JiggaRoo

As you know, I’ve been getting bad rashes every single day since I stopped taking Zyrtec 6 days ago.  What are the chances that the day I have my Allergists’ appointment is the day no rashes appear?  Life sure likes to play some funny games.  Luckily I had some photos on hand to bring to the Allergist.  Turns out they were unnecessary because the Allergist immediately knew what my problem was and diagnosed me with a common skin condition known as Dermatographia.

Dermatographia occurs when the body’s “mast cells” become sensitive to physical stimulation such as scratching.  The histamines in the body start to spread, causing hives all over the body.  So any sort of etching into the skin can create these rashes.  This is definitely true for me, because hives randomly occur when I carry heavy grocery bags hung on my arms, or if my dog accidentally scratches my leg with her paw.  So the more I itch, the more my rashes spread…

The doc asked if I wanted the good news first or the bad news.  Of course I said the bad news!  Let’s get the somber stuff out of the way please.

The bad news is that he doesn’t know why I have Dermatographia and he doesn’t know when they’ll go away.
The good news is it doesn’t have anything to do with a specific allergy – so it isn’t brought on by food or environment.

I’m a strong believer in a mind-body connection when it comes to diseases and allergies.  Even though the doc says my skin rashes have nothing to do with what I’m eating, I still believe that somewhere along the way a trigger of some sort must’ve brought this on.  I guess I’ll never know…

His recommendation: that I take Zyrtec regularly for another 1-3 months, which I probably won’t do.  He said it’s not bad to take anti-histamines for a long period of time (which I totally don’t believe!  do you know what that will do to my liver?).

Here are some Zyrtec complaints:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/rx/zyrtec.html
http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=19835&name=zyrtec

The power of the internet gives us so much freedom – knowledge is at our fingertips… don’t just trust the authorities with your health!  Even the professionals don’t know everything.  Research research research.

My belief is that my rashes were worse the last several days (after I stopped taking Zyrtec) because I’m going through withdrawal.  I’ve experienced withdrawal before from other drugs and usually when you try to wean yourself off something, the symptoms get worse before they get better.  Perhaps I’m in the clear now.  I’m feeling a lot better today – no rashes in sight.

Oh and about the Master Cleanse – I know I said I’d do it this week, but I can’t get myself to go through with it!  The skeptic in me is preventing me from trying it.  I’m not sure I believe in the effectiveness of Master Cleanse and don’t want to go through 10 days of torture to find out.  The thought of not being able to sit down with my hubby and enjoy a meal together??  No thanks.

Days without Monster: 7
Days without Zyrtec: 7