Question: HI, my throat feels thick and funny. I can breathe okay. I have several red spots on my legs and neck, which are raised and hot and itchy. I started having them Feb. 7, a Sun. morning, and just thot they were spider bites, and let it go. I did take 1 benedryl each night, for about 5-6 days, or so. I felt pretty good, and was not worried. A week ago, my throat felt funny like this, just dry, and kind of hard to swallow, not painful at all, and my lips felt kind of spongy. I got scared at 1:00 AM and thot my throat might close up...I took a benedryl, and a bath, to wash off Resinol, a cream which I had applied to my neck and legs because the itchiness was bothering me. My husband took me to the ER, (I took another benedryl on the way, just to be careful. ER Dr. said my airways were open, and gave me a shot for the itchiness, ( I had been taking benedryl : 1 a night here and there for the itchy red spots). He siad they looked like insect bites, and the report he gave said hives. He prescribed prednizone, for 6 days (6 the first day, 5, the second day...etc, til gone.) He also said I should buy cortizone 10 cream, which I did, and am using still. The prednizone made me feel HORRIBLE...I went to my reg. dr. (PA) and she adjusted the dosage, but still had me taper it down. It did prevent any new spots until today, the day of my last 1 pred., I woke up with about 10-12 red spots, 4 on my legs and 6-8 on my neck, right below my chin line. They feel hot and inflamed, like the others were. I felt fine, went to church, applied the cortizone10 cream, etc. Oh, and I have changed my sheets several times, removed an air cleaner from our bedroom, which smelled of chlorine, in case that was a cause, and switched to a pure, non-frag. detergent. Also, when I began these spots, I had just been given a stack of old quilt blocks to sew together...and they might have maybe dust mites, I am wondering??? I did itch alot when sewing on them, but I thot the steam iron would kill any dust mites. Last night I did finish sewing them together, and itched so badly, I took a sponge bath, and went to bed. Maybe they are the culprit. I washed the finished quilt top in the pure detergent and a disinfectant and air dried it today. Now tonight, my throat feels just funny, but I can breathe okay....just wanted to make sure I am safe to go to sleep okay...I NEVER want to go on Pred. again...Can you shed some light on this situation??? I wondered about even bedbugs...never have had them, and never did as a kid either, but my aunt (98 yr. old) said it prob. isn't bedbugs, but the spots kind of looked like that, from what she remembered the neighbors had 80 years or so ago.... Please help...I do feel a little better, but just want your opinion, please.

My rash is gone now...no pictures to send. Also, my throat is not sore; I am not sure why you mentioned a sore throat.

I have checked already for bedbugs...none, and no spiders either. No fleas either; we have never had any indoor animals.

I have since had some funny episodes in the night 2 nights ago: my lips felt prickly, and my eyes hurt and there was pressure in my head - it happened about 12 times on and off all night long...very unusual...it lasted about 1-2 min. each time, then subsided. I had taken benedryl when I went to bed.. could that have caused these spells?

I went to dr. and they are checking my thyroid. They also did an EKG and it was fine. Dr. took blood vials and suggested I get these creams for my dry skin: cerave cream, Aquaphor cream, and cetaphil cream, and also prescribed an allergy med: cetirizine - 1 each night.
Thank you - please reply.


Oh, yes, and thank you for getting back to me ...I checked my emails for hours and hours....but never heard from anyone. I just found out today, replies do not come to my email, even though I was led to believe they would come to my email.

1. What could cause those weird spells I mentioned above?
2. What causes extremely dry skin all of a sudden?
3. What vitamins do you think are best for me?
4. One dr. thot I must have ingested (ate or breathed in) something toxic to cause the spots. What do you think?
5. They were red, about 3/4 " to an inch roundish, hot, in groups of 3-5, and very itchy. some on legs, forearms, chin line, shoulder. Like I said, they are now gone, praise the Lord.

Blessings, XXXXXXX XXX

Hi, I am doing well, sleeping better, with no more rashes until this morning, I woke up with an itchy hive-like rash on my chin line and neck and on my right wrist and forearm area, probably 25 red spots altogether.

Last night, I took 4 herbal laxatives before retiring, around 10:00. (I have a terrible time with constipation.) They are from Vitacost and contain: senna, strawberry, peach, anise, caraway hibiscus, calendula, dicaicium phosphate, cellulose, stearic acid (vegetable source), silicon dioxide, crsocarmellosa sodium and aqueous film coating.

I have taken these before, but not usually 4 at a time. I am still not sure if this is the cause, but I am told it is possible to develop an allergy at any time. I do remember having my lips feel tingly another time after taking this herbal pill, but I had taken other vitamins at the same time too.

You are so right, I do need to eliminate all vitamins and just do one at a time...

I called Vitacost and they did not have access to their records of adverse reactions, although they assured me they keep records on all adverse effects.

They did reimburse me for the Herbal Laxatives. I do not know how to send pictures of my rash, or I would do that. I am a novice at computers...

Do you have any info on the above ingredients, if any of them could cause a rash? That is my important question of the day.


Also, what is the best, safest product to help with constipation?

Well, here are my symptoms: Eye pressure, tingly lips, headache, a little sick to my stomach, (nausea), tingling in my cheeks, lots of floaters in my eyes, numbness in my throat and tongue...so strange. I am drinking alot of water to flush out anything I might have ingested....trying to breathe fresh air outside from time to time too....I wonder if it was that herbal laxative....

I just want to get to the bottom of it; my spots are very itchy, and raised.

I did take 2 more of these herbal lax. this am before I even realized they might be the culprit.

My symptoms are lessening...I have been drinking LOTS of water, and lemon juice. I will avoid those herbal lax, just in case....

Just wanted you to know I am feeling more normal.

I am still washing all my sheets and clothes, etc, in case of detergent allergy; I think it has helped, but at night, I still get a rash now and then, tho not as much, but my lips lips feel prickly at night, and I still get a funny, almost numb feeling in the back of my throat, like it is getting thick and spongy, and it is hard to swallow. I take 1 benedryl at night to help ...it is scary though. It makes me scared to go to sleep. I wondered if it was my senna in my laxatives, so I stopped taking them, and the prickliness in my lips is not quite as bad, but still there, and the same as my throat...still is funny-feeling most of time now, but especially at night. What other things can cause prickly lips, and this numb, thick feeling in my throat....hard to swallow..any ideas?