangely normal. Just like what I remembered. Except for the hives. The hives started on the Monday. At around the same time, being in Australia, I was eating copious amounts of cherries for the first time since last cherry season finished. So I shrugged and put the hives down to that.

So Sunday is OK, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are tainted by annoying hives which are progressively getting worse and spreading to every part of my body, even the palms of my hands. Then I start Googling. And these hives don't make sense, they aren't prior to my period. But maybe progesterone withdrawal is to blame. But now being the wee hours of Tuesday morning the following week, I don't care what the cause is I want it to stop.

Then come Thursday, despite a belief that my period was easing off on Wednesday night as I went to bed, Thursday morning was a horrible heavy show, with bright red blood and massive clots. It was so heavy I was changing sanitary items every 2-3 hours. If I took to long getting out of the shower and into my underwear I was dripping blood. And my uterus felt like it was being scrapped with a cheese shredder. But to top it off, I would get a gut-wrenching cramp involving me panting to get through it, and surely within the next 20 minutes I would pass a massive clot. And this bleeding has continued until just 12 hours ago, so fingers crossed, because I restarted the Pill when my period started, just as you are meant to do, and I am hoping that is kicking in so there will be no surprises in the morning.

But these hives. I have struggled to find any decent info about management relating to hormonally linked hives in any one space, so here I will try to provide a brief summary.

I am taking Fenofex as an antihistamine, but it is not helping for more than a few hours and doesn't prevent new eruptions. This may do with the fact that it apparently blocks H1 but not H2. H2 I have learnt is blocked by heartburn medication with Zantac being suggested on one page as an excellent over-the-counter remedy. So tomorrow, Zantac here I come.

Bepanthan is currently my friend because if I smother the hives I find it is easier to avoid scratching like a flea-bitten dog. It is more a case of suffocation as a form of relief rather than anything permanent.

Cold compresses also allegedly are useful, I have found this only to be true for my palms and face/jaw. Yes, my face is disgusting - currently as I look like I am recovering from the chicken pox, post healing of blisters.

Then wonderfully found a page on Traditional Chinese Medicine which appears to have a definitive stance on the matter, as compared to Western medicine. It has to do with what I understand to be a general Qi stagnation. And this also makes sense with regard to the heavy period with clots. So being that I am already a follower and believer, the plan is also to take myself off to the Practitioner I frequent for treatment.

So the point really is for me to pull together everything that I found that has made sense in the hopes it will make sense for others. And God willing I will endeavour to blog so until my fertility has normalised.