uh-oh, weird allergy issues?

[chhotii]

Today the weirdest thing happened.

This morning I went on a long (maybe 5 or 6 miles) walk for exercise. It was pretty cold. I wore an old pair of pants that looked warm, but really didn't insulate my legs from the cold much. I think it hovered around 32dF, judging from the half-frozen state of the puddles on the road.

Towards the end of my walk, my legs seemed to get really numb-- which I attributed to the cold-- except for one spot near my butt, where the pants seemed to be rubbing me more. That one spot felt really weird.

When I got home, my legs started to itch, and I really wanted to get out of those pants and take a shower. My legs started to itch more and more, and in the hot shower, they turned really red and started to swell up a bit. It seemed to be the same kind of reaction I get from Nair. But what the heck? I hadn't put anything on my legs, except:

1) My own sweat, perhaps; and
2) These old many-times-washed pants, 97% cotton and 3% spandex, laundered in the same stuff all our other clothes are laundered in.

Quick web search reveals that spandex allergies are not unheard of, and like latex allergies, can spring up suddenly. I can't possibly be allergic to cotton, or our laundry detergent, because wearing cotton clothes laundered in the same stuff, I'm perfectly fine. What else could I be allergic to? My own sweat?

Or could an extreme temperature change-- going from the 32dF outside air to 100dF shower water-- trigger redness (sure) and severe itching (seems unlikely)?

So this afternoon I tried going shopping for clothes, avoiding anything containing any spandex. That's hard! All the good-looking pants at LL Bean and JJill contained spandex. Darn it, it was hard enough shopping for pants already.

And I still feel kind of crappy.

Comments

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

going from cold to hot can itch like fire ants (approximated guessing based on average fireant comments). for example: you are in toast hot tub. you roll in fresh snow. this feels great. when you are chilled, you jump back in hot tub. yow. it hurts. depending on how cold you were, and how hot the water, it hurts a lot. ah, circulation, pores, nerves.

hoping it's not allergies. probably not. cold and wet can make you cold and numb faster than you think.

#

[candle-light.livejournal.com]

Hiya. After skiing or sledding if my legs get really cold they turn bright red and itch like crazy as they warm up.

[tb]

Or could an extreme temperature change-- going from the 32dF outside air to 100dF shower water-- trigger redness (sure) and severe itching (seems unlikely)?

Yes it can -- see cold-induced (or cholinergic) urticaria. It's unclear to me whether it's the cold or the re-warming that can trigger hives, or both.

[istemi.livejournal.com]

Yep, I get hives from cold (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_urticaria). The wikipedia article shows dainty little goosebump welts. I get them the size of the affected area, e.g. as small as the gap between mitten and jacket, as big as the front of my thigh where my jeans didn't insulate enough.

You could try wearing your pants around the house for a little while to double-check.